The continental grid came online one receiving station at a time.
Austin did not throw a single switch and hope for the best. Tie Kuang monitored the summit dampers while ground engineers matched frequency, checked grounding, and connected local loads. At each station, essential services came first.
The northern clinics received heat before the capital foundries received their full allocation. Great Yan’s mills waited while a damaged transformer was replaced. A southern sect complained about its place in the queue and stayed disconnected until it repaired an unsafe yard.
By nightfall, thirty stations carried power.
On the ground, local wires delivered it to homes, pumps, workshops, and shelters. Demand rose fast, but the new system had room to grow and clear rules for who could be cut off.
Austin kept the grid away from the passenger hoist’s approval circuit. Tourism could wait for maintenance.
So could trust.
The first work-release crews started that morning. Former Tribunal members in orange vests learned to read gauges, tie off safety lines, and record defects. Mortal inspectors checked every entry. Former judges were not allowed near weapons, command systems, or passenger controls.
