Before the handover ceremony, Tie Kuang made three decisions Austin disliked.
The first came from Sector Four. Its engineers wanted to delay a planned inspection so they could rebuild a school damaged during the contraction. Austin’s old schedule said the inspection came first.
Tie approved the delay after the crew confirmed the support was stable and added a temporary watch.
“People can use the school,” he said. “We inspect next week.”
The second came from two outer settlements arguing over a shared power line. The old plan made the central office the judge. Tie refused. He sent a mediator, gave both settlements the same records, and told them the central crew would only step in if public safety was at risk.
The third was harder.
Austin’s maintenance binders called for all fifty thousand main jacks to receive the same full service at the end of the campaign. Tie split them by use. Jacks that had carried the return stroke got immediate service. Standby units got a shorter check and a later full service.
Wu Ji frowned. “That isn’t how the Master Builder wrote it.”
