SCP-2399

SCP-2399 was originally observed, albeit unknowingly, by Giovanni Cassini in 1665. The following is taken directly from Cassini's journal on the event, translated from Italian to English.

08/10/1665
I have observed something extraordinary in the heavens. Last night, as I gazed through my looking glass, I saw what appeared to be a star of great luminescence streak through the far reaches of our solar system. I have never recorded an object moving so fast; it had surpassed the outer planets in fewer than two hours! As I watched, by my own two eyes, I saw it slow as it closed on Jupiter, make a sharp turn, and disappear into the planet itself. I saw many bursts of light afterwards, but although I continued to peer at it until the Sun broke, I saw no additional disturbances in the night sky. I must continue to document these changes, and will alert my colleagues when the day is upon me.

15/10/1665
I took Peter to my observation point last night, but a week from the night I saw the fire rain upon Jupiter in the heavens. He brought along his own looking glass, and together we aimed our view upon the giant. To our surprise, a magnificent change has occurred! Where once the distant world only showed bands of color, there is now a great red spot where the star came to rest on the surface of Jupiter. Peter was incredulous, of course, that such an amazing discovery could have taken place before our very eyes. I will continue to take note of this.

18/10/1665
Tonight as I peered through my looking glass, I swear on my life that I observed what looked to me like explosions and starbursts emanating from our red spot. I fear my mind is playing tricks on me, for there has been no record of such violent outbursts by a heavenly body since the dawn of astronomy. I will consult with Peter on the morrow, and hopefully glean from him some advice on the matter.

19/10/1665
Peter sees the same as I! As I approached him with my concerns, he leveled the same with me, and through our following discussion we concluded that it must be a powerful reaction to the falling star I saw upon the first night, and not a product of our own shortcomings. I am left wondering what cataclysmic event must be taking place upon our heavenly neighbour. Our work to document this must go on.

At ████ hours on ██/██/██, BARRIER Unit 53 observed one of SCP-2399's repair drones closing on a piece of debris, quickly determined to be part of a damaged communications array. Because of the nature of this specific component, and the ramifications of allowing SCP-2399 to recover it, it was ordered that BARRIER Unit 45 fire upon the drone with its on-board concussion batteries.

Batteries were discharged; however, the drone appeared undamaged. Footage obtained by BARRIER Unit 53 shows that, while the payload in question was launched towards the repair drone, it was destroyed within 5 km of the target by additional charges originating from SCP-2399. Command lost contact with BARRIER Unit 45 15 seconds after initial discharge, with video observation showing SCP-2399 [DATA EXPUNGED] the resulting spacial anomaly originating in ████-██-████-█ [DATA EXPUNGED] the termination of BARRIER Unit 45 by BARRIER Units 44, 51, and 55.

Under no circumstances are any BARRIER Units to further engage either SCP-2399 or drones released by SCP-2399.

After the events of ██/██/██, it was decided that necessary force would be authorized to destroy or incapacitate SCP-2399. Using Foundation resources, as well as resources from 45 nations (notably, █████ ███████, ███████, █████ ██████, ██████, ███████ ██████, ██████'█ ████████ ██ █████, and ██████████ ██████'█ ████████ ██ █████), a platform of ██ warheads bearing ███ Mt payloads and ██ warheads bearing EMP detonators was launched and placed in orbit around Europa. On ██/██/██ at ████ hours with orders from 15 heads of state and O5█, O5█, O5█, O5█, and O5█, the entire payload of Project Gigas was launched towards SCP-2399.

[DATA EXPUNGED]

Efforts to develop alternative methods of eliminating SCP-2399 are currently underway.[1]

So, SCP-2399.

Have you ever sat and wondered, maybe after you hear about a car accident on a street you were just on, or a bombing in a city you were visiting, just how lucky you are to be alive? Just how many things have to go right for you to continue to exist? A few seconds too late, a few seconds too early, and somebody reaches for something they dropped and a busload of people run into another busload of people. Sometimes this kind of thing does happen, as we've seen, far too often. But that's what we're here for. To protect those who can't protect themselves from things that they wouldn't even know to protect themselves from.

We can't do it all, though. As many things as we've been able to contain, as many things as we've been able to keep under lock that would threaten to destroy us all, still far too many remain that we can't do anything about. Whether they're too big, or too fast, or too powerful, any of these things could blink and wipe humanity from existence. The fact that they haven't done so yet is just luck. SCP-2399, however, is different.

We have little information regarding SCP-2399's motives, origins, and full capabilities. We do not understand how it is capable of communicating over such large distances, or why those who constructed it (if it was, in fact, constructed) sent it to us in the first place. We do not know what would happen if SCP-2399 is able to fully repair itself, or if part of our array would break down and a message would get through. We do not know this, so we must assume the worst. Judging by what we've seen, were SCP-2399 to have reached Earth, it would have led to our timely destruction.

But sometimes humanity gets a little help. Sometimes something steps in the way of the apocalypse. For us, and for SCP-2399, it was Jupiter. As SCP-2399 began to slow on its approach to Earth, Cassini saw what we've been able to ascertain; that SCP-2399 struck Io, was damaged, and was unable to escape the gravitational pull of Jupiter. Its weapons activated as they were intended, but it was Jupiter that experienced doomsday, not us.

Eventually, though, it's likely that SCP-2399 will resume full functionality, and will likely be able to pull away from Jupiter and proceed to its target. As of now, we can keep hurling bombs and EMPs at it all we want, but we've got no indication that any of it will so much as scratch the thing, on the contrary, experience dictates it would do nothing at all. If this were to happen now, we would undoubtedly be destroyed.

Jupiter has given us time. For now, SCP-2399 will remain there, reassembling itself, while we devise some way to stop it. Like it or not, we are in an arms race with this thing. Our best guesses give us something like 25 years until it is able to hear past our dampening array. Until then, we must seize the opportunity that has been laid before us. We must use the time we have been given, and not let it be wasted.

So we devised Protocol LEGIONNAIRE. One gigantic EMP, powered by god-knows-what, followed by a volley of nukes big enough to wipe out our civilization a thousand times over. A blunt plan, and simple, and likely futile. Our researchers, and researchers around the globe, have yet to devise even a way to deliver that kind of pulse, let alone a way to power it. There is no indication whatsoever that we will be able to complete LEGIONNAIRE on time, or if it will do what is intended once it is completed. But we must try. We must do something. Even if we have to drain our banks and empty our mines, we must try.

Not often do we get a chance to see the swerving bus that will end our lives, and step out of the way. Jupiter, unknowingly, has offered us that chance. I suggest we take it.

Randall McAllan
Director
BARRIER Project, Site ██

All messages logged are to be understood as having repeated themselves, continuously, until either a new message is logged, or a logged instance of radio silence.

██/██/1971- Unit is damaged: Repair
██/██/1985- Updating Orders: Maintain Position: Repair
██/██/1985- Period of radio silence, BARRIER Array is established.
██/██/1996- Unit is out of range of target: Proceed to planet #3 in system [COORDINATES REDACTED]: Repair
██/██/2015- Unit is out of range of target: Proceed to planet #3 in system [COORDINATES REDACTED]: Priority is target: Cease repairs