The K-Factor

In a future where societies are measured by complex equations, Neel Sidorak is a bright but uneasy apprentice of the legendary, drug‑preserved scholar Abravanel. When the ancient master warns that an entire planet may be slipping beyond the reach of their predictive models, Neel is thrust into a high‑stakes mission: verify the alarming data and find a way to keep a world from vanishing. The dialogue between the two men reveals a clash of faith and skepticism, as Abravanel insists that his discipline—Societics—depends on observation and flexible rules rather than cold precision.

Tasked with a covert survey of the troubled world of Himmel, Neel must navigate political sensitivities, a mysterious “K‑factor” that governs cultural stability, and his own doubts about the ethics of interfering with another culture’s fate. Along the way, old classmates reappear, and the delicate balance between war, peace, and survival becomes the central puzzle he must solve.