Brief

After an ecological revolution was waged worldwide in order for humanity to survive global warming, currency was replaced with Ecos, and the last CEO, August Bridges, is exiled to the moon. While there, he learns of a cataclysmic technology and believes that he must use it to liberate humanity. However, the dangers of the technology soon come back to haunt him, as do the counter-efforts of his employees and environmentalists.

What We Liked

- This story is in the style of the hard science fiction of the early 20th century updated with the context of the modern world: A world is reimagined after the devastating effects of climate change, and the poverty gap has been translated into a new standard of inequality based on that. The main character, a greedy and power hungry CEO, is as much a stand in for Elon Musk or Steve Jobs as he could be for even John Paul Getty or Donald Trump.
- Film: As a film, this would be a blockbuster epic science fiction film that audiences would walk away from with a message and raised heart rate.
- TV: As a television show this would fill the void left by classic science fiction shows like Star Trek or even LOST.
- Key points: High concept; Timely; Big themes; Ensemble lead characters; Diverse main characters.

Synopsis

August Bridges is in exile on the moon after the environmental revolution and is desperately trying to hold onto his position as the last CEO of the last great corporation. He foresees a plot for his murder and almost dies in a mysterious accident. August starts to plan to check everyone and everything for attempts on his life. He learns through his clone employee, Calvin30, of a wormhole technology from an alien broadcast. August does not understand how cataclysmic it is due to Calvin30’s machinations. He sees none of the dangers present in it but sees it as his way to claim his place in history. Meanwhile, Aurora, an ex-lover of August, is working on Mars as a biologist searching for native microbial life. Aurora sends out a message to Kalsang, an old friend of hers, complaining that at this point the expedition out to Mars seems like a waste of money and resources as it seems like they really never will find that native microbial life on the planet's surface.

At August's board meeting to raise funding for the wormhole, one of his opposers on the board, Gudanko, seeks to unseat him from power. He plays the message he intercepted from Aurora to Kalsang about the fruitlessness of the search for life on Mars. August has been funding this mission, and Gudanko uses it as an example that August is unfit to lead and making bad decisions with the money of the investors. August, however, turns it back on Gudanko and claims that he knew there would be no life on Mars, and he wanted to make sure of it before embarking on the next phase of his plans. The board meeting ends and August is satisfied until someone tries to kill him. August soon gets the wormhole up and running and shows his board that this is a new way to change space travel. He goes to test the wormhole on his own ship.

Aurora is dismayed to learn that August has discredited her and the project, and even more upset once she receives word that the project will now be shut down. She is told to pack her things and get ready to go home, but she does not want to give up on the possibility of finding life on the surface, so she heads out across Mars on her own. It's a dangerous journey and she soon finds herself stranded and on the brink of death. When she reawakens after a bout of unconsciousness, she finds that her crew came to rescue her, but one of her closest friends died in the rescue mission, and now everyone in the crew resents her and she resents herself. Aurora slowly regains her abilities to move and joins Kalsang on a mission.

Meanwhile, Francesca, a poor lowly worker, is finally offered a real job, and it's her dream job working for her hero, August Bridges, in his company. There, she meets Calvin30, but soon becomes suspicious and looks more into the music he plays, so he secretly arranges to have her transported to work in outer space. One day, Francesca's ship is hijacked by someone trying to destroy the wormhole. She saves the day and when she is about to save August as well, she chooses to save herself. She tricks him and goes through the wormhole herself, leaving him stranded. Soon, however, Aurora and Kalsang arrive and save him, and he and Aurora get together and August starts to see the need to change who he was for a better world.

About The Author

Samuel Winburn is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and educator who many years ago set out to write a tale set in a world where humanity manages to halt global warming at a survivable limit and to thrive in the process. He hails from Alaska but has spent the last 24 years in remote Western Australia.