A psychotherapist on a space cruiser desperately wants to return home to his family but first must lead a mission of mercy: rescue 77 people from a dying planet.  But why him?  And why these 77 refugees

“Doomsday Reprieve” is a sci-fi thriller/mystery with plenty of action and plenty to think about (ala “2001”).  It poses an existential question about why certain people in life are “rescued,” given advantage, survive, while others don’t.  Is it a cosmic joke?  Is there an “Intelligence” behind everything (predestination)?

SYNOPSIS:

SYNOPSIS: It's the year 2031 and aboard a spaceship full of tense, bored crew members, the ship's sensitive psychotherapist MARKESON (35) prescribes a burly technician pills for his anger. Back in his small room, Markeson communicates with his wife TINA (32) and child KYLE back on Earth. He remembers how he was coerced into joining this mission by NASA and recalls saying goodbye to his family two and a half years previous.

On the ship, crew members are restless and fight. LEO, age 36, a “trans-species” who has become a lion, blames Markeson for the riots. Leo is a former patient of Markeson who loathes the human race because they kill for pleasure. Markeson visits CAPTAIN LUTHER, 62, to report the ship's unrest. Luther informs him they will soon be arriving at their destination, a planet called Fortuna where they must save 77 citizens out of 6 billion from impending doom. Luther announces the news to the crew, naming Markeson to lead the mission. Markeson, baffled that he, a psychotherapist with no military experience, has been chosen to lead a very dangerous mission, refuses to go. Luther won't take no for an answer. “Omnicscience,” the ship’s artificial intelligence commanding the mission, “ has chosen him. It’s all according to plan.

The next day, Luther assigns Leo, the best soldier onboard, to escort Markeson. The two of them along with several troops will go down to the war-torn planet and inform the 77 citizens who have been chosen by Omniscience and be administered vaccines before being brought aboard the next day (24 hours to clean the blood). The planet's inhabitants are a species of mimics and currently they are mimicking Earth’s culture and heroes.

Markeson and Leo arrive on the planet and travel to JAMES MOZART IV's (40s) house where they inform him and his family that the planet will explode in 48 hours and where the rescue ship will leave from. Using rocket boots, they travel to the next location, a hotel in the red light district where they inform a drug addict/prostitute named CLEOPATRA about the rescue mission. Suddenly there is a raid and Markeson is arrested by the police. Leo saves him and they fly off together.

Next they inform JAMES KIRK, a soldier on a battlefield hiding out in a foxhole. Fearing the soldier won’t last a day, Markeson disobeys orders and sends Kirk up prematurely. As Kirk is being sent up to the ship. Captain Luther turns off the transmission and the soldier falls to his death. Now there will have to be a replacement refugee. Markeson is scolded for his disobedience. On an abandoned battlefield, Leo and Markeson discover a gruesome mass grave.

They share a common disgust. Leo says he’s changing his mind about certain humans, namely the sensitive Markeson, who goes about his duties with sorrow about self-destructive humanity.

They travel to many other locations to deliver news and administer shots, arriving at last in the first affluent neighborhood so far. They inform the father SILAS, 53, about the rescue mission. He wants to take along his family as well but Markeson explains that he cannot; it is only his name on the list. They leave him, knowing he'll have a difficult decision to make.

Back on the ship, Luther will not disclose to Markeson why Omniscience has chosen certain people and not others. He says you have to be a person of remarkable character and integrity to see Omniscience. Perhaps Markeson can ask the A.I. after the mission if he passes his “test.”

The next day, Markeson and Leo return to Fortuna to pick up the refugees. They realize that there are some people missing and travel to find them. Children are huddled in a hospital for the deaf sheltering from an earthquake. A crack appears in the floor and Markeson must rescue them.

Leo and Markeson rescue other refugees as the condition of the planet worsens with floods rising. In panic, people want them to take them along too, but Leo and Markeson can only take those who are on the list and cannot explain why. Markeson finds it particularly hard, remembering when he had to leave his son. When they reach Silas, he does not want to leave. Leo and Markeson try to convince him but he is steadfast. Leo is shot dead as the result of gang warfare occurring in the neighborhood. Determined to get all 77, Markeson forces Silas to come with him just before the planet explodes.

Luther is pleased the mission has been completed. Markeson is devastated about Leo. A distraught Silas throws himself out of the ship's emergency hatch into space. Luther is unperturbed as Mrs Mozart is pregnant so Omniscience still has seventy-seven.

A year later, Markeson receives a special honor to be able to talk to Omniscience. Omniscience reveals that it was ultimately an intelligent act of predestination, that a mere man can not begin to understand ultimate Truth. But Omniscience decides to give Markeson a peek at infinite wisdom. Ala 2001, Markeson takes a psychic journey and is overwhelmed by what he learns and devastated, is taken to the sick bay. Two years later, Markeson returns to his family and vows never to leave them. Tina asks him whether he questions the point of his mission. Markeson replies that he doesn't question anything anymore. Man must have mystery.