Breeding Ground of the Hyperdrive
Zuchtstation der Supertreiber
Plot Summary
Suzanne Oh, Onnegart Vangralen, and the ailing Aschan Herib are struggling through the jungle of Sarym's South Continent, separated from Lyda Mar, Ennerk Prime, and Damon Credock by a dream-hook infestation. They are pursued by armored lizards, but escape into an underground tunnel system after Onnegart Vangralen is captured. Meanwhile, Lyda Mar, Ennerk Prime, and Damon Credock are attacked by robotic floating islands. They dive underwater to escape, but surface right in the middle of the robotic islands and are captured.
At the Kaiser secret station, commander Hermano Lotz and the cyborg Dor Masali discuss the Terranauts' capture and the possibility of an unknown power factor on Sarym. They plan to interrogate the Terranauts to learn the location of the Terranaut base, Rorqual. Onnegart Vangralen is subjected to a virtual reality interrogation, while Lyda Mar, Ennerk Prime, and Damon Credock are also captured.
Suzanne Oh and Aschan Herib discover a strange, glowing plant conglomerate in the tunnels, as well as a skeleton. They are chased by a giant mole and eventually stumble upon a petrified Yggdrasil tree. The Yggdrasil activates a transport channel, teleporting them away.
Meanwhile, test subjects Phönix 17, Isis 24, and Prometheus 93 at the Kaiser secret station, who are actually genetically engineered super-Drivers, monitor Lotz's actions and plot to prevent him from alerting Valdec to their existence. They sabotage the interrogation by overloading the psycho-hood, freeing the Terranauts from mental blocks. The Terranauts escape their cell, but are recaptured after a brief fight. Prometheus 93 then manipulates Lotz's mind, planting a plan to use a virus against the Terranauts.
Key Events
- 01 Suzanne Oh, Onnegart Vangralen, and Aschan Herib are separated from their group by dream-hooks.
- 02 The trio is pursued by armored lizards in the South Continent jungle.
- 03 Onnegart Vangralen is captured by lizard-like robots.
- 04 Lyda Mar, Ennerk Prime, and Damon Credock are attacked by robotic floating islands.
- 05 The trio dives underwater to escape, but are captured.
- 06 Hermano Lotz and Dor Masali discuss the Terranauts' capture and the possibility of an unknown power factor.
- 07 Onnegart Vangralen is subjected to a virtual reality interrogation.
- 08 Suzanne Oh and Aschan Herib discover a strange, glowing plant conglomerate in the tunnels.
- 09 They are chased by a giant mole and eventually stumble upon a petrified Yggdrasil tree.
- 10 The Yggdrasil activates a transport channel.
- 11 Phönix 17, Isis 24, and Prometheus 93 monitor Lotz's actions and plot to prevent him from alerting Valdec.
- 12 They sabotage the interrogation by overloading the psycho-hood.
- 13 The Terranauts escape their cell, but are recaptured.
- 14 Prometheus 93 manipulates Lotz's mind, planting a plan to use a virus against the Terranauts.
- 15 Suzanne Oh and Aschan Herib are transported away by the Yggdrasil.
- 16 The Terranauts discuss their findings and plan their next move.
Characters
Lyda Mar — A Terranaut and Mediator. She is captured by the robotic floating islands and later subjected to interrogation.
Onnegart Vangralen — A Terranaut. He is captured by lizard-like robots and subjected to a virtual reality interrogation.
Suzanne Oh — A Terranaut. She escapes into an underground tunnel system with Aschan Herib and is eventually transported away by the Yggdrasil.
Ennerk Prime — A Terranaut. He is captured by the robotic floating islands and later subjected to interrogation.
Damon Credock — A Surinen intermediary and Mediator. He is captured by the robotic floating islands and later subjected to interrogation.
Aschan Herib — A Surinen intermediary. He escapes into an underground tunnel system with Suzanne Oh and is eventually transported away by the Yggdrasil.
Hermano Lotz — The commander of the Kaiser secret station on Sarym. He plans and oversees the interrogation of the Terranauts.
Dor Masali — Lotz's cyborg assistant. He aids in the planning and execution of the interrogation.
Phönix 17 — A genetically engineered super-Driver test subject. He plots to prevent Lotz from alerting Valdec to their existence.
Isis 24 — A genetically engineered super-Driver test subject. She works with Phönix 17 and Prometheus 93 to sabotage Lotz's plans.
Prometheus 93 — A genetically engineered super-Driver test subject. He is the strongest of the three and takes the lead in manipulating Lotz and sabotaging the interrogation.
Locations
Sarym — The planet where the story takes place, specifically the South Continent.
Kaiser secret station — A secret research and experimentation facility run by the Kaiser Corporation on Sarym.
South Continent jungle — A dangerous and unexplored region of Sarym.
Underground tunnel system — A network of tunnels and grottos beneath the South Continent jungle.
Rorqual — The hidden Terranaut base.
Ships & Vehicles
Water-lily jellyfish — Organic, jellyfish-like creatures used for transportation across the ocean.
Technology & Concepts
Mediator — Individuals with enhanced psionic abilities, able to communicate and interact with certain life forms.
Dream-hooks — A bizarre life form native to the northern continent of Sarym, capable of inducing dream-like states and separating individuals.
Armored lizards — Large, reptilian creatures native to Sarym. In this story, they are revealed to be robots disguised as lizards.
Thingstones — Crystals from Stonehenge II that amplify PSI energy.
Sarym Shield — A projector that reflects PSI activity back onto its originator.
PSI (Psionic) Abilities — Mental powers that certain individuals possess.
Hypno-blocks — Mental barriers implanted in the brains of the Terranauts to protect sensitive information.
Psycho-hood — A device used to stimulate the brain and create virtual reality experiences.
Alpha-Order — A secret project involving the breeding of super-Drivers.
Yggdrasil — A giant, petrified tree that serves as a transport channel.
Buds of the Tree — An ancient race that reshaped the ecology of Sarym and created the coral cities.
Riemenmann — A PSI monstrosity, a human subjected to horrific experiments.
Kaiser Force — A powerful energy source.
Themes & Notes
This booklet explores themes of human experimentation, the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition, and the struggle for freedom against a totalitarian regime. The tone is dark and suspenseful, with elements of horror and science fiction. The narrative style is fast-paced and action-oriented, with frequent shifts in perspective.
Connections
Continues from: Previous booklets detailing the Terranauts' mission to Sarym and the dream-hook incident.
Leads into: The Terranauts' attempts to escape the Kaiser secret station and expose Valdec's experiments. The fate of Suzanne Oh and Aschan Herib is left unresolved.
Related booklets: Booklets that explore the history of the Riemenmann, the experiments on Sarym, and the Terranauts' conflict with Valdec.