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"What do you call a ghost that's not invisible? A corpse."
Ghost SCR Head1

A cloaked ghost

Personal cloaking devices are psionically powered pieces of terran technology that enable ghosts and spectres to cloak. Activated by effort of will,[1] they are built into hostile environment suits.[2]

Overview[]

In use by 2489,[3] the personal cloaking device is based on the stealth technology used by Wraith fighters[2] to function it must be used in conjunction with the hostile environment suit rather than something more basic,[4] as it relies on the circuitry of the hostile environment suit to go into "stealth mode."[5] It works in conjunction with the suit, which contains synthetic cells on its outermost layer that refract light.[6] However, its installment is not mandatory and are available only by request.[1] The Terran Dominion does not grant its ghost agents such devices until they have completed their graduation mission.[5] In 2501 a Dominion training team was issued with the devices, but they were intended to be controlled by their preceptor and not the trainees themselves.[7]

Cloaking SC2 CineNova1

A ghost cloaking

Upon activation of the device, a ghost is rendered almost completely invisible. A faint ripple through the air is faintly observable by the naked eye as a ghost moves if one is looking hard enough and knows what to look for, but suffice to say, few targets know what to look for until it's too late.[8]

In addition to functional advantages, the ability to cloak has given the ghosts a psychological edge over their enemies, specifically a reputation of fear.[2][9] Shimmering with visible energy upon deactivation,[10] a Moebius reactor can increase the full amount of stored energy for the device.[2] In addition, the Kimeran Pirates developed an even longer lasting reactor.[11] The amount of energy left in a cloaking module could be tracked by a ghost via a device attached to their suit's wrist.[12]

Cloaking SC2 CineBetterTomorrow1

A spectre cloaking

The personal cloaking device also gives the ghost a psychological 'fear effect' over their enemies,[2] cultivated (and perhaps exaggerated) by the Dominion amongst its citizens.[9] However, the advantages of the personal cloaking device can be rendered null by specialized sensory equipment[1] (or specialized strains such as the overlord in the case of the zerg).[2] In addition, its effectiveness is reduced if viscous substances such as fire suppressant adhere to the hostile environment suit. However, while a human form is made visible as a result, the ghost itself is still invisible for all intents and purposes.[12]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Ghost. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2009-02-08
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Underwood, Peter, Bill Roper, Chris Metzen and Jeffrey Vaughn. StarCraft (Manual). Irvine, Calif.: Blizzard Entertainment, 1998.
  3. McNeill, Graham (December 30, 2008). StarCraft: I, Mengsk. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 978-1-4165-5083-9.
  4. Rosenberg, Aaron (June 1, 2006). StarCraft: Queen of Blades. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7133-4.
  5. 5.0 5.1 DeCandido, Keith R. A. (November 28, 2006). StarCraft: Ghost: Nova. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7134-2.
  6. 2014-12-18, Ghost Science. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2014-12-20
  7. Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 3 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, March 8, 2011. ISBN 978-1427-81614-6.
  8. Grubb, Jeff (February 27, 2001). StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-671-04148-7.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Golden, Christie (May 22, 2007). StarCraft: The Dark Templar Saga #1: Firstborn. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-7125-3.
  10. STARCRAFT 2 'Kerrigan Storyboards' Feature HD (BlizzCon 08) YouTube. Accessed on 2009-02-08
  11. 2000-10-27. StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Deception (in English). Map Archives: Deception.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Neilson, Micky (December 18, 2000). StarCraft: Uprising. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). ISBN 0-7434-1898-0 (eBook).
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