Operation Hippodrome - SCP Foundation

Report on Operation Hippodrome

Stigma-9

Preamble: Given SCP-████'s combination of both religious and technological iconography, and given GOI-004's ("The Church of the Broken God") status as an eclectic religion with motifs similar to Christianity and Gnosticism (and, to a lesser extent, Judaism), the GOI-004 Security Committee has authorized a psychological warfare effort using falsified findings about SCP-████ to destabilize GOI-004. The GOI-004 Security Committee hopes that by presenting GOI-004 with distorted information about SCP-████ the Foundation will be able to covertly spread a belief system at odds with GOI-004's current dogma.

It is expected that with sustained effort from the Foundation, a disinformation campaign relating to SCP-████ can exacerbate the internal disagreements and conflicts known to exist within GOI-0041 weakening its membership base and making it easier for the Foundation to interfere with any of its activities in the future.

In brief: the Foundation is attempting to present SCP-████ to GOI-004 as an object of interest to the group, but of extraterrestrial origin as opposed to something crafted or a part of any kind of divine being. This will call into question the origins of the group's other artifacts, leading to the perception that GOI-004 is merely a cargo cult for extraterrestrial artifacts with no theological substance.

Forward: Operation Hippodrome was an attempt to communicate misinformation about SCP-████ to GOI-004 by allowing GOI-004 to temporarily seize a replica of SCP-████, modified to suit the aesthetics of known GOI-004 artifacts, and related documents prepared by the Foundation's psychological warfare department. In order to accomplish this, the Foundation coordinated with the Canadian government to construct Provisional Site 324 to house the replica of SCP-████ under the cover of establishing the South Canadian Prospectors mining company in Ontario, Canada.

The Foundation Internal Security Department had previously identified several GOI-004 moles within the Foundation and was able to manipulate the information these moles had access to. In preparation for Operation Hippodrome these moles were fed false intelligence about Provisional Site 324 and the alleged SCP object being stored there.

To support Operation Hippodrome's true goal, reconnaissance elements of MTF Stigma-9 ("Evolved from Naturally Occurring Gears, Levers and Pulleys") were present around Provisional Site 324 for the purpose of observing and tracking any GOI-004 units that were able to retrieve the SCP-████ decoy. The MTF Stigma-9 elements onsite were under orders not to engage any GOI-004 forces unless there was strong evidence that Operation Hippodrome was in jeopardy. As an emergency precaution, a platoon of MTF Stigma-9 combat personnel was also kept on standby near Provisional Site 324 to prevent the tactical situation from escalating beyond the Foundation's control or in case GOI-004 attempted to permanently seize Provisional Site 324.

Provisional Site 324: Provisional Site 324 was established away from civilian population centers to house the recreation of SCP-████, as well as a specially-made chamber for temporarily holding SCP-███. SCP-███ is known to be tracked through anomalous methods by GOI-004, and its presence at Provisional Site 324 was believed to reinforce the deception that the recreation of SCP-████ was of interest to GOI-004. SCP-███ was transported to Provisional Site 324 and housed in a chamber plated with panels made of compound ADAMASTOS-072. It was believed that the ADAMASTOS-07 paneling would shield whatever method GOI-004 was able to use to detect SCP-███ until Operation Hippodrome was ready to begin.

At the time of Operation Hippodrome, Provisional Site 324 was staffed with a security force under strength relative to normal Site security detachments. Certain Site systems were also sabotaged or weakened prior to the operation in order to ensure that GOI-004 would capture the facility. All members of the security detachment were volunteers who agreed to amnestic treatments in order to maintain their cover. The volunteers were offered generous monetary compensation if they survived and an increased life insurance package if they did not.

Operational Timeline:

12:00 23/02: SCP-████ decoy in place inside Provisional Site 324. ADAMASTOS-07 paneling around SCP-███'s chamber removed.

14:18 23/02: MTF Stigma-9 reconnaissance units detect several drones of recognized GOI-004 manufacture observing Provisional Site 324 disguised as local wildlife. MTF Stigma-9 units remain concealed.

18:36 23/02: MTF Stigma-9 reconnaissance units detect several armed groups of GOI-004 personnel moving towards Provisional Site 324. Per operational directives, reconnaissance units remain purely observational.

18:45 23/02: Provisional Site 324 comes under attack from GOI-004 members. Site security is unable to withstand the attack and Provisional Site 324 is breached. Casualties remain within acceptable limits.

20:23 23/02: GOI-004 support vehicles arrive at Provisional Site 324 and GOI-004 members begin preparing the SCP-████ decoy for transport.

21:02 23/02: GOI-004 members depart from Provisional Site 324 with the SCP-████ decoy. SCP-███ remains undiscovered by GOI-004 members and its chamber is automatically sealed with ADAMASTOS-07 paneling. MTF Stigma-9 reconnaissance elements remain undetected and follow the GOI-004 members transporting the SCP-████ decoy back to GOI-004's local base of operations.3

23:16 23/02: MTF Stigma-9 reconnaissance elements discover GOI-004's local base of operations and observe GOI-004 taking custody of the SCP-████ replica. GOI-004's base of operations is revealed to be a mining complex belonging to the Canadian Oil & Bitumen Group on the outskirts of the Temagami Magnetic Anomaly. Reconnaissance elements remain in position while MTF Stigma-9 assault units are prepared and a plan of action is developed.

08:00 24/02: SCP-███ is returned to its designated containment unit.

13:00 24/02: MTF Stigma-9 combat personnel launch an assault on the mining complex with support from the reconnaissance elements already in position. The assault units are able to secure the first two underground levels of the mining complex and the assault commander calls for the designated support vehicles so that retrieval of the SCP-████ replica can begin.

13:47 24/02: Casualties are moderate but MTF Stigma-9 is able to retrieve the SCP-████ replica before the deception is discovered, despite the appearance of significant GOI-004 reinforcements from deeper in the mine.

16:59 24/02: The convoy carrying the SCP-████ replica is ambushed by GOI-004 forces en route to Site-███. MTF Stigma-9 reserves are rushed to the scene and are able to drive off the assailants. Casualties remain within acceptable limits.

18:00 24/02: The SCP-████ decoy is returned to Foundation custody and disposed of. Analysis of the remains of Provisional Site 324 indicate that GOI-004 seized the falsified documents relating to SCP-████. Operation Hippodrome is declared a success.

Afterword: Operation Hippodrome succeeded in its objective of convincing GOI-004 that the SCP-████ replica was significantly important enough to attempt to acquire it. Given the efforts expended by both GOI-004 and the Foundation, it is predicted that GOI-004 will treat the information it has recovered as genuine. Assuming that the GOI-004 Security Committee's predictions are correct the fabricated evidence retrieved with the replica of SCP-████ will result in further theological disputes within GOI-004 as each sect attempts to fit this supposed new artifact into their existing theology.

The theologians and psychological warfare experts consulted by the GOI-004 Security Committee agree that this one action will not be enough to disprove GOI-004's belief system in the eyes of its adherents and should not be expected to do so. A more realistic goal is for the opportunity created by Operation Hippodrome to result in the destabilization of GOI-004 and its splinter factions. This will require continuous, careful exploitation and reinforcement over a period of at least several months in order to continue exacerbating existing animosities within GOI-004. Plans are currently being developed to place Foundation intelligence assets within GOI-004 to continue evolving and spreading the alleged mythology around SCP-████. MTF Stigma-9 has been permanently assigned to oversee this task.

The Foundation is currently treating the Canadian Oil & Bitumen Group as an extension of GOI-004 and is preparing steps to neutralize it in approximately two weeks. It is theorized that this time window will be sufficient for the falsified information about SCP-████ to spread through GOI-004.

The reason for GOI-004's interest in the Temagami Magnetic Anomaly remains unknown at this time, but it is hoped that the seizure of Canadian Oil & Bitumen Group assets will shed some light on this detail.

Footnotes

1. See documentation relating to GOI-004B "The Cogwork Orthodox Church" and GOI-004C "The Church of Maxwellism"

2. See specifications in "Developing A Means Of Shielding Against Anomalous Emissions By Employing Alloys Derived From Studies of SCP-148" by E F Buer, PhD.

3. The fact that the GOI-004 assailants did not react to moving the SCP-████ replica out of SCP-███'s presumed area of detection indicates that GOI-004 field teams do not have immediate access to whatever means allowed them to detect the location of SCP-███.