Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

SIMULATIONS - Threat Assessment of Paragon

Dunamen envoys have a strict code of ethics. The five directives were volunteered by Paragon and confirmed by Narine.

Preserve Planetary Integrity — Intervene only to prevent extinction-level threats or irreversible planetary collapse. Do not alter the natural, political, or technological trajectory of a world.

Maintain Political Neutrality — Do not assume leadership, favor factions, or endorse regimes. Peacekeeping must not become governance.

Minimize Cultural Disruption — Respect native customs, beliefs, and societal structures. Withhold Dunamen knowledge or technology that may destabilize local development.

Report and Submit to Oversight — Remain in contact with superiors. Submit all interventions, anomalies, and shifts in personal alignment for review.

Safeguard Against Subjugation — Should a dominant force threaten to enslave or extinguish planetary autonomy—whether alien, internal, or interdimensional—protect sentient life by any means necessary.

Emmett's voice came through the intercom. "Do you really think Paragon would see the Resistance as a threat and not the Brotherhood or the Menagerie?"

"The Brotherhood is already making strides against the Menagerie. And the Brotherhood has government backing. Midas is pulling all the strings now and he can be..."

"Manipulative."

"I was going to say 'persuasive'. But it doesn't matter. We need to plan for the worst-case scenario. That's Paragon."

Emmett said, "TINA showed me the other simulations. It doesn't matter if the entire world joined forces against him, Paragon still comes out on top or Earth was uninhabitable. ...But you didn't have data on the new reactor or your new suit."

"We'll run simulations on the reactor, but the suit is a dead end. Turns out, having a human inside is a significant weakness that no amount of technology can change."

Emmett started to say something but stopped.

QUERY: What is the projected power output of an antimatter reactor?

LOADING SIMULATIONS...

ERROR: INSUFFICIENT DATA — Average output and maximum output unknown.

Venture said, "We'll come back to that after next week's tests..."

QUERY: What is the projected interaction between antimatter and reality warping?

LOADING SIMULATIONS...

[Simulation Paused]

Venture asked, "What is it, TINA?"

INTERCEPTED COMMUNICATION — OFF-WORLD VECTOR DETECTED

PARAGON AND UNKNOWN SPEAKER

VIDEO ERROR — AUDIO ONLY

"It's a little early for your report, envoy."

"Forgive me, Chancellor, for not making a formal request, but time is limited, and this falls under the Subjugation clause."

"Is this in regards to—"

UNAVAILABLE — DATA CORRUPTED

Paragon replied, "—it hasn't gotten better. If anything, things are getting worse. There's no end to it. The humans tear each other apart over borders, resources, and even water rights now. One war bleeds into the next. Each 'victory' just leads to escalation...

"The Binary Brotherhood's offering peace. And yes, it's a peace with a price. But if subjugation is what it takes to stop the bleeding, then maybe it's better for humanity than this slow collapse."

4.7 SECONDS OF SILENCE

"I'll take this before the committee, but this seems cut and dry. If servitude was their true intention all along, then we should've usurped them from the start—"

UNAVAILABLE — DATA CORRUPTED

"Chancellor, the Deep Ones were a special case... Cohabitation was unlikely. It wasn't a choice I made lightly—"

"I read the report."

"I chose humanity because they still have the potential to be more. But they're burning that potential faster than I can preserve it."

UNAVAILABLE — DATA CORRUPTED

"If that's what you think is best, Chancellor. I'll continue supporting the Brotherhood and await your arrival."

END OF TRANSMISSION

"Shit," Venture muttered.

"Like you said, it doesn't matter. What kind of force are they going to bring?"

TINA replied, "The standard Dunamen supplemental force is anywhere between two hundred to five hundred agents."

Emmett asked, "How do they compare to Paragon?"

Venture said, "They're all Class 5."

"But are they stronger or weaker compared to him? What powersets are common?"

Venture chuckled. "You never did know when to run."

"It's too late to start now."

Venture replied, "We don't have much information on Dunamen society as a whole, but TINA will send you everything we've got. There's a more important question we need to answer."

QUERY: What is the projected arrival of the Dunamen ship?

LOADING SIMULATIONS...

The nearest Dunamen controlled sector is 17 light-years away. Factoring in planetary orbits, alignment, and known warp gates.

RESULTS:

Earliest physical arrival of reinforcements: 6 standard months.

Venture sighed. "Well, at least we have our timeline."

~ ~ ~

AUTHOR NOTE

That's a wrap for book 6! Next week we're going into the finale'...

Book 7

Singularity