Baskerman PR

( “Baskerman! We’re tracking you, stay sharp!” )

“Get me out of here, Doug! The UIT’s got me!”

“Get that hat off his head. The boss said it’s some kind of radio gadget.” The head goon said flatly.

One of the goons tried to slap the fedora off his head. Its advanced technology kept it in place. He tried again, harder. Failing, the goon grabbed Baskerman’s fedora by the brim with both hands and tried yanking it off with no effect other than nearly dislodging him from his seat. The second goon moved in to lend a hand. They pulled him up in the small cabin, forcing his head down so they could get four hands on the brim. Twisting and turning, they wrenched him around to collide with the seats on one bulkhead, then the interior wall on the other. His fedora was secured to his center of mass by the same kind of Newtonian physics generator that allowed vehicles to fly with smooth rides, so it saved his scalp from being pulled loose, and the hat’s personal shield protected him from the kinetic energy of tumbling around the cabin, but none of that tech could save him from the assault to his dignity.
( “Mariam says to leave you in place! This is a bigger move than we first thought – we just heard there’s going to be a show trial! She says they must have lost their nut to overreach so far, and she wants to give you a chance to capitalize on any of their mistakes! She seems very confidant, so we agreed!” )

Giving up, the goons tossed him to tumble across the deck. One pulled a plasma knife off his vest and began hacking at the crown of his hat.

“Well, thank Mariam for looking out for me, Doug!” Baskerman cried out.

“Lay off with that knife!” The head goon shouted. “If you get through his shield, you’ll likely burn a split in his skull before you can stop! Put a gag on him.”

Can Baskerman the disillusioned Corporate Citizen save the world from the 1%? Full of slapstick, comic jabs at the culture of big business, politics, UFO conspiracy theory, dystopian futures, and even the iconic hero, Baskerman takes on a Quixotic quest to change the fate of human culture, without letting on to the rest of the planet what exactly he’s up to, or who's helping him pull the strings!

On a future Earth where big business and crooked deals have overtaken the governments of the world, where colluding corruption by the rich and powerful is the status quo, Baskerman is a sometimes-bumbling everyman with big ideas. He can see the ins and outs of how fortunes are made, but could never seem to take that self-serving leap to be one of the “smart players” and join the march of stepping on others to get ahead. Disillusioned, but judging there was little he could do about it without betraying his principals, he uses his business acumen in a haphazard manner, seeking only to keep himself one step removed from the general misery most of the world endured. One day, his more idealistic youth returns in the form of a potential client.

Earth has long ago passed the point where money, as a means of allocating resources, has ceased to have any meaning, but the financial machine keeps turning. The only real effect is that it keeps the wealthy powerful and the poor oppressed in misery. With readily available technology, there could easily be plenty for all and humanity could turn to fixing long-term problems, but as a race, we are stuck with what we know and are unable to re-invent ourselves without a little outside help. Whether it is help or harm, humanity has been contacted by two alien species unwittingly holding themselves up as examples. Earth has discovered it has neighbors, and members of that greater galactic community - some indifferent, some overly interested - authorize an effort to bring humanity into the fold as a sponsored pledge.

It’s time humans decided who they are beyond the rigors of the sometimes stark necessity of the past.

John A Webb