Nova Terra

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"Sometimes forgetting what's behind is the only way to look ahead."

- A memo kept in mind by Nova^(src)

Nova Terra
Biographical
Born	January 15, 2485, Tarsonis
Physical
Race	Terran
Gender	Female
Hair	Blond
Eyes	Green
Political
Affiliation	Terran Confederacy (?–2500) Old Families Terra family (2485–January, 2500) Fagin's Crime Syndicate (January, 2500–February 17, 2500) Terran Dominion (March, 2500–) (formerly) Ghost Program Team Blue (2501) Team Purple Nova Squadron (2503) Covert Ops Crew (vigilante squadron)
Occupation	Ghost
Family andRelatives	Constantino Terra (father), Bella Terra (mother) Clara Terra (elder sister), Zeb Terra (elder brother)
Real Life
Voice Actor	Grey DeLisle

November Annabella "Nova" Terra (designation: Agent X41822N) is a ghost who served the Terran Dominion.

Biography

Early Life

"Honestly Tino, what are you teaching this girl?"

- Andrea Tygore to Constantino Terra, after hearing Nova's praise for servants.^(src)

November "Nova" Terra was a member of the Terra family, one of the Terran Confederacy's rich and powerful "Old Families". She is the youngest child of Bella and Constantino Terra, and had two siblings -- Clara and Zeb. The family lived in the Terra Skyscraper in Tarsonis City, Tarsonis. She possessed a degree of empathy that was generally lacking in the Old Families, a trait that did not go unnoticed. She also believed strongly in the concept of fair play. She was regarded as the "golden child" of the family.

Unknown to Nova, much of her empathy was attributed to her telepathic abilities. Her father, Constantino, was aware of her abilities, if not the full extent of them. Without training she could only sense emotions and at seven years of age was told that she was "empathetic". Normally, psychic children were conscripted into the Ghost Program by wranglers. However, Constantino and Bella kept Nova's abilities a secret, even from Nova herself, telling Nova that she was naturally "empathic".

At her fifteenth birthday party, Nova learned that she was psychic by reading the lecherous thoughts of Morgan Calabas, a "suitor".

Betrayal and Flight

The Old Families began planning to send some of their children away from Tarsonis to the relative safety of a resort on Tyrador IX, due to the rising number of attacks against the Old Families and the escalating war the Confederacy found itself in against alien invaders and numerous rebel groups such as the Sons of Korhal. Nova Terra's parents agreed to send her away. Despite her protests, and Edward Peters' support, three days after her fifteenth birthday party she boarded a vessel for Tyrador IX. However, Nova felt her parents' minds as they were killed by anti-Confederate rebels and she quickly disembarked.

The aftermath of Nova's psionic outburst

Nova returned to find that Edward Peters, Gustavo McBain, and other rebels were murdering her family and their employees. Peters ordered McBain to shoot Nova but now, with her psychic powers elevated by the mental stress caused by the carnage she had just witnessed, she unleashed powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities without any control. A large section of the Terra Skyscraper was destroyed, and all of her would-be murderers, as well as many hundreds of nearby people, were killed. Nova then fled to "the Gutter", as far away from her former life as possible. The trauma of recent events led her close to suicide.

The destructive spectacle was proof enough that Nova Terra would be a valuable addition to the Ghost Program. Director Ilsa Killiany ordered wrangler Malcolm "Mal" Kelerchian to bring Nova in, assigning her the code X41822N even though the wayward psychic was not yet formally part of the Program.

The Gutter

"In your world, people didn't die. Or if they did, it was neat-tidy. We don't do tidy here in the Gutter. We do ugly, we do nasty, we do mean..."

- Fagin "introduces" Nova to the Gutter^(src)

Shortly after Nova Terra arrived in the Gutter, two men attempted to rape her. They were unsuccessful and severely injured by Terra's telekinesis. The goons worked for the crime lord of the Gutter, Julius Antoine "Fagin" Dale. Monitoring her through traffic monitors, Fagin resolved to "acquire" her for her psychic abilities and, deducing from her expensive clothing, a ransom.

Nova is brought before Fagin

Terra was brought before Fagin but, despite being in a fragile state of mind, refused to serve him. Reading minds she realized that Fagin's chief lieutenant, Markus Ralian, wanted him dead. However, Terra was unable to intimidate Fagin nor provoke him to kill her. Instead, Fagin let Terra go and ordered the shopkeepers not to feed her. Fagin was confident that starvation would force Terra to serve him.

Four days later Nova gave up on starvation. While seeking food, she saw a UNN newscast featuring Clara Terra, who claimed that her entire family had been killed. Nova lashed out mentally. Fagin, who was watching through cameras, learned Nova Terra's true identity. Realizing that he would be unable to ransom her, as he would be destroyed by the retaliation of the Old Families, he ordered a reliable enforcer, "the Pitcher", to kill her. Despite four days of starvation and partial dehydration Nova Terra easily killed the Pitcher by destroying his brain with her mental powers. She carried on by stealing food and resolved to go after Fagin for ordering her death.

Nova at Fagin's mercy

Fagin responded by acquiring a psi-screen from Confederate Army Supply Sergeant Morwood (the device rendered him immune to telepathy), then surrounded himself with insane heavily armed guards, drug addicts who desperately needed a fix, and children. Although distracted by the thoughts of the drug addicts Terra defeated the ambushing gunmen and confronted Fagin again. Fagin ordered his men to kill the children one by one until she surrendered while he used his psi-screen to torture Terra at range. Unable to bear more, Terra surrendered.

Escape from Madness

Nova's misery

"Agent Kelerchian, I've killed three hundred and eighty-two people, and felt thirty-two more, including my own family, die in my head. I can tell you everything about every single one of those people-all four hundred and fourteen of them-including what they were thinking the moment they died. What makes you think I want to remember any of that?"

- Nova accepts Kelerchain's offer to join the Ghost Program.^(src)

Fagin used Nova as a "loyalty detector" and assassin. Those who failed to pass Terra's test were murdered. She was prevented from going outside which made it difficult for Malcolm Kelerchian and his allies to locate her. Over that same time Fagin had become progressively more unpredictable, killing people, even his own children, almost on a whim, due to overuse of the psi-screen. Markus Ralian's desire for Fagin's death only grew, but he could not bring himself to do it. Terra had no trouble reading this from his mind. Terra knew the psi-screen couldn't protect Fagin from her telekinesis, but she never had the opportunity to use it on him.

Meanwhile, Agent Kelerchian discovered her location from contacts in the police force. To help him secure Terra, he was ordered by Ilsa Killiany to take with him Major Esmerelda Ndoci and her "Annihilators", a marine unit ill-suited for such a delicate mission but they were all that was available. The Sons of Korhal offensive on Tarsonis' space platforms were not an ideal theater for a ground-based unit like the Annihilators. With ghosts in short supply acquiring a powerful psychic was an "alpha priority" and they were ordered to bring Terra in unharmed.

Nova takes cover as Fagin fires at Kelerchian

Kelerchian resolved to bargain with Fagin first, and if that failed then he would "summon the marines." As the wrangler discovered, Fagin's mental faculties made bargaining difficult if not impossible. As the crime lord ranted Terra used her powers, forcing Ralian to shoot and kill Fagin. Kelerchian let Terra scan his mind and she learned that if she went with Kelerchian she would become a ghost. She also learned that a memory wipe was a standard part of the training regimen. This Terra saw as an incentive, as she did not want to remember the deaths and murders.

A satisfactory end to the operation was interrupted by the penetration of the orbital defenses by the Sons of Korhal. Killiany transferred oversight of the operation from Kelerchian to Ndoci, who directed her troops to kill everybody except for Terra (no exception was made for Kelerchian). In the ensuing firefight Fagin's compound collapsed. Ralian was killed, while Terra and Kelerchian were trapped together, and Ndoci was trapped elsewhere in the building.

Terra used her powers to rescue herself and Kelerchian, but the latter was severely wounded. Terra forced Ndoci to summon medical aid for Kelerchian by threatening to reveal her dangerous tactics (nearly killing an alpha priority target) to Ilsa Killiany. Then the zerg attacked, but Terra, Kelerchian, and Ndoci survived.

Ghost Training

"She's our star pupil. I've never seen anyone so determined to make it through this program."

- Director Kevin Bick commenting on Nova.^(src)

Nova in training

Nova Terra was taken the Ghost Academy based on Ursa. Despite her considerable psychic power she started at a disadvantage due to the ill-effects of months of abuse and malnutrition and she barely handled Sergeant Hartley's physical training regime. She was the focus of resentment, jealousy and sexual desire from many of her fellow trainees.

Six months into training Terra met Kelerchian again, and discovered (through mind reading) that the wrangler was being sent on a one way mission to Sakrysta Mining Base by Emperor Arcturus Mengsk. They said their farewells and parted ways.

Team Blue

"It doesn't matter where we came from-the big skyscrapers or the crap slums or some of both. Doesn't matter what we did. It does matter where we're goin'. We're becomin' something greater than ourselves. And if you ask me, that's damn solid.
I agree."

- Gabriel Tosh and Nova^(src)

Nova and the rest of Team Blue

As her training progressed, Nova Terra became part of Team Blue as part of the Academy's curriculum of team-based training. This presented a challenge for Terra as her experiences in the Gutter had taught her self-reliance – a strength that became a weakness in the squad.

One of her first training missions was the Valerian hostage rescue scenario. While Gabriel Tosh directed teammates Kath Toom and Lio Travski, Terra ran off and tried to complete the mission by herself. Her teammates messed up and "died", enabling Terra to almost succeed. "Sparky" and Preceptor Lagdamen both rated her highly, something which Terra herself disagreed with. As Terra headed to her next class, she thought she saw a child, whom she would notice several times during her stay.

Terra was rudely confronted by Dylanna Okyl, the leader of Team Red. While Okyl hadn't scored as highly, she hadn't let her whole team "die". Terra ignored her. Tosh privately tried to convince Terra to display teamwork, but she brushed off his advice. Toom was left upset by the encounter. Terra displayed high competence but a lack of teamwork in other training scenarios. After several encounters with Okyl, in which Terra blamed her team for their poor performance, Tosh shouted at her that if she had worked with them, their poor performance wouldn't have mattered. The lesson finally sunk in.

Terra cooperated with Kath Toom on an assignment and later, upon meeting new trainee Delta Emblock, whose background had left her without schooling (which Terra learned by accidentally scanning her), Terra helped her with her literacy test. Toom was so surprised by this new attitude she asked what happened to the old Nova Terra. While celebrating Emblock's successful literacy test, Toom and Tosh discussed similarities between their backgrounds and Terra's. However, Tosh's comments hit too close to home, prompting Terra to run off. She suffered nightmares that night, which Tosh felt because he didn't sleep with a psi-screen on.

Nova undergoes a memory wipe

Terra participated in another Valerian scenario. This time she worked with her team, including new teammate Aal Cistler. However, as the scenario finished, Lio Travski suffered a bad reaction from drug abuse. Terra, recognizing the symptoms from her days in the Gutter, called for medical assistance. This brought her to the attention of Superintendent Sarco Angelini, who had been secretly testing the effects of drug abuse on Travski's psychic abilities. He memory wiped Terra and Travski so they would forget that experience. Terra now found herself uncomfortable with the prospect of memory wiping, as she would forget friends like Kath Toom. Angelini watched this conversation through the surveillance system. Meanwhile, Terra was promoted to third-class due to her new positive attitude and high scores. However, Terra's attitude toward the Ghost Program had worsened. She thought they were sloppy about numerous things, such as their psi-screens.

Mind Games

"If they catch us...it's against the rules."
"We're just talking Tosh. We haven't broken any rules...yet."

- Tosh and Nova begin to fall for each other.^(src)

Terra's abilities made her Team Blue's "ace in the hole," at least in Tosh's mind. However, despite the teamwork, Team Blue began to fall apart, the reasons including Tosh's admiration for her turning into distracting attraction. This was one of the reasons Dylanna Okyl was so aggravated by Terra; Okyl had a crush on Tosh.

During a training scenario against zerg-bots, Terra detected a "controlling consciousness" behind them—Sarco Angelini—and psychically attacked him. Angelini quickly ended the scenario, but was very impressed. He wished the other ghosts were as powerful as her. As Okyl ranted about their performance, Terra read her mind, learning about her attraction to Tosh. Okyl was humiliated.

Tosh and Nova kiss.

Aal Cistler used his father's influence to return to the Academy, and immediately joined Okyl's Team Red. At martial arts training, a bitter Okyl challenged Terra to a "duel", but Tosh stood up for her. Okyl beat him up. Afterward Tosh and Terra kissed while out of the view of security cameras, even though Academy policies forbade dating between students. When Delta Emblock asked her about it, she said she just wanted some happiness now, and they technically weren't dating anyway.

Tosh feared what could happen to them if Okyl found out and reported them. For this reason he rejected Nova's further advances to protect her. An emotionally stunned Terra then ran into Okyl and Cistler; the latter promised to ruin her. Terra then stumbled across the "spirit" of Colin Phash, who was using his astral projection ability to ask for help. He lured her to a restricted area.

Terra warned her other team members about Cistler's plans while meeting up with a newly-confident Lio Travski. Teams Blue and Red were taking part in a "live fire" (but non-lethal) exercise. Okyl arranged for her entire team to focus on Terra, believing her to be the only threat on Team Blue. She wanted to be the one to beat up Terra. Team Blue, except for Terra and Travski, were taken out. Okyl and Cistler skirted a group of abandoned SCVs in order to reach Terra, but Travski used his technopathic abilities to activate them and capture the entirety of Team Red.

The exercise was terminated, and both teams informed they would join into a new team and take part in a training mission away from the Academy, on the fifth planet of The Baker's Dozen.

The Battle of Shi

Nova suits up

Team Purple, overseen by Preceptor Lagdamen, was transported to the star system on the battlecruiser Cyrus, commanded by Commodore Georg Darabont. During the trip, Nova learned from a crew member that the ship was significantly underpowered as the crew were trying to not think about the ship's history. Other trainees also learned that the crew were regarded as "cowards" for retreating at the Battle of Tarsonis.

At The Baker's Dozen star system, the ship diverted to the fourth planet when Lio Travski picked up a distress signal via his technopathic abilities. Darabont was swayed due to the chance to fight the zerg and prove he wasn't a coward, but Lagdamen opposed going into combat on the "wrong" planet. Upon the realization that it was being sent from a mining post by the Kusinis Twins—friends from Nova's life as a child of the Old Families, Nova demanded that she personally take part in their rescue.

The marines landed on Shi but were inundated by waves of zerg from a hatchery cluster south of Mandible Canyon. Darabont ordered the use of Apocalypse-class nuclear missiles. These would be fired by Dylanna Okyl and Aal Cistler and guided by Nova. The mission was a success, allowing a landing zone to be established. Afterward, through her telepathy, Nova discovered that more Old Family scions, Morgan Calabas and Antonia Tygore, were also alive on the world.

As Team Purple and the marines cleared out the remaining zerg from the area, Nova came across the Kusinis Twins while the rest of the troops found Calabas and Tygore. Nova and the Kusinis Twins linked up with the other troops. However, more zerg arrived in force from previously undetected hatcheries on the far side of Mandible Canyon, destroying the transports.

The cloaked ghosts were discovered by overlords, forcing a hard fight. The Cyrus was itself shot down by spore cannons. The zerg invaded, killing both Darabont and Mirne.

Nova and Tosh mend bridges

Gabriel Tosh took the opportunity to rekindle his relationship with Nova. He said he had broken up with her to protect her, but realized this had only hurt her. Nova was receptive to his advance. Morgan Calabas, who had carried a keepsake of Nova, apologized for his previous behavior. Nova forgave him. Meanwhile, Travski used his powers to track the Cyrus. It was damaged but still "alive", and he believed he could use his abilities to repair it. However, making it there and keeping it safe would require time and protection. Nova Terra's psionic abilities, which could inflict massive damage in a four-block radius, would be useful here. Aal Cistler suggested she lure the zerg, but Lagdamen and Tosh disapproved of the plan. Terra decided to go through with it. She would attack the hatchery cluster. Tosh decided to go with her.

The terrans headed to the Cyrus while they were cloaked by Travski. He then used his powers to begin repairing the ship. Toom used her shooting skills to take out overlords.

As Tosh and Terra headed out, Lagdamen gave the cloaking device controls to Tosh. Along the way they encountered walking spore crawlers, which they had to avoid. The Cyrus fell under attack, but eventually the zerg retreated as Nova Terra was "powering up" her psychic abilities there.

Nova and Tosh against the zerg

Tosh had to flee the area as Terra was charging up. He ran out of energy for his cloaking device and had to fight zerg. As he struggled to get clear, Terra was also under attack. When she alerted him to this fact, he told her he was clear but he hadn't actually made it out of the blast radius. Terra unleashed her power, frying the zerg and hatcheries. She found a crippled, barely alive Tosh. A distraught Nova kept Tosh alive through psychic healing.

The Cyrus, now repaired, picked up the two ghosts. Tosh's brain was scanned. The Cyrus was able to leave Shi now that the zerg had been reduced in number or eliminated.

For all of Team Purple's efforts however, they weren't to remember it, as per Arcturus Mengsk's orders. Within a few days of the battle, the entire team bar Tosh had been memory wiped, Nova included. In the same period, UNN announced that the Old Family children the ghosts and marines had rescued had been killed by the zerg nearly a year ago during the Great War. Nova, remembering her Old Family friends but not the part she'd played in her rescue, went to visit Tosh. He tried to tell her about what really happened, but Nova was entrenched in the cover story of the "accident" that had injured Tosh and the "delusions" he was having as a result. With each ghost entrenched in his/her own truth, the two failed to reconcile. Tosh said everything would be like before, as if nothing ever happened.

War Pigs

Nova stands over the War Pigs

The following section contains information from StarCraft (comic) that is ambiguously canonical.

Later, in 2502, Nova was assigned to shadow the War Pigs—a group of outlaws gone rogue from the Dominion.

Graduation

"Yes, Cliff. I'm the one who killed all your people. I killed Edward and Gustavo and Adam and Tisch and all the other ones you sent to kill my family. Because you did that, I became the very Ghost that the Dominion has assigned to finally put an end to your pathetic existence."

- Nova confronts Cliff Nadaner.^(src)

Nova, now a ghost

Nova pulled through and completed her ghost training in a record two and a half years, whereas it normally took four years.

Nearing the end of her training Nova Terra was met by Emperor Arcturus Mengsk himself, who gave her a final training assignment: kill Cliff Nadaner, a former anti-Confederate terrorist turned anti-Dominion terrorist. Nadaner had led the group that sent Edward Peters, Gustavo McBain and others to kill her family. Terra was to go to Tyrador VIII alone and kill Nadaner with only her mental powers. She was inserted via drop pod with only some of a ghost's standard equipment. Terra successfully located her target, eliminating the defending troops. She verbally confronted Nadaner for ruining her life and killed him last.

Upon completion of her training, Nova was designated Agent X41822N and received a memory wipe, becoming yet another ghost single-mindedly focused on serving the Dominion and destroying the Dominion's enemies.

Ghosts of the Past

"November Terra is dead. I'm Agent X41822N of the Terran Dominion. I don't want to be anybody else."

- Nova^(src)

Agent X41822N

New Sydney

"The enemies of the Terran Dominion were everywhere and the Ghosts were the best line of defense against them. It was all Nova ever thought about."

- Nova's thoughts on New Sydney^(src)

During a mission against the Koprulu Liberation Front on New Sydney Nova would again meet the Annihilators. Esmerelda Ndoci recognized Nova but due to the memory wipe Nova no longer recognized Ndoci, nor did she particularly care.

Other Missions

Terra would encounter Ndoci at least one more time. During this mission, Ndoci died during transport in a zerg firefight. Captain Spaulding would blame Terra for this death.

Terra conducted a number of assassination missions (including one in an Agrian slum) and even encountered the protoss on the world of Braken. Her operations sent her to hunt down AWOL members of the Dominion Marine Corps, traitors to Arcturus Mengsk, and leaders in spies leftover from the UED Expeditionary Fleet. She participated in Operation: Rabid Dog and Operation: Toolbox during this time.

Altara

Agent Nova

Sometime after New Sydney, Nova was attached to Nova Squadron as part of a mission to Altara to investigate the disappearance of a fellow ghost and a wrangler sent to locate her. She was granted her own quarters on the battlecruiser Palatine. Arriving at the world, it was discovered that a zerg force was en route to the planet as well. Through her telepathic abilities, Nova could sense that the zerg were here for a specific reason, and that their presence was not a coincidence. She informed Colonel Jackson Hauler of this development. Aware that the marines of the Palatine had little experience against the zerg, she requested that she be sent in solo, in order to do reconnaissance and to give the marines time to prepare, to provide support if necessary. Hauler agreed to her request.

Nova made her way across the surface, keeping in contact with Hauler as she did so. She made it to the site of the wrangler's ship, but against her advice, Hauler began deploying ground forces, stirring up the zerg. To make matters worse, the marines had little experience against the zerg and their CO, Lieutenant Chet Ward, was oblivious to the effects this lack of experience could have on the outcome of the battle. He ignored Nova's advice for the most part and the marines he sent to scout the zerg position were quickly overwhelmed by roaches and zerglings. The bulk of the ground forces were hard pressed by the xenomorphs, but Nova was practically unstoppable, her psionic powers and C-20A rifle felling numerous zerg. She turned the tide by acting as bait for the zerg, drawing them into a crossfire. Nova emerged unscathed and the zerg were mowed down in a hail of gunfire. Ward grudgingly thanked her, but Nova brushed him off, ordering him and his men to set up a defensive perimeter while she headed off to find the wrangler.

The wrangler turned out ot be Kelerchian, though while he recognised her, a history of mind wipes prevented Nova from doing the same. She used her telekinetic abilities to get him to safety, though this was a task not made easy by the zerg closing in on her position. During the fighting, a hydralisk damaged the filters of her face mask, which left her exposed to the terrazine gas present. Nova kept fighting, providing a distraction to let the Grizzlies carry the marines to safety, but the terrazine started to rejuvenate her memory, granting her flashbacks of her time with Fagin, her mission to Shi and the death of her family. Nova finished off the zerg with a mind blast, then passed out.

Whispers and Memories

"You're not real. You're dead."
"Maybe so. But I'll always be inside your head now. Me and Fagin and everyone else you hurt. What about all those people you killed back on Tarsonis with that mind blast of yours? Some three hundred of them at once, wasn't it? That's some record right there. Don't think even Fagin killed so many. And since then you've just kept on killing. Joined the ghost program to get away from that and forget, but here you are, a trained assassin, still killing for others. It's what you're good at, ain't it? You might look like an angel, but inside you're empty and dead too, just like us."

- Nova conversing with a terrazine-induced hallucination of Markus Ralian^(src)

Nova awoke in the medical bay of the Palatine, and was greeted by Captain Rourke and Doctor Shaw. The CO explained that her mind blast had eradicated the zerg forces present, saving the Nova Squadron ones. Nova however, still had problems, namely hallucinations and flashbacks—the consequences of her terrazine exposure. Shaw brushed her concerns aside, though was also hiding something from her, aside from his obvious contempt for the ghost, as sensed by her telepathy. Regardless, Rourke took Nova to see Kelerchian and while she didn't immediately recognise him, the flashbacks filled in some of the blanks, how Kelerchian had been the one to recruit her into the Ghost Program. He went on to provide an account of his mission to Altara until the pair were summoned to the bridge for a report on the effects of terrazine and how it had lured the zerg in. During this period, Emperor Arcturus Mengsk contacted the vessel, ordering that he be allowed to converse with Nova and Kelerchian privately. Although aggravated, Hauler agreed and granted the pair the comm. room in privacy.

Nova could sense unease from both Mengsk and Kelerchian. There was good reason for it, as Mengsk revealed that there'd never been any report of a UED cell on Altara, nor had he given the order to send a ghost in to investigate. Mengsk elaborated on the shadow war the Dominion had been waging over the last few months and wanted the perpetrators stopped before the truth was revealed. The pair were ordered to find the missing ghosts and shut down those responsible for the abductions.

The pair's first order of business was to make inquiries in the Altaran town of Oasis. While few of the townsfolk had any useful information, they heard from a smuggler that an Umojan spy had appeared in the town several weeks ago. Kelerchian was feeling the psionic effect of fellow ghosts assigned to help them and Nova began to feel something too, its psionic nature standing out from the rest of the town. It was a spectre, one that supposedly got the best of fellow ghost, Agent X72341R. It was also at this point that she encountered a young telepath named Lila, who had had a brush-in with the spectre as well. Nova learnt of her past through telepathy and developed an attachment to her, given that her circumstances were akin to her own ordeal in the Gutter (so remembered due to her terrazine exposure). Nova offered to take her back to Korhal, but was slightly uneasey at the prospect, knowing that Lila would likely be conscripted into the Ghost Program.

Nova and Kelerchian returned to the Palatine where they met the assembled ghosts assigned to them and, as per their real names being classified, assigned nicknames— "Bones" (from the surface), "Lethal", "Rook", "the Veteran", "Rip" and "Guns." Along with Rourke and Hauler, they discussed the information that had been gathered on the surface. Despite Rourke's suggestions to the contrary, Nova maintained that the disappearances were related, and that the UED wasn't responsible. Kelerchian voiced his theory that the insurgents were using a mobile base of operations, but either way, the meeting was called to a close as the Annihilators arrived alongside the Palatine, demanding permission to board. It was granted and Nova once again found herself in the presence of Annihilator members, namely Major Spaulding and Captain Vincent. It was a presence that she didn't enjoy—thanks to her terrazine exposure, she vaguely recalled the unit rescuing her from Fagin, their heavy-handed M.O. not exactly endearing them to her. Hauler reinforced the fact that Nova and Kelerchian were in charge, but as Nova began experiencing hallucinations of Fagin and Markus Ralian, it wasn't a position she was in perfect condition to take on. A concerned Kelerchian made her take a return trip to visit Dr. Shaw. Shaw however, had little to offer bar psychiatric platitudes and barely concealed thoughts of fear and loathing. However, he did offer the information that the gas she'd been exposed to was repairing her brain tissue, reversing the effects of her memory wipes. Shaw was clearly hiding something, but it became moot as Kelerchian received an encrypted message, warning them that Augustgrad had come under attack.

Augustgrad

Emperor Arcturus Mengsk managed to hide in his panic room and get a message off.

Colonel Hauler dispatched Terra and her ghost team, and would send Lt. Chet Ward and then other forces afterward. The ghosts were dropped off at the outskirts of Augustgrad and took vultures to the palace. On the way, Terra noticed that "Bones" could sense her presence even when she was cloaked. She realized that "Bones" was the spectre who had attacked her on Altara.

Bones was standing by a fountain, and Terra, using her terrazine-enhanced senses, could locate him well enough to telekinetically throw water on him, revealing him more fully. She used a psychic attack to "cook" his brain, killing him. That's when the spectre team led by Gabriel Tosh arrived. Four spectres launched mental attacks which disabled the ghosts' suits. All the ghosts but Terra were immobilized as well. Terra broke the spectres' grip and started killing them. The spectres fled, but the other members of Terra's team were all killed or taken away by the spectres.

Tosh mentally introduced himself to Terra. She wasn't interested and telekinetically threw a statue at him. Terra escaped and entered Mengsk's palace, but another spectre, Dylanna Okyl, was waiting there. Okyl ambushed Terra, cutting her back with a knife and spraying her with terrazine. Okyl mocked her with the words "breathe deep" before leaving.

Terra woke up with Okyl and Tosh standing there. Tosh tried to recruit her, claiming that with her help they could get to Mengsk. However, marines entered the palace, prompting the spectres to flee. Terra waited outside Mengsk's panic room, guarding it. A medic treated Terra's wound.

Emperor Mengsk met with Terra and Malcolm Kelerchian, and threw everyone else out. He was impressed with Terra's loyalty.

The Annihilators leaders boarded the Palatine. They insulted Terra, who snapped back mentally. Spaulding demanded a meeting. They were angered because they had wanted to immediately descend and attack, but Hauler had refused due to the communication breakdown. Spaulding had gone to a meeting with Mengsk in order to gain control of the operation, but Mengsk preferred to leave control with Hauler. Spaulding then accused Terra of being a spectre. He accused her and Kelerchian of hiding evidence and manipulating the situation, such as blowing up the Altara refinery. Ward gave an edited account of Terra's threats against him, making it nearly impossible to refute. Dr. Shaw also gave evidence against her. Hauler was angered at his subordinates Shaw and Ward, as they hadn't spoken to him first. He had Spaulding thrown off his ship. Afterward, Terra asked him for information about Project Shadowblade and the Battle of Shi.

Terra and Kelerchian discussed their next moves. Terra had also come to realize that Kelerchian was in love with her, the reason he had named his ship the November. During their conversation, knockout gas entered the room, knocking them out.

Gehenna

Hauler and Terra talked. Terra realized that Hauler was also General Bennett, but couldn't attack him as he had dosed her with anti-psi neuroleptics and also removed her ghost suit. He told her about the background of Project Shadowblade. He also confirmed the deaths of the Old Family children after the Battle of Shi. He showed Terra a holo of Malcolm Kelerchian, being held prisoner on Gehenna Station. Unless Terra agreed to work with him, Hauler would have Kelerchian killed. She agreed, temporarily, to fool Hauler's mind-reading abilities. The Palatine would return to Korhal, where Terra would capture Mengsk and force him to deliver a confession which would eventually result in Hauler being put into power.

Terra was handed to Dr. Shaw. However, Dr. Shaw intended to slowly kill her, as when she was a child, her powers had killed his parents. Shaw drugged her, but Lio Travski was able to reach her through the electrodes. Terra was able to escape, killing Shaw and slipping away.

Terra remained aboard the Palatine. The November was launched, while Travski shut down the battlecruiser's tracking and comm systems shut down. Benett was fooled.

Meanwhile, Terra contacted Major Spaulding of the Annihilators and, after convincing him of Bennett's guilt rather than her own, planned an attack on Gehenna Station according to a strict schedule.

The Palatine came to Gehenna. Travski announced that he had found the November with one life sign, and had shut down its comm system. Bennett checked the ship but couldn't find Terra there.

Travski warned Terra that her deception had been detected. Terra slipped into Gehenna. She ran into a crying Kath Toom. Terra told her what had happened. Toom was still in love with Tosh, however, and the two fought. Terra used her telekinesis to knock Toom unconscious. She then stole Toom's needler gun and spectre suit.

Terra slipped into Kelerchian's cell and freed him. Travski told them of the plot to frame her. Travski manipulated the lights, enabling Terra to escape. Outside she fought Lt. Ward, several marines, and two spectres. Terra and Kelerchian eventually won the battle. Lt. Ward admitted to the murder in Hudderstown before Terra killed him. She also learned a little about Bennett's tactics from him.

The station came under fire. Captain Rourke reported that Gehenna's weapons were down. Bennett believed Travski was behind this and ordered Rourke to set off the EMP. Rourke did so. Major Spaulding contacted them; it was his battlecruiser which had begun the assault. Terra had asked Travski to contact Spaulding, and while he was angry, she furnished him with enough proof of Bennett's treachery to convince him.

Terra tried to reach the Palatine, but Hauler intercepted her. He used psionics to daze Kelerchian and tried to use his telepathic powers to charm Terra, but she eventually snapped out of it, remembering he was General Bennett. He cloaked and escaped. Terra noticed Lila aboard the station, and frantically pursued her, but it turned out to be an illusion created by Bennett. Separated from Kelerchian, she was vulnerable to Bennett's pyrokinesis attack. Terra fended the attack off, but Bennett was able to cut her mask and force her to decloak. He then began shooting at her, forcing Terra to throw blast doors at him in order to escape.

Terra found herself among rows of "stasis chambers", many of which were occupied. Bennett told her these were psi indoctrinators, used to modify the brains of people with even the slightest psionic talent to become powerful weapons. Resocialized terrans were being made psychic, and became teeps close to but not at the level of ghosts. Bennett could even control the victims from anywhere. Bennett threatened to release them, but Terra called his bluff. He blew up some of the equipment in order to escape.

Kelerchian arrived at the scene, and General Bennett ambushed and grabbed him. He told Terra to get into an indoctrinator tank, or he would attack her like he had Toom. Terra got in. While there, Travski contacted her. He had survived the EMP attack. She told him to feed footage of Bennett's admission of murder to Tosh.

An angry Tosh barged in. As he and Bennett used their psionic powers against each other, Terra was able to use her own powers to throw a stalactite at Bennett, killing him.

Terra and Kelerchian fled before Spaulding would begin firing nuclear at the station. Tosh stopped them, though, and told them that Toom and Travski were aboard the Palatine, and they could go with him. Terra said that Kelerchian needed treatment, and she would take them into the infirmary. Instead, they escaped on the November. Travski sent her a message, saying he would go into the datastream. She decided to stop off at Altara and give Lila a good home.

Aftermath

Nova ended up capturing numerous spectres. They were imprisoned in New Folsom Prison.

Second Great War

Wings of Liberty

This article or section contains information from the optional Covert Missions in StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.

"Well, well - the infamous Jim Raynor. My name is Nova. We should talk."

- Nova introduces herself to Jim Raynor^(src)

Nova during the Second Great War

During the Second Great War, Nova moved to assassinate spectre Gabriel Tosh and stop his spectre program. This operation was not approved by Dominion command, and was listed as an unauthorized solo operation. Tosh was working with Raynor's Raiders and had so far neglected to inform the rebels of his true nature or intentions. Nova attempted to dissuade further cooperation by sending an anonymous message to the Raiders exposing Tosh as a spectre.

Raynor was prepared to continue working with Tosh, especially as they both had anti-Dominion goals. Nova learned of the operation to raid New Folsom Prison and decided to contact Raynor directly in an attempt to forestall the operation. She revealed the prison held captured spectres, which Tosh wanted to reactivate with the jorium and terrazine the Raiders had procured for him. Furthermore, she claimed all spectres became psychopathic killers, and that Tosh would inevitably crack and betray Raynor. The ghost exaggerated the risk posed by spectres. Finally she warned a jailbreak would inevitably release prisoners better left imprisoned.

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders sides with Tosh (A canon)

Raynor was disappointed by Tosh's secrecy, but was willing to continue working with the anti-Dominion spectre, rather than with a Dominion agent. The prison guards were forewarned of the impending raid by Nova, but were ultimately unable to prevent the breakout.

Plot option ends here

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders side with Nova against Tosh (B canon)

"Strictly business."

- Nova assaulting Gabriel Tosh's base.^(src)

Nova after she assassinated Gabriel Tosh

Raynor was convinced by Nova's argument. The ghost and Raynor's Raiders destroyed the spectre's training facility. Tosh himself was killed by Nova while arguing remotely with Raynor. She told Raynor that she'd be seeing him again. For their assistance, Nova gave the Raiders the material needed to train ghosts. She sometimes appeared in the armory afterward, randomly cloaking and uncloaking. The ghost gave the Raiders Tosh's knife and voodoo doll as trophies.

Plot branch ends here

Heart of the Swarm

"Begin your sweep – find Kerrigan!"

- Nova leads a task force^(src)

Nova commands the sweep

Nova led the raid on Research Station EB-103. When Bravo Team failed to report in, she ordered all units to sector six. Once her forces had taken control of the security hub, she called upon Sarah Kerrigan to surrender. However, Kerrigan managed to escape.

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders sides with Tosh (A canon)

Raynor was not as lucky as Kerrigan however, as Valerian and the rest of the Raiders could not reach him due to Dominion reinforcements. As Raynor began figuring out how to escape, a door near him exploded and revealed Nova. Nova was still bitter with him helping Tosh and the spectres, and promptly captured him after a short struggle.

Plot branch : Raynor's Raiders side with Nova against Tosh (B canon)

Raynor was not as lucky as Kerrigan however, as Valerian and the rest of the Raiders could not reach him due to Dominion reinforcements. As Raynor began figuring out how to escape, a door near him exploded and revealed Nova. Though Nova was grateful with Raynor helping her with Tosh, she told him she had a mission to complete and promptly captured him after a short struggle.

	This following section contains information from concept art that may not be canonical.

At some point, Nova took part in combat against the zerg.

End War

	This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.

"If there's one thing a sniper knows, it's how to defend her nest."

- Nova^(src)

Alongside fellow commanders, Nova commanded terran forces during the End War.

The Keep

"The mission is over. Time for my memory wipe. I can't help thinking...thinking about the fact that I have a choice...and remembering the mission. The Umojans who perished when the sentinel watchtowers exploded. Including noncombatant personnel, like the doctor. And I think that just because we can forget something...doesn't mean that we should."

- Nova's reflections^(src)

Nova setting up a phase disruptor

Sometime after the End War, Nova participated in an operation to retrieve a prototype terran phase disruptor. Her mission was successful, and she subsequently underwent a voluntary memory wipe to forget the mission details.

Afterwards, she was personally contacted by Emperor Valerian Mengsk, who discussed with her that his connections to the Moebius Foundation were never made public. However, the Umojan Protectorate had managed to find files linking him to the organization, and he feared they planned to use them against him. He tasked Nova with entering their neigh-impenetrable space fortress the Keep and retrieving the disks.

Nova commandeered the freighter Charon, and made it look as it if it was offline. She then injected herself with a toxin that would fake her death, and set the freighter on a course for the Keep. Her ship was picked up by security, and she was brought in for an autopsy. As she was brought in, the toxin worse off, and Nova used her psionic powers to give the doctor preparing to operate on her a nosebleed and a headache. The doctor left the room, giving Nova time to get into her hostile environment suit.

Nova cloaked, and moved through the keep trying to get back to the Charon. However, on the way a shadowguard psionically sensed her, and contacted her, saying she had been behind the attacks on Zanadar Prime that destroyed a tenement house full of innocent people. Nova reflected that she did not remember this due to her mind wipes, but figured that it could also be psychological warfare. Nova lured the shadowguard down a hallway, and dropped from the ceiling on him. After a brief physical confrontation, Nova shot him in the neck. This however alerted security, and experimental black widow drones were deployed to Nova.

Nova ran down a hallway, and noted life support lines in the station filled with liquid oxygen. She shot one of the lines, freezing the black widow swarm. She then ran back to the Charon, and grabbed the gear she needed for the operation. Nova set up a bomb in one of the maintenance shafts, in plain view of the Umojan security. The Umojans began to evacuate to the nearby sentinel watchtowers, but unbeknownst to them the explosives were fake, and real ones were aboard the evacuation ships. The explosives destroyed the four watchtowers.

Noting five minutes until Umojan reinforcements arrived, Nova moved to the vault and set up a phase disruptor to pierce the meter thick wall. However, she was ambushed by the same shadowguard from earlier. Nova overcame him, and threw him into the line of the phase disruptor's fire, vaporizing both of them and opening the way for the vault. With the way clear, Nova took the disks and fled aboard the ship carrying the Charon before reinforcements arrived.

Nova gave the disks to Valerian, who reflected that he regretted his connection to Moebius, and he had turned a blind eye to their creation of the hybrid. Nova told Valerian that memories and secrets could not simply be buried, that they would always be there to haunt him. Valerian reflected on this, and asked her to leave. Later, Nova prepared to be mind wiped of the mission, when she heard on UNN that Valerian had made the documents public, and announced his connections to Moebius. Nova then turned around, deciding against the mind wipe.

Covert Ops

Lost Memories

The footage of Nova is leaked

Several years later after the End War, Nova came to be involved in the activities of the Defenders of Man, a terran separatist group. Nova, along with Stone, was assigned to work with the Defenders of Man by the Dominion. During her operation, she set out to plant anti-zerg devices on Antiga Prime. However, she and Stone soon discovered the devices were psi-emitters. Nova and Stone attempted to retrieve their mission files and tell the Dominion of what the Defenders had done, but she was soon captured by her wrangler, Maxwell. Maxwell deferred to the Defenders of Man Leader, General Carolina Davis, who ordered her mind wiped. However, before she did, Nova planted a message in her visor stating "YOU ARE IN DANGER. THEY WILL KILL YOU."

Nova, under the command of the Defenders of Man, was later trailed by Michael Liberty. Liberty left tips to Radio Liberty listeners leading them to a secure Defender of Man database, where they discovered her profile and footage showing Nova having assassinated undercover Dominion agents in the base. This caused a stir as this footage leaked to Dominion public, leading Kate Lockwell to ask if Dominion soldiers had gone rogue.

Nova awakens

Later, Nova found herself in a Defenders of Man facility, unaware of where she was. A servo, through which Maxwell's voice spoke, ordered her to put on her visor for software calibration. Doing so, a message appeared within the HUD, telling her that she was in danger, and that she had to escape. She cloaked, despite the voice's protests. She then attacked the camera, and confronted Maxwell, who was running the diagnostic, demanding to know where she was. Maxwell refused, and she killed him.

Nova and Delta escaping the Defenders of Man facility

Nova escaped the facility and contacted Stone, who had also escaped. The two fought their way through the facility, reclaiming her C-20A rifle and pulse grenades and came in contact with Delta Emblock and Theodore Pierce, who had been assigned to Nova's team. Nova's team escaped from the facility on vultures, with Nova and Stone splitting up on their own through the Sharpsburg freeway. They fought through Defender of Man vultures, hellions, banshees, and a Warhawk to reach the spaceport. The two reached the port, with Stone demanding to stay behind for the next ship. Nova left on her own, and was escorted by a Dominion battlecruiser to Borea.

Nova on Borea

At the Dominion base there, she was confronted by Admiral Matt Horner, who informed her she had been missing in action for months and had been wanted for treason against the Dominion. However, just then feral zerg invaded Borea and attacked their base. Horner said he believed her when she said she had no memory of the past few months, and asked her to help defend their base. Nova took her forces to the hills, and defended the Dominion base, using the canyons to her advantage. The zerg attack was slowed, but just then a Defenders of Man fleet arrived and attacked the zerg, informing the population of the planet that the Dominion had failed them and the Defenders of Man would protect them. The Defenders of Man then contacted Horner, demanding he surrender Nova. In the chaos of their attack, Nova and the Dominion escaped the planet.

Nova is given command of the Griffin

Nova met with Emperor Valerian Mengsk, who offered her a Covert Ops Crew and a new ship, the Griffin in return for her loyalty. She accepted, and Valerian introduced her to her new weapons and technology specialist, Reigel. Reigel informed her he could try to make her removed memories resurface by stimulating her neural inhibitor. This was attempted, and she remembered going to Tarsonis City after its fall to the zerg. Nova and her crew moved in to find the Defenders of Man base she suspected was there. Her forces secured garrisons surrounding the base while she infiltrated in. The Defenders of Man discovered her presence, and activated a psi emitter in the base. Nova continued on in spite of the zerg attack, and discovered the command room. Killing the technician manning it, Nova discovered that the Defenders of Man were planting psi emitters to attract feral zerg to planets, and they intended to send the zerg to Tyrador IX to show how weak Valerian's regime was. Nova swore she would put a stop to their operation.

Plots and Manipulations

Nova and Reigel observe the situation on Tyrador IX

Nova and her Covert Ops Crew quickly moved to Tyrador IX, but found it overrun by the zerg. Reigel noted that they could not engage the zerg directly, and that there were high casualties. The Defenders of Man fleet arrived, saying they would help shelter any civilians who needed evacuation. Nova decided that she would engage the zerg first, then deal with the Defenders of Man.

Nova arrived on the surface with a group of banshees while Reigel set up her base. Nova and her banshees began engaging zerg hatcheries in the area, but Reigel noticed warp signatures, and thought they were zerg reinforcements. They were not; these forces were the Tal'darim Death Fleet under First Ascendant Ji'nara. The Death Fleet fired on the zerg, then brought down their Tal'darim mothership. Ji'nara contacted Nova's forces, saying they were after the Defenders of Man, and telling the Dominion to stay away from their forces. Nova noted that though the Tal'darim would deal with the Defenders, they would likely kill the civilians they were defending in the process. Nova decided that could not happen, and attacked the four shield projectors defending their mothership. Enraged, Ji'nara sent the mothership after Nova's forces, but without the shield projectors Nova's forces were able to destroy it. With the Tal'darim defeated, the Defenders of Man were able to rally and push the zerg off of Tyrador IX. However, they also took credit for the victory, a fact Nova bemoaned.

Nova makes a bargain with Alarak

Nova returned to the Griffin, but noticed a strange psionic signature coming from the bridge. She leveled her gun to find the Tal'darim Highlord Alarak waiting for her. Reigel stopped her before she could fire, saying he was a guest. Alarak explained the Defenders of Man attacked a remote Tal'darim outpost and fled, and he desired vengeance. He noticed she once worked with the Defenders of Man, and offered her a bargain, Alarak would lead Nova to terrazine to unlock her memories, and in return she would lead Alarak to the Defenders of Man. Nova agreed, and Alarak took her to Jarban Minor.

There Nova found extraction devices set up by the Umojan Protectorate to extract terrazine from the Jarban gliders in the area. However, they were surrounded by the infested remains of the Umojan team. To make matters harder, Alarak allowed Ji'nara to challenge Nova, and she deployed her forces to destroy the extraction devices. Nova rescued the surviving members of the Umojan expedition, and Reigel noted that there were potential technologies in a nearby cave and science facility. Nova was successful in extracting the terrazine before the devices were destroyed by the infested and the Tal'darim. Alarak met Nova, and said that provided the terrazine didn't kill her it would undo her memory wipe. Nova asked she would contact Alarak when she found the Defenders, and Alarak simply said he'd know. With that, the two factions parted ways.

Nova returns to Antiga Prime

Nova contacted Valerian, who was dealing with protests outside of Korhal Palace. He was trepid about Nova using terrazine, and told her to be careful. Reigel noted that he could prevent the side effects of terrazine if he administered it to her in microdoses, and she agreed. Upon taking one does, she remembered a briefing by the wrangler Maxwell sending her to Antiga Prime. Nova took the Griffin there, and remembered being in the city of New Andasar. Nova and her forces landed in the city and engaged the feral zerg, and Reigel noted that if the feral zerg structures were destroyed it would limit what forces they'd send against Nova. Nova moved through the city, gradually administering terrazine and remembering aspects of her operation, including working with Stone and uncovering the psi-emitters. Nova then remembered that Stone had not wiped the mission files from their operations center, and fought through the feral zerg to reach them. Upon taking them, she took one last dose of terrazine, and remembered that General Carolina Davis was the leader of the Defenders of Man who ordered her mind wiped.

Enraged, Nova reported this to Valerian, and insisted the Davis had to be killed for using her. Valerian stated that he had a plan, and that Nova needed to play her part in it. Nova reluctantly agreed. Valerian later contacted Davis, saying he was stepping down as Emperor of the Dominion.

Broken Alliances

Valerian reveals his plan to Nova

Valerian made public his plans to announce his stepping down on the planet of Vardona, and he ordered Nova to aid him in a plot to expose Davis. Valerian would make his speech, and the Defenders would be focused on him and his military convoy. Meanwhile, Nova would infiltrate Davis's compound and apprehend Davis, bringing her before Valerian, where he'd announce her arrest.

Nova infiltrated through the sewers, and Reigel noted a power source coming from a lab nearby. Nova slipped past the light defenses guarding the sewers, and made it into Davis's compound. There she unlocked the two doors leading into Davis's main chamber. However, inside the facility she found Delta and Pierce locked in holding pens, with Delta having no memory of Nova. Nova was concerned, but Reigel assured her that a rescue team would be on their way for them. As Nova entered Davis's chambers she found Stone, who had his memories altered to insist she abandoned the Defenders and betrayed them. Nova was forced to deal with him, but not wanting to kill her comrade, simply incapacitated him instead and told Reigel to send a force to retrieve her old comrade. Nova pushed into Davis's office, and apprehended her.

Nova then dragged Davis out in handcuffs before the people of Vardona, where Valerian announced that he was arresting her for crimes against the Dominion. However, just as she was brought out, Alarak arrived with the Death Fleet and began assaulting the city. He psionically informed her that this was their bargain, but Nova stated he'd refuse to let him harm the city's civilians.

Nova, Valerian and Horner prepared a defense of the city. Nova and her Covert Ops Crew were aided by lower ranking members of the Defenders of Man who were unaware of Davis's true agenda. Reigel noted that the science center in the middle of the city was close to a breakthrough and should be defended. Nova and her forces supported the terran lines against the Tal'darim, whethering the brunt of their attacks and grinding their forces down. Admiral Horner called in the Dominion Fleet, which supported the ground forces with Gorgon-class battlecruisers. Ji'nara attempted to exact revenge on Nova through her motherships, but she was unable to defeat the terran defenders. Evewntually, the lines proved too much for the Tal'darim, who suffered defeat after massive casualties. In the chaos however, General Davis took the Medusa and fled the planet. Nova got into the Griffin and gave chase.

As Nova left the planet, she was contacted by Alarak, who told her she had just made a powerful enemy. Nova told him likewise, and told him to never come back, before shutting off communications. She then contacted Valerian, who was infuriated with Davis's tactics, which were similar to her fathers, and told her to bring Davis in alive. Nova strongly objected, as they had tried that and failed, but Valerian stated that was her orders. Nova begrudgingly agreed, and stormed off. After hours of losing the Medusa, Reigel found a lead as the top secret Cerros Shipyards were under attack by a lone ship. With her target in sight, Nova gave chase.

Nova arrived to find that Davis and her loyalist Defenders had taken part of the shipyard and activated the Xanthos, an experimental war machine. They intended to destroy the Gorgon-class battlecruisers stationed there, crippling the Dominion Fleet and preventing Emperor Valerian from ruling effectively. Nova and forces under Admiral Horner came to the defense of the station. Though the Xanthos could not be damaged by small arms while activated, its weapons could be destroyed, which would leave it exposed and in need of repair. Nova defended the battlecruisers, while Horner took the Hyperion to push through the Defender's lines. Eventually, Nova and her allies were able to push to the Xanthos, but Davis activated a mode unknown even to Reigel. This and the deployment of Davis's remaining forces were still not enough, and the Xanthos was destroyed. Davis was still alive inside, however, and Nova went in to pursue.

Inside, Davis told her she knew the Terra family, and that they all used to be on the same side. She also stated that if Nova killed her, she'd be no better than her. Nova openly defied Valerian's direct order, and killed Davis.

Charting a new course

Later, aboard the Griffin, Nova began to stock up on what weapons she could when Reigel entered. Believing he was here to capture her, Nova hid herself, but Reigel opened up to her about his history, about how his career was ruined by his connection to the Moebius Foundation. He also told her that he and the crew were loyal to her first and foremost. Nova stated that the Dominion would always have enemies, and that they would need to fight them their own way. Now branded fugitives of the Dominion, the two went to the bridge and sped off into an asteroid belt, abandoning the Dominion and becoming a vigilante division.

Shadow Wars

"You can call me Nova. I heard you have some jorium?"

- Nova Terra at Last Junction^(src)

Nova negotiates for jorium

After she became a vigilante, Nova and Reigel visited the mercenary outpost of Last Junction seeking out Elms and her crew, who had survived the Battle of Adena with a large amount of jorium in tow. Reigel found Elms and told her that he knew someone who would buy her jorium. Elms guided Reigel to her ship, and Nova uncloaked, saying she wished to buy their stockpile. Contreras reacted with hostility, shooting at Elms, but Nova reached out and crushed her gun, telling her that while she was right to distrust ghosts, she was there to buy their stock. The exchange was made, with Reigel giving each of them a shell account with a third of the sale.

Elms and Nova converse telepathically

Nova then psionically contacted Elms, offering to help her control her psionic powers, and telling her of her own past running from her abilities. She offered her a place on her Covert Ops Crew, but Elms declined, refusing to serve under anyone. Nova relented, first telepathically checking to see that her two comrades did not intend to turn on Elms, then saying her goodbyes.

Nova infiltrates the base

Not long after though, Elms and her crew were set upon by assassins sent by Captain Hogarth, and turned to Nova to aid them. Nova lent them equipment and a cloaked liberator, and allowed them to assault his base on Aspar. The three raided the base and killed Hogarth, with Yong being wounded in the fighting. Nova, who'd infiltrated the base separately, killed a pack of marines and arrived personally to retrieve Elms and her crew.

Later, Nova talked to Elms, offering to train her, but Elms declined, saying she and her crew wanted to go their own way. The next day, Nova talked to Reigel, who told her he thought the recruitment was a failure. However, Nova told him that things are not always as they seem.

Game Unit

StarCraft II

Nova is available as a announcer with Patch 3.9. She was initially only purchasable in a bundle alongside the D.Va announcer, but became purchasable for those who purchased Nova Covert Ops.

Heart of the Swarm

In Heart of the Swarm, Nova appears in-game in "Back in the Saddle", but only in a cutscene.

Quotations

See: StarCraft II Nova quotations (Wings of Liberty) quotations

See: StarCraft II Nova quotations (Nova Covert Ops) quotations

Heroes of the Storm

	The following section contains information from Heroes of the Storm and is not canon to StarCraft continuity

Nova appears as a character in Heroes of the Storm.

Personality and Traits

"I always liked you. Rich girl growing up in one of the Old Families of the Confederacy, dealt about the worst hand possible of a hostile universe, but you wouldn't go down without a fight. You were a beauty and you had spirit, even down in that Gutter with the hab addicts and crab dealers. I saw it from the beginning, and I guess I was right, because look at you now. The most impressive ghost I've ever seen."

- Malcolm Kelerchian^(src)

Nova at the Ghost Academy

Skills and Powers

"One shot, center mass. Poof."

- Nova^(src)

Nova is the best ghost within the Terran Dominion. Indeed, her ghost profile labels her as "the best of the best." She is skilled in all areas of operational performance."

Nova has a good sense of balance. She underwent physical training at the Ghost Academy. She found it very difficult at first, not being accustomed to exercise and having still suffered from malnutrition and dehydration at the time, but eventually excelled at martial arts, the use of weapons, and driving a vulture. She was given permission to learn some skills earlier than usual, and undertook the four-year program in only two-and-a-half years; a record.

Nova is a skilled hacker; she can take control of a nuclear silo in only a few minutes.

Nova often instills lust and fear in males around her, her physical appearence driving the former emotion, and her telepathy instilling the latter one.

At fifteen years of age, she was considered to be tall.

Psionic Abilities

"A ghost’s first and best weapon is her mind. Everything else is supplemental."

- Nova^(src)

Nova's psionic might

Nova has a Psi Index rating of 10 and as such, is one of the most powerful ghosts in existence. Her PI is only just surpassed by Sarah Kerrigan's rating as a ghost. She is so powerful that she finds it difficult not to read minds. She can even read minds through some types of psi-screens (such as those worn by the Annihilators) but was unable to read or attack the mind of Fagin while he wore one. Nova has the ability to telepathically communicate, at least with other psychics.

Her abilities first manifested as "empathy" at age seven; her parents hid this from her. On her fifteenth birthday she found she could read one person's mind at close range. A few days later she discovered she could read her family's mind from a considerable distance away.

Nova developed a powerful attack which can destroy the brains of up to a dozen opponents while leaving an individual in their midst unharmed.

Nova's telekinetic abilities can slowly lift her (and others), is powerful enough to uproot shrubs, and she was able to briefly hold up part of a fallen building. She eventually learned to focus these abilities, and has frequently "jammed" firearms with it. She once used the ability to physically force someone to shoot another opponent. She could use her power to fire guns "remotely", open and damage metal doors and destroy combat robots. Her telekinetic abilities can improve her accuracy with firearms, her teeking guiding the bullets to an extent. Unlike other teeks, using telekinesis gives her a headache. The more effort she uses, the worse the pain.

Nova's psionic training at the Ghost Academy progressed rapidly, and she found it much easier than the physical aspect.

After her family died, Nova uncontrollably unleashed a massive telepathic and telekinetic blast which damaged the Terra Skyscraper and slew hundreds of people.

Afterward Nova could reliably generate a mind blast with a four-block (or greater) radius, but at the cost of a prolonged charging time.

Personality

"Tough, capable, smart and very dangerous, Nova is a trained assassin with great physical prowess, and strong mental abilities."

- Character description^(src)

Cold and efficient

Even through her ghost training (before the memory wipe) Nova's personality generally remained the same throughout her late teen years. She possessed a degree of empathy that was generally lacking in the Old Families (a trait that did not go unnoticed) and believed in the concept of fair play, or at least had an aversion to "cheating" (e.g. considered attaching gliders to her shoes at her birthday to walk elegantly to be "cheating").

Although willing to deal death to those she believed to deserve it (e.g. Fagin and Cliff Nadaner), she wanted to avoid harming those who fell outside this definition (she did not want to harm Fagin's associates, regretted having to dispatch the rest of Nadaner's group, and spared Stone when Davis had altered his memories into thinking that she's a traitor). She cares greatly for the Dominion's civilians, refusing to let Alarak harm the civilians of Vardona who would have been side casualties in the Tal'darim's attack.

Nova

As of becoming a full fledged ghost, after undergoing a memory wipe, Nova's personality became colder. Due to much of her memory wipe being undone, Nova remains psychologically scarred by the murder of her family and has trouble connecting to people as a result. Not that she particularly desired to, however—for the most part, she was content to be regarded as a merciless killer and remain isolated from her fellow soldiers, not wanting to forge attachments that could be broken. Kelerchian noted in their Altaran reunion however that she'd become more open from when he'd last seen her. Nova later noted that Kelerchian himself was "the only man who meant anything to her."

Nova has a sense of black-and-white morality, believing in definite goods and evils, with little in the way of shades of grey, something that the immoral activities of the Terran Dominion challenged her on.

As a child, Nova had a liking for framberries. She dislikes sushi.

An psyche profile of Nova conducted by a Dominion wrangler concluded that Nova is fiercely loyal to the Dominion, though noted that she had a slight tendency to deviate from mission parameters based on personal evaluation of the situation. The wrangler noted that this might be due to residual subconscious memories of her past prior to entering the Ghost Academy.

Other Appearances

Nova vs the Queen of Blades

Blizzard Entertainment employees have stated that they definitely want to continue Nova's story, either in novel or comic format. At BlizzCon 2011, Brian T. Kindregan asserted that Nova is an important part of the StarCraft universe, and that she would be appearing in future expansions and stories. It was indicated that she would have a role in Legacy of the Void as well, though she makes no appearance in the game.

Nova was expected to appear in StarCraft: Issue 9, trailing the War Pigs, a group of outlaws, for unknown reasons. However, the issue was canceled. She was scheduled to appear in the graphic novel that would continue the series, but the project has since been put on the backburner.

Nova made early cameos in StarCraft II before the release of the game, seen on a flatscreen in the Hyperion. The images were of gameplay from StarCraft: Ghost.

A Nova skin is available for Widowmaker in Overwatch.

World of Warcraft Easter Eggs

Nova's tomb

Nova's tomb had been spotted at a strange stone in the Netherstorm of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade at location 41, 83. Drysc, a Blizzard World of Warcraft Community Manager later stated that "Some say that under certain conditions you can see her ghost... Pun not intended." A cloaked blood elf figure resembling Nova can also be found near the tomb.

Cloaked Nova in The Burning Crusade

Drysc used the lyrics of Kansas song Dust in the Wind to describe her:

"Rest in peace Nova...


I close my eyes
Only for a moment, then the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind...

/tear"

- Drysc^(src)

Another blood elf character named Nova can be found in World of Warcraft. She is a child who keeps a pet cat.

Notes

Blizzard's statue of Nova (mosaic attached).

• A large statue of Nova can be seen at Blizzard's office in Irvine, California.

• In Wings of Liberty, Nova appears to be left-handed given her wielding of some weapons. Ghost Academy however shows her wielding weapons right-handed. In the cinematic trailer for Heroes of the Storm, she also holds her sniper rifle in her right hand, but in-game she is using the rifle left-handed.

• In a promotional video for StarCraft: Ghost, Nova was designated as "Agent 12-862", and "Nova" was established as her codename This was later changed to "Agent X41822N" in StarCraft: Ghost: Nova, while Spectres solidified that ghosts (Nova included) know their real names under the Dominion, but usually address each other by their alpha-numeric designations.

• Nova appeared in imagery for BlizzCon 2014. In contrast to her usual appearance, she is depicted as having red eyes and red lines moving through the circuitry of her hostile environment suit. A similar circuitry color scheme has been observed for Tosh (a spectre) and Emil Narud when impersonating Sarah Kerrigan's terran form.

• Blizzard has noticed that fans have often drawn similarities between Nova and Kerrigan. James Waugh has commented that Nova is indeed different, going on to say "with Nova, we always find ourselves in stories about what it means to be a good soldier...She's an assassin for the military, and sometimes that gets messy.

• Nova is Valerie Watrous's favorite terran character.

• While Nova's eyes are canonically green, some games and comics, such as Overwatch, earlier builds of Heroes of the Storm, and Nova: The Keep have shown them as blue. StarCraft II: Shadow Wars: Part 9 colored Nova's eyes as blue, but this was corrected to green in the next issue. With Patch 2.48.0 of Heroes of the Storm Nova's model had her eye color corrected to green.

Nova in the Rob's Guns ad

• Nova appears in an advertisment for Rob's Guns in StarCraft II.

• In the 2013–2018 period, Nova's page was the most viewed terran character article on the wiki alongside Jim Raynor. However, this figure only remains true if one cuts out Sarah Kerrigan and Alexei Stukov, who both had far more page views.

Collectables

• 2UP Nova figures based on her appearance in Heroes of the Storm were released in 2015. A 7" figure was also released.
• Nova mystery mini-figures based on her appearance in Heroes of the Storm were released, and have her regular appearance as well as a cloaked one.
• A Nova mini-figure in the "Cute But Deadly" line was made available at BlizzCon 2016 and is still available for purchase.
• A set of Nova leggings by Wild Bangarang was sold on the Battle.net store.
• Nova Heroes of the Storm T-shirts were sold on the Battle.net store.

Nova 7" figurine

Nova Mystery Mini

Cloaked Nova Mystery Mini

"Cute but Deadly" Nova

Nova leggings

Nova Heroes of the Storm shirt

References

Player Characters of the StarCraft Universe v • e

Terran Episode I: "Magistrate" Episode V: "Captain" StarCraft: Ghost: Nova Terra Wings of Liberty: Jim Raynor Nova Covert Ops: Nova Terra Enslavers: "Commander" Loomings: "Lieutenant" Retribution: "Commander" Protoss Episode III: Artanis Episode IV: "Executor" Whispers of Oblivion: Zeratul Legacy of the Void: Artanis Retribution: "Executor" Enslavers II: "Executor" Zerg Episode II: "Cerebrate" Episode VI: "Cerebrate" Heart of the Swarm: Sarah Kerrigan Insurrection: "Cerebrate" Retribution: "Cerebrate"