Ghost impurities

In the sci-fi, '8113 ', the term 'ghost impurity' refers to an undocumented or seemingly unviable ore impurity that powers a geotomaton. Since detectors do not pick up the trace of their element on scanners or spectrometers, the ghost geotomaton can travel through the universe unseen. The term is synonymous with the undocumented anonymity of a spy.

The practice of creating ghost impurities is dangerous, painful, and often fatal. While highly illegal, Mars is particularly interested in generating an army of ghosts to infiltrate the UFC, and are known to perform unethical experiments of prisoners in order to find new combinations of mineral impurities and ore. Many creations are not compatible with life, but some successful cases are known.

Unbeknownst to him, Captain AK Rhodes is a ghost and a product of these experiments from the time he was a prisoner during the Seventh War. He does not remember much of his experience, making him unaware of his own ghost status when he re-enters through Martian customs. This also explains Rhodes' accelerated rate of rust, and eventually prompts him to seek the removal of his ore battery altogether.

The Houixen term for 'ghost' is Xin Adjin (not human).