The following is a transcribed document discovered in a satellite of unknown make and design, found orbiting the parallel Earth of Instance 77D, following a recent venture out of SCP&# *. Satellite and all objects within are non anomolous and present no dangerous effects. Discovery of satellite was only made possible due to relative technological sophistication of allied humans of Instance 77D, though no plans have been made to release this document to them as it was obtained through covert means.
We should not have come.
Initially, the invasion the human planet of Dirt was within expectations of a class-c primitive world. Surface conditions were ideal though colder than expected. The humans had little in the way of defenses, though their proliferation of atomic weaponry was alarming. Office of Offense estimated that the humans could and should have annihilated themselves at any time during the previous four decades. With what we know now, perhaps it is a blessing that they did not.
Given their high militarism and the unreasonable degree of self belief of victory in the face of inevitable conquest; a belief fueled by apparently centuries of propaganda against human foes and imaginary non - humans, as per protocol we flattened the entire landmass of US during the first night as a show of force. We also prepared to do the same to the landmass known as "THEM" but oddly it could not be found. Regardless, the rest of the planet capitulated within the week.
No notable resistance occurred until a later month, when sporadic reports of unseen enemies began to circulate around the globe. Scans failed to register these enemies, and the matter was put to rest, though our soldiers began to show unusual levels of stress in occupied territory. During the next month, we began to receive the first of our casualties, in slow but exponentially increasing amounts. There were no pattern to these attacks and no explanation. Below are a few examples, but are by no means a definitive selection.
Case# 5632b2
Losses : 5 soldiers of Chaltrax Primary Assault Phalanx
Cause of death :
Drowned with no bodies of water nearby.
Case# 924331
Losses : 80 members of Military Research Division within field research facility.
Cause of death : Crushed or eviscerated with tremendous force. Others dropped dead without a scratch.
Case# 188859g
Losses : 12 members of Elite Guard escorting Military Governor Rugar Xellian
Cause of death : Cardiac arrests due to extreme stress.
Case# 878220
Losses : 18 soldiers of Vermin Purgation Unit
Cause of death : Incinerated inside their armor, despite Calbari pattern armor being completely proofed against fire.
Case# 9621
Losses : 1 Morale Officer attached to Oberus Surface Assault Phalanx
Cause of death : Psychotic breakdown, claimed that he was under attack by swarms of insects pouring into his armor. Stripped armor and flayed own skin with ceremonial knife. Died of massive fluid loss. No such creatures were witnessed by other officers.
In addition, reports of death by accidental mishap and technical failure rose beyond 3000% of expected norms of a military operation. Many were killed or maimed in ways that observers would note as being "highly improbable", for example by shuttle engine failure or falling on own feeding utensils.
In all cases, observation of attackers were unreliable or fragmentary. In some recordings, creatures that resembled dead humans to some degree can be seen but never clearly. Attempts to capture or attack one of these creatures has never been successful, even for our most elite troops, who grudgingly admit their baffling failure.
Our clearest recording of an attacker can be found in case D3474, where Warrant Officer Mulgrim T, katg, in the middle of a heavily secured facility, was seized by multiple human - individuals. The creatures were shadowy and blurred, though their features could be distinctly seen. They had no eyes, and the cavities where they normally reside could be seen to be bleeding immensely. They grabbed the Warrant Officer, and despite his struggles, the help of several soldiers, and the dense application of plasma discharges, they somehow pulled him into and through the solid steel floor. Further search of the surrounding area would reveal neither his body, his attackers, or any evidences that the base had even been breached.
By the end of the year, our planetary invasion force had suffered 78% casualties, an unprecedented figure, considering the relative ease of the conquest and the fact that not a single attacker could be confirmed as captured or killed.
Another three months in and the problem had spread beyond the planet. Ships that had taken part in the invasion began to have unexpected and unexplained accidents, often resulting in their terminal crashes. Others would vanish into the void and never return, or more alarmingly, return with their crews mysteriously missing or messily dismantled. Within another month, it also began to affect any ship that had ever transported a human slave or cadaver. Even ships that had carried so much as a single body part for research purposes or even a relic or object made by a human would not be spared. And then, the mysterious attack began savaging our home worlds, our stations, our colonies, and beyond.
Rigorous human interrogation revealed little information of these attackers, with subjects often being surprised at the evidence. Human subjects often reacted with fear upon viewing recordings, and would often become paranoid. They call the creatures "ghosts" or "spirits", which are apparently the essence or beings of humans who have died, often in violent manner. There are a number of ways that humans believe these so - called ghosts can be harmed, but these methods have been found to be lacking in actual effectiveness, likely because humans themselves actually normally consider the existence of ghosts to be entirely fictional. As of this log, all interrogators participating in this report have perished in one way or another due to ghost related activity.
Eight years later, our most hallowed Emperor, his thousand concubines, his Praetorian guards, and the rest of his household would be found dead in a multitude of ways. The Emperor himself would be found to be fused to the ceiling of his bedroom (somehow) , partially eaten with many bite marks that would be found to be human, despite the fact that no human had ever been within orbit of his Palace. Witnesses would claim that human ghosts had infiltrated the Palace by crawling through view screens of computers, and that they could still be seen to be present in mirrors or reflective surfaces. No one entering the Palace can be allowed to leave, for fear of a human ghost following them. The entire planet is to be quarantined as it is now considered to be "haunted". As of this report, all individuals recorded on this world are assumed to be dead.
With this knowledge, and under the assumption that any attempt to punish the humans for the attacks would simply result in the creation of more ghosts, High Command has ordered the following. All humans, alive or dead, are to be returned immediately to their planet of origin. Further interaction with the human planet of Dirt is to be avoided and prohibited at all costs. All ships known to have interacted with humans in any way are to be sent into quarantine within the human system and scuttled. All military personnel, slavers, or owner of human slaves are to be quarantined if they are suspected to have interacted with a human in any way. If they are found to be free of any ghost activity during a duration of no less than ten years, then they are to be freed. If not they must immediately be sent to the human system and terminated. The human population was be protected from harm at all costs. No exceptions. These requirements are to be followed to the letter, under pain of public evisceration.
The humans are to be left alone and even protected.
We should never have come.
Events described into document can be loosely tied to known historical events of Instance 77D. The planet was indeed attacked and occupied by extra terrestrial life approximately 50 years ago, and the parallel country of the United States of America was indeed destroyed through significant orbit to surface kinetic weaponry. No further evidence of alien presence could be found. However, what may be debris fields were sighted orbiting 0.00000082 AU around the sun. Investigation is not possible at present. Further reports pending.
Author's note : This was a response to a writing prompt on Reddit.