Per 
Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Keter
WARNING! THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PERSONNEL WITH LEVEL 4 SECURITY CLEARANCE AND UP. VIOLATORS OF THIS SECURITY MEASURE ARE TO BE INSTANTLY TERMINATED VIA A MEMETIC KILL AGENT.
SCP-XXXX in its current location, viewed in the infrared spectrum by the Spitzer Space Telescope
Special Containment Procedures: Establishing any sort of physical containment unit near SCP-XXXX is impossible. It is too ma As of the incidents of Addendum I, the Foundation is to restrict all forms of communication with and observation of SCP-XXXX. Research is to be completely dissolved, effective immediately, and all gathered information regarding SCP-XXXX is to be restricted to only the highest-ranking members of the Foundation for the sole purpose of containment procedure operations.
All radio frequencies reaching within range of the object’s L1 through L4 Lagrange Points are forbidden, and sources are to have their transmitters jammed and permanently disabled. Investigation by localized agents is to follow this, as well as the termination of the perpetrators. Former researchers of SCP-XXXX, as well as their associates, are to be given Class-E amnestics and placed under quarantine until further notice.
Similarly, no telescopes or antennae of any variety are to be pointed in the direction of SCP-XXXX. Any sort of signals that may be received from this region are to be ignored and deleted immediately. Under NO circumstances are they to be heard by any human or other sentient being of any kind. Violators are to be terminated immediately via memetic kill agents, or whatever other means are necessary.
Description: SCP-XXXX is a massive celestial body, with an estimated mass somewhere between 16 and 17 times greater than the planet Jupiter and a radius of around 77000 Kilometers. Most of its “surface” is astoundingly dark, with little to no reflection at all; its albedo ranges between .02 and .007. Its estimated temperature is around -257° Celsius. However, there are certain observed crevices where light in the infrared spectrum is observed in extremely high wavelengths. It is speculated that SCP-XXXX has a dark “shell” surrounding an active core, which is most likely a low-mass brown dwarf star.
SCP-XXXX is believed to have properties that allow it to access information from those who directly observe it or are exposed to it via other methods. Known information gathered from observers has included their surroundings, memories, current location, and even their cognitive abilities. Exposure can include visual contact of SCP-XXXX itself and its image transmissions, as well as audible transmissions via radio frequencies. Personnel with Level 4 clearance or higher are permitted to look at images of SCP-XXXX, but are to report any anomalous headaches immediately.
SCP-XXXX was first discovered in France on August ██, 1974 by an amateur astronomer at █████████ University’s radio telescope array, where a sudden peak in radio frequency was observed. It was completely incomprehensible of any possible meaning, but appeared to be more than a random amalgamation of radio frequencies. Some researchers thought it could possibly be a signal from an extraterrestrial civilization of some sort.
After three separate instances of signals with similar frequencies over the next few months, ESRO Astronomer Dr. ████ █████████ was able to map out a possible area of origin for the signals. The area itself was designated “The Tabor Void” because of its unprecedented emptiness of any stars or celestial objects of any kind. Its dimensions are around ██ x █ x █ light-years across. The surrounding regions of space were not anomalous in any other way. A decision was made by the French Government to return a signal to this general area of space.
Photograph taken of the Tabor Void from a ground-based telescope
This experiment, for many years considered a false positive, was re-examined on April 2nd, 1984 when a signal identical to the original signal in France was picked up by a radio telescope at one of the Foundation’s observation sites. Regional Foundation Scientist Dr. Johann Cassius was given authority over research, where the signal was given the designation of SCP-XXXX.
Dr. Cassius was given the jurisdiction of using the foundation’s ground-based Infrared Telescope Array at Site ██ to locate the source of the signals. A few days later, SCP-XXXX was visually observed for the first time.
At the time of discovery, the object’s distance was estimated at around [DATA EXPUNGED], which was far closer than any astronomer would have predicted. It is thought that SCP-XXXX may not have always been in this location, as the void had been previously observed on numerous occasions with no prior discoveries of any kind. It is equally possible that SCP-XXXX’s unique properties allowed it to avoid any sort of previous detection.
After SCP-XXXX’s location had been verified, Dr. Cassius was given permission to send another signal; this time, to attempt intelligent communication. On August 17th, 1985, the Alpha Broadcast (see Addendum A) was authorized by the foundation to be transmitted to the possible coordinates. In the meantime, plans were made for the construction of an orbital Infrared Telescope for better observation.
On October 13, 1985, it suddenly disappeared from its location. In order to potentially rediscover SCP-XXXX, design and construction for the telescope commenced for several decades. Its location remained unknown until 2003 (see Addendum H).
Addendum A: The Alpha Broadcast was an experimental transmission sent from site ██ that was conducted by the late Dr. Johann Cassius. The signal contained the following information:
- An audio recording of a volcano erupting, followed by a rainstorm, and the sound of birds chirping
- An SSTV signal illustrating the biblical story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden
- The entire soundtrack to Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”
- Another SSTV, showing stylized depictions of a US Apollo Saturn V rocket, a Soviet Vostok-K R7 rocket, Chuck Yeager's X-1 aircraft, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of Saint Louis aircraft, and Ferdinand Magellan’s Trinidad Flagship.
- A final image of SCP-XXXX in its then current location of the Tabor Void.
Addendum D: On February 22, 1994, Ames Research Center of NASA confirmed that the Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 probes were off-course by nearly 400 kilometers. After reviewing several decades worth of control commands, the engineers could find no commands on either probe that could mathematically explain their deviance in trajectory. A shared anomaly between the two vessels was observed wherein a sudden deceleration began at a distance of around 20 Astronomical Units from the sun. A hypothesis arose that there could be some sort of gravitational anomaly that “dragged” on both crafts, but nothing in the solar system was known to have such a gravity well. Telemetry with Pioneer 11 was lost on April 27, 1995.
With ground-based telescopes being very limited in scope and focus, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility became a much higher-priority mission to not only locate SCP-XXXX, but also any possible source for the Pioneer Anomaly. Setbacks in design and cost prevented its usage while the Pioneer probes were active. Pioneer 10’s final transmission was received on April 27, 2003.
Addendum H: The now-renamed Spitzer Space Telescope finally launched on August 25, 2003 and entered service nearly 4 months later. One of its first tasks was to document the anomalous gravity well in the solar system. Many researchers were shocked to find an entity matching nearly all predictions and measurements of SCP-XXXX. The body was discovered in a high-solar orbit of around 75 Astronomical Units, where it has presumably remained.
Addendum I: Contained in this addendum is an official transcript of Dr. Cassius’s personal audio log, which details his research of SCP-XXXX prior to his death on January 20, 2003. The original cassette was incinerated to prevent accidental “contamination” from certain segments of audio.
“Humanity has always wondered if we are truly alone. Over the years, the Foundation has made this question less and less difficult to answer. However, there’s just something about those… things that seems so… cold. What I want to know is if there’s something out there that can actually have intelligent discussion without all those dangerous ulterior motives attached. We may have just found it. In light of today’s readings, I have begun my research into the mysterious radio anomalies heard in France. As we know, there were some bizarre sounds picked up there a while back that the French Government was so eager to respond to. Well, we may have just gotten a delayed response. To think it’s taken only ten years for them to get back to us! Whatever’s been sending them, it’s practically in our backyard! It might even be close enough to pick up with some on-site telescopes. I’ll formally begin my search tomorrow. Here’s to scientific discovery!"
-Dr. Johann Cassius, age 43. April 5th, 1984
“I think we’ve found something. It looks like the signals have been coming from a small celestial body near the constellation of [Data Expunged]. There’s something odd about this finding, though: the location is all wrong. The body in-question is literally the only celestial object visible for several light years across. Otherwise, it’s a complete void. By all accounts, there should be something there; there just isn't. Here’s another oddity: SCP-XXXX is remarkably tiny; maybe not much larger in radius than Jupiter. It’s far too small to be a proper star, let alone have the ability to 'clear its orbit' nicely enough to create a full-fledged void. To top it all off, it seems like it’s mostly obscured by something. There are only a few streaks of infrared light that our technology can detect; otherwise, it’s nearly jet black. It has to be coming from its surface (assuming it even has one). We’ll perform some more observations in the next few months. It feels like my brain is just swelling up already!"
-Dr. Johann Cassius, age 43. April 10th, 1984
“We’ve been able to discover some more information. Firstly, it’s entirely possible that there is some sort of thin shell surrounding a 'bright' core. To what extent this is naturally occurring is still up for debate. Most of the dark surface reaches temperatures as low as -250° Celsius. Estimates from the infrared streaks, however, have a possible temperature of up to 40° Celsius. These rough values point towards the likelihood that SCP-XXXX’s core could be a theoretical type of low-mass star known as a brown dwarf. I’m considering sending another signal to this star. Not like that skimpy beep in the 70’s; something real, and meaningful. I want this signal to be a voice of humanity. I will discuss this with some of the higher-ups."
-Dr. Johann Cassius, age 43. July 30th, 1984
“I’ve assembled a ‘rough draft’ of what I’m planning to transmit. I want to illustrate the innovation of the human spirit and exploration, so I’m sending some stylized 'hieroglyphics' via SSTV. I’m also sending a few audio files of 'Earth’s sounds'. I’ve got a track that’s supposed to symbolize the creation of the earth, and I might even slip in some music to model the solar system. Holst’s suite of 'The Planets' is a classic. That’s my wife’s favorite. Hopefully she won’t mind me borrowing a few records of it (laughter)."
"Of course, it’s entirely possible that nothing I send will mean anything to whatever this is. Even if that is the case, it’s pretty awe-inspiring to know that a shred of humanity will have echos that persist long after we do. Besides, comprehension wasn’t a problem when Sagan made his little plaques… I just hope that someone hears it…"
-Dr. Johann Cassius, age 43. July 31st, 1984
“It’s gone. SCP-XXXX is gone! Just after I sent my message, not more than a few hours later, it vanished out of the sky completely! No infrared signatures, no radio signals, nothing! I’ve checked with other nearby facilities also, and I’m getting zero readings whatsoever. Where the hell did it go? I guess the Tabor Void really is a void now… Maybe this was just a malfunction with the transceivers or something. I’ll see if I can’t get some Class-D repairmen on it or whatever."
-Dr. Cassius, age 43. August 17th, 1984
“It’s been over a year, and still no sign whatsoever of SCP-XXXX. And guess what? We are still completely stumped! Some researchers proposed that it was an illusion from gravitational lensing. Another said the object was just an anomaly in the earth’s atmosphere that looked like a star. What a bunch of hypocrites. They were all so ambitious when their libido galaxies came into view. (Snickering in background). Oh, come on, grow up!
"But no, it’s all wrong! I know what I saw, and it’s no mere 'fluke'. It can’t be. Not after all I’ve done for this project. I’m going to keep looking. It has to be out there. It has to be."
-Dr. Cassius, age 44. September 9th, 1985
"The Foundation decided to contact me about a new anomaly. Something about the Pioneer probes being off-course, and me being 'the only person qualified for the job'. Bah! They probably just want to see me make a fool of myself again. Well, It’s not nearly as easy to bend me over as it was 10 years ago! …God… has it already been that long? Never thought I’d be saying that anytime soon… Perhaps life’s been slipping away from me. In any case, I don’t have the time for it. I have a family, and I can’t afford another cosmic goose chase. Not again."
-Johann Cassius, age 54. February 22, 1994
"Okay, so I suppose curiosity got the best of me. I looked at the anomaly, I ran some numbers, and I may have found something interesting. I haven’t located a single command in either probe that could explain the drifting. It couldn’t be a fuel leak either; otherwise, there would be more roll on the crafts. The only thing that makes sense to me is if there’s some sort of outside force pulling them off course. Here’s the problem with that theory: there’s nothing in the solar system that we know of that could exert such a pull. The object would have to either be relatively small, but close; or, it would have to be quite large, but out of observable distance."
"The former is unlikely given our current maps of the Solar System, but the latter is basically impossible to test. I’m a bit reserved from bringing another 'big discovery' to the scientific community again, but I really do think that something’s off. I think these documents will remain in my ownership for the time being; the last thing I need right now is to go off on some sort of 'alien-hunting excursion' or have some suits chasing my ass about it."
-Johann Cassius, age 54. February 28, 1994
“I’ve been hearing more talk about some sort of advanced orbital telescope. NASA’s been developing one to seek out distant stars, nebulae, and whatever else they’re thinking is out there. Sometimes I take a listen to see if they’re going to look for that one brown dwarf… I know it’s unlikely, but hope is all I run on now. My wife, Lydia, passed away this week. It already feels like a lifetime apart… I’m not exactly the spiritual type, but sometimes I just want to point a telescope at the stars and see if she’s up there. Maybe if I spent less time sticking my nose in numbers, I could have spent more time with her… I think I’m just going to shove this tape away and forget about it for a while…"
-Johann Cassius, age 55. July 27, 1995
“Hello. It’s been a long time. I’ve certainly acquired some more gray hairs since I last talked. I’m afraid my mind hasn’t been what it once was as of lately. My kids found this lovely facility for me. Nowadays, I like to spend time watching the stars from the loft of my room. My personal assistant, Trudy, found this tape today when she was cleaning out my drawer. She’s assured me that she hasn’t listened through it. She said that she respected my “personal privacy”. Hah, what a naive girl. Wonderful, but naive nonetheless. When she gave it to me, I just had to go through it one last time. And you know what? I don’t care anymore. Sure, the prodding and ridicule was… frustrating at the time, but I’ve since moved on. There’s nothing I can do about it now, anyway. "
"I will say this, though; sometimes, I get that nagging feeling of whether or not I really did find anything all those years ago, and whether my signal will ever be heard. The universe is so vast and mysterious, that I doubt we can ever be sure if we really are alone. I suppose the Foundation has enough evidence that there’s something out there; maybe the time will soon come that we’ll discover what that something truly is. For better or worse, I can’t say."
-Johann Cassius, age 65. January 3, 2003
Note: Around this time, Dr. Cassius was admitted into St. Albert’s Assisted Living Facility in ██████████, California after developing chronic migraines. Throughout the entire duration of his stay here, he was under the secretive surveillance of the Foundation via undercover staff members serving as nurses, housekeepers, assistants, and counselors.
“Today, I’ve been contacted via mail by the Foundation. Perhaps a few years ago I’d be angry by them calling me back in yet again, but this time was different. They told me that they had 'somehow' discovered some of my findings about the Pioneer anomaly; the Foundation was actually in serious consideration of using my results to search for a source. Pioneer 10, up until last week, had remained in contact with Ames Research Center. Its telemetry data was compared to my findings, and after extensive calculations and research, they’ve concluded that my predictions are indeed accurate! I am in utter shock that they’re actually taking me seriously again! Maybe it would be worth my while joining them again."
"At this point, my life has become somewhat monotonous. Maybe this proposition would give me some sort of new drive to continue forward. On the other hand, though, I’m not entirely sure if they would 'welcome me with open arms' so to speak. Then again, maybe that won’t matter anymore if we do end up with something. It sure as Hell beats rotting in my bed all day. I think I’ll respond to them in the morning."
-Johann Cassius, age 63. May 1, 2003.
“The Foundation gave me a briefing of what they want me to do. I’m supposed to oversee some astronomical surveys by the Spitzer telescope. They want to observe a location in space that could potentially house the gravitational anomaly. This area is basically impossible to observe from the ground; it’s too small and distant to be picked up by ground-based telescopes. It may be wishful thinking, but maybe I could 'accidentally' point the array at the Void. Just one more time… Regardless, I think this is going to get quite interesting. I’m just happy to once again be part of something greater."
-Johann Cassius, age 63. May 2, 2003.
“A phenomenal launch of the Delta II took place at the Cape today. That little telescope is on its way. I’ll begin my next assignment within the next few months once everything is prepared. Even beyond our mission objectives with the Foundation, I have a great feeling that we’ll capture some amazing stuff out there. This is another leap into the great beyond!"
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. August 25, 2003.
“Spitzer is ready to set up shop! Internal guidance systems are all booted up, the lens has been actively cooled, and the image processing instruments are ready to go. The executives at NASA want to take a few snapshots of some distant galaxies for the press, but they’ll give us jurisdiction over it within the next few days or so. Just in time for Christmas, I suppose. Let’s hope that we can finally put an end to this Pioneer mystery once and for all."
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. December 18, 2003.
"I am at a near loss for words right now. We finally gained control of the telescope today, so we carefully pointed it at the anomalous region. Lo and behold, I saw something I was no longer sure even existed: that star… SCP-XXXX… in view for all to see! After all of these years, it was hiding in plain sight. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw it. I knew that I saw it all those years ago! I just knew it! But exclamations aside, this brings me to yet another troubling question: what is it doing here? After all these years, how did it get all the way to the Solar System. We still have to make more accurate observations, but even so, it’s just not possible that it could have drifted here so quickly; it violates the Theory of Relativity and perhaps every known and unknown law of physics. And at that, why here of all places? The Foundation’s going to have a long night with this one…"
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. December 25, 2003.
“Okay, so we have some more information regarding SCP-XXXX. First and foremost, it is currently in orbit around the sun at an estimated 75 AU, nearly twice that of Pluto’s average distance from the sun. Secondly, it’s probably been there since at least 1994. We don’t know how or why, but that’s what we’ll have to work off of. Thirdly and lastly, the orbits of the other planets have basically been untouched. Yeah, oddly enough, despite it throwing 2 interstellar probes nearly 400 Kilometers off-course and having a gravity well bigger than Jupiter, nothing else (to our knowledge) has been affected whatsoever. How this is possible is not confirmed in any way, but I think I have an idea."
"I think that SCP-XXXX is some sort of Matrioshka brain. Yeah, it’s far-fetched, but it’s all I can think of right now. Somehow, some sort of extraterrestrial civilization, being, or whatnot, managed to find a brown dwarf and cover it with some sort of shell. It utilizes the star’s heat energy to perform enormous calculations; it might even be capable of moving celestial bodies into specific orbits, possibly including itself. Brown dwarfs don’t emit that much energy at all compared to other stars, but their longevity means they can potentially outlive entire galaxies. This would make it a perfect candidate for performing long-term calculations and actions that would otherwise require more energy-thirsty sources. Obviously, this is a stretch, but it matches up with what little data we have so far. My final question for the night is what exactly its ultimate purpose in our solar system is. I suppose we may get an answer soon enough."
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. December 26, 2003.
“Today, we’ve begun to intercept more signals coming from SCP-XXXX. This was all incredibly exciting, as we haven’t managed to maintain contact with something like this ever before. Today, we received some sort of radio frequency. We know it came from the star, but this one was different from before. It was music. Well, maybe not 'music' as how we see it, but it sounded magnificent. It was like listening to the warbles of outer space itself; so deep and lengthy, yet poetic and impactful. I’ll try to make some CD copies of it for later analysis, but I managed to snag this snippet of it…"
[SECTION EXPUNGED]
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 3, 2004.
“We received another transmission. This one was much longer than the last; it was an SSTV signal. I had one of our receivers process it, and the computer displayed an image of some sort of Nebula. It’s an absolutely stellar view. All of the purple and violet; it’s beautiful. Oddly enough, it doesn’t resemble any of the other ones we’ve discovered. I’ve assigned a few interns to oversee the telescope’s operations in case we find something similar. (Audible groans) I’ve been getting some bad headaches lately. Maybe I need some more rest…"
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 7, 2004.
“Today’s transmission was quite bizarre, but not so much for the content as its presentation. We received bunch of coordinates for various stars. Most of them are nearby, some are pretty far away. Some are in entirely different galaxies altogether. That's not the weird part; what I'm wondering is how SCP-XXXX knew our numbering system. It didn’t send any sort of gobbledygook symbols or any of the sort; Arabic numerals… all presented in Cartesian-style Celestial Coordinates. This is all becoming more and more bizarre. You know, it's ironic: now the existence of a 'curious star' is the most believable part of this whole discovery. My headaches have been getting worse. I’m starting to get some severe migraines. I’m probably going to need some time off if these persist."
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 9, 2004.
“God, I feel like my brain is splitting apart! No matter how many painkillers I take, I feel no improvement whatsoever. I had to take the day off. Hopefully I won’t be out for too long…"
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 10, 2004.
“Something’s wrong. I went back to the lab today, only to find that many of my fellow researchers have been absent since I left; most of the ones who stayed were complaining about debilitating headaches. Why wasn’t I informed of this before? How long has this been going on? God, the communication around here can be so lacking… Well, I suppose I’ll try to see if I can run things around here for the time being."
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 12, 2004.
“Today, we have received a final transmission from SCP-XXXX. It started out with another SSTV transmission: a tree. A simple tree, we thought, until one of my coworkers recognized it as a weeping willow, like the ones in his backyard. Exactly like the ones in his backyard. It was an image of his backyard. We sent out no such signal. Next, we saw what looked like a newborn child in someone’s arms. My assistant immediately recognized it as his son, who had only been born a few days ago. Again, we never transmitted either of these images. Believe me, I checked. Nothing."
"What I saw next, though, made my heart skip a beat. The third image was the picture frame I kept on my nightstand of my beautiful Lydia. Even my closest friends have never seen this photograph. And yet there it was, on display for all to see! What the fuck is going on? Why does it know this personal information? There's no way this is some sort of elaborate hoax now."
"The last image, though, was so haunting that everyone in the room stopped breathing altogether. What we saw was… a little blue marble, floating in the emptiness of space. That little marble, third from the sun, that harbored everything we’ve ever known. It looked so helpless, like anyone could just grab it at any moment. I have absolutely no clue what any of this shit means, but right now I’m too afraid to think…"
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 13, 2004.
“I may have come to a depressing conclusion regarding SCP-XXXX. I know why the Star knows about us so much. It’s all tied to those headaches! An entire room full of healthy, able-bodied men suddenly gets assaulted by migraines and splitting foreheads? And only days before this broadcast? That thing must have somehow probed our minds and drained information from us. That’s what it’s been doing all this time, isn’t it? Learning about our numbers, our environment… and our location. Wait, but that would imply that everyone’s been getting headaches. No, it's only been noticeably happening to researchers. And from that, it would have to make a connection to someone in the first place… "
"Dear God… I did this, didn't I? All along, I thought I was observing it. No, it was observing me! That damn broadcast… When I sent it out, it must have grabbed hold of my brain and suckled off of it for years! I’ve opened Pandora’s Box. My curiosity has been fulfilled at the price of Earth’s safety. If there’s a shred of truth in my theory, then all of humanity could be at risk. If SCP-XXXX knows about us, than who’s to say that the entire universe doesn’t? Now, humanity doesn’t just have an echo; it has a beacon."
-Dr. Cassius, age 63. January 18, 2004.
Addendum K: The following is a letter written and signed by Dr. Cassius, demanding that his fellow researchers be put under amnestics to protect humanity’s knowledge and security. It was found sealed at the foot of his bed at St. Albert’s, along with his cadaver. His cause of death was an overdose on sleeping pills. His passing is heavily suspected to be the result of a successful suicide attempt.
“I cannot go on with the guilt that I may have doomed us all. With or without your permission, I am shutting down further research on SCP-XXXX. I cannot allow it to learn anything else about us, assuming its not too late already. I demand for protocol BE-77, whereby leading Foundation personnel will register amnestics to all researchers and employees who were formerly involved in research of SCP-XXXX, to be enacted effective immediately. We cannot allow any information about SCP-XXXX to leak out to the public, or risk any chances of further data breach to that thing. This is all for the greater good of mankind. I only have one last request for the Foundation: keep my family out of all of this. Please, tell them I died in some failed medical procedure. I don't want them to know what I have done."
"Thank you to everyone for your support over the years. Godspeed to all of you, and may God protect us."
~Johann
