Ghost Ark

More so even than other Necron vehicles, Ghost Arks bear a resemblance to their architects both in skeletal appearance and in their slow, inevitable progress. Looking somewhat like a fleshless rib cage pointing skyward, a Ghost Ark lacks the overwhelming firepower sported by many Necron vehicles; however, the rows of linked Gauss Flayers along each flank are more than capable of defending against most attackers. As with many Necron vehicles, a Ghost Ark’s delicate appearance belies its robust manufacture, constructed as it is of living metal and protected by layers of Quantum Shielding. Ominously trawling the battlefield in the wake of a Necron advance, Ghost Arks provide yet further insurance that the legions continue their fight until the foe is utterly overwhelmed.

Role
There have been Ghost Arks since the very earliest days of the Necrontyr. They, they were simple wooden carriages pulled by toiling beasts of burden, commissioned by the families of the dead to convey corpses from their homes to their place of internment. Thousands of years later, at the time of bio-transference, the now-motorised Ghost Arks took on darker connotations. Guided by grim-faced soldiers, they prowled the streets of the Necrontyr’s great cities. No longer were their businesses with the dead, but with the living; for they were the means by which unwilling citizens were dragged to the great transformative machines.

Though the leaders of the Necrontyr had pledged they allegiance to the C’tan, few of the common people wished for the change that was upon them. So did the Ghost Arks often convey the broken bodies of those beaten near unto death by the government’s enforcers, for only a spark of life and memory was required for bio-transference. As resistance grew, Ghost Arks were no longer crewed by soldiers of flesh and blood, but the first wave of converted Necrons; and with that, all pretence of mercy and compassion ended. With each load of living cargo claimed, their reputation grew ever dark and their aspect more bleak. By the time bio-transference was almost complete, the mere sight of a Ghost Ark was enough to provoke terror in those observers who could any longer feel such things. Those still living who saw the Ghost Arks about their work swore that the tortured souls of their victims flew thick about the wagons, haunting the air with their mournful voices.

Much has changed for the Necrons in the countless millennia since, and the role of the Ghost Ark has changed with it. No longer the gaolers of the living, they are now the redeemers of the fallen, tasked with trawling battlefields for remnants of Necrons no longer able to reconstruct themselves. While these sinister vehicles can serve as ordinary troop carriers, the true potential of the Ghost Arks only becomes apparent once the battle is in full tilt. As it glides ponderously across the battlefield, a Ghost Ark stops for each downed Necron, a veritable tide of minuscule repair Scarabs swarming over the dismembered soldier and carrying its components aboard the Ghost Ark. As the Ghost Ark continues its mission of dark mercy, so the scarabs continue their work with near-silent efficiency, rebuilding all but the most thoroughly demolished Necrons in short order, returning them back to full function. . Once its contingent of passengers is full and safely locked in stasis, the Ghost Ark will either return its salvaged cargo to their Tomb World, or travel to wherever reinforcements are most needed to disgorge its payload, much to the dismay of the Necrons’ foes.

Ghost Arks are often pressed into service as conventional transport vehicles, conveying reinforcements to some vital area of the battlefield, or allowing Necron forces to attack from an unexpected quarter. The enemy’s predicament is made all the worse by the fact that Necrons deployed in this fashion are, to all intents and purposes, accompanied by their own mobile repair station. Only be destroying the Ghost Ark can the foe have any hope of victory.

While Ghost Arks seldom pose a direct threat, they often prove to be one of the greatest weapons in the Necron arsenal. Even when a foe begins to thin the ranks of the Necrons, a Ghost Ark has the potential to undo all of their hard-won progress. For this reason, enemies who have previously encountered these high-tech hearses tend to make them a priority target, even focusing fire on them before turning weapons on the advancing Necron infantry.

Armament
All Ghost Arks are armed and equipped with the following:
 * Two Gauss Flayer Arrays –Ghost Arks are each armed with two separate arrays of five Gauss Flayers – one located along each flank – enabling it to ‘broadside’ enemy units on its side. These two arrays enable the Ghost Ark to repel any enemy assaulters who manage to flank it, as well as those approaching from the rear due to the Ark’s swift turning speeds.
 * Necrodermis - The armour of Ghost Arks is made up of the same living metal Necrodermis that makes up all Necron bodies and vehicles. Its remarkable regenerative properties allow it to automatically repair damage to itself; whether this is the regeneration of parts of its hull, the reknitting of metal plates, and the reconnection of circuits and other delicate systems to bring its weapon online again.
 * Quantum Shielding – Ghost Arks are also protected by a layer of Quantum Shielding which exists out of phase from the rest of the vehicle until the moment of deflection. It can deflect the first shot that would otherwise penetrate the Ark’s armour, after which it cannot be used again for some time.