Ghost Program


 * Many lore-based mentions of Ghost redirect here. For the game unit, see Ghost.

"The way of the warrior is the path of shadow. The gift of the warrior is to perceive that which cannot be seen. The spirit of the warrior is to strike in a single moment. The destiny of the warrior is balance in all things. And when balance is lost, all that is left, is the reckoning..."

The Ghost Program was a project for the training and use of Terran Ghosts. Originally created by the Terran Confederacy, it was later adopted by the Terran Dominion.

Ghosts are feared Terran covert operatives. They are known for their skill, psionic powers and ability to cloak.

Overview
Ghosts are chosen from psychically-gifted individuals who were quarantined by the Terran Confederacy and trained from infancy to channel their psionic energies to augment their natural phsyical strength and endurance. Conscripts who successfully completed the Ghost Program's rigorous training and augmentations then served as commandos and assassins.

Ghosts are lightly armored and can hide their presence with a cloaking device. Ghosts are generally trained as commandos and assassins, appearing and striking suddenly and silently.

Standard Confederate practice was to implant Psychic Dampeners into all Ghosts as a precautionary measure, acting on the principle of neural resocialization ; however these implants could be removed.

In addition, Ghosts direct nuclear missile strikes against enemy targets. Their stealth abilities make them extremely valuable for this role.

History
The history of Terran psionic abilities began on Earth even before the existence of the United Powers League. At the end of the twenty-first century, private firms had developed biotechnology which granted human subjects abilities which included advanced telepathy. Unfortunately, Earth erupted in a civil war, partly as a result of these genetic manipulations. By the year 2229, most of the Earth was under the grip of the United Powers League.

The UPL launched "Project Purification" to remove mutations and unnecessary cybernetic prosthetics from the human population. UPL troops scoured the globe, killing over 400 million people and throwing many more into prison. The scientist Doran Routhe, who lived during this period, began a colonization project. He intended to send thousands of prisoners to the world of Gantris VI to mine new resources which could be found there. Many of these prisoners were prey to the mutations that had spanned the human species.

The prisoners were put into cold sleep and loaded into four supercarriers, then sent on a journey. The lead vessel contained ATLAS, a revolutionary artificial intelligence. During the journey, ATLAS discovered something unusual about the prisoners - a relatively high proportion of them had a mutation leading to psionic potential. While currently weak, it would manifest in only a few generations. This information was logged and sent back to Earth. The prison ships missed their target, ending up in the Koprulu Sector. There they founded three colonies, with Tarsonis being the most technologically advanced. Tarsonis founded an interstellar government which they called the Terran Confederacy.

The Confederacy's New Power
About twenty years before the war sparked by the destruction of Chau Sara, the Terran Confederacy had already created a fledgling Ghost program. One of their subjects, eight-year-old Sarah Kerrigan, was brought to their attention after her powers erupted in spectacular fashion. The girl appeared to possess telekinetic abilities, but the Confederacy appeared unsure about the existence of this power and demanded incontrovertible proof of this ability. Even when the girl destroyed her trainer's gun, it wasn't considered acceptable proof. At this time, "neuro-adjusters" were routinely inserted into the heads of uncooperative Ghost subjects ... which was to say, most of them.

Years later, Ghosts used their special abilities to assassinate Angus Mengsk, the father of Arcturus Mengsk, in order to shut down the rebellion of Korhal IV. Angus Mengsk's head was never found. This action may have revealed the existence of Ghosts, although their existence was still officially secret.

Shortly after this incident, the Korhalian Rebellion created an alliance with Umoja. The Confederates feared the alliance and fired a barrage of nuclear missiles at the planet, nearly wiping out all life. Millions of Korhalian colonists were killed, although the rebel movement still survived - with very small numbers. As a political consequence of this extreme action, the Confederates limited their use of nuclear weaponry to tactical nukes. These nukes would be guided to their destinations by Ghosts.

The Confederacy discovered a species of strange xenomorphs among their Fringe Worlds. They conducted experiments with them on the world of Vyctor 5, which was home to the isolated "Fujita Facility". The Confederate scientists discovered that the aliens were sensitive to psionic abilities and could even be controlled. Ghost Agent Sarah Kerrigan had the best control over them, and was the only subject allowed to work with them after a point (the rest of the Ghost subjects were killed). Unfortunately for the Confederates, Arcturus Mengsk and his Sons of Korhal rebel movement raided the facility, discovered the existence of the aliens and rescued Kerrigan. The Sons of Korhal removed her neuro-adjuster, enabling her to recover her memories. Kerrigan led the Sons of Korhal in an attack on the Ghost Academy, the primary Ghost training center, on Tarsonis, destroying it. The Confederates feared that more Ghosts might defect, so in order to prevent their memories from being used by their enemies, they started memory wiping the Ghosts, a technique that is (at least theoretically) unbreakable.

Ghosts of War
The Terran Confederacy lost their colony of Chau Sara to a sudden attack by a species of technologically advanced aliens, the Protoss. Shortly thereafter, another species, the Zerg, were spotted on Mar Sara. At the secret Jacobs Installation, the Confederates experimented with a new piece of psionic technology, the psi-emitter. The technology amplified a psychic's powers so the Zerg could detect them from far off - the rebel Sons of Korhal movement would later claim that this technology drew the Zerg to Mar Sara.

The Confederates found themselves facing off against the Zerg, Protoss and Sons of Korhal and were losing ground in the war. Ghosts suffered a high mortality rate. Ghost Program Director Ilsa Killiany believed that the Ghosts were the only thing keeping the Confederacy alive, and went out of her way to acquire powerful psychics for the program. She even sent an agent to track down a fifteen-year-old scion of the Old Families on Tarsonis in order to forcibly recruit her into the program - by this point, the Confederate knowledge of psionics had expanded; they had psionic detection equipment and could "rate" psychic power on a "Psi Index" from 0 to 10. The teenaged girl, November Terra, was retrieved just as the Sons of Korhal defeated the Confederacy at Tarsonis; ironically, the rebels used the psi-emitter technology to lure Zerg to the world and do their dirty work for them. The Confederacy imploded and the Sons of Korhal, renaming itself the Terran Dominion, gained control over many Terran colonies. The Dominion took control of the Ghost Program, relocating its Academy to Ursa; they put Director Kevin Bick in charge of it. The young girl was rescued and taken to the world as part of the new Ghost Program.

Sarah Kerrigan had played a large role in the Sons of Korhal victory, but because she displayed a greater morality than its leader, Arcturus Mengsk, she was abandoned to the Zerg on a space platform over Tarsonis. She didn't die, but was infested. She resurfaced on the world of Char as Infested Kerrigan, the Queen of Blades. One of her first actions was to attack the Amerigo, a Science Vessel. Despite her infested state, the Confederacy's old "Ghost Conditioning", another method used to dampen a disloyal Ghost's powers, was still active. She was able to steal the information on the conditioning from the Amerigo's computers and finally break the conditioning.

The Next Generation
The next generation of Ghosts were trained in several new psionic techniques and given access to new technology. In addition to their previous abilities, they could combine psionics and technology to do things such as greatly increase their speed and reflexes and see through objects with heat vision. They also began using Protoss-derived technology such as the psyblade.

Nova was the Ghost Academy's star pupil for the new generation. She graduated from Ghost training after only two-and-a-half years instead of the usual four years. The Dominion ordered a new graduation exercise component to the program, and Nova was the first to undergo one. She was ordered to terminate a rebel movement using only the power of her mind. She succeeded.

Approximately three years after the Brood War, Arcturus Mengsk ordered fully half (282 minus one) of his government's Ghosts killed in a controlled environment as part of an "overhaul" of the program.

Dominion Ghosts are often used in interrogation. Despite this however, they have achieved more mythical status than their Confederate predecessors, few Terrans believing that Ghosts even exist.

Spectres

 * Main article: Spectre

Ghost Training
Ghosts were subjected to a harsh training regimen in the Terran Confederacy. The Terran Dominion later took over the program, keeping at least some of the harsh aspects and even creating new ones.

Conscription
Theoretically, any Ghost was to be trained from an infant, all children born within Confederate space having to report for a PA (Psi Aptitude) Profile within nine months of birth, a value of 250 or higher landing them in the program. The system was far from foolproof however, and it was not uncommon for children to slip through the system, especially those born in the Fringe Worlds or, in rare cases, those born to the Old Families, defy the system. When it came to taking such children, cover stories such as "special schools" and then "died in an accident" were used, at least for those not privy to the program.

Wranglers
PA Profiles aside, telepaths who could be useful to the Terran armed forces (either as Ghosts or performing other roles) are usually tracked down by "Wranglers", mildly psionic agents whose powers are generally only useful for finding other telepaths at close range. They can use equipment to help them in their search, but the equipment is itself limited.

Psionic Training
Ghost conditioning is a powerful form of hypnosis which restricts the use of Ghost's psionic abilities. This conditioning was so powerful that even after Sarah Kerrigan was infested, she did not immediately lose this psychic hindrance.

Psi-Screens
Ghosts (and their instructors) frequently use "psi-screens", devices which prevent telepaths from reading their minds and also cancels out a telepath's mind-reading abilities if worn by a telepath. Psi-screens, which are so rare that it was harder to acquire than a nuke from the former Confederate Army, come in various versions, including touch-activated ones (which are lower-quality) while newer ones can be activated without touch. Some psi-screens can produce an effect which inflicts pain on telepaths; the Confederacy used such psi-screens to keep telepaths in line. Higher-ranking people get to wear more powerful devices.

The device is harmful, however, if worn for more than seven hours, causing memory loss, brain damage and paranoia. The device has a greater effect on the brains of psychics than on non-psychics. Some wearers undergo brain scans to check for damage.

Psi Index
All Terrans have a "Psi Index" rating of 1-10, ten being the highest. It progresses through a few key stages.


 * PI1-2: No psychic powers. Most humans fall into this category.
 * PI2-5: Psychic powers are possessed, albeit very limited. Wranglers fall into this category.
 * PI5-8: A "teep." Telepathy is possessed. Most Ghosts fall into this category.
 * PI8-10: A "teek". Telekinesis is possessed. An extremely rare level.

The PI ratings of Wrangler Malcolm Kelerchian, Agent X81505M and Nova are known; 3.5, 8 and 10, respectively.

Psionic Powers
Ghosts have the ability to read minds but generally do not have the ability to block thoughts; Ghosts find each other very easy to read. Ghosts and weaker psychics can detect other sources of psionic power

With the assistance of their Hostile Environment Suit, which Ghosts can channel energy through artificial muscle fiber, they can enhance their physical capabilities. A cloaking device and requisite power supply were frequently issued as well; the device requires psionic energy as a component.

Their abilities have expanded since the end of the Brood War, since the memory wipe technique is seen as superior to the neuro-adjuster. One new ability used by many Ghosts is Heat Vision, which enables a Ghost to see through walls.

Some Ghosts have demonstrated a wider variety of powers. For instance, Amanda Haley, Sarah Kerrigan and Nova have demonstrated the ability to damage opponents' brains to the point of death. Nova can even kill multiple opponents while leaving someone in the midst of the attack unharmed.

Nova, with the assistance of her Hostile Encounter Suit, can dramatically increase her speed.

Devon Starke has demonstrated the ability to project his thoughts, as well as remote viewing and psychometry. He and some other Ghosts have also demonstrated the ability to plant suicidal and homicidal urges into an opponent's mind.

Implants
The Terran Confederacy decided to limit Ghosts through various forms of neural processing, the Dominion following suit.


 * Aggression inhibitors
 * Psychic dampeners (known through various similar names)
 * Memory wipe (successor to the psi-dampener)

Physical Training
In physical training, Ghosts are trained in target shooting, close-quarters combat (martial arts and possibly other techniques) and vehicular expertise. Artificial environments and simulations are also common, which include;


 * Artificial High Gravity Environment
 * Scenario A11-X93: The most popular exercise in the Ghost training regimen, commonly referred to by trainees as "Nukes Away". In this scenario, Ghosts practice a variety of covert infiltration techniques while gaining the technical knowledge necessary for the proper guidance of field-standard tactical nuclear weapons. Since nuclear weaponry is too expensive to be used in live fire training, the exercise is performed using an extremely lifelike holo-projection simulation. The competition between the teams of Ghosts can be extremely intense, and all too commonly recruits are seen spending what little leisure time they have inside the simulation, honing their skills."

The Ghost Academy

 * Ghost Academy redirects here. You may be searching for the StarCraft: Ghost Academy graphic novel.

Ghosts receive an average of four years of training at the "Ghost Academy". Attempts to train Ghosts faster simply results in "bad" Ghosts. Ghosts who aren't proficient enough to pass their training are "eliminated". Nova made a record during her training; it only took her two-and-a-half years to pass her training despite her numerous disadvantages. She was the first Ghost to be put through a "graduation exercise".

Much of their training comes from non-psychics, such as Rumm, Commander Richard Walker and Sergeant Hartley.

The Ghost Program was run by non-psychic directors, such as Ilsa Killiany and Bick.

The first Ghost Academy, also used to research Zerg, was on Tarsonis but this was destroyed by the Sons of Korhal in an action which made their leader, Arcturus Mengsk, notorious. It was later rebuilt. The second Academy was then destroyed during the Sons of Korhal and Zerg invasion of Tarsonis during the latter part of StarCraft Episode I and the early part of StarCraft Episode II. It was later rebuilt on Ursa by the Terran Dominion.

Designation
For the most part, Ghosts are simply numbers or names. Under the Confederacy, all Ghosts, regardless of whether they "graduated" or not, were assigned an standard number (likely based on order of conscription) and agent number (an alpha-numeric code). The Dominion has retained this system, though has included the use of codenames.

Few Ghosts under the program have any memories of their former lives or even their names, especially after memory wipes became SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). In the case of a neuro adjustor, the process can be undone, though there has been no sign of memory wipe procedures being reversed.

All Ghosts possess a personal file, though the contents are restricted.

Other Government Training
The Kel-Morian Combine has been known to use Ghosts.

UED Ghost Program
The United Earth Directorate had its own Ghost Program, even though its predecessor the United Powers League tried to wipe out mutants, including psychics. These Ghosts played a key role in the assault on the Dylarian Shipyards. Alexei Stukov commanded the loyalty of a number of Ghosts.

The UED seems to have used psychic scientists who had not received Ghost training in their efforts to control the Zerg.

Directorate psychics were used to control the second Overmind.

Ghost Equipment
All Ghosts are given a Hostile Environment Suit. The C-10 Canister Rifle and AGR-14 Assault Rifle are their standard issue weapons. Their full arsenal is quite extensive;


 * AGR-14 Assault Rifle
 * BOSUN FN92 Sniper Rifle
 * C-10 Canister Rifle
 * C-20A Canister Rifle (possibly non-canon)
 * E-11 Lockdown Device
 * Psyblade
 * Torrent SR-8 Shotgun

Cybernetic Eyes
Ghosts are frequently augmented with cybernetic surgery, especially their eyes. These cybereyes enable them to see objects much further than a regular human could.

Ghost Units
Ghosts sometimes work in teams on missions, such as the assassination of Angus Mengsk. To date, the only explicitly identified Ghost units are "The Shroud" and the Space Pirates.

Major Ghost Characters

 * Atticus Carpenter
 * Samir Duran (exact species disputed)
 * Sarah Kerrigan (Ghost No. 24, now an Infested Terran)
 * Nova (Agent 12-862)
 * United Earth Directorate Vice Admiral Alexei Stukov was represented in-game by a Ghost.

Other Ghosts

 * Agent X81505M
 * Elite Guard
 * Ghost No. 24506
 * Ghost No. 24718
 * MacGregor Golding
 * Phantom (Ghost #2794, possibly non-canon)
 * Johnny Raynor (possible)
 * The Shroud (Ghost unit)
 * Space Pirates
 * Manic
 * Twitch
 * Devon Starke (Ghost #25876).
 * "Unholy" Tara (leader of the mercenary group "Unholy" Tara's Stalkers)
 * Kare Vaessen (a Ghost of the Alliance)
 * Jenn the Vivacious (leader of a mercenary group known for using the Skullder Unit 004)
 * Welke (a member of Hale's Commandos)