An Introduction to Ghosts

In 2186, a crew of thirteen was sent by the World Space Alliance to survey the surface of the distant planet Orinoco. The survey itself was uneventful but, on the return journey the ship passed through a diffuse nebula cloud. The composition of the cloud contained elements unknown to Earth and the crew was not able to obtain a sample for further study. When they returned home, the crew passed the regulation health inspection and was not put into quarantine. However, scientists discovered a startling commonality in all of the offspring that came from the crew post-mission: they had extra-sensory perception abilities. The children were studied and it was concluded that the condition was genetic and not contagious.

The military made a mad grab for these children the moment they came of age, knowing their abilities were very valuable. They were dubbed ‘Ghosts’, named after the description of the nebula given by crewman Elsie Patile. Each of these children passed on their abilities to their own children. Even if the other parent was not a Ghost, the offpring would still have the same abilities as the parent.

The abilities varied in strength and type; some possessed telekinesis, while others showed an aptitude for astral projection. Psychometry, empathic ability, telepathy and clairvoyance were also among the recorded abilities in the Ghosts working for the military.

The fourth generation of Ghosts brought a resistance to the idea of working for the military, and several families refused to cooperate, establishing themselves outside the jurisdiction of the armed forces. They began to develop their own culture, one rooted fundamentally in the Zen ideals of harmony and peace.

By the sixth generation, the Ghosts had a fixed and well-established counter-culture. Their philosophical and religious ideals stated that there could be either peace without or peace within, but never both. Using their abilities for the good of mankind meant that they must shoulder the burden of being alone, and never integrate themselves with non-Ghost cultures. To do so invited disaster. The called their communes ‘oubliettes’ and rarely traveled from them unless necessary.

While these isolationist Ghosts built up their culture, the Ghosts in the military served to assist in missions and explorations. They were invaluable in many situations, though most people were unnerved and uncertain of them – their abilities tended to make them behave distant and aloof.

By the eighth generation, both factions of Ghosts numbered in the hundreds.

Cyberpathy - The ability to gain psychic impressions about a piece of technology. Typically the reading translates into an emotion, a metaphorical image, or sensory input (scent, temperature, sound, etc.) A general positive, negative or neutral impression is always present.

Psychometry - The ability to touch an object and gain an impression about its origin and/or history. Generally, the Ghost can tell who last touched it, who made it, or the emotional state of the owner. Occasionally it will draw the Ghost into a scene from the object's past. The stronger the emotions and/or personality of the person connected with the object, the clearer and more intense the impression will be.