ONI Contingency RAMSSES

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==1. REVISION HISTORY==
This document created: 25██-12-16
This document last updated: 2558-06-22 
==2. DEFINITIONS==
"Flood"	Common nomenclature for a highly virulent infectious organism encountered numerous times, designated Inferni redivivus by civilian research efforts, and Marker Entity A-194 in ONI documentation and EOPs.
"-ENV" 	Designates assets with access to and training for sealed environmental protective equipment, with a minimum requirement of six (6) hours of continuous kinetic capability when fully sealed and on independent air supply; these include, but are not limited to, EVA-rated assetsFor further clarification on -ENV criteria, see ONI Document PER-CAT-00971.. NB: While de facto compliant with -ENV criteria, SPARTAN assets are designated separately in ONI documentation and EOPs.
==3. BACKGROUND AND SCOPE==
ONI Contingency RAMSSES exists to guard against emergence events involving Marker Entity A194 "Flood", and provide an Emergency Operating Procedure for immediate response in the event of such an occurrence. Expeditions into Forerunner structures have been identified as the primary risk vector for potential emergence events; containment failures at ONI Black Sites [most notably Sites NORTON, WILDE, and REDDINGTON] are a secondary concern. 
Models have predicted total facility loss no longer than ██ minutes after contamination of Black Site clean environments by a single airborne ME-A194 spore, with this window drastically reduced (by a factor of circa 70%) in the event of ME-A194-K "pod" organisms remaining uncontained for any period longer than █ minutesThe loss of the research vessel Mona Lisa in this way directly led to the creation of Procedure RAMSSES.. Similar timeframes have been predicted for infection of field researchers, although the lack of protective assets, oversight and ME-A194 contingency planning in civilian academia makes RAMSSES Events significantly more dangerous and difficult to contain. In these scenarios, planetary population losses become absolute between ██ and ███ (depending on planet, median: 97) hours after first infection of research teams. 
As such, the window for halting an RAMSSES Event is extremely limited. Re-containment is a secondary objective; destruction of infected individuals and other ME-A194 entities is of absolute importance.
==4. EMERGENCY OPERATING PROCEDURE RAMSSES==
===4.1 Escalation Level DELTA===
CRITERIA: 	
*ME-A194 emergence due to containment failure at ONI Black Site.
ACTIONS: 	
*IMMEDIATELY prevent access to and egress from site.
*IMMEDIATELY provide armament to all site personnel able to assist in recontainment.
*IMMEDIATELY activate and mobilise local FLASH-ENV assets for assistance in containmentNote that SOPs mandate ENV-rated security personnel at all Sites hosting ME-A194 specimens, with a surplus of equipment to assist mobilised responders.
*Alert local ONI facilities.
*Alert plausibly deniable SPLASH assets to prepare for site sterilisation in case of containment failure.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES:	
*Elimination of ME-A194 entities (and site personnel if necessary) is to be kept covert where possible.
*Secrecy concerns are partially waived in the case of spaceborne sites, and standard SPLASH assets may be used if available.
*If recontainment is not possible, escalate to RAMSSES-Charlie.
===4.2 Escalation Level CHARLIE===
CRITERIA: 	
*RAMSSES-Delta event not recontained within 40 minutes.
*ME-A194 emergence during excavation of Forerunner ruins.
*ANY other emergence risking exposure of civilian populations.
ACTIONS: 	
*IMMEDIATELY deploy all local FLASH assets to emergence site.
**Assets are tasked with destruction and sterilisation of emergence site.
**If such assets are not immediately available, UNSC assistance is to be sought under terms of Emergency Contact Protocol UPSILON.
**Following this, assets and/or local UNSC forces are to sweep area and destroy any infected organisms.
*IMMEDIATELY mobilise all planetside FLASH and SPLASH assets to prepare for potential escalation.
*Alert all planetside kinetic assets.
*Alert all planetside ONI sites.
*Prepare all ONI facilities for potential escalation to EOP BABYLON and resultant network balkanisation.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES:	
*Civilian infrastructure and communications networks are to be considered insecure at this time.
*Thermobaric munitions preferred for site sterilisation.
*Low-yield nuclear weapons and MAC bombardment may be used if sterilisation of a larger area is necessary.
*Restrictions on other NBC weaponry remain in place, but may be withdrawn at the discretion of local Directors.
*Restrictions on experimental/upstream weaponry and Forerunner-derived technology remain in place.
*FLASH- and SPLASH-ENV assets strongly preferred for sweep-and-destroy units.
**SPARTAN, ODST and other UNSC units with equivalent status may also be suitable, if available under ECP UPSILON.
**If SPARTAN assets are infected or otherwise lost at any point, immediately proceed to Escalation Level Bravo, declare CORRUPTER situation and initiate sterilisation of the area.
===4.3 Escalation Level BRAVO===
CRITERIA: 	
*RAMSSES-Delta event not recontained within 6 hours.
*Loss of contact with ONI assets during RAMSSES-Charlie response operations.
*ME-A194 infection reaching civilian population centers.
*Confirmed reports of ME-A194 spread via planetary transport networks.
ACTIONS: 	
*IMMEDIATELY alert HIGHCOM, request UNSC-wide declaration of ECP UPSILON.
*IMMEDIATELY activate and mobilise all planetside kinetic assets. 
**Assets are to evacuate ONI-, UNSC- and UEG-critical (in that order) personnel and materiel.
**If evacuation is deemed unfeasible, assets are to provide assistance to UNSC and local forces.
*DECOMMISSION and evacuate all planetside ONI facilities. 
**NO abandon-in-place orders are to be followed, regardless of issuing personnel. 
*Begin for replacement of Smart AIs in security-critical positions within ONISuch as ship control or database management. with Dumb AIs or non-heuristic control systems.
*Execute EOP BABYLON against local Waypoint and Chatternet communication nodes.
*Enact local martial law.
*Enact local no-fly order against planetary and interplanetary travel, enforced with local ONI spaceborne assets.
*Infected population centres are to be sterilised via nuclear bombardment.
*Request assistance from all human and allied non-human polities.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES:	
*Civilian infrastructure and communications networks are to be considered as ME-A194 threat vectors at this time.
*All restrictions on NBC weaponry and MAC bombardment withdrawn.
*Restrictions on Forerunner-derived and otherwise experimental/upstream technology remain in place, but may be withdrawn at the discretion of Field Officers.
*Restrictions on Forerunner technology remain in place.
===4.4 Escalation Level ALPHA===
CRITERIA: 	
*RAMSSES-Bravo event not halted for a period of 72 hours or greater.
*Confirmed or suspected breaches of RAMSSES-Bravo no-fly orders.
*Confirmed or suspected reports of ME-A194 spread off-world.
ACTIONS: 	
*IMMEDIATELY alert all UNSC and UEG agencies.
*IMMEDIATELY activate and mobilise all assets, regardless of cover or status.
*IMMEDIATELY order the replacement of Smart AIs in security-critical positions within the UEG and UNSCSuch as ship control, database management, communications networks, physical infrastructure, industrial operations, and military or civilian logistics. by Dumb AIs or non-heuristic control systems.
**In case of significant resistance to Smart AI decommissioning, EOP DAEDRA is to be executed without delay.
*Execute EOP BABYLON against all civilian and non-hardened UNSC communications nodes.
*Request UEG-wide martial law.
*Request UEG-wide protective curfew for all civilians.
*Enact UEG-wide no-fly order against all interplanetary and interstellar travel, enforced with UNSC assets.
*Upon discovery of infection of major population centres on a planet, surface is to be sterilised via saturation orbital nuclear bombardment, utilising UNSC assets.
*Request assistance from all human and non-human polities. Sleeper agents may be used to coerce said polities to assist.
*Request access to and deployment of NOVA munitions by UNSC forces.
RESPONSE GUIDELINES:	
*ALL RESTRICTIONS ON FORCE AUTHORISATION WITHDRAWN.
==5. ADDENDA==
 
===5.1 Documentation Dissemination===
This document and its supplementary materials are required reading for:
*Directors, Assistant Directors, Research Leads and Security personnel at ONI Black Sites housing ME-A194 specimens.
*Embedded agents within or liaising civilian archaeological teams.
*Embedded agents within population centres on worlds with known or suspected Forerunner structures.
In the event of a suspected RAMSSES-Delta (or above) event, this document and its supplementary materials will be provided to:
*Directors, Assistant Directors, and Security personnel at all ONI Black Sites.
*All personnel at ONI Black Sites housing ME-A194 specimens.
*Embedded agents within or liaising with civilian archaeological teams.
*All assets on worlds with known or suspected Forerunner structures.
Further dissemination may follow, dependent on escalation.
This document cleared for disclosure to UNSC HIGHCOM liaisons.
 
===5.2 Further Information===
Projections for the results of Black Site containment failure modelled by [ONI.000.AI_IRE-1127-4]. The results of a typical simulated breach are attached to this document as supplementary material. Information on simulation methodologies is available on request by personnel of COBALT clearance or higher.
Further information on ME-A194, including archival records of previous RAMSSES Events, is restricted to personnel with INDIGO clearance or higher. Exceptions for personnel with COBALT clearance or higher may be made upon request from Executive Director S. Walker.
Parts of this procedure are based on information and historical documents provided by Marker Group A004-B "Swords of Sanghelios". However, no portion of this document has been shared to any Marker Group to date.
===5.3 Footnotes===
<THIS DOCUMENT IS PROTECTED BY THE OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT OF 2550, AND MAY ONLY BE DISSEMINATED AS DESCRIBED WITHIN OR PERMITTED BY ONI DAIS-D.>
<UNATHORISED DISCLOSURE IS A CAPITAL OFFENCE.>