"An' just when we thought the Reaper'd passed us by… It came…"
Digitally upscaled reproduction (17:1) of
SCP-9040-01's portrait.
Item #: SCP-9040
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures:
SCP-9040 is contained within a 225 m2 flooded chamber outfitted with artificial terrain features1 scaled to SCP-9040-00. One chamber wall is constructed of reinforced glass and adjoins Site-███'s staff common room, permitting continuous passive observation of activity.
To maintain compliance, localized meteorological conditions are simulated via integrated fans and irrigation systems, automated under Program 9040-Wellerman. Biweekly, assigned personnel are to coordinate with SCP-9040-02 to confirm environmental adequacy and negotiate trades if required.
Familiarization with Tables 9040.A–9040.D by assigned personnel is mandatory (see Description).
Description:
SCP-9040 is the collective designation for a population of Blattella germanica:2 individually designated SCP-9040-01 through SCP-9040-53. Instances exhibit sapience, fluent vocal speech, anthropomorphic behavior, and significantly extended lifespans. All wear garments consistent with late-18th century European maritime fashion, typically accessorized with sewing needles in place of swords and miniature firecrackers in place of pistols.
SCP-9040-00's colors.
SCP-9040 collectively operate SCP-9040-00: a 1:165 scale museum-quality admiralty model of the HMS Endeavour. Though non-anomalous, it exhibits extensive modifications presumably performed by SCP-9040. Alterations primarily involve functional rigging and equipment, along with branding adapted to SCP-9040.
These instances are considered operationally significant. Familiarity is mandatory.
| Item # | Profession aboard SCP-9040-00 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCP-9040-01 | Captain | Distinguished by flamboyant garbs and duckling-feathered hat. Fully literate. Demonstrates the highest degree of cooperation with personnel. Willing to continue participation in interviews. |
| SCP-9040-02 | Quartermaster | Distinguished by the absence of left antenna. Fully literate. Primary liaison for negotiations. Current cooperative measures are derived from interactions with this instance. |
Addendum.01:
Interview 9040.01
Date: 29/08/2025
Interviewed: SCP-9040
Interviewer: Dr. Jessica Marta Morthon
Foreword: Following a report from an isolated resident near Dwingeloo, Netherlands, embedded field agents were dispatched. The subject was transferred to a local medical center under the cover story of gastro-intoxicational hallucinations. An on-site interview was conducted at the residence, utilizing an amplification system to compensate for SCP-9040's reduced vocal volume. Communication with Site-███ Administration was maintained.
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Morthon: Good afternoon, Captain. And to the rest of your… crew. I appreciate you agreeing to speak with me.
SCP-9040-01: Aye, lass, let us parley. Though mark ye, it ain't fer the love o' yer kind. 'Tis 'cause we have no choice.
SCP-9040-06: We shouldna be jawin' with titans at all! Did ye see how the last one acted!
SCP-9040-04: Belay that, Antennio. The Cap'in's word stands. We'll have need o' titan's timber if we're to mend our lady back to health.
SCP-9040-09: Lass, ye’ve no idea what it was like. In all me years, I’d never seen nothin’ the like. The sky split and the Great Sea boiled in the blink o' an eye. Twas the Maelstrom!
[Multiple instances begin shouting over one another until SCP-9040-01 ignites a miniature firecracker from its chest-belt.]
SCP-9040-01: Silence!
[The noise ceases immediately.]
SCP-9040-01: Roachard, keep yer mandibles shut 'fore I see fit to feed 'em to the sticklebacks!
Dr. Morthon: [Clears throat] Captain… perhaps you would like to provide an account of this “Maelstrom”?
[SCP-9040-01 exchanges a glance with SCP-9040-02.]
SCP-9040-02: A bargain, then. The Cap'in'll spin ye the tale, an' ye'll grant us timber enough to mend the Queen Ant's Revenge.
Dr. Morthon: The Queen Ant's Revenge…
[Low murmur among SCP-9040.]
SCP-9040-01: Aye, the Queen Ant's Revenge.
[Dr. Morthon touches her earpiece.]
Dr. Morthon: Only string for the tale.
SCP-9040-02: The string an' half the timber.
[Dr. Morthon touches her earpiece.]
Dr. Morthon: Deal.
[Excited chittering among SCP-9040.]
SCP-9040-01: A bargain struck, a bargain honored.
SCP-9040-06: [Muttering] Mark me words, ye'll regret it…
SCP-9040-01: [Clears pharynx] The Great Sea was calm that morn. Sun shone, sails were full, an' crew singin' their duties. We were down on the gun deck, cards on the table, truly a fair day. Then down comes Carachris, scuttlin’ from the tops with his antenna all a-quiver. Says a storm's a brewin'. Course we laughed him off-
SCP-9040-33: I resent that!
[SCP-9040-21 draws its sewing needle to SCP-9040-33's cervix.]
SCP-9040-21: Stow it, ye cheat.
SCP-9040-01: But just as we dealt the next hand, a shadow crept across the cards. We looked up through the grate where a darkness had poured 'cross the sky, like a spilled bottle o' ink. The winds turned cruel, howlin' like hounds loose from Hell's own kennels. An' the sea. Oh, the sea, lass. I wished I would've stayed under to not see her. Mountains o' water, higher than the mainmast. They crashed down, each threatenin' to steal me crew away!
[Several SCP-9040 nod.]
SCP-9040-01: We’d danced with tempests before, but this beast was another breed o’ fury. Still we fought, passin' buckets from claw to claw. The lads reelin' the sails in clingin' to what they could, damned if they let go. Antennio, curse his black heart, kept her true.
[SCP-9040-06 puffs his thorax slightly.]
SCP-9040-01: We could hear her whole frame creakin' beneath the swell. Yet, the Revenge she held. An' just when we thought the Reaper'd passed us by… It came…
[SCP-9040 display collective agitation.]
Dr. Morthon: It? What do you mean “it”?
SCP-9040-01: A shadow, lass. Greater than the storm itself. Rushin' t'ward us through the gale.
Dr. Morthon: What kind of shadow?
SCP-9040-01: The kind that swallows ships whole. The kind ye pray ye only ever see in nightmares. An' when it rose beside our bow, we saw it plain: the Devil's own Leviathan, Redmaw…
[SCP-9040 display generalized distress.]
Dr. Morthon: Redmaw…? Who- what is Redmaw?
[Prolonged silence.]
SCP-9040-01: We'd never seen a creature like it, with wrath enough to tear worlds. We manned what cannon the torrent had not yet waterlogged. Shot an' flame we hurled at it. But Redmaw's scales turned back our lead as though they were nothin' more than raindrops.
Its eyes, though vacant as the abyss, I could tell all we'd done was anger it with our defiance. It vanished beneath for a split second, an' then like a mountain it rose from the water an' crashed 'gainst the ship's waist. Snapped our mainmast clean in twain, an' pitched half the crew screamin' into the brine.
[SCP-9040 bow heads, removing hats and pressing them to thoraxes. Several click mandibles in unison.]
SCP-9040-01: Their cries, lass, their cries still echo in me antenna. Cut short as the fiend devoured 'em. We watched it feast, powerless.
Dr. Morthon: [Quietly] …That's horrible.
SCP-9040-01: We were stripped o' hope, our guns spent, our decks slick with death. But then, bold young Ticker here [places its claw on SCP-9040-51] seized a harpoon, lashed hisself to the derrick,3 an' called for heave. Two took the rope, then four, then all. The whole crew put their carapaces to it. Up he swung, arced over the side o' the deck an' above the waves.
SCP-9040-51: I saw it under the water, Ma'am. Big eyes, like the size o' helm wheels. Empty, dead eyes. No mercy in 'em. Thought I was done for.
SCP-9040-01: With but one chance, as Redmaw rose from the deep, leapin' to snatch another soul, Ticker's arm found its mark. The harpoon, drove deep into the monster's eye!
Before its jaw could close, we tore the derrick back from Death's bite. The beast shrieked. A shriek to split the Great Sea. It reeled, an' thrashed beneath the waves, its shadow swimmin' away. Soon after, the heavens cleared, as though it'd commanded the storm.
Dr. Morthon: My… my god.
[Prolonged silence.]
SCP-9040-01: We had won. But victory came dear. The Revenge murmured with hurt, her belly fillin' fast. We steered her to the nearest shore, an' there she lies still… Wounded, but triumphant!
[SCP-9040 collectively cheer.]
[END LOG]
Addendum.02:
Investigation Report
SCP-9040-00's shipwreck was recovered along the shoreline of Visvijver Holtien.4 An additional instance, subsequently designated SCP-9040-53, was recovered within. Both were transported to Site-███ and transferred to SCP-9040 custody alongside the negotiated allotment of string and timber.
Correlation of the recovery site with meteorological records confirmed that "the Maelstrom" corresponds to a minor storm event recorded on 24/08/2025.
Investigation Report
Continued surveys of Visvijver Holtien yielded a specimen consistent with descriptions of "Redmaw," distinguished by red pigmentation and the presence of a sewing needle embedded within the left eye. Presentation of a sketch to SCP-9040 resulted in unanimous confirmation of identity, accompanied by marked agitation among instances.
The specimen demonstrated aggressive feeding behavior, and analysis of fecal matter confirmed partial Blattella germanica exoskeletons.
"Redmaw" was taxonomically identified as a young adult Carassius auratus,5 likely released into the pond ecosystem by a nearby inhabitant.
