Ghosts (faction)

"We're Ghosts Merrick. We finish the mission."

- Rorke to Merrick in Legends Never Die.

"Time to work, Ghosts squad."

- Merrick announcing in Multiplayer.

The Ghosts, officially known as Task Force: STALKER, are a friendly faction that appear in Call of Duty: Ghosts. They are composed of remnants of the U.S. Special Operations Forces. They are also playable in multiplayer, where they fight against the Federation.

Origins
"It was a different time, a different enemy. Sixty men from Tier One teams were sent to face down a force of five hundred enemy fighters. Their objective: To force the enemy back from a civilian hospital, and keep its occupants alive. For three days, they held their ground, but the enemy's numbers were too great. The sixty were cut down to fifteen. They wouldn't last another night, and the enemy knew it. Under the cover of darkness, they evacuated the hospital, sending only one of their own to lead the way. The rest returned to the line, and took up position beneath the bodies of their fallen brothers. As they lay in wait, the blood from the dead poured over them. The sand stuck to their skin like a shroud... Changing them; anointing them. When the enemy drew near, the remaining fourteen rose out of the desert sand. They were like hunters that couldn't be seen, using stealth their enemies couldn't defend against. When the man ran dry of ammunition, they used their blades, and when the blades ran dull, they used their hands. When the dust and sand had settled, only one of the enemy had survived. He was picked up in the desert, wandering aimlessly, traumatized. He expressed warnings to others of a force so menacing and unbeatable, it could only be described as supernatural. He called them... "Ghosts"."

- Elias Walker regarding the origins of the Ghosts to a young Logan and David in Ghost Stories.

The Ghosts were formed at some point prior to the War Against the Federation. The group has its roots in Operation: Sand Viper, a legendary battle fought near the Iranian border presumably during the Tel Aviv War in which, 60 American soldiers from various Tier 1 Special Forces teams were deployed to fight off an enemy force of 500 soldiers from overrunning a civilian hospital. Even though they were heavily outnumbered, the American soldiers decided to stay and defend the hospital with their lives, aware that the enemy would massacre its occupants.

Over the course of three days, the American's numbers were reduced to 15 soldiers. Knowing that they could not last another round of fighting, the hospital was evacuated overnight and the evacuees led to safety by one of the American special forces operators. The remaining 14 American soldiers hid amongst the bodies of their fallen comrades across the battlefield and waited for the enemy's attack. Blood from the bodies dripped over them and sand adhered to their faces, providing impromptu camouflage. When the enemy soldiers finally advanced, the Americans rose from the bodies and ambushed them. The battle was long and fierce; the Americans fired their guns until they ran out of bullets, then used their combat knives until the blades were dulled, then at last resorted to fighting with their bare hands.

In the end, the Americans slew all of the enemy except for one man, who was later found traumatized and wandering in the desert. He reported that his unit was wiped out by "a force so menacing and unbeatable, it can only be described as supernatural", and called them "Ghosts."

The legendary American soldiers who fought in that battle became the first Ghosts when the group was formally established; among them were Elias T. Walker, Thomas Merrick and Gabriel Rorke.

Operations
The U.S. called upon the Ghosts for the most dangerous and vital unconventional military operations. In 2016, a squad of Ghosts was tasked with assassinating Diego Almagro, the leader of the burgeoning Federation, in Operation: Return to Sender.

During the War Against the Federation from 2013 to 2026-Onwards, the Ghosts were extensively used to infiltrate Federation front lines for special reconaissance, unconventional warfare, and sabotage of enemy installations.

In 2026, the Ghosts learned that Gabriel Rorke, presumed dead during Operation: Return to Sender, had survived and was actively hunting Ghosts for the Federation in the midst of the war.

Members

 * Elias "Scarecrow" Walker  (Founder/Commanding Officer) (K.I.A.)
 * Gabriel Rorke (Former Field Commander)
 * Thomas A. Merrick (Commanding Officer)
 * Alex "Ajax" Johnson (K.I.A.)
 * Keegan P. Russ (Sniper)
 * Kick
 * Neptune
 * David "Hesh" Walker (Hacker) (W.I.A.)
 * Riley
 * Logan Walker (M.I.A)
 * Chris "Torch" Greene (K.I.A.)
 * Riddian "Grim" Poe (K.I.A.)

Weapons

 * Honey Badger
 * SA-805
 * IA-2
 * FAD
 * Vector CRB
 * Remington R5
 * P226
 * LSAT
 * L115
 * Lynx
 * MK32
 * K7
 * APS
 * SC-2010
 * M9A1
 * MK14 EBR
 * ARX-160

Death
The Ghosts care deeply for their fallen. In the event a Ghost is killed, his remains are pointed face down, with his head pointing at the direction of his home and his weapon next to him, so when they are taken to the other side they can watch over their comrades and keep an eye on their enemies.

Their mask was also recovered along with their remains and given to family members, as was the case when Merrick gave Elias' mask to a mourning Logan.

Trivia

 * Their signature weapon is the Honey Badger.
 * It's told that Ghosts was suposed to be named TASK FORCE: STALKER but were known as Ghosts.
 * They are the second faction in the Call of Duty series to be made up of remnants of a previous faction, the first one being Task Force 141 Disavowed.
 * They are easily recognised by their skull-pattern masks they wear. There are five skull patterns :