Chapter 22: Chapter 21
Later in the morning, Jacob woke up to find himself sore, more this time. "I need a bed…"
"You have gained 3052 GG points, Sir,"
His joints cracked and popped as he stood up. His mind was full of the sound of the crying AI. His memories going over the previous evening.
**
Another 5 died… Jacob couldn't get the images of the ripped apart bodies from his head. He and Akiko had arrived at the site where Adewale had asked. They arrived quickly, before the bodies could be cremated.
When he got to the cremation site close to the tree grove and beach. The AI would simply float beside the body, not moving. However, the AI from the previous dead had all been lined up. Sort of like a burial site.
"Dr. Amrit, what happens to them when the owner is cremated?" Jacob asked.
"The AI seems to make a noise, like crying. Then they finally allow us to move them around. Staying in place wherever we leave them. Those have been there since last night." He said while looking them over. "Honestly, I think of anything the AI could do. This is the most useful. From what I can tell, these things are recording our lives. And will show any who are able after we pass. Meaning we live on in their memories. Imagine a family visiting a loved one. Even though the aliens have put us into hell. At least they have given us a way to be remembered."
Jacob nodded. The pain he felt inside did not wither. It kept strong as he looked back at the 5 dead colonists. One had died protecting the colony, while the other 4 died simply due to chance. Why was life so cruel? He could not figure out the answer to that question. Jacob shook his head and looked down. A few tears dropping down his cheeks.
Akiko put her hand on his shoulder. And said with a soft voice, "It will get better Jacob, we will make it better."
**
Shaking his head and pulling back from the memory, Jacob couldn't help but think how much he liked the people he met here. He didn't want them to die, nor did he want to.
Lifting his head up and looking out his room's only window. He saw the sun was coming out.
He wiped his face of the grime from last evening and put on a smile as he walked towards the door to his home.
Stepping outside, Jacob could feel the warm rays on his skin. Giving another stretch, he tried to ready himself and calm his anxious mind. Thousands of people were now trusting him to direct and help manage the colony. There seemed to be many people with the mindset of a good first vibe from Jacob. But he knew that could rub off if he messed up, or many people died.
In the end, Jacob knew his life depended on the colony's success. If he failed, there was no place for resignation. The aliens seemed to have made that very clear, because of Jacob being unable to transfer his authority to anyone else, except other leaders picked by the aliens.
He walked around the fenced area, unsure if people would arrive. It was strange to see the square so empty, but as he got sight of the street beside the facility, he saw a couple hundred people lining up for food.
Akiko was standing outside the facility. Staring at the square.
"Morning Akiko, are you waiting for the new colonists?"
She looked at Jacob and bowed slightly. "Good morning, yes. I also have a few guards helping. They are standing inside the building, just to not scare the new people. Ill do my best to calm them down. Then I will show them the messages sent by the AI so far. I decided we should give them a grace day just to adjust. Many new refugees from yesterday forced to work who didn't take part in the riot sent many complaints and they had a higher rate of injury."
"Ok, I'll keep this in mind. You have thought this through. Good job! Thank you for being so integral to the colony, and as a new friend." Jacob said with a big smile, feeling happy about the ideas the people around him were coming up with. All to help a colony that was his.
Jacob shook his head at the thought. He had to try his best to stop the all-consuming moniker "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." From being true in his case as well. Jacob wanted to create a government that would help balance his own influence over things in the future. Understanding that even he was not immune to disease and mental illness. If he didn't want a leader like that, he wouldn't let himself be one.
He walked into the building once, saying hello to Akiko. He saw Sophia hard at work, holo in front of her with some type of design.
As Jacob got closer, he noticed it looked like an electric motor.
"Hey Sophia, sorry to interrupt. How's the motor design going?" Jacob walked up, checking on her progress and making small talk.
She stopped and turned her head to him. The holo disappeared. "I'm struggling with some of the interior parts for creating the magnetic fields needed. This is much more complicated than a box or bigger box…" Sophia said, referring to the outhouses and water purifying boxes. "Honestly, I am great at inventions. But on earth there was still a team to help me with certain details. Speeding things up, I wasn't the only genius, and in SOME fields, there were people much more capable than me." She said, emphasizing some.
"Well, let's keep our eyes out for people who fit the bill. Any ideas?" Jacob replied, understanding that he couldn't expect Sophia to design every single solution for them.
"Well, engineers, electrical and mechanical. Also, anyone with experience in chip design. I hope to use the batteries to their fullest. Once we purchase that iron printer, we can work on making smaller batteries. This would mean drones and automation with no fossil fuels. In fact, the iron battery is now more energy dense than rocket fuel was on earth."
Jacob couldn't believe how close her thinking was to his. "This is why I got the iron batteries! I looked for something that could store a lot of energy. I remembered in many videos I watched that battery technology was the main thing holding back the energy transition. And the solar panels are so efficient that we don't need to worry about actual energy production at scale!"
Realizing he got excited, he kept going with the confidence. "Well… if you have time and are willing. Maybe I could learn a thing or two?" Jacob said with a hopeful smile.
"You can do what you like, however, learning will be up to you. I'm not making any lessons. I don't have time, for obvious reasons. But I have time to answer questions about my work while I work. It's up to you from there to succeed!" She pumped her fist at the last part. "It's my belief only those who care about what they are doing can make a meaningful difference. That's why I teach like this, its nothing personal."
Before Jacob could respond,
"Sir, the refugees have arrived. There are 64." Genesis said.
"Well Sophia, shall we go find out how well Akiko's plan works?" Jacob said with a hopeful tone.
"You go ahead! I'm making a list of skills for the AI. Hopefully we can find some help in R&D soon!" Sophia said, while turning around and talking to silver.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Grishmark
Grishmark Hello! I updated all of the chapters with a new editor I use now. Let me know if it reads better! I also fixed some issues with understanding the current story and scenes.
Any feedback is appreciated, they don’t let me on the Webnovel discord so I can only get advice from you all :)
Sorry im not able to release more at a time. Right now im very busy. So one a day is my goal!
Thanks for reading yall!
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