Content Advisory Warning
Dear readers,
Please be advised that this article is not for the faint of heart!
Besides being extremely looooong, this article makes use of elements such as BLOOD, SEVERE VIOLENCE, DEATH, and mild offensive language. Stay safe!!
Best regards,
- Kai and Boi
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ENIGMATIC-CLASS ENTITY: THE SUN OVER THE VOID
Security Clearance:
CLASSIFIED
Security Protocol:
The information within this document shall be withheld from any and all M.E.G. documentation, correspondence, and personnel with Security Clearance RESTRICTED or lower. The Sun over the Void shall be referred to exclusively by the designation 'Entity Σ', in all unavoidable documentation/correspondence without such clearance.
Security Justification:
This document is a compilation of all findings from M.E.G. Project Σ-257. The Project was established to conduct research into the Sun Over the Void, until its recent termination by Emergency Directive Σ-257-9.
This document remains confidential to avoid unnecessary public interest in Entity Σ and prevent mass hysteria. The Entity possesses cataclysmic destructive capabilities, as well as a poorly understood liminospatial link to Level 11 and the Perdition Exclusion Zone. Should wanderers encounter the Entity, knowledge of its true nature greatly increases the risk of provocation. This file will not be released to public view unless the Entity becomes an immediate threat to the wider populace.
1. Description:
Photograph of the entity taken by drone 'Vega-7' from Megaflora’s roots.
The entity known as the Sun over the Void takes the form of a sentient white star, around which the eponymous tree of Enigmatic Level Megaflora orbits at approximately two billion miles.
In addition to visible light, the Sun emits a constant barrage of lethal electromagnetic waves termed 'Sigma radiation'. It is this which gives sunlight on Megaflora its characteristically deadly quality. Direct exposure to Sigma radiation is known to flash burn and/or melt flesh, machinery, and any other form of matter not native to the level itself.
The Sun harbors a mind with intellect bordering on omniscience, and a blistering malevolence beyond human understanding. Communication with this entity is to be avoided at all costs.
2. Astronomy:
2. Astronomy:1
While astronomical data of the Sun may interest research personnel, they are not the focus of this report. They may be summarized as such:
Stellar specifications
Star type: Dwarf (main sequence)
Spectral type (M-K class): A8V…
Radius: 1.11x106 km (6.9x105 miles)
B-V color index: 0.20 (white)
Satellite orbital data (Megaflorean tree)
Orbit type: Tidally locked
Orbit distance: 3.2x109 km (2.0x109 miles)
Apparent size: 0.12Sol2
Unlike Megaflora’s tree, the gravitational field of the Sun does not display extranormal properties. Gravitational readings from drones sent into the Void accord naturally with modern Physics, being consistent with the expected readings for a star of such size and distance. This is useful for precise calculations needed in drone expeditions across the Void.
The entity's chemical/biological composition is unknown — though it is thought to consist primarily of a dense plasma of gaseous Hydrogen and Helium, as with any ordinary star. Complete spectroscopic analysis remains a challenge due to the aggressively destructive nature of the Sun's radiation.
Notably, no other stars have been observed within the Void space of Level Megaflora.
2.1 Sigma Radiation
An experimental exploration suit, after exposure to Sigma radiation. The material instantly caught fire and disintegrated.
Research has indicated that the Sun produces massive quantities of radiation at extraordinarily high frequencies. M.E.G. researchers have given this range of frequencies the term "Sigma radiation" (from which the entity's present designation is derived).
More precisely, as a form of ultra-high-energy Gamma ray radiation, Sigma radiation consists of frequencies ranging between approximately 7.9x1026 Hz to 2.0x1032 Hz (i.e. photon energies 3200MeV to 830PeV). This far exceeds the frequency range of the highest-energy cosmic emissions ever detected in the Frontrooms. Furthermore, while such emissions have only been detected from Earth in incredibly faint traces, more than 65% of the Sun's emissions appear to consist of Sigma radiation. The means by which a single star sustains such a staggering energy output is entirely unknown.
Graph illustrating spectral irradiance (quantity of light emitted) over frequency. Not to scale.
Photons of Sigma radiation possess sufficient energy to penetrate, irradiate, and ionize even the densest chemical elements. Accordingly, almost all known matter instantly begins to disintegrate under direct sunlight in Level Megaflora. This makes Sigma radiation nearly impossible to analyze with scientific instruments made of regular matter. The light is likewise biologically lethal — even momentary exposure is enough to insantly kill an adult human being. All M.E.G. experiments to fabricate protective suits failed spectacularly, with every prototype material instantly conflagrating upon exposure.
Despite this, all naturally occurring matter found on Megaflora's tree itself appears impervious to the effects of Sigma radiation. While the cause of this remarkable property remains unclear, researchers have hypothesized that — by some unidentified extranormal process — endemic matter absorbs all Sigma radiation received, either storing the energy or discharging it as infra-red radiation to produce heat. The tree of Megaflora consequently acts as a 'radiation shield' of some kind, allowing Wanderers to travel under its shade with relative safety. This would also account for Megaflora's ability to maintain a habitable surface temperature, despite its small atmosphere and great distance from the Sun.
Megaflora’s organic material cannot withstand the wear-and-tear of regular movement (especially in a densely forested environment), and are thus unsuitable for hermetically-sealed exploration suits. However, M.E.G. researchers have successfully used it to craft radiation-proof coatings for research equipment. This has enabled satellite drones and surveillance cameras to be permanently deployed within Level Megaflora, allowing the entity to be monitored and studied remotely.
On 10/25/2018, a drone was deployed within Megaflora for the first time. The enclosed Experiment Log is a fitting demonstration of the power of Sigma radiation.
2.2 Bubble Portals
A photograph of a bubble, taken from a drone on Megaflora. The Level to which it leads is not known. Note the emanated light beam, as well as the absence of stars in the void.
Drone and camera footage of the Void has revealed multiple translucent, spherical 'bubbles' orbiting the Sun at extremely high velocities. It is not known whether these bubbles are components of the entity itself, or exist as separate objects entirely.
Surveillance footage over several years indicates that the bubbles seem to be in stable and unchanging orbits, and remain constant in size. The bubbles also appear 'tethered' to the Sun by focused beams of light. Gravitational data demonstrates that the bubbles have no measurable gravitational effect at all, suggesting that they are functionally massless.
Illustration of bubble with 'light beam'. Light beam remains tethered to the bubble even when line-of-sight with the Sun is broken.
Footage of bubbles has been captured from above the canopy of the main tree body (i.e. 'underneath' the inverted tree, out of the Sun's light). Interestingly, within such footage, the light beam of any bubble observed continues to remain visible at all times, despite the crown of the tree breaking line-of-sight between the bubble and the Sun. The beam is even observed making contact with the canopy line. Such findings suggest that the light beams proceed from the bubbles towards the Entity, and not, as initially believed, the other way around.
All documented bubbles have been recorded in the following table.
| S/N | Estimated radius (km•miles) | Level depicted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 69,900•43,400 | 790 |
| 2 | 31,200•19,400 | Enigmatic 'The Gift Plane' |
| 3 | 54,900•34,100 | Undocumented |
| 4 | 62,400•38,800 | 150 |
| 5 | 42,800•26,600 | 998 |
| 6 | 56,200•34,900 | 11 |
| 7 | 71,100•44,200 | Enigmatic 'If man is still alive' |
| 8 | Undetermined3 | 9 |
| 9 | Undetermined (Insufficient data) | Undocumented |
Footage also revealed images of other levels extranormally depicted across the bubbles' translucent surfaces. Comparison of months of footage suggested that the image reflected within each bubble never changes. In conjunction with low liminal stability readings, the images strongly led researchers to believe that the bubbles each function as a stable — though nigh impossible to reach — entrance to a single level.
On occasion, bubbles 3 and 6, as listed, have been known to pass quite closely (about 110km/70miles) over the canopy line. Bubble 6 was eventually chosen as the most viable candidate for approach, given the proximity of a portion of its orbit to Megaflora's canopy line. Initially, drones attempted to reach the bubbles using Object 4, but this method of approach proved unviable. The use of an entirely unmanned drone-satellite hybrid was later explored instead, with some degree of success.
Reports of the drone experiments have been included for reference below.
3. Behavior:
Since Level Megaflora's discovery, returning explorers have been known to make vague and conflicting claims of the Sun's sapience. Accounts generally allege that the Sun is "alive", hostile, and capable of communication by verbal speech.
Just before I phased back out, it laughed and said it could see me. It was creepy.
It just kept screaming, and screaming, and screaming. It didn’t stop, the whole time I was in the level. The noise was horrifying; it was like I could feel its pain with every atom of my body. By the end, I wanted to rip off my ears and end myself.
Two separate explorers' accounts of the Sun's voice. Both have been provided anonymously.
In initial investigations, wanderers were unable to provide audio evidence to corroborate these claims — which are furthermore impossible by the laws of modern physics.6 Accordingly, audio from surveillance devices within the level only returned ambient forest noises, displaying no abnormalities of any kind. The phenomenon was at first believed to be a neuro-auditory hallucination, somehow produced by Level Megaflora’s alien environment. As a result, the possibility of sentience was initially dismissed, and the Sun over the Void was preliminarily logged within internal archives as an Extranormal Object.
However, as investigation progressed, evidence of intelligent behavior gradually emerged. Research has now confirmed the Sun over the Void’s sapience with certainty.
Communication with Entity Σ is to be avoided at all costs.
3.1 Ejection of Light Bodies
On date 25/1/2020, immediately following Flight Experiment 4 (deployment of 'Arcturus-3'), camera footage observed several thousand discrete luminous objects ejected from the Sun's surface. These bodies were minute compared to the Sun (estimated to vary considerably between 2m/65ft to 50m/164ft in length). Upon ejection, the bodies were observed hurtling outwards, away from the Sun, at velocities close to the speed of light. Over the course of two to three weeks, most of the light bodies dissipated, dimming over time and eventually fading from existence.
Freeze-frame from Cam-07. A light body (circled) is caught entering the bubble portal.
Intriguingly, footage from one surveillance camera later captured one of the last few surviving light bodies apparently "entering" a bubble portal. The body appeared to hover for a moment in front of the bubble, before flying through the bubble’s apparent surface, and vanishing from view. Most remarkably, within frame-by-frame analysis of the camera footage, the body of light appeared humanoid in shape. Given the admittedly sub-par quality of the footage, pareidolia could not be ruled out.
Even so, the findings were later corroborated by a report of the bizarre Level 9 incident, where a Wanderer survived an encounter with an undocumented entity — strongly believed to be an instance of a light body.
The report has been included here for reference.
3.2 Radio Transmissions
In late April of 2021, several radio transmissions were received directly from the Sun itself. The exchanges immediately resulted in its reclassification as an Enigmatic Entity.
4. Solar Flare Event:
Zoomed in photographs taken by drone Ryloth-12 of the solar flares. The photographs were taken three days before the devastating CME.
Image captured from Cam-10 moments before the catastrophic solar flare decimates the surface of Megaflora.
On date 5/1/2021, footage from surveillance drone satellites 'Tauri-5', 'Vega-7' and 'Ryloth-12' displayed abnormally powerful solar flares erupting on the surface of the Sun. This appeared to coincide with the 'explosion' event at the end of the final transmission. As flares are a common occurrence in ordinary stars, the significance of the event was not recognized until eight days later, when a devastating coronal mass ejection (CME) slammed into Megaflora’s surface, obliterating almost all surveillance equipment and instantly killing all personnel within the level.
4.1 Cause and immediate aftermath
Researchers speculate that the entity’s intense aggravation towards the end of the final transmission induced increased magnetic activity within the interior of the star. This exerted unnatural stress on tangled solar arcades, precipitating magnetic reconnection and releasing the observed solar flares.
Alongside the solar flares, powerful CMEs were also produced — ejections of massive quantities of radioactive particles and electromagnetic energy into the Void — one of which collided directly into Megaflora. Though the tree is able to withstand Sigma radiation, it is not impervious to all electromagnetic emissions. The tree’s unusually low atmosphere (averaging ~200m or 650 feet from its surface) provides minimal atmospheric shielding, leaving its surface vulnerable to bombardment by cosmic radiation. As a result, the solar ejecta effectively enveloped one face of the tree’s surface, causing widespread devastation across its exterior comparable to the simultaneous detonation of several hundred thermonuclear bombs.
4.2 Loss of personnel
Two months prior to the solar flare event, permanent M.E.G. research outpost "Biosphere" had been completed on Megaflora, housing a total of 72 M.E.G. and B.P.C. personnel. The incoming CME was detected only ten minutes before impact, and evacuation of outpost Biosphere commenced immediately.
However, less than two minutes after evacuation orders, 58 of the 72 deployed personnel found themselves instantaneously and involuntarily transported into Level 4 without explanation. It is not known what — or who — rescued these personnel from the impending calamity.
All of the remaining 14 personnel within Megaflora occupied high-profile research and leadership positions within the M.E.G., and included all members of Σ-257's Supervising committee (apart from Auxiliary Researcher Sada). Of these 14 personnel, none are known to have survived.
Following months of search efforts, only one of the fourteen bodies was recovered. Much of the remains were severely irradiated and charred beyond recognition, requiring DNA analysis for identification. Autopsies indicated that the victim suffered fourth-degree burns which would have resulted in instant death, with a minimum absorbed radiation dose of around 10,000 Gy. Missing personnel likely received even larger doses, and were possibly vaporized by heat or exposure to Sigma radiation.
The defunct Project Σ-257 has been known for its exceptionally high casualty rate. Apart from the major incidents documented above, countless personnel were lost to local wildlife, accidental exposure to Sigma radiation, and other factors.
The following list remembers not only the 14 personnel who died in the Solar Flare Event, but all those who lost their lives in the Σ-257 Project.
4.3 Loss of Assets
In addition to the loss of personnel, the solar flare event resulted in the complete destruction of M.E.G. Research Outpost Biosphere. Invaluable B.P.C. research documents on Megaflorean wildlife and extremely expensive M.E.G. drone satellite prototypes contained within were lost.
Much of the research supplies in Outpost Biosphere were obtained with much difficulty from locations such as Level 3.1 and Level 420, and included state-of-the-art scientific instruments. The total financial loss is estimated at approximately 20 million BSC.9
Although none of the surveillance cameras survived the event, several remote drone satellites had been launched into the Void, following the success of Arcturus-3. Many remain functional within the Level and are still in service, continually monitoring the entity for further solar activity.
| Drone designation | Status |
|---|---|
| Polaris-1 | Launch failure (refer to Flight_Experiment_01.txt) |
| Leo-2 | Launch failure (refer to Flight_Experiment_03.txt) |
| Arcturus-3 | Launch success; not recovered HIGHER CLEARANCE REQUIRED |
| Orion-4 | Active |
| Tauri-5 | Active |
| Centauri-6 | Destroyed by CME |
| Vega-7 | Destroyed by CME |
| Gemini-8 | Active |
| Hercules-9 | Destroyed by CME |
| Alderaan-10 | Destroyed by CME |
| Bespin-11 | Active |
| Ryloth-12 | Active |
| Malachor-13 | Destroyed by CME |
| Yavin-14 | Active |
| Felucia-15 | Destroyed by CME |
| Kamino-16 | Destroyed by CME |
| Eridanus-17 | Destroyed by CME |
| Sanghelios-18 | Active |
| Jared-19 | Destroyed by CME, days before launch |
| Urdak-20 | Destroyed by CME, never deployed |
| Nekravol-21 | HIGHER CLEARANCE REQUIRED |
4.4 Additional effects
Despite the extent of destruction sustained, the level’s ecosystem regenerated astoundingly quickly after the event. As little as 10 hours following the CME, retrieval teams noted that flora was beginning to regrow. Fauna such as deer, squirrels and boars were also observed, though it is not known how they managed to survive.
Approximately nine days after initial flare observation, an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) radiated across the surface of Level 11, causing the temporary failure of electronic systems within M.E.G. Base Beta. The origin of the EMP could not be determined, and it is not known if the occurrence is correlated with the solar flare.
With respect to the Sun itself, findings suggest that the entity has entered a "dormant" state following the flare emissions. Footage from surviving drones indicates that the entity seemed to have shrunk extranormally following the loss of coronal mass. Quantities of measurable radiation (i.e. excluding sigma radiation) have permanently dipped since initial flare observation.
It is not known how long the Sun will remain in this state. Regardless, the M.E.G. will conduct no further research into the Sun Over the Void.
EMERGENCY DIRECTIVE: 𝚺-257-9
Date: 6/10/2021
This is Auxiliary Researcher Sada. Following Oversight Council discussion, and as the last surviving member of the Project's Supervising committee, I hereby announce the IMMEDIATE TERMINATION OF PROJECT Σ-257. Furthermore, until further notice is given, the M.E.G. strictly prohibits all manned exploration of Level Megaflora.
On behalf of leadership, I would like to apologize for the outcome of this Project. I am fully aware that under certain members of the Supervising committee (who are no longer with us), working conditions were… suboptimal. I have spoken to the Oversight Council, and they have agreed to discuss measures to prevent such negligence from occurring again.
Despite the circumstances, I am well aware of the breakthroughs with many of our findings. I know there’s been a lot of work going into this, and that some of us may be disappointed at the Project's termination. But looking at the casualty count, we simply cannot in good conscience let this continue. We’ve all seen what that thing is capable of.
Some things just aren't meant for us to know. And based on what we've heard, some things are best left damn well alone.
— Sada