"Ah. ... Think she's hiding behind the Moon?"

"That would be entirely within the realm of possibility." Alexandria doesn't mention Clairvoyant because: other people.

...well it is now time for the Tinker in residence to brag! Brag using words like 'titanium alloy' and such, about how this telescope could withstand being thrown at the Moon, yadda yadda. Basically it's really really strong and holds up pretty well in a vacuum.

"Excellent. So how does everyone feel about putting this in space with some doodads that make navigation easier and having it orbiting the Earth during the the next Simurgh attack? Since I can't get near her anyway..."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," says Alexandria, who really can't mention Clairvoyant knowing exactly where the Simurgh is. "The next attack is likely to be Behemoth, though, if the Simurgh is evading us like this. We need to assume she'll find a way to continue doing so, if she has been able to work to prevent you from finishing Leviathan off, until she decides to attack."

"Of course." He looks at the Tinker. "How long do you think it would take you to build something like that?"

"Er, a year? Propulsion or rockets or stuff like that aren't actually my specialty, very resistant and durable things is."

"No rockets are necessary to get it into orbit," she assures. "What if it's just a navigation system to help with corrections to orbit?"

"Well, with someone else's help I could get something done in four to six months, probably."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Excellent. Are you willing to do that, and what do you need in order to do it?"

There is a large list of materials and parts, as well as the need for people willing to help with building (it's a telescope you can't build it by yourself and now that they have this one the research agency he works for isn't willing to pay for more) and an actual location.

Legend assures him that the Protectorate will cover his expenses, this is very important and might just be the best shot they've had against the Endbringers in a long time.

"Some of that will depend on your public image," says Legend. "But we should probably talk about this in the jet."

The jet starts flying. Alexandria and Eidolon should return to their respective teams.

"Well, that's part of the situation. People don't know that the new cape who was very helpful with disaster relief is the same cape who made Leviathan and the Simurgh disappear, and if you're going to start doing things in public, whether or not you're with the Protectorate matters a great deal."

"I think I need to start doing things in public, the effects of my powers can scale if I use 'em to build factories," says Morgan. "So, yeah. What does being part of the Protectorate entail?"

"Being on a team, going on patrols, helping out against villains, showing up to public events sometimes, having backup when you need it. Day-to-day it's mostly patrolling and helping people out in cape-related ways, with the authority of the Protectorate behind you so people respect you right off the bat."

"Cape-related ways aren't necessarily just fighting, though there's a lot of that going on, with at least two villains for every hero. But we also help out with disaster prevention and relief, for example.

"However, you could also be an independent, the Protectorate actually encourages parahumans not to go into the cape-versus-cape business. It would be harder for you to coordinate with others if you did end up in a fight, but if you're not planning on fighting at all other than against threats like the Endbringers you don't really need to join up."

The jet slows down for Alexandria to jump off and enter another jet waiting for her.

"Mm. I'm not against fighting villains, just - any time I'd be on a patrol, looking for villains to maybe fight, I could be sending arrays of satellites into space, or building factories, or clearing out rubble and helping with construction, or helping people colonize Mars, or any number of things. I want to coordinate with the Protectorate, want to pitch in if there's a villain or major disaster you'd need help with, but for every day keeping the streets clear?" She raises her eyebrows. "I could be helping so much more instead."

Legend nods. "Well, you wouldn't be the first independent the Protectorate's worked with on a regular basis, and if you assisted on capturing villains and didn't break any laws while doing so, we wouldn't get in your way. We'd definitely welcome help against people like the Slaughterhouse Nine."

"Okay. So, independent but besties with the Protectorate. I can work with that. Can I possibly get assistants, through the Protectorate, or recommended by you? Have a lawyer to go over what is and isn't illegal for an independent, have some people to sort through what my available power options are, maybe someone for PR? If I can't make the money to pay them I'm not trying hard enough, that's not the issue. I don't know people yet."