Sirius Zero: Building A Corporate Kingdom After Being Expelled
Chapter 40: Ramping Reactors

Chapter 40: Ramping Reactors

"Alright, James. I’m initiating the reactor startup sequence. Are you ready?" asked Aaron, as he stood in front of the reactor control panel.

"Ready as I’ll ever be, boss. Just make sure you don’t blow us all up," replied James over the intercom, his voice slightly shaky.

Aaron took a deep breath, and pressed the button to start the reactor startup sequence.

The control panel lit up, and the reactor core began to hum as it came to life.

The hum changed to a low rumble that gradually increased in intensity as the reactor reached operational temperature.

"Voltage is at 11 kilovolts. Holy shit! We’re at 100 megawatts already?" came James’ incredulous voice over the intercom.

"Reactor is at 25% power right now," said Aaron.

"No. No. No. This is supposed to be a small modular reactor! Not some 400 megawatt behemoth!" James exclaimed, panic rising in his voice.

"I experimented with the fuel cycle a bit, and it seems to be working," said Aaron.

"Well keep that thing at 25% or less right now! I need to reconfigure our grid to handle the increased load," growled James.

"What are you talking about? I told you to make sure our grid can handle 400 megawatts!" said Aaron, his frustration at yet another delay mounting.

"That was assuming four 100 MW reactors not one 400 MW reactor! I need to reconfigure the relays so that the power goes through the entire compound now!" James shot back.

"How long, James?" Aaron pressed.

"3 minutes at least," James replied.

"Fine. But once you’re done, I’m ramping this thing up to full power, and then I’m going to be building out the remaining three in the fleet," said Aaron.

"Hang on! The entire compound’s power grid can just about handle only one of those! I’ll need to quadruple the entire grid infrastructure!" James exclaimed.

"Don’t worry. I don’t intend to bring them all online at once. We’ll do that in phases," said Aaron, his voice firm.

"Harry’s right. You really are a sadist and a mad scientist rolled into one," James grumbled.

"A bit late to make that observation, don’t you think? You should have caught on when I turned this lead mine into an underground lair," chuckled Aaron.

"Yeah, yeah. Well I’ve reconfigured the relays. Once this goes online, you’re powering the entire compound and then-some all by yourself," said James, his voice resigned.

"OK, ramping up," said Aaron, keying the ramp-up sequence into the control panel.

"OK power distribution is stable, switching from external power to internal power," said James, as the lights in the mine flickered and then stabilized.

"Reactor is at 100% power, all systems stable," said Aaron over the muted roar of the reactor and turbines.

He locked the control panel, and walked out of the control room, heading for the mine’s main entrance.

----

"Master Zakhrov, I think we may have found our first recruit," said Natasha, as she entered Aaron’s office.

"Really? Who is it?" asked Aaron, not looking up from his terminal.

"It’s former FBI Special Agent Olga. She was one of the agents who came to investigate the attempted smuggling operation," said Natasha.

"Interesting. What makes you think she is a good fit?" asked Aaron, his interest piqued.

"Well, she has a background in law enforcement, and she is physically fit. She also has a good head on her shoulders, and I think she would be a valuable asset to our security team," said Natasha.

"And that assessment has nothing to do with the fact that she crashed at your place last night, and left in your car this morning?" asked Aaron, a small smirk on his face.

Natasha blushed slightly, but held her ground.

"No, it doesn’t. I think she would be a good fit for the team, and I want to give her a chance to prove herself." she said firmly.

"Alright, I’ll take your word for it. But I want her to go through the same training and assessment as everyone else. No special treatment." said Aaron, his voice firm.

"Of course, Master Zakhrov. I wouldn’t dream of giving her special treatment." said Natasha, her voice steady.

"Good. The reactor is online, so we’ll need more security personnel to guard it. How is the recruitment process going?" asked Aaron.

"Olga will have her assessment tomorrow, and I have a few other candidates scheduled for interviews later this week.

If all goes well, we should have a full complement by the end of the week." said Natasha.

Aaron nodded, satisfied, and then clicked the intercom. "Harry, what is the status of The Feminine Professional?" he asked.

"Well, the store is ready to go. We’ve also got the pipeline set up for the security uniforms, Margaret has already made four new sets for Natasha.

We’ve got turnaround times down to about 8 hours now with the new sewing and fabrication robots," said Harry over the intercom.

"Excellent. Have the new uniforms delivered to Natasha’s apartment. But hold off on the store opening to the wider public until I give the go-ahead. We’ll soon have a PR storm courtesy of Senator Goldberg, and I want the timing to be just right," said Aaron.

"Understood, boss. I’ll make sure everything is ready for the launch," said Harry hanging up.

----

It was evening by the time Olga returned to Natasha’s apartment, her arms laden with shopping bags.

"Well, I got the clothing you wanted. I hope this is good enough," she told Natasha, dropping the bags on the floor and pulling out a black skirt-suit with a fitted cut, a pair of 8 centimeter high heels, and a pair of sheer black pantyhose.

"Yeah, that will do. Any problems getting your other stuff sorted?" asked Natasha.

"No, I’ve got everything I need. However, the FBI is tailing your car," said Olga.

"Well, they can tail it all they want. Rochelle and Monica are in over their heads," chuckled Natasha.

"Well, if you say so," said Olga, her voice uncertain.

"Yeah, don’t worry about it. You need to get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." said Natasha, as she helped Olga put away her new clothes.

"Thanks, Natasha. I really appreciate it," said Olga, a small smile on her face.