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"Nice work. Maybe you should join me on a mission sometime."

- Stone(src)

Stone a.k.a Agent X74996R is a former Terran Dominion ghost.

Biography

"A Dominion ghost with a brash personality and a mysterious past."

- Character description(src)

Stone's date and place of birth are kept classified, as is his real name ("Stone" is simply his codename).[1] It is known, however (including by Stone himself), that he was born sometime after 2471.[2][3]

Stone's own memories of his life are hazy, and only go as far back as being trained in the Ghost Academy under the Terran Dominion. Due to the level of his psionic abilities, often mind wipes and resocialization efforts did not fully erase his memories.[2]

Cradle of Death

AlliedCommanders SC2-LotV Art1
This article or section contains information derived from Co-op Missions, and should not be considered part of the official StarCraft storyline.
"Moebius Corps is gonna regret this day. I couldn't have done it without you, commanders."

- Stone, after the destruction of the battle station(src)

During the End War, Stone was assigned to investigate a Moebius Corps installation located near several colony worlds. What he found was a massive battle station secured by mysterious technology. With further scouting, he realized that the xel'naga artifacts hidden within the station could cause its systems to malfunction, resulting in spectacular explosions. He called in allied commanders to help transport all of the artifacts in artifact trucks, in the knowledge that if he failed, the station would fire on the colony worlds, ensuring their total destruction.[4]

During the conflict, Stone noticed Moebius Corps was beginning to transmit their weapons data, and requested the commanders use the artifact trucks to destroy their outposts.

The operation was successful in destroying the platform before it could fire on Dominion colonies.[5]

Secret Operations

Stone SC2 Head1

Stone

Stone graduated from the Ghost Academy in 2508, and successfully participated in Operation: Sudden Holiday, and Operation: Night Train in the same year. After the failure of Operation: Livewire, he was recalled to the Academy for additional training. Afterwards, he successfully participated in operations Flash Flood, Storm Chaser, Silent Runner, and Thunder Struck.[1] Many of his missions involved operations against fellow terrans.

During his time in the Program, he became close with fellow agent Nova Terra. The two of them often sparred together in training sessions.[2]

Covert Ops

"Nova? I think they wiped your memories. We're being held prisoner in a shielded facility. We'll have to escape to contact the Dominion."
"Weren't we on a mission? What happened?"
"Whole lot of bad luck. But we'll figure it out."

- Stone and Nova within the Defenders facility(src)

Years after the End War, his profile stated that he was sent to spy on a Defenders of Man installation.[1] In reality, Stone had been transferred with Nova Terra to help the Defenders of Man by orders of the Terran Dominion. The two participated in an operation on Antiga Prime, where they were to place anti-zerg devices on the surface. However, Stone and Nova discovered these devices were actually psi-emitters. Stone noted that the mission files had not been scrubbed, and they could use them to show the Dominion what the Defenders of Man were really doing. However, Stone and Nova were captured, and Nova was mind wiped.[6]

NovaStone SC2-NCO Game1

Nova and Stone part ways

Later, after Nova, broke out of a Defenders of Man facility in Sharpsburg, Stone was the first of her squad to contact her, and told Nova that her memories had to have been wiped. He helped her retrieve her C-20A rifle and pulse grenades, and guided her rescue the rest of her team and escape the facility. The squad split up on vulture bikes, with Nova and Stone escaping on the Sharpsburg freeway while being pursued by the Defenders of Man. The two fought off their outriders and a Warhawk on their way to the starport. At this point Stone's vulture can be destroyed, but he survives and tells Nova he'll look for another way out. If Stone does make it to the starport he insists that he take the next ship, but Nova demanded answers. Stone insisted she leave before she was captured, and Nova escaped the planet, losing contact with Stone and the rest of her squad.[7]

Stone, Delta Emblock and Theodore Pierce did not report back to the Dominion after Nova's escape.[6]

NovaStone SC2-NCO Game2

A less than pleasant reunion

Stone was later captured by the Defenders and had his memories modified in order to ensure loyalty to the Defenders of Man. He was given the memories that Nova had betrayed them, and that they were loyal to Davis. Nova encountered Stone when she infiltrated Carolina Davis's compound, and he stood guard before her room. The two fought, but Nova was reluctant to kill her former squadmate. Nova incapacitated Stone, and ordered Reigel to send an extraction team for him.[8]

Waking Dreams

"Being a ghost is all I’ve ever known. I need to be me for a while. Although... I guess I need to know who me really is. Get to know...myself."

- Stone(src)

Stone was recovered and brought aboard the Griffin, but still maintained his false memories from his days in the Defenders of Man. He awoke on the ship's sickbay, and remembered the story of the The Prince and the Pebble but not who had told it to him. He met with Reigel, who informed him of his situation and the resulting fallout of the Defenders of Man Insurgency, including the death of General Davis. Stone, still loyal to Davis in his memories, refused to believe it. Stone asked if his false memories could be wiped, and when Reigel refused, he became suspicious, believing that his memories were not actually compromised.

Stone feigned tiredness so Reigel would leave, then escaped his restraints before collapsing on the floor. He thought back to Nova and his being tricked to release the zerg on Antiga Prime, but dismissed it as a false memory. He found reports on the death of General Davis and the final phase of the Insurgency, but thought there was more being hidden. Stone wandered into the next room where Pierce was standing guard, pretending to be on his side. The two discussed recent reforms that allowed ghosts to leave the program, and that Nova and the crew of the Griffin had broke from the Dominion, and that memory wipes were made optional. Refusing to believe it as it was too good to be true, Stone fought Pierce, overpowering him but not killing him, sealing him in the room as he escaped.

As he moved to engineering, he came across an engineer named Oslo, and interrogated him for information on Davis and Nova, but found him mirroring what Reigel and Peirce had said. Stone knocked him unconscious, but detected Delta, who alerted Reigel where he was. Stone was then given a warning the deck he was on being decompressed. Stone took Oslo's unconscious body and moved through the decks, but found he was being cornered in as more decks announced decompression. Stone made it to an armory, where he equipped a skinsuit and put on a spacesuit for Oslo. But when the countdown reached zero, no decompression occurred.

Outside the armory, Stone met Delta, who told him about the memory wipes she opted to have, before Nova and Pierce arrived. Nova told him that she was trying to help him navigate his false memories, but that now they could choose whether they wanted their memories or not, and that he was allowed to suit up to make it a fair fight should he choose to fight Nova. Nova told him the truth once again of what happened with Davis and the Defenders, and Stone was forced to accept it as the truth. Stone then decided he would accept his fate, and have his neural inhibitor removed.

After his operation, Stone could use psionics more clearly, and Reigel informed him that his memories would come back in time. He decided he needed time to sort through his memories and find who he was, and for the time being he asked Nova to drop him off so he could do what a ghost does best: disappear.[2]

Game Unit

Stone's announcer is unlockable for players who complete the 10th Anniversary achievements across all campaigns.

Nova Covert Ops

Stone appears as a unit in "The Escape", but only serves to help Nova during the vulture escape section. His vulture can be destroyed, but he survives the encounter.

Stone then serves as a boss in the level "In the Enemy's Shadow." He will teleport around the room, using snipe on Nova if she is revealed, and EMP on her to reveal her if she is cloaked. The snipe can be blocked by running behind the statues in the room. Stone starts with a defensive matrix on him, capping all damage done to him at 10 until the shield is dropped. As such, it is best to not use abilities on him while the shield is activated.

When he begins to take damage, Stone summons sensor drones around the perimeter of the room, which will explode and reveal Nova as well as do moderate damage. Stone will occasionally cloak, but he can be seen through the ghost visor. A quick way to down Stone is with the monomolecular blade alongside stim infusion, as it can do high damage at a fast rate, heal Nova through his attacks, and will down him quickly when his shields are down. Once Stone has been brought to around 20% health, he will be downed and the fight will be over.[8]

Personality and Traits

"We are who we choose to be..."

- Stone(src)

Stone has a brash personality,[9] but he is good at hiding both his emotions and thoughts. While in the Ghost Program, Stone was willing to get a little creative in regards to carrying out his objectives if it would save innocent lives, but he never outright disobeyed them. Despite its dubious ethics, Stone believed that the Ghost Program had given him a home and purpose. As terran psychics were discriminated against, he believed that if the Program hadn't taken him in, he'd have been forced to live his life in hiding.[2]

Stone was close with Nova during their time in the Ghost Program, and regarded her as being the closest thing a person like him could have to a friend. Because of countless memory wipes, Stone's memories are fragmented.[2]

Stone has a psi index of 7, and possesses aptitude in telepathy and thought shielding. He is skilled in tactical analysis and strategic thinking, and has demonstrated impressive ability in adapting to changing battlefield conditions. He once demonstrated tendencies to alter mission parameters in order to minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties, but these tendencies were minimized through "careful intervention." It was noted, however, that because of Stone's thought-shielding abilities, that his handlers might not have been completely successful in removing his previous behavioral patterns.[1] He possessed an very old style neural inhibitor before its removal. Afterwards, Stone's psychic awareness increased significantly.[2]

Notes

  • It's possible for Stone's vulture to get knocked out during the trip to Sharpsburg spaceport. If so, he would be unable to tell Nova to leave while he catches the next ship.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ghost Profile: Stone. Ghost Profile: Stone, accessed on 2016-03-24
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 E.C. Myers. "Waking Dreams." (August 4, 2020). Blizzard Entertainment. Waking Dreams Accessed 2020-08-04.
  3. Ghost Profile: Pierce. Ghost Profile: Pierce, accessed on 2016-03-24
  4. Patch 4.4.0: Cradle of Death Battle.net, Accessed 6-18-2018
  5. Blizzard Entertainment. Co-op Missions. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Cradle of Death (in English). 2018.
  6. 6.0 6.1 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Nova Covert Ops, Flashpoint (in English). 2016-08-02.
  7. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Nova Covert Ops, The Escape (in English). 2016-03-29.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Nova Covert Ops, In the Enemy's Shadow (in English). 2016-11-22.
  9. Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). November 10, 2015
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