Containment Protocols:
operated from [REDACTED]
I hate to be RPCinemasins here but it is bad practice to include redactions in the containment protocols. The Redaction section of the Writer's Guide explicitly states this.
If RPC-817 is projected to approach the Heliopause (~120 AU)
I would also recommend using footnotes for anything that might be unclear to the average reader. For example, people might not know what a Heliopause is. As a rule, if the reader may need to Google it, use a footnote.
a decoy object with requisite luminosity and perceived thermal energy is to be launched away from the solar system
What does this mean? I know it means that if RPC-817 goes anywhere near the Sun you launch something to make it go away, but the specifics of it are unclear. What is "requisite luminosity and perceived thermal energy?"
Perhaps try:
A "bait" object of sufficient luminosity and thermal energy has been built to attract RPC-817 away from the Solar System in the event it approaches the Heliopause.
Description:
RPC-817 is a large celestial object visually resembling a white dwarf in size, color, and luminosity, currently located within the [REDACTED] star system of the Milky Way.
I feel that this sentence can be split into two, one for its physical description and the other for its location. Also, why is its location redacted? The Milky Way is way too broad for me to visualize exactly where this thing is and its distance from the Solar System. Surely it would have to be quite close for the Authority to get on its tail.
When a body is exposed to the light of RPC-817, it may undergo a three-stage process:
In what range are objects exposed to RPC-817's light? Also, saying an object may undergo a three-stage process implies there's a chance it won't. And if that is your intent, include a probability or something.
Stage 1: Mild luminescence and cooling
Stage 2: Extreme luminescence and cooling
Stage 3: Complete draining of thermal energy, cessation of luminescence
Again, what does this mean? What differentiates mild and extreme luminescence and cooling? How does each stage transition to the next?
RPC-817 selects targets based on perceived thermal activity. Target selection does not necessarily align with the actual thermal activity of objects in its range;
How do we know what RPC-817 perceives?
the selection criteria remain unknown.
Contradictory statement. You just explained the selection criteria.
Propulsion at a maximum of [REDACTED]% the speed of light has been observed.
By redacting how fast this object goes, combined with the previous redaction of its location, you are kneecapping the reader's sense of danger. For all we know it could be travelling very slowly and on the other side of the galaxy, or it could be near Alpha Centauri and hurling at impossible speeds.
Analysis suggests a weak thermal vision, indicating the general area of heat but not the thermal energy of specific bodies.
You could have said this when you were talking about how the object selects its targets.
Thermal extraction ceases after a satiation threshold, leaving RPC-817 in a dormant state.
What is the satiation threshold? What does it mean to be in a dormant state?
Discovery:
Prior to the discovery of RPC-817 Saturn’s moon Pan, exhibited unanomolous levels of geothermal activity. On [REDACTED]/[REDACTED]/1985, Authority telescopes detected anomalous rise in luminosity, followed by a complete cessation of thermal output. After further review, the Authority found RPC-817 to be the source of the anomalous event. All records pertaining to Pan's prior thermal activity are restricted to Authority members Level 2 or higher.
This discovery log is incomplete, and doesn't really add anything new. It doesn't create intrigue and all it says is RPC-817 is the reason Pan doesn't have any geothermal activity or something.
