Good morning, Earth. Are you receiving us?
Special Containment Procedures
A partial Lifted Veil Scenario was declared shortly after the occurrence of SCP-8800 – in cooperation with the Global Occult Coalition – primarily focused on addressing and resolving global satellite communication failures. All rocket launches have been delayed until further notice. Efforts to re-establish communications with facilities and installations outside the Earth's atmosphere are ongoing.
Description
SCP-8800 is an anomalous event occurring on 29th September, 2023, in which the Earth's atmosphere spontaneously assumed exotic geometries, resulting in all physical matter becoming unable to cross the Karman Line.1 All attempts to reach higher altitudes cause the travelling object to reappear elsewhere within the atmosphere at an inverted trajectory.
Presently, only sunlight has been observed to be able to penetrate SCP-8800, as the apparent motion of the Sun continues without aberration.2 Conversely, the Moon, planets, and stars have not been observed since the occurrence of SCP-8800, as well as communications from all satellites, space stations, and other offworld facilities.
Addendum I — Subsequent Incidents and Phenomena
The Foundation and other normalcy organizations were notified of SCP-8800's occurrence after a SpaceX satellite launch spontaneously reappeared over the Korean Peninsula, where it was shot down by US surface-to-air missile installations in Incheon. While the United Nations successfully averted the resumption of the Korean War with assistance from the GOC, the trajectory of the launch and the disappearance of all night sky objects prompted the declaration of a partial Lifted Veil scenario.
Subsequent incidents related to SCP-8800 were fortunately less significant. Aside from mundane civilian protests, there were several documented cases of GoIs and PoIs attempting to capitalize off the partial Lifted Veil scenario. The most notable of which was the sale of illegal esoteric drugs to members of the Baltimore Flat Earth Truthers Society, who had to be rescued from an outlaying equilibrium point in the stratosphere after they floated up there to check if the Earth was a flat circle this time.
Multiple non-anomalous phenomena arising from the influence of SCP-8800 was also observed. Geomagnetic anomalies transmitted along the exotic geometries of the atmosphere heavily disrupted the behaviours of animal populations, leading to out-of-season migrations towards ephemeral false-magnetic-poles.
Addendum II — Transmissions Archive
SCP-8800 abruptly ceased on 8th November 2023, during which telecommunications systems worldwide suffered from catastrophic overload. The source of this incident was identified as a massive backlog of information and data transmitted towards Earth being received all at once, despite technological limitations on relevant infrastructure. An unmanned satellite launched shortly after confirmed the dissolution of exotic geometries as it successfully entered Low Earth Orbit. SCP-8800 was henceforth reclassified as Neutralized.
Transmissions of extraplanetary origin received after the onset of SCP-8800 are currently being decrypted, organized, and archived by Foundation AICs. Excerpts from this rapidly expanding archive with inferred relevance3 to SCP-8800 are attached below.
XXI Century
BORISOV: Houston, this is Space Station. Do you hear us?
BORISOV: I, uh, repeat. Do you hear us?
[Audio becomes slightly muffled as BORISOV leans away from the mic.]
BORISOV: Moghbeli, we may be having communications error presently. I can't seem to reach Earth.
MOGHBELI: Hm. Let me run some checks. Comms might be on the fritz again.
BORISOV: No chatter from Moscow also. Very unusual. I will try wide broadcast frequency.
BORISOV: Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
MOGHBELI: Yeah. I'm not seeing any errors on the diagnostics. Let me try the— huh. No server connection. We can't make internet calls either.
BORISOV: I will inform Commander.
Still of video capture from Zvezda module.
MOGENSEN: This is Commander Mogensen of Expedition 70 reporting from the ISS. Is anyone receiving us?
[Several seconds of radio silence.]
MOGENSEN: Anyone?
[A voice crackles through.]
TANG: This is Commander Tang of the Shenzhou 17 mission. We are reporting from Tiangong Space Station. We receive the message of the International Space Station loud and clear.
MOGENSEN: Oh, thank god. We seem to be experiencing severe communications failure with Earth. Have you managed to contact your mission control in the past 2 hours?
TANG: We have not. Our last communication was cut short without warning, and we have been unable to receive updates from Beijing since. Given that we are not observing mushroom clouds presently, we fear worse things may be afoot.
MOGENSEN: Understandable. We are of the same mind here on the ISS. This comm channel will be kept open in case of any further developments. It's good to know there's still someone receiving out there.
TANG: Likewise. We'll keep in touch.
The Tiangong Space Station, as seen from the ISS.
FURUKAWA: Commander? I don't mean to interrupt, but this is important.
MOGENSEN: Go ahead, Furukawa.
FURUKAWA: The video capture from the Zvezda module— Something's wrong.
MOGENSEN: Receiving files… Three images of our flyby over the Pacific. What am I looking for?
FURUKAWA: These weren't taken during the same flyby. This is a collage of the past three flybys.
MOGENSEN: But that would mean—
FURUKAWA: The clouds aren't moving, Commander.
Above-ground photo of Lunar Site-01, located in a lava tube below.
This is Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, reporting from Lunar Site-01.
I have been assigned to prepare updates for Foundation personnel back on Earth, and will be transmitting this message on all SCiPnet channels with the understanding that an anomalous incident, tentatively designated SCP-8800, has compromised the Foundation's earthside communications capabilities.
It has been one week since the approximate occurrence of SCP-8800. Lunar Foundation administration voted in favour of implementing Lifted Veil protocols last night, although this only amounts to informing the crew of the ISS and Tiangong Space Station — a total of 10 people — of the existence of our lunar facilities and current state of affairs. Provisions for both mundane space stations should last for the duration of the mission periods, with additional supplies being organized from Foundation facility stockpiles if emergency resupply is needed.
Investigative efforts regarding the current state of Earth are ongoing. A leading theory is that SCP-8800 is some form of temporal stasis having "frozen" the planet, although there is little we can do at present to test this. Fortunately, SCP-8800 has seemed to only affect Earth below the Karman Line. Our outposts and space stations within Earth's system and around other planets remain unaffected, and have also been briefed on the situation.
This concludes the update.
Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, signing off.
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
This is Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, reporting from Lunar Site-01. It has been a month since the occurrence of SCP-8800, and we've yet to hear back from Earth since.
The Daedalus Protocol has been initiated. The Lunar Sites are currently drafting outlines for expansion and infrastructure development. In some cases, above and beyond the restrictions pertaining to the maintenance of the Veil, although that really isn't important anymore.
The crew members of the two civilian space stations have agreed to cooperate with us for the time being, given that their governments are functionally non-existent now. They're our closest eyes on Earth for the duration of their respective missions, after which they'll be ferried over to one of the Lunar Sites. We're still shortlisting their replacements.
We still have no idea what happened to Earth. A probe was launched towards the planet earlier today. It disappeared upon entering the atmosphere and reappeared on the other side. It's still oscillating back and forth. Lunar Site-05 suspects its a spatio-temporal anomaly, the consensus at -03 is that it's a hole in local reality, and -11 is trying to reconcile the two hypotheses. The rest of us are busy with carrying out the Daedalus Protocol.
I realize that not everyone who will be able to receive this broadcast will have the necessary clearance for Daedalus Protocol documentation, but the idea is that even if Earth is lost, humanity will continue to reach for the heavens.
The original Protocol saw mass evacuations to offworld sites, an exodus into space in escape of a dying world. But there's no one to evacuate. There is only us, little more than a thousand human beings scattered across the Solar System. We're all that's left.
I pray this won't be the case forever.
Tech. Comm. Kaugenbach, signing off.
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
This is Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, reporting from Lunar Site-01. We're approaching the one year anniversary of the occurrence of SCP-8800. Still no progress on bringing you guys back, unfortunately. We have at least 15 probes hovering through the planet, beaming back inconsistent telemetry and a grand total of zero replies from Earth.
Not sure if I should be proud of this, but the Veil has technically fallen. The 10 civilians we retrieved have since joined our ranks, so technically, the Veil has been rendered moot. We've expanded our operations to the space stations, and we're planning to launch more as observation outposts. Looking into the possibility of rotating habitats near Earth, but that's a bit far off for now, seeing as we're barely self-sufficient.
We do have a few Thaumiel-class objects up here making our lives easier, although we're working to diversify our food source since the ectoentropics we have up here don't scale up much. Did you know the Martian sites have already figured out how to grow potatoes in air bubbles on the bare Martian surface? But I digress, our lava tube farms here on the Moon turn out better yields. They say we'll be able to phase out reprocessed cake sludge within the next year or two. Can't wait.
Tech. Comm. Kaugenbach, signing off.
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, again. At this point they ought to just make me an official Earth Liaison or something of the sort. In any case, things are changing up here.
We've finally moved out of the critical initial phases of the Daedalus Protocol. Every major facility on the Moon is now entirely self-sufficient — our food security is rock solid, power has never been an issue, and our material resources are now sourced in-house or from captured asteroids. Life has become much more comfortable for the average Lunarian. Oh, right. We've started calling ourselves that. Honestly, I prefer the term Selenites, but the naming vote was won by the Lunarian camp. Tragic.
In the case of some Sites, we've begun focusing on population growth. Organically, at that. None of that hominid replicator nonsense. Long term parental leave and some really good postnatal care can do wonders. Most of the heavy lifting is done by drones and AICs regardless, so we've all got more free time nowadays. In fact, my wife and I are expecting — we're still butting heads over who gets to name the kid. May the stronger mother win.
But enough about me. In terms of updates on SCP-8800, we're still not seeing anything we can act on. The Earth is there, always has been, but we can't enter its atmosphere or interact with it at all. Like a mirage, shimmering on the horizon but always out of reach. Some of us have begun accepting that Earth may not be returning anytime soon. We actually stopped transmitting official progress reports to earthside some time back, but not me.
I'll be here waiting, no matter what.
Comm. Tech. Kaugenbach, signing off.
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
My name is Konstantin Borisov. Former cosmonaut. Genius farmer. I am transmitting from the first civilian settlement on the Moon. Is good day.
[…]
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
A Merry Martian Christmas from Martian Site-06! […]
XXII — XXV Century
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us? […]
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us? […]
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us? […]
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us? […]
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us? […]
⠀
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
There is something lurking out here. Requesting Nu-7 Squadron to investigate and run intercept. […]
⠀
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
24 squadrons currently assembled for Kuiper Task Force operation. A bit much, but better overpowered than undergunned. Nu-7's sacrifice will not be in vain, this we will ensure.
It can be broken. It can be killed.
[…]
⠀
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
Xanadu settlement compromised. The Cronian Satrapy is lost. We have evacuated everyone we could. Site-51 suffering critical damages. Do not send rescue squadron. Squadrons no longer effective.
[…]
⠀
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
The threat draws nearer yet nearer. I can feel it in the dark corners of my skull. I was there when Neptune fell and it burned itself into me and I know, not fear, that I will not return from the next engagement.
Our weapons are primed. We would fire our arrows from the tallest peak in the Solar System if they would rid us of this evil as they strike true.
But they won't.
May Gaia deliver us from this calamity. […]
⠀
Good morning Earth, are you receiving us?
I am Grand Admiral Mariah Kaugenbach XIII, Commander of the Thirteen Armadas. This day I am charged with the defence of the Solar Commonwealth of Planetary Satrapies by the Foundation of All Mankind.
This day we stand defiant against the scourge in the dark, the serpent slithering between stars, the [static] scheming our extinction. We are tested again by the powers that be, that covet our prosperity so. We shall fight valiantly, as we did against [static] Incursion and the Toliman Swarm.
[Audio corruption increases in intensity.]
We have gathered here, the pinnacle of human firepower and ingenuity. We must crush the enemy before us, lest we all die in the dark. And should any soldier fall in [static] honoured, a sacrifice for something sacred, something that burns in the hearts and minds of the entirety of our civilization.
[Static on recording for several seconds.]
…and in the end, may Earth receive us all.
Addendum III — Post-Neutralization Exploration
Multiple attempts to establish contact with offworld infrastructure were made shortly after SCP-8800 ended, although none were successful, being met with complete radio silence. A survey of the Solar System was conducted to evaluate its current state and locate key personnel who were offworld for the duration of SCP-8800. An abridged log of their findings is attached below. Personnel with sufficient clearance may apply for access to the full database here.
- Analysis of stellar drift indicates the current time outside Earth being approximately 1714 years after the last transmission.
- Several hundred settlements were found on the Moon, both located within lava tube tunnels and on the surface. Advanced thaumaturgic wards protect and reinforce these structures from the elements, with an estimated population capacity of several hundred million people. Some of these structures are visible from Earth at certain times, when sunlight is reflected off the towers of surface settlements.
- Urban sprawl was observed on Venus and Mars, which have been terraformed to possess atmospheres conducive to life, vast oceans, and extensively greened surfaces. A large collection of anomalous objects have been used to achieve this, the majority of which are wholly unknown to the Foundation.
- Tens of thousands of space stations were discovered. These were located at various points of orbit around the Sun, ranging from habitats closer to the Sun than Mercury to outposts scattered throughout the Kuiper Belt. The largest such station discovered is comparable in size to the dwarf planet Ceres, which itself is a hollowed out settlement.
- Foundation insignia were found to be present on structures identified as administrative centres and buildings, as well as conventional Sites and Areas. Recovered documents confirm that the Foundation, or a successor organization, serves as the governing body of the Solar System. Administration of individual planets and moons is delegated to satrapies, while interplanetary space was governed by khedives of major space stations.
- Earth was surrounded by a large fleet of advanced spacefaring vessels, all of which were identifiable as Foundation spacecraft by their insignia. Further investigations indicate all 400,000 vessels were primed to engage with an unidentified threat, but did not enter combat. Notably, all turrets, cannons, and armaments were aimed away from the planet, and into empty space.
- No signs of animal life have been detected within the Solar System outside of Earth's atmosphere.
- All offworld communications terminals display the identical transmission of uncertain origin, attached below:
WE RECEIVE YOU
