Nomans

"Nomans -- a caste of people who are considered non-humans and have no rights."
-- Booklet 076, "War of the Castes"

The Nomans (singular: Noman; German: Nomanen, literally "No-Man") are the lowest caste in the rigid social hierarchy of the Terran Star Empire in Die Terranauten. Comprising approximately 7% of Earth's population, the Nomans are people who have been stripped of all legal rights, all social identity, and -- in many cases -- their PSI abilities. They are officially designated as non-persons, invisible to the institutions of the Council of Corporations, and survive in the ruins of old cities, abandoned bunkers, and the margins of corporate megastructures. Hunted for sport, used as experimental subjects, and denied any legal protection, the Nomans represent the most oppressed and dehumanized group in a civilization defined by systematic inequality.

Yet the Nomans are far more than victims. From the earliest booklets to the saga's climax, they are a force of resistance. Their leaders -- Brak Shakram, Nobody, Hanstein, Delwin, Carsen, and others -- organize the dispossessed into a political and military force that ultimately helps bring down the corporate oligarchy. The Commando Brak Shakram, named after their most famous martyr, becomes the paramilitary backbone of the F.F.D.E. coalition, and the Noman Uprising of 2501 prefigures the War of the Castes that dissolves the Council of Corporations in 2503.

Description

Physical Appearance and Identification

Nomans are biologically human, indistinguishable from any other Terran citizen save for one enforced marker: the Noman Sign (German: Noman-Zeichen), a red triangle worn as a visible brand of their caste status. This compulsory marking ensures that Nomans can be identified, avoided, and targeted at any time. It functions as both a social stigma and a practical tool of oppression, making Nomans immediately recognizable to the Gray Guards, to sport-hunters like the Berlin Shooting Club, and to the general population.

Nomans wear distinctive green hunting suits (German: Jagdanzug), practical garments suited to their existence in ruins and wilderness. Years of deprivation leave many Nomans hardened, resourceful, and physically resilient -- survivors shaped by an environment that offers no safety net.

Some Nomans who were previously Drivers and underwent PSI-stripping may exhibit the psychological and physiological scars of that process, including hollowness, diminished affect, or -- paradoxically -- immunity to telepathic influence, as demonstrated by Carsen (Booklet 073).

Legal Non-Existence

A Noman is, in the eyes of the law, a non-person. They possess no legal identity, no recognized name in the corporate registries, no right to housing, food, employment, or protection. The very word "Noman" -- "No-Man" -- encodes this erasure. A Noman is nobody, and the most famous Noman leader in the saga literally calls himself Nobody (Booklet 023), embracing the dehumanizing label as an act of defiance.

Homeworld

The Nomans are native to Earth and are an exclusively Terran phenomenon, a product of the planet's Caste System rather than a separate biological species. They inhabit the interstices of Terran civilization -- the places the corporations have abandoned or cannot fully control:

• Old Berlin -- The ruined remains of the original Berlin, located beneath the modern city of New Berlin, is the saga's most prominent Noman habitat. Nomans live in the ruins alongside other outcasts, forming communities in the underground spaces between the corporate surface city and the Dead Spaces prison complex below (Booklets 009, 021, 023).

• Ultima Thule -- The terGorden family palace in Greenland harbors Nomans in its bunker system. Brak Shakram and his band -- including Nolan, Fallon, and Hossan -- live in the palace's underground halls (Booklet 006).

• Northern Canada -- Remote wilderness areas where small bands of Nomans, such as Delwin's group, survive outside corporate control (Booklet 008).

• Ruins of New Delhi -- Located in the IND region, this becomes the site of the major Noman uprising during the War of the Castes in 2503 (Booklet 076).

• Noman Hideouts -- Hidden locations scattered across Earth used by the Nomans for shelter and planning.

• Hauptquartier der Nomans -- The headquarters of the Nomans, located in a labyrinthine structure, serving as the organizational center for their resistance activities.

Culture

How One Becomes a Noman

There are several paths to Noman status, all involving a fall from a previous social position:

• PSI-Stripping: Drivers who have had their PSI Powers surgically removed may be cast down to Noman status. Booklet 027 explicitly defines a Noman as "a Driver who has been stripped of their PSI powers and deported." The process is surgical and irreversible, performed in facilities on planets like Siam-Sin and aboard hospital ships like the MEDIKRAT.

• Administrative Demotion: Citizens can be arbitrarily demoted from Relax to Noman status through bureaucratic action. In Booklet 053, the alien Gorthaur manipulates Earth's computer network, "downgrading millions of Relax to Noman status." Pyther Drom in Booklet 072 is similarly demoted, becoming "a victim of the caste system." The character Cher Burran is described as "a Noman who was formerly a Relax," illustrating the arbitrariness of this demotion.

• Desertion or Defection: Military personnel who desert or are disgraced may fall to Noman status. Brak Shakram was a former captain of the Gray Guards before becoming the leader of the Nomans (Booklets 006, 021).

• Political Punishment: Those who run afoul of the Council's legal apparatus, or who are politically inconvenient, can be stripped of their status and cast into the Noman underclass. Hanstein, a former Manag, fell to Noman status (Booklet 009).

Social Organization

Despite their designation as non-persons, the Nomans have developed their own social structures outside the corporate-imposed caste system. They organize into bands, tribes, and communities with their own leadership hierarchies:

• Bands: Small, mobile groups led by a single leader, such as Delwin's band in northern Canada (Booklet 008) or Brak Shakram's group in Ultima Thule (Booklet 006).
• Hordes: Larger organized groups such as the Noman-Horde, led by Ulana Graiowskanowa.
• Named Factions: Groups like Libertad, led by Froster-Zwei, suggest ideological organization within the Noman underclass.
• Noman Leaders (German: Nomanfuhrer): A recognized rank among the Nomans, held by figures such as Brak Shakram, Nobody, Bohrl, Kennter, and Ruppert.

Customs and Traditions

The Nomans have developed a distinctive culture shaped by their existence outside civilization:

• Feasts: Nomans gather for communal meals where Brotfladen (flatbread) is served -- a simple but symbolically significant food that represents community and shared survival.

• Sayings: The Noman phrase "Neigen kosten" means "to savor life until the very end," encapsulating their philosophy of extracting meaning and dignity from an existence that offers neither security nor comfort.

• Defiant Identity: The most famous expression of Noman cultural identity is the deliberate embrace of their dehumanizing label. Nobody's refusal to reveal his true name -- choosing instead the name that means "no one" -- transforms the system's erasure of identity into an act of resistance.

Noman Philosophy

Noman philosophy (German: Noman-Philosophie) is a distinctive worldview associated particularly with the character Carsen. Shaped by radical independence and deep skepticism toward all institutional power, Noman philosophy reflects an understanding of survival that comes from living without any safety net. Carsen's worldview manifests in practical terms: he is immune to telepathy (Booklet 073), views former Gray Guards like Mandorla with instinctive suspicion, yet proves capable of pragmatic alliance when circumstances demand it (Booklet 074).

The Noman Hunt

Perhaps the most chilling aspect of Noman existence is the Noman Hunt (German: Noman-Jagd) -- the practice of hunting Nomans for sport. Organizations such as the Berlin Shooting Club (German: Schutzenverein Berlin) operate in the ruins of Old Berlin, treating Nomans as game animals to be tracked and killed for entertainment (Booklet 008). When David terGorden and his companions pass through Old Berlin, they are attacked by members of this club. The hunting of human beings as a recreational activity underscores the totality of the Noman's dehumanization within the Caste System.

The Noman Uprising

"The Noman uprising has failed."
-- Booklet 023, "The Outcasts of Terra"

The Noman Uprising (German: Nomanaufstand) of 2501 AD is the first coordinated, global armed revolt of the Noman caste against the Council of Corporations. It is the defining political event of the middle saga and demonstrates that the non-persons of the caste system are capable of organized military action on a planetary scale.

Prelude: Brak Shakram's Martyrdom

The uprising is directly inspired by the death of Brak Shakram. Imprisoned in the Kaiser Laboratories on the Moon and subjected to experimental procedures (including the growth of a replacement arm), Shakram escapes during the Oxyd crisis of 2501. In his final hours, he transmits messages to the Nomans across Earth, urging them to resist the panic caused by the approaching asteroid and to trust Cantos, the Genessaner alien trying to save humanity. Shakram's recorded visio-address reveals the truth: the Oxyd catastrophe was caused by Kaiser Force experiments, not by alien hostility. Shakram is recaptured, escapes again, and is ultimately killed by the Gray Guards (Booklet 021).

The Revolt

With Max von Valdec away on a punitive expedition to the Ginger System, the uprising's leaders exploit his absence. Under the command of Nobody (Noman field commander), Summacum Muhlherr (Driver Lodge Master), and Hanstein (former Manag turned Noman), the revolt unfolds in several phases:

1. The Pirate Broadcast: In Old Berlin, Nomans and Drivers ambush and capture a Gray Guard. Hanstein's pirate transmitter broadcasts Shakram's suppressed truths about the Oxyd catastrophe to Nomans worldwide.

1. Seizure of the Kaiser Transmitter: Muhlherr's Driver lodge uses PSI illusions to confuse the Gray Guard defenders and seizes the Kaiser Corporation's transmitter in New Berlin -- the most powerful communications installation on Earth. Nobody programs the defense computer and uses the Priority Circuit to override all other broadcasts.

1. Global Escalation: Simultaneous Noman attacks erupt across Earth -- in Old Berlin, New Sydney (Australia), and Odrodir (Holy Valley). Bohrl and his group emerge from a secret installation with advanced alien weapons capable of disabling Gray Guard protective shields.

1. Suppression: Valdec's fleet returns. Cosmoral Fay Gray leads the final assault on the Kaiser transmitter. The transmitter is destroyed. Nobody, Hanstein, and Muhlherr are killed.

Aftermath

Valdec announces a cosmetic reform -- allowing Nomans to reclassify into the Relax caste -- but the fundamental structure of the Caste System remains intact. Carsen, a Noman arrested at Odrodir during the uprising, is imprisoned in the Luna Dungeons for two years before being freed by David terGorden (Booklet 073).

Though a military defeat, the uprising proves that the Nomans are capable of organized global resistance and plants the seeds for the Commando Brak Shakram, the F.F.D.E., and the War of the Castes that will ultimately destroy the Council of Corporations two years later.

Key Individuals

Noman Leaders and Fighters

Non-Noman Figures Central to the Noman Cause

Role in the Saga

From Outcasts to Revolutionaries (2500--2504)

The Nomans' arc across Die Terranauten traces a progression from scattered, hunted outcasts to the political force that helps dismantle the Council of Corporations:

2500 -- The Greenland Period: Brak Shakram and his band ally with David terGorden in the bunkers of Ultima Thule, establishing the saga's first cross-caste partnership (Booklet 006). Shakram and Llewellyn 709 attempt to warn Drivers about the Kaiser Corporation's poisoning of Yggdrasil (Booklet 007). Delwin's band in Canada and the Nomans of Old Berlin demonstrate the geographic spread of Noman communities (Booklet 008).

2501 -- Martyrdom and Uprising: Shakram's death during the Oxyd crisis (Booklet 021) transforms him from leader to martyr. His visio-address inspires the global Noman Uprising led by Nobody, Hanstein, and Summacum Muhlherr (Booklet 023). Though the uprising fails militarily, it proves the Nomans' capacity for organized global resistance.

2502 -- The Brak Shakram Command: The resistance reorganizes under the name Commando Brak Shakram, coordinated by Manuel Lucci. Described as a "trade union movement" with paramilitary capabilities, it evolves beyond its Noman origins into a broader coalition (Booklet 053). The Gorthaur crisis causes millions of Relax to be downgraded to Noman status, exposing the fragility of the Caste System (Booklet 053). The Command helps Ignazius Tyll escape assassination during Valdec's second coup (Booklet 054).

2503 -- The War of the Castes: The Nomans revolt in the Ruins of New Delhi simultaneously with the Action Committee Free Africa's uprising in Kilimanjaro (Booklet 076). This second Noman revolt succeeds where the first failed because it is no longer an isolated action but part of a coordinated, multi-faction insurgency. The war ends with David terGorden and Manuel Lucci jointly announcing the dissolution of the Council of Corporations and the transfer of corporate assets to worker control (Booklet 079). Chan de Nouille pledges the Gray Guards' service to the people. The caste system that designated Nomans as non-persons is officially abolished.

2504 -- Valdec's Return and Final Liberation: When Max von Valdec returns and establishes the Second Reich of Humanity, the F.F.D.E. leadership is systematically hunted. Manuel Lucci is captured and imprisoned in the Dead Spaces beneath Berlin (Booklet 086). In the saga's finale, Lucci and other political prisoners are freed by Bolter's Hausfreund via a Space-Time Stroboscope and transported to Ultima Thule, where they witness the ecological transformation of Earth and the permanent end of the caste system through the Cosmic Spores (Booklet 099).

Thematic Significance

The Ultimate Outcasts: The Nomans embody the extreme consequence of the Caste System: the creation of a class of people who are not merely disadvantaged but officially nonexistent. Their designation as "No-Man" -- the negation of personhood itself -- is the saga's sharpest critique of corporate civilization.

Resistance from Below: Despite their utter dispossession, the Nomans are among the saga's most persistent resistors. They have nothing to lose, and this gives them a freedom that the Relax (pacified by drugs) and the Arbiters (bound by professional obligation) lack. The progression from Shakram's defiance to the global uprising to the F.F.D.E. coalition traces the evolution of a resistance movement from the absolute bottom of the social order to its overthrow.

Bridge Figures: Several key characters cross the boundary between the Noman underclass and the upper castes -- Brak Shakram (Gray Guard to Noman), Hanstein (Manag to Noman), Cher Burran (Relax to Noman) -- demonstrating that caste divisions are artificial constructions maintained by force.

The Power of Information: The Nomans' most revolutionary act is often telling the truth. Shakram dies transmitting suppressed facts (Booklet 021). The Noman Uprising is built around seizing the Kaiser transmitter and broadcasting information the corporations suppressed (Booklet 023). In a civilization where disinformation is a tool of governance, truth is the most dangerous weapon.

The Name That Endures: Brak Shakram dies in Booklet 021, but his name lives on through Booklet 099. The movement bearing a dead Noman's name ultimately helps dismantle the Council of Corporations -- one of the saga's most powerful ironies and most hopeful statements about the persistence of resistance.

Appearances

The Nomans or Noman-related themes appear in the following booklets:

Related Articles

Noman-Specific Concepts

• Noman Sign -- The red triangle worn by Nomans as a mark of their caste
• Noman Hunt -- The practice of hunting Nomans for sport
• Noman Uprising -- The 2501 global uprising of the Nomans
• Noman philosophy -- The distinctive worldview of the Noman underclass, associated with Carsen
• Noman Hideout -- Hidden locations used by the Nomans
• Hauptquartier der Nomans -- The headquarters of the Nomans
• Noman-Horde -- An organized group of Nomans led by Ulana Graiowskanowa
• Noman Leader -- The rank/title of Noman leaders

Political and Military Context

• Caste System -- The social hierarchy that created and maintained the Noman underclass
• War of the Castes -- The 2503 civil war that broke the caste system
• F.F.D.E. -- The umbrella resistance organization that grew from the Noman resistance
• Commando Brak Shakram -- The paramilitary arm of the F.F.D.E., named after the Noman martyr
• Council of Corporations -- The corporate oligarchy that maintained the caste system
• Gray Guards -- The military force that enforced caste oppression and hunted the Nomans
• Berlin Shooting Club -- The organization that hunts Nomans for sport

Related Castes

• Drivers -- The PSI-gifted caste; PSI-stripped Drivers may become Nomans
• Relax -- The pacified caste above the Nomans; Relax can be demoted to Noman status
• Arbiter -- The professional caste that ultimately joined the Nomans' cause through the F.F.D.E.
• GeneralManag -- The corporate elite against whom the Nomans revolted

Key Characters

• Brak Shakram -- The most famous Noman leader and martyr of the resistance
• Manuel Lucci -- Coordinator of Commando Brak Shakram and inheritor of the Noman cause
• David terGorden -- Corporate heir who allied with the Nomans from Booklet 006

The Nomans or their legacy appear in at least 13 of the 99 booklets of Die Terranauten. From the bunkers of Ultima Thule to the ruins of New Delhi, from the hunted outcasts of Old Berlin to the political leadership of the F.F.D.E., the Nomans' arc traces the saga's central conviction: that no system of oppression, however total, can permanently silence those it seeks to erase.