DDR Sci-Fi: Der Blaue Planet

 The Blue Planet

Carlos Rasch, born 1932 in Brazil, was a Sci-Fi author in DDR. This book is about the earliest history of humans, and the aliens that visited us then.

A long time ago, towards the middle of our galaxy, a red star created the Heloid people, who breathed different air from us. They learned atomic spaceflight while we were still in our diapers, and joined the tightly clustered society of spacefarers in that central region.

From the far edge of the galaxy they received a friendly message. The lonely Teloid civilization beckoned them for contact and the long journey to a galactic meeting. Thus the Kua set forth with its crew of seven, near the speed of light. Maybe they can meet the Teloids and even make contacts outside the galaxy.

The Heloids on board are described as shadows, and one imagines the darkened cabins and bridges of a people who evolved in the pleasant burgundy of a red star. They are creatures of time dilation on this long journey, and detours are calculated in terms of deceleration and deficit of lifespan to make it all the way to the rim. 

Another calculation on board is how much atomic fuel is spent. It is efficient in terms of time and fuel to zip at almost the speed of light, but something happens between Sirius and an unknown yellow star. The vacuum chamber of the ultrasonic gyroscope, without which they would be lost in space, springs a leak. The rotating spheres heat up and catastrophically explode within their chamber. 

The crew is prompted to land on the third planet from the yellow sun. To their red eyes, the surface of the Earth seems to be covered in blue magma, but they realize over time how lush and alive this planet is. On orbiting, it is yet unknown whether intelligent life inhabits, as no radio transmissions are received.

The Heloids send their Arrow, a slim rocket, down to the planet, descending on a column of blazing light. Meanwhile, Ia-Du-Lin, a messenger from the river cities, is leading his donkey through the desert. He witnesses the descent, and expects the sun goddess to emerge from the sleek ship.

When Sil the astronaut emerges in his environmental suit, his leather face unseen under a smoked glass helmet, Ia-Du-Lin knows his mission is holy, to implore the people of the ocean city to trade their lapis lazuli for the adornment of his temple to the sun goddess.

Sil noted the life-form wore clothing, and had a quadruped on a rope. The Heloids only wish to make peaceful contact and they respect all life everywhere. He is overjoyed to make contact with an intelligent being. He rubs cream on the radiation burns from observing the rocket, and gives him a golden space blanket, a magic cloak of the gods.

Sil floods his rocket with alien air, and invites the man aboard. He begins automatic translation of his speech, which will stay patchy throughout, leading to many misunderstandings of the religious sort. He asks Ia-Du-Lin about his friend, to which he replies "it's a donkey, silly!" On parting, Sil gives him a little obelisk, a beacon to stay in contact, and also some Gatorade.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew clears a space out at the southern end of the Dead Sea, using atomic radiation to burn a landing pad, and hewing stones from the mountains into giant templar blocks to construct an atomic blast shield for further landings. All the humans around have now heard the celestial trombones and seen the columns of holy fire, and are anxious about the upcoming visitations.

The Heloids have good intentions but no prime directive. The book is a headache worth of entrenchment in religious situations and god-posing, but in the end the astronauts pay the most price because they truly love and respect the baby humans.

Ia-Du-Lin rings Sil on the obelisk phone. He is enslaved by sand people, can you come and help? Sil has godly wrath that intelligent beings would enslave each other, and almost smites them after freeing his friend, but chooses to deliver a speech instead. He tries to explain scientifically that the Heloids are astronauts, and are animals just like humans, but the universal translator says, "We are sons of heaven, and Ia-Du-Lin a donkey." Ia-Du-Lin, embarrassed, heads to the hills. 

The humans go back and forth a few times enslaving each other, and each time the aliens must cut their bonds with a laser and give a little speech. Each time the misunderstandings compound, and Ia-Du-Lin who was an innocent messenger, becomes more conceited to use the gods for his own career. 

The lapis lazuli negotiations did not go well, and now the river city is under siege by the other city. The Heloids must step in again, and convince them to lay down their weapons, amidst infighting between the priests and the army. Ia-Du-Lin stands to profit. The Heloids descend on their rings and stars of smoke, and force a peace between the cities.

There's something about a positivist sci-fi novel that avoids concepts such as the prime directive, or rules against interfering in primitive cultures. Maybe it's a Soviet concept that technology should be radically promoted and shared in a revolutionary way, to spread Marxist values as swiftly as possible?

Now that the two cities have agreed to trade lapis lazuli for wheat, the Heloids turn their attention to compulsory burials, and visit the catacombs outside the city. The priests traditionally poisoned all who served a decease noble, to be buried alongside. This disgusts the Heloids, and they save those who are buried alive. They also irradiate the tombs and give a little speech warning against the ancient custom and that anyone who steps foot in the burial grounds will be dead in a year. Radiation is a radical incitement to destroy the barbarism of the pre-modern.

As the Heloids have fixed their gyroscope and are prepared to leave, an earthquake strikes, and threatens a tsunami. The pre-history accounts for various mythical occurrences such as the great flood. The earthquake destroyed the Kua's nuclear fuel collector, and they realize they have only a few options, to head home or headlong to the edge of the galaxy without a return trip.

But they choose instead to sacrifice a great portion of their remaining fuel to help the humans, who have not yet taken refuge from the flood. Instead of loading it on board, they create a critical mass to explode the mountains between the sea and an inland lake, allowing the flood-head to dissipate. 

Ia-Du-Lin meets his fate, as he bum-rushes a Heloid, tries to steal her laser, and ends up melting his own face. His golden space blanket is flapping in the wind as the floodwaters recede. In a short conclusion, it is mused that perhaps the humans may meet the Heloids in the far future.

Glossary

• Lichtdruckschleuder: an efficient form of near-light propulsion, apparently driven by smaller amounts of nuclear fuel and using their electromagnetic emissions.
• Atomtriebwerk: the powerful reentry, deceleration, and escape thrusters that deplete atomic fuel drastically.
• Sirian: The Heloid name for a double-star system near our sun, probably Sirius.
• Erider: One of the few neologisms mentioned in this book. It refers to a multi-purpose viewscreen.
• Atomicer: The chunky power lander, in opposition to the slim "Arrow"
• Ring-Flyer: Small, local transport aircraft.
• Durug: Geology vehicle. 

Cover by Burckhard Labowski and Regine Schulz