The walls of Power Services Central Control are covered with electrical conduits. Each room is filled with terminals, and workstations with dials and knobs, that provide full control and diagnostic access to technicians in relation to the power flowing in from the entire reactor network (and, in the unlikely instance that usage demands ever threaten to outpace supply, also enabling them to redirect the allocation of available power away from select areas of the power grid.)
Visualise, if you will, the PLN Sector power grid. With vast quantities of electricity required every minute to keep the sector's metaphorical pulse beating, a number of nuclear reactors are required to be running at full capacity at all times. As it so happens, two of the reactors have recently gone offline, creating a minor power supply shortage during peak usage times.
Rumors that the two reactors went offline because construction workers cut corners in order to meet unrealistic deadlines, followed by a tidal wave of bribes to the inspectors to push through approval, ultimately resulting in critical failures that rendered them inoperable indefinitely, are Treason.
Every loyal Citizen knows that the actual cause of both reactors going offline at the same time is that The Commies sabotaged those two reactors, and within moments a very successful joint operation between Internal Security and the Armed Forces valiantly neutralized the threat to the remainder of the Reactor network with extreme prejudice. Power Services estimates that normal power levels will "probably be fully restored very, very soon!"
In the interim, Power Services employees continually re-prioritize power allocations to efficiently handle the intermittent shortages. Their hard work, along with the help every loyal Citizen provides by using their A.M.P.S. (Autonomous Mandatory Power Supplies, that generate electricity from kinetic energy as needed) for non-essential services, helps to ensure that The Commies will NEVER win!
In the public access lobby of Power Services Central Control, workers continually flow past the front desk as they go to and from the Employee-Only area beyond. A Public Relations campaign has been launched to encourage Citizens to provide input as to what services might be classified as non-essential. The receptionist continually assists Citizens that wish to submit "Power Allocation-Not Inherently Critical" reports, which Power Services Personnel often use to help decide what systems this cycle may deserve to have more or less power allocated.
Vault-R-CHN, a RED earth pony mare with a black loose mane walks in and addresses the receptionist, "Any work available?"
The receptionist, whom has a grey mane but is otherwise no different,looks up from counting her credits, "Huh? Oh, sure. Go over all the monitors and make sure power is being allocated correctly, then write a report with your findings. Feel free to use one of the terminals inside the work area to write up the report," she resumes counting.
Vault-R types her report, prints it, and gives it to the receptionist, "Anything else?"
"You must be really efficient to have finished your own work so quickly, that you had the spare time to help me get caught up with this report I was assigned, too!" She points at the fleeing Aratos, who ducks into the Air Ducts through the opening created by the removal of the grate. "Now that HE is gone, I think I'll be OK. I shiver to think what Kate-R did to the last clone who didn't finish the work they were assigned - You're a life saver! What is it that she had you doing this cycle, anyway?"
* TROMP TROMP TROMP *
"Um, nothing, I just got here from INFRARED. She hasn't assigned me anything yet. Where can I get my assignment from her? And what is that tromping?"
"She probably cMailed your assignment to you. Hope you didn't accidentally delete it! Well, I have to take care of something real quick..." The receptionist ducks inside a small office behind the main desk. There is an audible click.
"What is that tromping?" Vault heads into the back, intimidated by the sound, and slowly looks for a place to hide, not wanting to embarrass herself on her first day, while she checks her cMail. Vault puts aside her fear and pretends to look busy on a nearby computer.
Many, many angry GREEN goons burst through the front doors. Gomer-B, a giant BLUE stallion wearing a great helmet and body armour is at their front, neurowhip in hand. The secretary's door opens and a hand points to the employee's only area. The goons stomp that way, spot an open air duct, and pause.
"ALRIGHT YOU MAGGOTS, ONE BY ONE INTO THE DUCT!" Gomer-B roars.
A goon responds, "B-But he bit off an arm!"
"I DO NOT GIVE A [DFSR], GET IN THERE!" GREEN goons begin shuffling into the ducts one by one, laser rifles pointed ahead.
Vault-R ignores the commotion as best she can, and continues typing up a report about how cool she is:
SUPER IMPORTANT REPORT FOR POWER SERVICES ON EFFICIENCY OF WORKERS BASED ON HOW COOL THEY ARE:
I'm taking precious time out of my day to type up this report to enunciate the importance of being cool and awesome, like me. I've only been here one day, and I've already proven myself more efficient than a veteran; how? By being so cool. so you see there's a direct correlation between coolness and efficiency. With this new found evidence, I propose that a new mandate be passed that prevents lame clones from being promoted, as it's impossible for them to be fully efficient. I also propose I be promoted for this discovery and my incredible coolness.The study is still young, and the evidence is only inferences at this point. However, if some credits are allocated to a study, I can measure the efficiency of others against their coolness, using my own coolness as a rudimentary metric. The receptionist here at Power Services is not cool, and I can use this knowledge to test a metric; if the metric indicates a lower or higher coolness than expected, it's no good. I will start work based on this as soon as possible, but for an in depth metric to be made, I will need funding
Suddenly, Friend Celestia speaks up, having read the report as it was being sent:
"CITIZEN Vault-R-CHN,
YOUR REQUEST FOR A BUDGET FOR THE STUDY OF 'Coolness' HAS BEEN APPROVED.
YOU HAVE BEEN ASSIGNED AN INITIAL BUDGET OF one-hundred credits, AND A TOTAL BUDGET OF [DFSR].
PLEASE ALLOCATE YOUR BUDGET WISELY. FAILURE TO PROPERLY NOTARIZE YOUR BUDGETARY EXPENDITURES IS TREASON.
HAVE A NICE DAYCYCLE."
"Thank you, Friend Computer!" Vault gets up and heads to the Assigned Housing.