Massplants

Instructions

This is another one of the most twisted pieces of lore within Bhahsania's backstory. As usual, I would recommend discretion among readers as it contains mature themes. ---------------- "Cannibalism (noun) 1: the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh by a human being. 2: the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind." - Merriam-Webster Dictionary ---------------- The Massplants (বিশাল কারখানা) were a complex situated within the deepest part of Karkhanar Sahar's massive underground complexes, constructed by the former Minifood to solve two problems common to the Odhoston: the rising demand for food and the overpopulation of Odhoston workers physically unfit for labor. Up till then, since most contemporary forms of meat (chicken, beef, goats, etc) were reserved for the noble class (মহিমান্বিত/Mohimannito), Odhoston were forced to rely on a strictly vegetarian diet daily. This monotonous diet would consist of state-provided roti (unleavened flatbread), along with potatoes and onions for all three meals, known to many as Diet Standard One. Although small exceptions were made by adding a fried egg, these meals otherwise had little nutritional value, providing only carbohydrates and a bit of energy, while also degrading Odhoston's morale. Therefore, this led to the spread of nutritional deficiencies among the working class in the Odhoston, resulting in a smaller workforce, which in turn meant a smaller economic output for the Hegemite regime. This proved to be a problem until 1999, when former chancellor Arjun Bijoy took power following his father Aarav Bijoy's death, and began the construction of the Massplants. The concept of the Massplant was simple. Any Odhoston that could no longer partake in labor operations, whether it be in Karkhanar Sahar's upper levels or Complex One, would be fed food similar to that of the nobles for around a month before their eventual fate in order to fatten them up. Then, when the time would come, they would be kidnapped in the middle of the night—typically between midnight and dawn—before being shipped to the Massplants. Once there, the individual was stripped of all clothing, gagged, blinded, and had their limbs tied up before being thrown into the massive ovens inside the Massplant and roasted until a golden-brown crust formed on their skin, signifying they had been cooked inside. Accounts have come up of literally anyone being thrown into these ovens, including infants, children, the sick (who would be cremated inside), and the elderly, all of whom were alive at the time of baking to ensure freshness. After the roasting process was finished, the individual would be hauled into the massive processors, where their limbs would be dismembered to make various RatEls (Ration Meals), cheap and made only for the Odhoston. The cooked meat would be loaded with chemicals and artificial flavors to mask the awful taste and to make it convincingly like noble meat and goods. When it was first introduced in 2003, the RatEls were highly celebrated all across the Odhostan, as it finally allowed them to receive the nutrition they so desperately needed and provided a more pleasant alternative to the bland Diet Standard One. As a result, work rates and economic output amongst the Odhoston skyrocketed, leading to more economic reforms that "improved their living conditions". The Massplants were operated by the Odhoston Norokhadok Karmi (অধস্তন নরখাদক কর্মী; lit. Subordinate Cannibalistic Workers), who would undergo strict conditioning and reeducation programs to thaw away their morality. Once they had been converted, they would undergo surgery to remove their vocal cords, and after each shift, they would be conditioned to recount the events as a dream. Therefore, even if they managed to go rogue, they would not be able to recount the events that took place within the Massplant, nor would they be able to communicate, as at the time, sign language was highly forbidden in Bijoyite Hegemon. The Odhoston Norokhadok would be responsible for multiple jobs inside the compound, including hauling in fresh individuals, tying up limbs, gagging the individuals, monitoring the ovens, and helping pack the processed meat. They would be under constant supervision by the KK and the KA, with orders given to fire on anyone who dared try to escape, or even worse, throw them in the very ovens they helped maintain. Once an Odhostani Norokhadok wouldn't be able to work, they would be tossed into the ovens and converted into RatEls to be eaten by the rest of the Odhostani population.