owen and the aliens - episode 1 - "time to show you the neighborhood"

7/30/2019 Owen and the Aliens - Episode 1 - "Time to Show You the Neighborhood"

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Owen and the Aliens

Time to Show You the Neighborhood

Written by

Elliott Davidson


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ACT I

FADE IN:

EXT. TERRA NOVA COLONY DAY

OWEN a thirteen year-old boy with messy brown hair and

tanned skin - watches the stars fade as the sun rises.

He sits atop a storage container, alone.

At his back stands an expansive space colony, made of a

clean, white, pseudo-plastic material.

Beyond the colony, its a sea of rock, isolated geological

formations littering the landscape.

Far off in the distance, massive towers stretch up into the

sky, half white, half green.

Owen, wearing a white jumpsuit decked out with techno

doodads - no helmet or heavy space suit required - gets to

his feet and walks towards the colony.

INT. COLONY CORRIDOR DAY

Owen shuffles along the cylindrical corridor, passing

various men and women, a child in a world of adults.

Most of the other people are engaged in conversation or

study their equipment, but they look up to greet Owen.

MEN / WOMEN

Hey Owen. / Morning Owen. / Owen,

hows it going? / etc.

Owen nods in response, politely but absently.

INT. COLONY LIVING QUARTERS DAY

The living quarters are pristine, colorless.

Owen enters via sliding door. He finds his parents, MR. and

MRS. ADAMSON, jumpsuited up and preparing for the day.

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MRS. ADAMSON

Morning, honey. Youre up early.

OWEN

Couldnt sleep.

MRS. ADAMSON

Been anywhere in particular?

OWEN

Not really.

MR. ADAMSON

Want to help me with my rounds at

the bio-gennies today?

OWENNo, thats alright. Could I

maybe ... take the rover out

instead? Ive done all my

homework. For the month.

Mr. and Mrs. Adamson eye one another.

MRS. ADAMSON

Going to stay out of trouble?

OWENIm the only kid on this rock. Not

much trouble to get into.

Owens parents wait for the correct answer.

OWEN

But, yes, absolutely.

Mr. Adamson scratches his chin, playfully wary of Owen.

MR. ADAMSONI dunno ...

Mr. Adamson taps a nearby touch panel.

MR. ADAMSON

Okay. You can take the rover out.

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MRS. ADAMSON

But be careful.

OWEN

Uh huh, I will.

Owen hugs his parents briefly.

OWEN

Later.

MRS. ADAMSON

Sooner, rather than later, Owen.

OWEN

For sure.

INT. ROVER HANGAR DAY

Owen enters the hangar.

Dozens of rovers sit waiting in the hangar. Theyre

bulbous, stubby, wheelless vehicles with open cockpits,

like futuristic Volkswagen Beetle convertibles.

INT. ROVER DAY

Owen hops into one of the rovers.

It powers on automatically, displays lighting up, engine

humming. The rover lifts off the ground, hovering two feet

in the air.

Owen taps at the controls, grips the steering sticks.

OWEN

Cool.

EXT. ROVER HANGAR DAY

The rover shoots out of the hangar, skimming above the

ground. Owen hoots with excitement.

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EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT DAY

Owen sweeps back and forth along the rocky surface of Terra

Nova, rover banking side to side.

INT. ROVER DAY

The wind kicks Owens hair back, a smile ear to ear.


The rover hugs the ground, leaving the colony behind. Owen

pushes the rover faster.

EXT. TERRA NOVA ORBIT SPACE

Terra Nova - blue oceans, caramel rocky wastelands, tracesof green - spins lazily.

A dark metallic object hurtles towards the planet, a blur,

lightning fast.

INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY

A dozen people mind various displays. The communications

officers all appear on the verge of boredom-induced comas.

Then one of the displays begins to beep.


Owen speeds across the desert.

INT. ROVER DAY

Something catches Owens attention. He looks up. High

above, a metallic streak heads towards the desert.


One of the officers cranes his neck towards the beeping and

flashing display in front of him.

OFFICER

Wha ... ?

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INT. ROVER DAY

Owen eases up on the rover.

EXT. TERRA NOVA SKY DAY

The silvery shape plummets towards the desert below.

INT. ROVER DAY

The rover comes to a stop, still hovering above the ground.

Owen stares at the planet bound object, mouth slack.

The object begins to change direction, arcing through the

sky ... until its headed straight for Owen.


The officer studies the display. Others crowd around.

The colonys ADMINISTRATOR - an older woman with tight,

sharp features - leans in close, inspecting the screen.

OFFICER

Maam, we have a visitor.

INT. ROVER DAY

Owen sits motionless as the speeding object flies towards

him, now only a few hundred feet away.

EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT - DAY

The metallic blur reaches the planet surface, kicking up a

massive plume of dust that blows out in all directions.

But theres no impact, no explosion.

INT. ROVER DAY

Owen coughs, waves the dust away from his face. Slowly, the

sandy cloud begins to clear.

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EXT. TERRA NOVA DESERT - DAY

Perched on the desert floor - dark silver, seamless, winged

like a metallic manta ray - rests a very alien spaceship.

Its adorned with faded markings and glyphs, dinged up,somewhat scorched, and impossibly technologically advanced.

Owen gets out of the rover, takes a few tentative steps

towards the spaceship.

A hatch on the side of the ship opens. Stairs extend from

the doorway to the ground below. A silhouette appears.

Owen watches, anxious and spellbound.

And JOE - a young, wiry green alien, two arms, two legs,yellow eyes, little dots for nostrils - steps out. A forest

of sort-of-tentacles sits on the top of his head like a mop

of hair. He wears an almost punk jumpsuit of his own.

Joe spots Owen. He skips down the stairs, waves casually,

and joins Owen on the ground.

Joe speaks, uttering a strange language of clicks and hums.

Owen stares at Joe, eyes wide and stupefied.

Joe cocks his head and speaks again. More gibberish.

Joe sighs heavily, rummages around the pockets of his

jumpsuit. He pulls out a thin disk the size of a quarter

and moves in towards Owen.

Owen back pedals awkwardly, but Joe grabs Owen by the elbow

and smacks the disk against Owens forehead.

JOE

There we go.

OWEN

You ... speak ... English?

JOE

Huh? No, not a word. But I

understand you.

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Joe taps the disk stuck to Owens forehead.

JOE

And now you can understand me.

Joe flops a hand onto Owens shoulder.

JOE

Names Jotroxungachuu. But you can

call me Joe, for short.

Owen places a tentative hand on Joes shoulder.

OWEN

Owen. Owen Adamson.

JOE

Good to meet you, Owen Owen

Adamson.

OWEN

No, its just Owen.

JOE

Whatever you say.

Joe steps past Owen, takes in the desert.

Owen rubs his eyes, looks at Joe stupidly.

OWEN

Wait, hold up. Youre an alien.

JOE

True.

OWEN

No, I mean, youre a real livealien. Like, really real. In front

of me. And Im talking to you.

JOE

Am I missing something here?

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OWEN

I ... we ... you exist! Youre

actually out there!

Joe chews on this comment, the gears slow, but steady.

JOE

Wait, wait, you didnt know that?

OWEN

Well, no.

JOE

How could you not know that?

OWEN

We just figured we were alone. Imean, its not like we havent

been looking or anything, but -

JOE

You thought you were alone? Okay,

okay, youve got to come with me

for a moment.

Joe races off toward his ship and climbs up the stairs.

INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DAY

Joe, wildly excited and muttering to himself, taps at an

assortment of buttons and switches. A little sphere drops

out of the ceiling.

JOE

Now just stand over here ...

Joe looks back and realizes that hes talking to himself.


Joe reappears at the hatch. Owen hasnt moved.

JOE

What are you doing?

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OWEN

I have no idea ...

Joe hustles down the stairs, grabs Owen, and drags him into

the spaceship.


Joe positions an amazed Owen underneath the sphere.

OWEN

Whoa.

JOE

Just stand there. And dont move.

Joe taps a button on a nearby console, and laser beamsbegin to shoot out of the orb, sweeping all over Owen. The

boy yelps in surprise.

JOE

Stay still, stay still.

The light show stops with Owen apparently unharmed and

the orb retreats into the ceiling above.

Joe scans a display that cycles through a variety of

anatomical breakdowns of Owen.

JOE

No way. Youre an entirely new

species. Never recorded. And I

found you! How great is that?

OWEN

Pretty great?

JOE

You bet it is.

Joe ushers Owen over to one of a handful of large seats

near the ships controls.

JOE

Okay, just sit back ...

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Joe plops into the central control chair beside Owen. His

fingers skitter above the controls. The ship rumbles.


The spaceships stairs retract, and the hatch closes.


Joe takes a hold of the ships control sticks.

JOE

... and enjoy the ride.

OWEN

Ride? What ride?


The spaceship lifts off the ground and, without even a hint

of acceleration, rockets spaceward.

FADE OUT.

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ACT II

FADE IN:


Owen watches the tilted horizon of Terra Nova through the

bridges viewscreen.

OWEN

Where are we going?!


The spaceship zooms away from Terra Nova.

INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE SPACE

Joe glances at Owen, grinning.

JOE

Owen Adamson, it is time to show

you the neighborhood.


The ship speeds up, its form stretching off infinitely into

the cosmos. Then in a flash, its gone.

INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE HYPERSPACE

Stars, stretched out like taffy, streak by the spaceship.

Owen stands, stares at the viewscreen, eyes bulging.

OWEN

What are you doing? Youve got to

take me back!

JOE

I will. Of course I will.

OWEN

No, I mean now! Right now!

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JOE

Now? Why? We just left.

OWEN

Because ...

Joe waits for an answer, but Owen doesnt have one.

JOE

Owen, relax. Take a seat. Its a

quick trip. Close by.

OWEN

Close by?!

JOE

Relatively speaking.

Owen holds his face in his hands, groaning, then slumps

back into his seat.

OWEN

Joe ... where are you taking me?

JOE

Thats a good question.

Joe works the controls. On the viewscreen, the stars beginto compress into their normal spherical shape.

JOE

Owen, this -

EXT. JUMP RING SPACE

The Jump Ring, a massive cylindrical space station a dozen

miles across, rotates in the dead of space.

Joes ship comes out of hyperspace.

JOE (V.O.)

- is a Jump Ring.

The hollow center of the Jump Ring shimmers like hot air

above pavement. Its a wormhole, a window into another

point in the universe. Countless ships flow through it.

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There are no nearby planets or stars, but a vast, vibrant

red-purple cloud of cosmic dust lingers around the station.


Owen stares at the Jump Ring, once again amazed.

OWEN

What is it?

JOE

I just told you, Jump Ring. Holds

the wormhole open.

OWEN

Wormhole?

JOE

Well youre not going

intergalactic if you stick to

hyperspace, yeah?

OWEN

If you say so.


Joes silvery ship heads for the Ring.

Another ship, closer to the station, turns and makes a

beeline for Joes vessel.


The second spacecraft rockets straight towards Joes ship.

Owen shields his eyes, curling up in terror.

OWENAhhh!!

The second ship peels off, narrowly avoiding an epic

collision. Joe shakes his head, chuckling.

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ARALLA - a young alien girl with large eyes framed by

feathers and downy fur that fades from violet to white -

appears in a communication window on the viewscreen.

JOE

Thank you so, so much for such awarm welcome, Aralla.

The second ship comes back into view, now facing the boys.

ARALLA

My pleasure.

JOE

Couldve just commed, you know.

ARALLAWouldnt have been as much fun.

Aralla spots Owen, gives Joe an inquisitive look.

ARALLA

Whos your friend?

JOE

All in good time. Headed to the

Ring?

ARALLA

Of course.

JOE

Then well see you there.

ARALLA

Alright. Dont keep us waiting.

The comm window blinks off. Arallas ship turns and zooms

towards the Jump Ring.

JOE

(to Owen)

Youre going to love this.

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The two spaceships make their way towards the Jump Ring as

space traffic continues to courses through the wormhole.

EXT. JUMP RING - OUTER SURFACE - SPACE

Elevator shafts extend from the Jump Ring out to other

vessels that have docked underneath the station.

The two ships manoeuvre towards a pair of free lifts.


Joe eyes the displays, plunks away at the controls.

Satisfied, he stands and marches away from the bridge.

JOE

Follow me.

Owen pushes himself out of his seat.

OWEN

Have I been abducted by an alien?

JOE

What?

OWEN

Nothing.


A dark, angular, patched-up spaceship heads for the

underside of the Jump Ring and the other docked ships.

INT. PIRATE SCOUT SHIP COCKPIT - SPACE

The PIRATE SCOUT - a lanky, weaselly alien - pilots thesmall space ship, shifty eyes on the Jump Ring.

INT. JOES SPACESHIP - UPPER HATCH SPACE

Joe guides Owen into an airlock.

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JOE

Hold on.

Joe knocks on Owens head, knuckles surveying skull.

JOEYou got brain all in there, right?

OWEN

Yes, why?

Joe keeps knocking. Owen tries to shoo him off.

OWEN

Stop it!

Joe relocates Owens translator patch from his forehead tobehind an ear, hidden underneath Owens hair.

JOE

Still work?

OWEN

Yeah. Sort of itches though.

JOE

Youll live.

Joe taps a control panel, and the airlock begins to close.

OWEN

Wait, Joe, should I know about

anything? Is it safe? Am I going

to be able to breathe in there?

JOE

If I can, you can.

INT. JUMP RING - LOWER LEVEL SPACE

The Jump Ring is dark, smoky, dingy, busy, loud and alive,

crowded with a cornucopia of aliens.

Shops, services, entertainment, bars and restaurants are

crammed together in the Jump Ring.

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A door connecting one of the Jump Rings outer lifts to the

bowels of the station opens, revealing Owen and Joe.

Owen holds his breath, cheeks bulging, eyes shut.

JOEOwen, relax. This place is built

for double-O breathers like us.

Joe slaps Owen on the back. The boy inhales roughly. Joe

grabs Owen by the jumpsuit and drags him forward.

JOE

Come on, come on.

Joe walks past other lift doors, searching the crowds.

Aralla appears from behind a cluster of aliens. Joe and

Aralla spot each other and embrace one another jovially.

ARALLA

Hey Joe.

JOE

Aralla, good to see you, as

always.

Three other young aliens join Aralla.

KOBOR is a big, burly, gruff, hunched combination of

armadillo, rhino, and elephant.

TESSARACTA is an insectoid with four arms and four legs, a

cross between mantis and black widow, with a shiny, almost

bejewelled carapace and a regal crest of horns on her head.

And finally, LOOTHU is a nervous, shifting mass of

tentacles, standing somewhat upright, his squid limbs

tangled together, imitating the shape of a biped.

Joe and the three other alien teens share typical hugs,

handshakes, greetings, chest bumps, etc.

Owen stands a few feet back from the rest of the group.

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ARALLA

So Joe, you going to introduce

this one or what?

JOE

Yeah, yeah, of course. Guys, thisis Owen Adamson. Hes a

(to Owen)

- wait, what are you, anyway?

OWEN

Human.

JOE

Hew-man?

OWENHuman.

JOE

Thanks.

(to others)

Hes a

KOBOR

Human, yeah, we heard him Joe.

JOERight, right. Owen, this

(points to Kobor)

- is Kobor -

Kobor offers a grunt in acknowledgement.

JOE

(gestures to Tessaracta)

- Tessaracta -

TESSARACTACharmed.

JOE

(nods at Loothu)

And Loothu.

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LOOTHU

Huh-huh-hello, Owen.

Owen rubs the back of his head and smiles sheepishly.

OWENUm ... hi.

ARALLA

Good to meet you, Owen.

Kobor walks over to Owen, looks him up and down, pokes him

in the forehead, arms, chest.

KOBOR

Seems kind of squishy.

LOOTHU

Theres nothing wrong with

squishy.

ARALLA

I think hes cute. Sort of plain

looking, but cute.

A sly grin spreads across Arallas face before she turns

and heads further into the station. Owen blushes

tremendously.

LOOTHU

Oh, look, adaptive coloring.

Loothus own skin shifts through a stunning array of

colors, patterns, and even textures. Owen stares dumbly.

LOOTHU

Advantageous, isnt it?

Kobor, Tessaracta, and Loothu join Aralla.

Joe pushes Owen forward.

JOE

Lets go.

FADE OUT.

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ACT III

FADE IN:

INT. DR. VROONS LABORATORY - SPACE

Monitors, cables, robotic arms and precision instruments

dangle from the walls and ceiling of the expansive room.

The lab is half auto body garage, half electronics plant.

DR. VROON - a diminutive, aged humanoid alien with wispy

white hair and a wrinkled face - hums to himself.

He moves to the center of the room, where a large metallic

box is in the process of sealing itself shut.

COMPUTER (V.O.)Dr. Vroon, you have an incoming

communication from the Admiral.

DR. VROON

Ill take it in here, thank you.

The GALACTIC SECURITY FORCE ADMIRAL appears on one of the

larger lab monitors, dressed in an authoritative black

uniform with red and blue stripes. He is a regal, angular

creature with determined, intelligent, but not unkind eyes.

ADMIRAL

Hello, Dr. Vroon.

DR. VROON

Admiral.

ADMIRAL

Is the prototype ready?

Dr. Vroon pats the metallic box.

DR. VROON

I believe so. But then you and I

both know not to get our hopes up

before a test run, dont we now?

A nod and a knowing smile from the Admiral.

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DR. VROON

Ill see you in a short while,

Admiral.

The Admirals image blinks off.

INT. JUMP RING - LOWER LEVEL SPACE

The Pirate Scout steps out of one of the lifts. His eyes,

sly and half-lidded, skip around the Jump Ring.

Though shifty, no one pays him any attention. The Scout

moves through the crowds, casing the joint.

A pair of slovenly Security officers walk by, dressed in

black uniforms similar to the Admirals.

The Scout watches the officers from the corner of his eye.

The officers stumble along, spending more time slapping

each other on the back than watching the crowds.

The Scout continues on.

INT. JUMP RING - MARKETPLACE - SPACE

The kids wind their way through a slightly more respectable

section of the Jump Ring.

Owen lags behind the others, his eyes everywhere, absorbing

the aliens, shops, architecture, cultures.

JOE

Still in a hurry to get back home?

OWEN

I ... wow.

Owen tries to stay clear of pretty much everything,sidestepping lumbering creatures as they near.

OFFICER URKFURK - a pig-like alien in Security garb,

uniform straining at the seams - stumbles towards the kids.

KIDS

Hello, Officer Urkfurk!

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Urkfurk spots the kids and groans.

OFFICER URKFURK

Shouldnt you kids be in school?

Or working? Or stuck in a Nunaliummine somewhere? Far away from

here, from me, forever?

JOE

You dont sound happy to see us,

Urkie.

OFFICER URKFURK

Dont call me Urkie.

ARALLAStill upset about that thing with

the bongledons?

OFFICER URKFURK

Do you have any idea how long it

took me to clean that mess up?

The kids collectively shake their heads, all trying their

hardest not to smile or break into laughter.

OFFICER URKFURKIm not going have any trouble

with you kids today, am I?

KIDS

No, Officer Urkfurk.

OFFICER URKFURK

Going to have a nice, relaxing

shift for a change?

KIDSYes, Officer Urkfurk.

OFFICER URKFURK

Good. Get a move on. Go make

someone elses life miserable.

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Officer Urkfurk points at his eyes, then at Joe - Im

watching you - before he shuffles off.

The kids return to their march.

OWENWho was he?

JOE

Officer Urkfurk? Galactic Security

Force. But the guys out here

patrolling the Ring arent exactly

top of their class, if you know

what I mean.

LOOTHU

I like Officer Urkfurk.

KOBOR

You like everyone, squirmy.

INT. JUMP RING - CONCOURSE - SPACE

Dr. Vroon pushes the metallic box, hovering above the

ground, through the throngs of alien creatures.

Ten feet away, the Scout continues his reconnaissance.

INT. JUMP RING - MARKETPLACE - SPACE

The kids walk by rows of painted and polished hoverjets,

half motorcycles, half jet airplanes.

Owen is drawn to them, shuffling over like a zombie.

OWEN

Awesome.

An alien SALESMAN saunters up.

SALESMAN

Pretty hot, huh son? And shes the

easiest thing the world to ride.

The Salesman lifts Owen off his feet and plops him onto one

of the nearby hoverjets.

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SALESMAN

Grab a control stick and youre

locked in. Push to dive, pull to

climb, twist to turn. Right foots

go, left foots stop. Simple asthat. So how you payin?

JOE

Were not. Get off him, get off

him!

Joe pulls Owens hands off the control sticks before

grabbing his jumpsuit and yanking Owen off the hoverjet.

The Salesman snorts at Joe as the kids shuffle on.

JOE

Cant let em rope you in like

that, Owen.

OWEN

So shiny ...

ARALLA

Alright, enough. What are we

doing?

LOOTHU

A little mecha-cade? If anyone

else is up for it?

TESSARACTA

How barbaric. Well I dont know

about the rest of you, but my

wardrobe is in desperate need of

an update.

Kobor shoots Tessaracta a look of disapproval, and sheshrugs. He pats his stomach.

KOBOR

Food.

Tessaracta rolls her eyes.

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KOBOR

Wonder if the new kid has a taste

for a little Gerungle mash.

The kids laugh. Owen joins in. The others stop laughing.

KOBOR

Joe, where did you find this guy,

anyway?

JOE

Some dustbowl I was surveying.

Hes a whole new species, never

recorded. And get this, get this:

they thought they were alone.

TESSARACTAAlone where?

JOE

I dunno, the universe?

Theres a moment of silence, then the five aliens burst

into laughter.

Owen looks amongst them, smiles weakly.

ARALLAWe should show him the Inner Deck.

Thatll blow his mind.

Aralla waits for any disagreement, and receiving none,

leads the way.

OWEN

Wait, Joe, surveying? Are you

supposed to be working right now?

JOEDetails, Owen, details.

INT. JUMP RING - TEST CHAMBER - SPACE

The room is a massive cube, bare metal walls. Makeshift

platforms and cage-like enclosures fill the space.

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What looks to be an alien test pilot stands waiting.

The Admiral nears a dozen alien technicians that hover over

a bank of monitors.

ADMIRALHow are we looking, gentlemen?

TECHNICIAN

Good to go here, sir.

INT. JUMP RING - INNER DECK - SPACE

The Inner Deck of the Jump Ring encircles the innermost

part of the station, closest to its hollow, tubular center.

The ceiling of the Inner Deck is a transparent materialthat wraps around the inside of the Ring.

Ribbons of electricity wind around the inner circumference,

maintaining the wavering mouth of the wormhole.

Countless ships, big and small, freighters and personal

crafts, pass through the wormhole above.

The kids shuffle through the Inner Deck. This time,

Owens in the lead, and hes the one setting the pace.

Owens eyes are glued to the sights above, unblinking.

OWEN

So many ships.

JOE

Well its a big place out there.

OWEN

Its amazing.

Owen starts to laugh, cant contain himself. He looks at

the others, and they grin back. Including Kobor.

INT. JUMP RING - CONCOURSE - SPACE

The Scout gives his surroundings one last scan, then holds

a slender metallic device to his ear.

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PIRATE SCOUT

Come on through.


Owen continues to stare spaceward at the incoming ships.

For the others, the moment has run its course.

ARALLA

Alright, lets go.

All but Owen start to leave.

OWEN

Huh. Look at those ones.

EXT. JUMP RING WORMHOLE - SPACE

Scores of dark, imposing ships come through the wormhole.

Some are small fighter ships, zipping around erratically.

Others are hulking raider ships, steadily pushing forward.

A large, ominous command ship is at the center of the pack.


The shadowy ships fill the view above.

JOE

Oh no.

LOOTHU

Thuh-thuh-this is bad.

Other aliens look up. Panic fills the Inner Deck.

ARALLABack to the ships!

The kids are already running. Owens clueless.

KOBOR

Move it, new guy!

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OWEN

Whats going on?

JOE

Pirates!

This doesnt sink in. Joe gives Owen a frantic shove.

JOE

Go!

The Inner Deck has already become absolute chaos, aliens

pushing, shoving, fleeing in terror.

JOE

Owen, run!

FADE OUT.

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owen and the aliens - episode 1 - "time to show you the neighborhood"

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