Gazing Upon Dead Stars Hub

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Gazing Upon Dead Stars Hub

Gazing Upon Dead Stars is a canon focused on a very real dilemma faced by humanity: Where are all the aliens?

A considerable amount of the studies conducted to date indicate that the conditions necessary for the formation of life as we know it must have occurred a few times in our galaxy. Everything points to the fact that, in the vastness of the Universe, other alien life should have arisen. However, in our tireless search of the firmament, we have found nothing to indicate that aliens are there. We have sent messages into the void in the hope of receiving a response… But looking outside our planet, everything is dead.

This dilemma has a formal name: the Fermi paradox. There are a number of solutions to this paradox, some more accepted than others. Perhaps extraterrestrial life is rarer than we think? Perhaps intelligent beings tend to self-destruct, or destroy each other? Or maybe they are afraid to let themselves be seen by alien eyes… Or maybe we are simply not looking hard enough.

No solution is yet definitive, and no research has proven the existence of extraterrestrial life, although there is inconclusive evidence. The Foundation, accompanied by the guardians of the Universe, a species we call Vidnepas, have also confronted the paradox and - amidst anomalous science and watchful eyes - have discovered the ashes of other civilizations, and sometimes even some dying embers. The Fermi paradox has a solution, rooted in the dark origin of existence itself… But what is it?

That remains to be seen.

On Rabbits and Darkness

Before humanity could walk upright and the spark of our Sun was lit, we were condemned to live in an aggressive environment, full of resentment and revenge.

Read in the following order.

Vidnepas Protectors of the Descendants of the Stardust - By Luis Gm | Translated by Luis Gm

The Last Night Before the Beginning - By Luis Gm | Untranslated

Ethereal White Dots Still Reign, and Their Sins Still Linger - By LazyLasagne | Untranslated

SCP-ES-191 - By Luis Gm | Translated by Luis Gm

SCP-ES-149 - By Luis Gm and Almarduk | Untranslated

SCP-ES-148 - By Almarduk | Untranslated

SCP-ES-040 - By LazyLasagne | Translated by Luis Gm

SCP-ES-055 - By Luis Gm and Shadow-MASK | Untranslated

SCP-ES-090 - By Luis Gm | Translated by Luis Gm

I Died Consumed, I Came Back Wiggling My Ears - By Luis Gm | Untranslated

SCP-ES-299¹ - By Luis Gm, Almarduk, and LazyLasagne | Untranslated

Memories and Nightmares on Earth and in the Cosmos

How did the Foundation begin? How is it that Earth survived so many years without its presence? And what happened after its appearance? Maybe the Universe is destroyed and desolate, but not dead. At a time when humanity begins to scrape the confines of the stellar graveyard, the ruins and atrocities of a devastated Universe are rediscovered.

Read in any order.

SCP-ES-165 - By

DrCastillo | Translated by

morhadow

SCP-ES-129 - By Luis Gm and Almarduk | Untranslated

SCP-ES-233 - Por Luis Gm y Crackertime | Untranslated

SCP-ES-185 - By Daman_1985 | Translated by Nykacolaquantum

Welcome to Terranova - By Miles323 | Untranslated

The Hexapod Rodent at the Twilight - By Luis Gm | Translated by morhadow

Prelude: "Dichotomy of Eternity"

Read in order.

SCP-ES-231 - By

Luis Gm | Untranslated

Dark Pages of a Doomed Existence - By Luis Gm | Untranslated

My Eyes to the Sea, My Soul to Eternity - By Luis Gm | Untranslated

Paradoxes of the Universe

Could you take another path? And if so, wouldn't you be afraid of knowing that everything could get worse?

Read in any order.

And After the Limit - By LazyLasagne | Untranslated

The Swan’s Song and the End of the Archangels - By Almarduk | Untranslated

[ S t o r y ]

At the beginning of the second decade of the second millennium, humanity, still a species without a flower, begins to unroll its petals to the nearest reaches of outer space. With great effort, it is barely able to reach out its fingers to the lunar surface.

And the Foundation, for all its titanic might, is not much more capable. The embryo of a defensive fleet was consolidated in early 1992 in the form of the SCP Foundation Land Navy (SCPFLN). The SCPFLN consists of just twelve instances of the stellar equivalent of the Wilbur and Orville Wright brothers' Wright Flyer I, a model titled Swallow I, a name to which the mobility of the ultraplane² does no honor: it is little more than a heavy metal shell, with tiny solid fuel thrusters and a plasma laser more suited to construction than armament. The weight of these is such that until 2024 a powerful thaumaturgical ritual was necessary to get them off the Earth.

Despite the SCPFLN's presence, the Foundation's interest in outer space remained low (except for those more paranoid, whose concern about a threat from the void urged them to divert funds to the Navy) until 2002, with the discovery of SCP-ES-149.

SCP-ES-149's existence was deeply disturbing to the Foundation's archaeological side: absurd dates, unknown symbology, and impossible architecture for its age, not to mention the possibility of a threat still lurking in the ground. In desperation, the Foundation turned secretly to the Wanderer's Library, avidly searching for answers for two long years. As the search stretched and stretched, a second find was made in 2005: SCP-ES-191.

SCP-ES-191, since its discovery, seemed to be the brilliant inverse of SCP-ES-149: contrary to the latter, of the former, a plenitude of documents was found shedding light on the history of the shiny little rabbit-shaped creatures, and their fate intertwined with the threat discreetly presented in the reliefs of SCP-ES-149. It was known at last that both came from the depths of the firmament, celestial remnants of a battle fought by titans. And at last, the eyes of the Foundation turned to the sky; the Office of Exoarchaeology (OEX) was formed to examine in depth the remains of the battle on Earth.

Soon, the scope of its responsibilities began to grow; in 2014, the black hole beneath SCP-ES-149 began to cause disastrous earthquakes around it, threatening to gradually fracture the Veil, a situation that was compounded by the increasingly popular theory that the black hole was nothing more than a prison. The OEX incorporated the maintenance of a specialized particle accelerator to generate black holes into its responsibilities, to later become the center of astrophysical activity at the Foundation. Everything pointed to the conglomeration of all the outer space sciences - or exosciences - under one yoke.

The last step in this process came in October 2018, with the discovery of SCP-ES-148-1, the origin of the already long-studied memetic agent SCP-ES-148. At last, there was a need for a body incorporating all exosciences for research, and for this purpose, the Department of Investigation and Extraterrestrial Exploration (DEINEX) was formed.

By 2024, superluminal space travel is a reality for the Foundation, with the introduction of the Blink Engine.³ Other technologies, such as specialized stellar weaponry, surveillance satellites, and prefabricated exploration bases, are on the way, ready to equip the army of Mobile Task Forces and research and containment teams organized under the banner of the three arrows pointing inward.

Today, the DEINEX is the Foundation's gem: an open door to the exploration of an entire galaxy. With less and less interest in a world that seems fully explored and with no more challenges to offer, the brightest minds in the aegis of the Foundation turn to the firmament… But the Foundation's pride in its new jewel would not last long.

[ C o m p e t i t i o n ]

Despite recent agreements between the Global Occult Coalition and the Foundation, the extent of their exoscientific technology, especially with regard to ultraplanes, remains unknown. It is clear that their reach is in every way superior; a single Coalition ship is capable of decimating an entire Foundation fleet, and even the latter's flagship, the SCPS Resistance, is not even a shadow of the immense thaumaturgical advances that the Coalition seems to conduct every day.

If it comes to outer space operations, the Foundation will be deeply dependent on the Coalition for a long time to come. It seems that the scales are finally tipping to the Coalition's side, after a century of the undisputed reign of the SCP Foundation.

[ W h a t A r e T h e y ? ]

The Vidnepas are a mythical extraterrestrial race, with a variable physical appearance due to the fact that they can control their corporeal form at will, always conserving some vague lagomorphic features, presenting themselves as bipedal, quadrupedal, or even limbless floating beings, perhaps born in the same hot forge as the first stars. Fractured by an unknown conflict and their duty as guardians of life in the Universe, they are divided into three main groups, plus a myriad of splinters, guided by their highest deities; Arneb, Nihal, and Gliese. Each group follows distinct discordant ideas and goals, a cause of frequent conflict between each lineage of their race, but they all know a common enemy: Sechud, or what their dying victims called the Darkness in the Universe. They insist that this enemy has not been defeated, and they live their lives searching for what is left of him. Perhaps it is because of him that their species fractured?

The life of the Vidnepas is one of ephemeral permanence: eternal nomads, staying in one place just long enough to sniff for traces of their former enemy, and then leaping off into the distance of the black horizon. On the rare occasion that they stop on a planet with intelligent life - or the ashes of one - they will present themselves as Protectors of the Descendants of the Stardust, and remain for some time, acting in widely different ways according to their guiding deity.

As a result of their nomadic life, there is no evidence of their passage in the Universe: they have not built, therefore there are no ruins. All that is known about them is a direct consequence of contact with the Wanderer's Library or other ancient civilizations, which usually describe them as gods of legend. That makes them - in the eyes of the Foundation - little more than a myth.

On the incredibly rare occasion of conversing with one, they will speak of the Universe in ancient times as a chaotic, brilliant, and living place. They are adept at describing, without lack of detail, through telepathy or other rudimentary forms of communication, the great glories of past worlds and terrible battles, immense kingdoms, and wonders beyond imagination. But one thing becomes clear when looking at the stars: none of it exists. Only the ruins remain. Faint reflections of those grandiose stories. And when we speak to them, the only response is silence.

They never talk about how those days ended. They never describe when, or how the Universe went dark. Pressing them, there will be a terse mention of a dark civilization and a fatal accident, followed by a reluctance to talk.

[ T h r e e L i n e a g e s ]

Each Vidnepa lineage is aligned behind a leading deity, representing their skin color and ideology:

Arneb, Blue Aegis of Planets, was the most peaceful of the Vidnepa deities, an example that his lineage follows to the letter after their death. Blue Vidnepas are protectors of all life, defending it with their own lives when necessary, but never responding to provocation or violence. More than once they will offer their lives to protect the few intelligent species they know, a death they consider the supreme sacrifice, which will ascend them along with their departed deity. Their number is the smallest of the three lineages, but they seem to concentrate near the tomb of Arneb, on a certain bluish planet in the Solar System. Perhaps they feel the presence of Arneb, even beyond death.

Nihal, Red Crown of Stars, is the best warrior of the Vidnepas, and perhaps of the Universe. Their bloodline of red Vidnepas lives in conflict with itself, almost always for the sole reason of remaining alert to the Darkness. Their hammer torments the worlds with a lost destiny, putting an end to their suffering. They are scattered throughout the far reaches of space, struggling to eliminate the evils among the stars, despite indiscriminately eliminating those worlds.

Gliese, Gray Wandering Tiara, is the mother of the lost Vidnepas and other orphan species. Her lineage always stays away from conflicts in the Universe, though she tries to teach her group how to defend themselves on their own. She greatly resents Nihal and Arneb for continuing their war for so long. They are a close-knit and nomadic group, always searching for survivors on destroyed worlds or other places adrift in the vastness of space.

Despite the deep pacifism of some, Sechud and the Darkness are one of the few things capable of enraging the Vidnepas to such a degree that they are able to put their differences aside to defeat it. Their united fury has been seen twice since the birth of the Universe, and those who remember it do so with awe.

[ T h e D a r k n e s s i n t h e U n i v e r s e]

Shrouded in mysteries and legends known only to the Vidnepas, peers into the starlight, the one who with her cry almost managed to extinguish all life in the cosmos, the reason for a universe so cold and lonely: Sechud, the Renegade of the Universe. Her acts caused the union of the Vidnepas to defeat her, however, her presence is still there in the Universe. Waiting for an opportunity, a moment to return and finish her goal.

Thanks to a series of observational devices developed by SCP-ES-129, the Foundation is able to mark areas of possible interest in the galaxy with high precision. To classify locations of interest, the Foundation employs two main criteria: the possibility of extraterrestrial life and the presence of anomalies. Listed below are a number of locations of interest accumulated by the Foundation since the year 2000.

Triton, moon of Neptune - One of the strangest bodies in the solar system - Inverse orbit, unknown objects hovering in its atmosphere, large pulses of thermal energy, and sometimes, traces of VLS⁴. The proximity to Triton allows hearing a sound that is reminiscent of an air raid siren.

The outer arm of the Milky Way - An area with a large number of exoplanets⁵ that possibly developed civilizations comparable to humans or with slightly greater technological advancement. Several corrupted transmissions coming from this location have been picked up.

The Orion Arm of the Milky Way - An unusual number of black holes have been found and detected by the VLS. It is thought that some unknown, energetically inactive life form orbits these stars, and it is also notable for having a black dwarf star⁶.

Sagittarius A* - A large number of recently created stars, and in the center is the largest black hole in the Milky Way. In recent years there have been several energy peaks at this site and a large increase in VLS, models suggest that the black hole is in the process of becoming a quasar.

Segue 1 - A galaxy relatively close to the Milky Way, whose ratio of normal to dark matter is 1:1,000 - making it the area of space with the highest density of dark matter. However, as of 2025, the Foundation managed to detect a series of thermal and electromagnetic energy emissions at seemingly random points in the galaxy, suggesting the presence of an intelligent civilization. But why only after 2025? Why couldn't these emissions be detected earlier?

The Antennae Galaxies - Lower density of dark matter, stars of different visible spectra never seen before have been found. In recovered texts of Vidnepa mythology, this place is referred to as "the bastion of Nihal"; since 2016, an increase in star birth was recorded throughout these intertwining galaxies.

Cygnus X-1 - Collective designation for a black hole and an orbiting star at a distance of 30 million kilometers, the former of which is slowly attracting and devouring the latter, leaving a "tail" of stellar mass connecting them. VLS scanners detect unprecedented emission in the "tail," which remains static depending on its distance from the black hole.

M1 - The Crab Nebula - A stellar remnant 6,500 light-years away, at the center of which lies a pulsar. The pulsar's rotation - twenty times per second - sends out electromagnetic radiation emissions all around it. The Foundation discovered in 2010 that, as the emissions clustered in a certain way and decelerated, each electromagnetic pulse coincided with a familiar Morse code signal: dot, dot, dot, line, line, line, dot, dot, dot, translating to SOS - i.e., help.

Galaxy Cluster CLG J02182–05102 - A cluster of 60 galaxies, held at a relatively close distance by anomalous magnetic fields emerging from the epicenter of each and connecting with the others. In itself, the existence of the magnetic fields is strange to behold, but their age presents a second problem: their collective birth - with an impossibly short space of about seven thousand years between each - is estimated to have taken place two billion years before the Big Bang. The obvious question is "how can a cluster of galaxies be older than the Universe?", but the Foundation has a second, perhaps more troubling question: why, in 2017, did the magnetic fields holding the cluster together begin to weaken?

Arp 220 - Two colliding galaxies - Brightest galaxy in infrared, the result of the merging of two galaxies. The collision was caused by artificial means according to current models, the reason for this is unknown. The two supermassive black holes of both galaxies have disappeared and in their place, there is a supermassive white hole⁷; in texts of the Wanderer's Library, a similar place is quoted as follows: "And Arneb joined two lifeless galaxies, removed the portals of the Enemy, and proclaimed that place as a Vidnepa sanctuary and refuge for all remaining stellar life in the Universe".

Faced with a world greatly influenced by forces from outer space, various groups have had changes in their organization, origin, and objectives. This is a list of the most important groups within the canon, however, this does not impede the use of any other group omitted from this list.

Andromeda Confederation

Founded in the early 7th century in Teotihuacan by the extraterrestrial rodent species known as the Cillerban from the Andromeda Galaxy. After several centuries of observing the Earth's panorama, they decided to join forces with humans to form a prototype organization in charge of maintaining normalcy. At first, this group was publicly known and there was greater interaction with the civilian population, however, as the years went by great distress was seen in these people due to public knowledge of the anomalies and following a failure to control an anomaly in the late 7th century the decision to remain hidden from public view was taken.

Thus, they only focused on their mission to deal with anomalies and remove them from general knowledge without getting involved in other matters. During the first years after the Teotihuacan incident, they focused on establishing their settlements where they guarded anomalous objects, while conscious entities were commonly eliminated due to the lack of viable methods of containment and partly because the group mostly preferred to eliminate them due to the fear and uncertainty they provoked.

During the 10th century, they managed to reach the Asian continent and from there expanded into Europe. The AC was always at the forefront of technology and was the most powerful anomalous organization until the years of its decline in the early 1940s. Due to the size of the organization, they began to split into factions with their own agendas, but none became officially independent. The breaking point occurred with an event known as "Memento oblitus" in 1969 and the organization officially split into what would become the SCP Foundation and the Global Occult Coalition.

In this process, other Groups of Interest managed to benefit from the fragmentation of the AC, various anomalies, technology, and blueprints were stolen which prompted a large-scale competition starting in 1970. This decade is characterized by an accelerated advance in space travel technology: in 1975, Marshall, Carter & Dark managed to start a successful orbital mining project in the asteroid belt extracting anomalous materials.

Related archives:

SCP-ES-233

Global Occult Coalition

Founded on November 3rd, 1969 after a few months of the dissolution of the AC, where they were part of a Division that consisted of numerous battalions, highly trained personnel in thaumaturgy; they were in charge of terminating anomalies. They always had more communication with the governments of the world and were the ones who took possession of 65% of the facilities and technologies of the AC.

Despite all this, they were never interested in developing technology that would allow them to travel freely in space, with the aim of focusing on developing technologies to reach the level of a Type I civilization on the Kardashev scale before starting space programs. It was not until 2020 when they learned of the existence of SCP-ES-148 and recognized the need to start a space program in order to protect the Earth from any extrasolar threat. Thus, in only 4 years they were able to surpass the Foundation in that aspect thanks to the implementation of more efficient technologies in space travel.

Its relationship with the Foundation has always been neutral, they have rarely worked together, in order to neutralize or contain threats found in the vast Universe. Since the breaking of the Veil, they have engaged in more communication with the Foundation, with the goal of maintaining order in the nations of the world affected by this new consensus of normalcy.

Related archives:

SCP-ES-148

SCP-ES-299

Serpent's hand

The date of this group's appearance is not exact, but even in the AC's oldest documents, there are mentions of its members. They always came into conflict with the Confederation because of their methods of operation and their different views on normalcy. They took advantage of the moment of their fragmentation to release various anomalies that to this day are scattered all over the world.

They do not have a hierarchical structure, but it is known that they have access to the Wanderer's Library, an extradimensional anomalous place; which is accessible through portals known as "Pathways" and are located in different parts of the world⁸. During its early years, the GOC attempted to raid the place without any success, and because of those actions, they are openly hostile to each other.

The Foundation tried to gain access to the Library through agreements, none of which were accepted by the Hand. However, only one case of successful cooperation has been recorded, which occurred in the 1990s and led to the creation of SCP-ES-231. Since then, SCP-ES-231 has been used as a means of communication between the two groups; it is not known if more isolated groups of the Hand are aware of this situation.

In 2025 there was a large increase in the number of members and even some countries openly support it, causing conflicts with the GOC and some Foundation sites; this happened mainly in Venezuela, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria.

Related archives:

Vidnepas Protectors of the Descendants of the Stardust

SCP-ES-231

Prometheus Labs S.A.

Prometheus Labs was founded in 1892, dedicated to creating various anomalous objects for profit, encompassing all types of markets, from household appliances to weapons used by the Foundation and the GOC. Throughout the 20th century they had problems with the Confederacy and were almost dismantled in 1969, but thanks to the separation of the AC, they managed to remain as the main suppliers of anomalous technology in the world.

Its importance only continued to grow over the years until it became one of the most important companies behind the Veil. They managed to build the first manned lunar facility in 1971, although it was severely damaged by unknown attackers and abandoned in 1973. During 2020, they had several contracts with the GOC that allowed them to push their aerospace technology like never before.

With the breaking of the Veil in 2025, it didn't take long for them to become a globally recognized company. Several government and private space programs have started business with this group; thus initiating the exploration and colonization of outer space.

Marshall, Carter & Dark Ltd.

The origin of the group's leaders is unknown, they are dedicated to selling anomalous objects to different groups or providing extravagant and bizarre experiences to their consumers. Their market targets magnates, superpower rulers, and other anomalous groups. They managed to establish themselves as the main sellers of anomalous pieces during the second half of the 20th century and, based on business deals with Prometheus Labs, they managed to profit from spatial anomalies.

Especially in the 1970s and 1980s, they boosted the market for anomalies from different parts of the solar system, from the asteroid belt to the Oort Cloud. Their way of acting against aggressions is based more on indirect methods, avoiding armed confrontations. They possess vast knowledge about the functioning of other organizations related to the anomalous world. Likewise, little is known about the most important people in the hierarchy of MC&D Ltd.

The size of the organization is uncertain, estimated from hundreds to thousands of people actively working. Since it has not been a priority for the larger organizations of normalcy, the Foundation and the GOC have barely attempted to infiltrate without endorsement among their ranks, thus allowing their growth in influence and power to remain relatively unscathed over the years. That was true until 2025, when the Veil was torn, they suffered great economic losses and their business was sustained only by their off-Earth experiences. They remain an important part of the anomalous world, but their decline is undeniable.

Anderson Robotics

Anderson Robotics is in charge of the creation of paratechnological software and hardware (androids, robots, artificial intelligence). They have been in operation since 1990 and their CEO is Vincent Anderson. Throughout their history they have gained presence all over the globe, being the first in the market of robotic paratechnology products.

Their importance has grown over time due to the need for early missions into space which in their early days were unmanned and directed by AR-created AI. They have established relationships with Marshall, Carter and Dark Ltd., allowing them to expand their business to the stars.

Their commercial activities, paradoxically, increased considerably with the fall of the Veil and the loss of the MC&D hegemony, they were able to extend their branches outside the United States of America, establishing themselves in China, Germany, Japan, and Brazil. Thanks to its robots and travel without organic components, AR offers the best opportunity to learn the secrets within the confines of the cosmos.

When writing about the canon you should take into consideration which section you want to write about, here are some specifications about each one:

The following section contains information that may be considered spoilers, so it is preferable to read the articles in this part to know how to contribute properly.

+ On Rabbits and Darkness

Memories and Nightmares on Earth and in the Cosmos

These stories do not focus on the main course of Sechud and the Vidnepas, but instead explore the vastness of space, primarily from the starting point which is Earth as of the year 2025, although this restriction is not absolute. They also focus on the time before the creation of the Foundation in 1970, as well as its subsequent history both on Earth and in the Solar System. The following points should be taken into account:

Extraterrestrial Presence

It can range from a small group of aliens from distant galaxies to entities from other dimensions that threaten normalcy on Earth. The spectrum is wide in that sense, you can take advantage of elements from other sections to support you or start from scratch with a new story.

Andromeda Confederation

Their use is not strict in any article planned for the section, although they could serve as support when dealing with anomalies that had repercussions before 1970, since they were in charge of maintaining normalcy during those times.

Repercussions of the Fermi Paradox

As shown in SCP-ES-148 and SCP-ES-149, throughout the history of the Universe a multitude of conflicts and extinctions have taken place that eventually left the world barren and almost lifeless. Think of life in the Universe as a survivor of conflict; the total population is decimated, and the new life that is born is only just able to sprout its first shoots. And remember that there is a risk of it happening again!

Think of it as an advantage: How does this extinction affect a species? How did they defend themselves against it? How do they remember the war?

Paradoxes of the Universe

Articles that contradict the canonical story, but are still part of the canon because of the components they use, there is no starting or ending line.

A general fact that should be addressed in all sections except Paradoxes of the Universe is the breaking of the Veil due to the events of 2025. The world now knows of the existence not only of the Vidnepas, but of all spatial anomalies, and thus there is more direct communication with the world's population. This fact can be used to tell several stories answering the following questions: How does humanity react to this fact? What are the ideas and feelings of humans towards extraterrestrial species? How do certain Groups of Interest take advantage of this situation?

Those are some things to consider if you want to write after 2025, although they are just some examples - because the Universe is the limit now. As a final note, you can contact Luis Gm if you have questions when writing for canon.

In this section, you will find the timeline of the most important events in Gazing Upon Dead Stars, in order to show its continuity.

+ Events prior to the formation of Earth