The K-factor

When young Societist Neel is summoned by the legendary Abravanel to investigate a troubling shift on the planet Himmel, he is thrust into a mission where the science of society becomes a weapon in the struggle to control war itself. Abravanel's lesson is stark: Societics is not a perfect science, but a disciplined way of reading human behavior, measuring instability, and guarding civilization against collapse. That lesson grows more dangerous when Neel is paired with Adao Costa, a former classmate he distrusts and a UN observer with Interpol ties, and sent into a covert survey that could alter the balance of power across Earth's far-flung worlds. On Himmel, Neel and Costa race to confirm the planet's positive k-factor, the sign that conflict is dangerously close to ignition. As they uncover nationalist agitation, secret police interference, and a compromised operator, the mission turns from analysis to sabotage, then to assassination. Rain-soaked landings, hidden equipment, a bomb, and a brutal chase through police searchlights drive the tension toward a final grim choice: if one warmonger cannot be stopped by evidence, he may have to be stopped by force. This taut science-fiction thriller blends political intrigue, hard-edged systems thinking, and the moral cost of preventing war. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.