This was a prompt from the writing workshop, we were challenged to write a 26-sentence story with these rules:
• Each sentence begins with a letter of the alphabet and goes in sequence (a...z or z....a)
• One sentence must be exactly 50 words
• One sentence must be exactly one word
• x or z may be replaced, but not both
Among the crew of the starship CS Zefferino, there is a saying: "Each of us is a planet of productivity."
Before the ship launched on her maiden voyage, each member of the crew was personally selected by CorpSpace CEO Beff Xesos from an enormous pool of applicants, based on their responses to personality surveys, which were filtered by algorithms cross-referenced with data from their social media, dating and purchase history.
Captain Felix held his crew to high standards according to the 342-page CorpSpace handbook of rules.
Duties of a CorpSpace crew member vary according to skillset and seniority, but showing a positive attitude and meeting required work quotas are key qualities for continued employment.
Entering the Jardel system, the pilot made a smooth transition into stable orbit around the rocky second planet, which had been identified through remote scans as a potential source of rare metals and gases that were desperately needed on Earth for continuing to manufacture products.
Felix pressed a button on the captain's chair to address the shipwide PA.
"Great job on this mission, let's keep up the velocity."
He leaned back in his comfy captain's chair and scrolled through the video feeds of all departments to check that each crew member was functioning at optimal productivity.
In a few weeks, the Zefferino had collected all the survey data and samples necessary to complete the mission and move forward with mining and gas refinement on the planet.
Jardel II faded into a tiny point of light in space as the Zefferino left orbit and started the journey back to Earth.
Knowing how valuable the data was to CorpSpace compared to how little the crew members were paid for their hard and dangerous work, Captain Felix lay awake at night with an upset stomach.
Late in the next shift, a thread was posted to the internal ship communication system with the title "ORGANIZE".
Messages accumulated in the thread from across departments, debating the benefits and risks of forming a union.
No one in the engineering department would discuss the movement, but all the other departments were buzzing with conversation.
On the day before the vote, screens in the common areas lit up with an ominous message urging crew members to protect their personal information and research thoroughly before placing a vote.
"Planet of productivity," Tiffany remarked to her roommate in a sarcastic tone as they brushed teeth in the shared bathroom after their 6th straight 10-hour shift.
Quentin, Tiffany and Siobhan's coworker, had been killed by an equipment malfunction and would be returning to Earth in the ship's morgue, making it necessary for Tiffany and Siobhan to pick up extra shifts to maintain quotas.
"Really, this job can go fuck itself," replied Siobhan, spitting her toothpaste into the sink.
Siobhan was missing part of a finger from the same piece of equipment that killed Quentin, but was required to continue operating the machine.
Tiffany and Siobhan made eye contact in the mirror, silently sharing a moment of solidarity in grief.
"Unrelentless pursuit of excellence" is listed on page 3 of the CorpSpace Handbook as one of the key qualities for continued employment.
Vote.
When the ship landed at CorpSpace HQ on Earth, an excited crowd of coworkers and family were waiting outside the secure gated area to welcome the space explorers home.
Xesos was standing inside the secure area on the tarmac, flanked by 4 security guards in tactical armor carrying automatic weapons.
You know the feeling of chilly anticipation, when something important is about to happen that could change the world for better or worse?
Zefferino's loading bay doors opened with a mechanical hum, revealing Captain Felix and the crew standing together, each holding a sign reading "SPACE WORKERS UNITED 001".
