Chapter 5

Jacob stood on the only piece of concrete in the square, feeling self-conscious and out of place as he looked out at the crowd. Suddenly, a woman spoke up.

"He's right," she said. "Unless anyone has some kind of magical power to reverse everything that just happened, we're stuck here. The worst thing we can do is fight or cause more problems through conflict."

Her words made the crowd pause and think, many of them nodding in agreement.

"I know we have a lot of work to do, and that there will be many challenges ahead," Jacob said.

"But I believe that if we work together and support each other, we can overcome anything this planet throws at us. We are a colony now, and we must rely on each other to thrive and survive in this new world. So let's start by getting to know each other. My AI, Genesis, has already sent you all a questionnaire that you filled out when we arrived. I'm sorry to give you more work so suddenly, but it will help us figure out where everyone can help."

"So, are we your slaves now or what?" asked a young man closer to the front of the crowd.

"No, you will never be slaves if I'm in charge," Jacob replied.

"I honestly don't know what the rules are, but I know I will not be the leader of a colony of slaves. Everyone should know right now that every human here is equal in my eyes. I came from Canada on Earth. It wasn't perfect, but I believe in multiculturalism and basic human rights. I will expect our new home to have those same human rights, along with any others that we all feel are necessary. Keep in mind that I have some influence over everyone's AI orb and their capabilities because of my privileges as the leader. I will only use this power if it's necessary to protect others from harm or if an individual has been convicted of crimes by a public court."

Jacob paused and looked around the crowd. No one said anything else, seeming to think about what he had said and sizing up the man who was suddenly their leader. A man they had not known 30 minutes ago.

"Any other questions?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, how will we deal with food?" someone called out.

"Honestly, I've never dealt with this before," Jacob admitted. "But I think we could consult the AI's helping tally out rations while also asking about finding more food and how to do it."

"Great," a woman muttered in the crowd. "So, we have a clueless leader who the aliens just put there..." Her head snapped up when she realized her words had been broadcasted by the AI. Her face turned a little red.

"I may be inexperienced, but I am not clueless. I have always adapted well and was top of my class in any course I took. I'm here, and I cannot transfer my authority to anyone as far as I'm aware. Can I Genesis?"

"No, you must be killed, and another leader must take control of the citizens. Or you must give your nation willingly to that leader. Which will strip you of your rights, Sir."

Getting a little defensive, Jacob paused, letting those words sink in before continuing.

"I know that we have a lot of work to do and that there will be many challenges ahead. But I believe that if we work together and support each other, we can overcome anything this planet throws at us. We are a colony now, and we must rely on each other to thrive and survive in this new world. So, let's start by getting to know each other. Genesis, my AI, has already sent you all a questionnaire that you all filled when we arrived. This will help us figure out where everyone can help and how to best use our resources. None of us chose this, but we are here, and we must make the most out of it."

"Now, if there are no further questions, I think it's important that we all take some time to get accustomed to our new surroundings and begin organizing our efforts. I'll be sending messages to those selected to manage the foundations of our survival to meet me and enter the storage building across the park opposite from the direction of my house. In the meantime, please take some time to get to know each other and explore the colony. We'll have more information and updates for you in the coming days. Use your AI orbs to learn about the world or skills you think will be helpful if you have nothing else to do."

Jacob waited for any further questions, but the crowd seemed to be digesting his words in silence. Satisfied that he had addressed their concerns for the time being, he nodded and stepped down from the podium, signalling the end of the meeting. As the crowd dispersed, Jacob couldn't help but feel a sense of responsibility weighing on his shoulders. He knew that the challenges ahead would be difficult, but he was determined to do everything in his power to protect and lead his new nation to success.

As Jacob stepped down from the podium, he was approached by his AI companion, Genesis.

"Sir, I would like to congratulate you on successfully rallying and organizing your people with zero casualties. This has earned you 3,000 starter credits, which you can use to purchase items from the market. Please let me know if you would like to make any purchases."

Jacob nodded, relieved that he had spoke to the 3000 people with no casualties.

"Thank you, Genesis. And what happens to the credits if there had been casualties?"

"If there had been casualties, the current point total would have been divided by two for each one, sir," Genesis explained.

Jacob smiled and nodded, grateful for the successful outcome and now feeling more confident as he prepared to meet the people who would help him manage the new colony. His motivation was exceptionally high, so was his optimism, that this just might work out.

As the crowd dispersed, Jacob saw three people making their way towards him. The first was a petite woman with short black hair and glasses, her sharp eyes taking in everything around her.

"Akiko Yamamoto," she introduced herself using English, bowing slightly. "I was an HR specialist back on Earth. I'm looking forward to working with you and helping to build a functional society here."

"Nice to meet you," replied Jacob with a smile.

As he spoke, another man approached them, his posture confident and his eyes alert. "Adewale Olujimi," he introduced himself in English as well. "I'm a security specialist from Nigeria. I was part of my country's special forces team, and I'm ready to do whatever it takes to protect our colony.

Next was a tall, slender woman with long, curly red hair and a bright smile. "I'm Sophia Zhang," she said excitedly, shaking Jacob's hand with both of hers. "I'm a scientist and I can't wait to see what opportunities we can create on this new planet. Let's make this planet our biatch! Shall we?"

"Wow! I know exactly who you are," Jacob said, awestruck. "Three of your companies have each been evaluated over 100 billion. I can't believe how lucky we are to have you!"

Sophia smiled brightly. "Oh, that's nothing. Our old systems on Earth were so broken that it was simple math to make companies like that. The inventions were nothing special either. I mean, that perovskite panel was garbage. They wouldn't let me fund any more research before launching with the beta sample. Then there was the..." Sophia seemed to go off on a tangent, looking into space as she spoke.

"Oh, it's all good," Jacob reassured her. "Don't worry, Sophia. I'm sure we can make our systems here much more efficient. I've already achieved some of those goals by purchasing solar panel and battery blueprints as our starter technologies, along with adjustable graphene filtration."

Her eyes lit up when she heard this, but before she could continue, she noticed someone coming up behind Jacob.

The person to approach Jacob was a muscular man with short, spiky hair and a confident stride. "Diego Garcia," he said in Spanish with the AI translating, shaking Jacob's hand firmly. "I worked in a distribution center back on Earth, so I have experience with logistics and organization. I'm ready to put those skills to use here."

Jacob nodded, taking in the information and trying to process everything that was happening.

"Thank you all for coming," he said. "Honestly, today has been a mess. And we don't know what tomorrow will bring. I've never done this before, and I'm a bit of an introvert."

"Do not worry, I'll make sure nobody gives you any trouble while I'm around. You were chosen as the leader and I'm no good at building a colony. I'll leave that to you. But I AM good at protecting and eliminating targets."

Jacob's eye twitched. Adewale had emphasized that last part a little too much.

As Adewale reassured Jacob of his protection the HR specialist, Akiko chimed in. "I will do my best to help everyone adjust to this new environment," she said. "I have experience working in a large company back home, so managing a group of 3000 people is not a problem for me."

Sophia, eager to get to work, interjected, "LET'S GET TO THE TECH ALREADY!" she exclaimed, running towards the storage facility.

The group chuckled and followed her lead, with Jacob standing still for a moment. Akiko looked back and waved at him, beckoning him to join them.

Jacob nodded, feeling the weight of his responsibility. These were the people he would work with to build a new society on this alien planet.

It wouldn't be easy, but with their skills and determination, he was confident that they could succeed. They had to. He also didn't want to die, either.

Something in his gut told him that if he didn't hurry and get some basic defenses, that may just happen.