Deep below where shadows wind,
Every tunnel must be mined.
Measure worth in blood and ore,
As we dig toward something more.
Tanya arrived at Mine Complex East humming cheerfully, her folder of processing center productivity reports tucked under her arm. The mine director's office offered an excellent view of the queuing workers below - thin figures swaying slightly in the morning light.
"Your efficiency metrics are fascinating," she said warmly, spreading out the reports. "Even with increased personnel allocation, production decreases month over month. Almost as if..." her smile brightened, "the workers aren't properly motivated by our current incentive structure."
The mine director began explaining about equipment shortages. Tanya's laughter echoed off the office walls. "Equipment? Look how many sturdy backs we have! The Reich needs resources, not excuses."
Count the tons of earth they move,
Let their hunger value prove.
Those who dig the deepest here,
Earn the right to persevere.
"The processing centers have shown us such a beautiful solution," she explained to the assembled mine staff, genuine enthusiasm in her voice. "Pure mathematical efficiency through biological imperative!"
She sketched quick calculations on the production board. "Each team's rations will be weighed against their daily output. More ore equals more food. Simple!" Her warm smile took in the nervous faces. "And for those concerned about accuracy - each team will verify their neighbor's measurements. Hunger makes for wonderfully honest bookkeepers."
"Of course," she added thoughtfully, "we'll need to account for tunnel collapses. Can't have teams claiming their quotas were buried with their workers!" Her humming resumed as she adjusted the figures. "Ah - teams will share survival liability. If your neighbor's tunnel fails, your rations fail with them. Motivation for proper support beam installation!"
Mark their worth in rock and coal,
Every body pays its toll.
Those who falter, those who fade,
Feed the mines their picks have made.
By sunset, the first day's numbers showed promise. Tanya walked the upper galleries, noting how the sound of picks had taken on a desperate rhythm.
"Listen to that efficiency," she told the surviving mine staff. "Like a heartbeat! Though speaking of hearts..." she checked another report, "we should address the cardiac failure rates. Can't have workers dying before they offset their food costs."
She paused by a shaft entrance, genuinely admiring the new support beams. "See how the threat of shared consequences improves craftsmanship? They're actually measuring the angles now!" Her smile warmed at the sound of coughing from below. "Though we may need to optimize air flow. Breathing is still inefficiently redundant in some sectors."
When the deepest veins are found,
Far beneath the bleeding ground,
Reich's great purpose shall appear,
In the bones we quarry here.
Night brought the final calculations. Teams that had met their quotas received their rations. The others...
"Failure is such an efficient teacher," Tanya explained happily, finishing her own well-earned dinner. "Those who survive tonight's hunger will work harder tomorrow. Those who don't..." she checked another ledger, "will reduce our food supply requirements. Perfect optimization!"
She added a final note to the day's report:
"Mining efficiency increased through survival incentives. Equipment costs reduced through motivated labor. Production quotas aligned with biological imperatives. Reich advances."
The machinery of necessity grew stronger through proper motivation. Even death served efficiency, when correctly calculated.