owen and the aliens - episode 4 - "i should be at home"

7/30/2019 Owen and the Aliens - Episode 4 - "I Should Be At Home"

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Owen and the Aliens

I Should Be At Home

Written by

Elliott Davidson


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ACT I

FADE IN:

EXT. ICE GIANT ORBIT SPACE

The planet is a swirling orb of purple and blue gas, with

no visible land or sea to speak of.

A Security fighter ship kicks out of hyperspace.

INT. SECURITY FIGHTER COCKPIT - SPACE

Officer Urkfurk inspects the controls, the purple ice giant

dominating the view before him.

URKFURKThis is Officer Urkfurk, checking

in on location forty-one.

He plunks at a few buttons and gauges.

URKFURK

Not picking up any other

hyperspace tunnelling, in or out.

A couple more taps.

URKFURK

Planets atmosphere is scanning

toxic across the board. Gravitys

nearly three times standard.

Looking pretty unfriendly, even

for a pit stop.

A final few cursory checks.

URKFURK

Electromagnetic signals areminimal, all within expected

ranges. Theres no one down there.

Urkfurk rubs a weary face.

URKFURK

Transmitting, and moving on.

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He grabs the controls, and the planet sweeps out of view.

EXT. ICE GIANT ORBIT SPACE

The Security ship finishes turning away from the ice giant,then blinks off into hyperspace.

INT. JUMP RING - SECURITY COMMAND - SPACE

The Admiral sits off to the side of the main bank of

monitors. He leans back in his chair, eyes closed, rubbing

at the alien equivalent of his temples.

Commander Rofolo approaches.

COMMANDER ROFOLOSir?

The Admiral opens his eyes and sets them on Rofolo.

COMMANDER ROFOLO

Were continuing to search the

target locations along the

pirates escape trajectory, but

havent detected any sign of the

pirates as of yet.

The Admiral huffs weakly.

ADMIRAL

As of yet.

COMMANDER ROFOLO

More than two thirds of the

locations remain to be inspected.

ADMIRAL

Assuming the pirates headed to oneof them. Instead of some uncharted

rock, or station, or some random

point in the middle of nowhere.

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COMMANDER ROFOLO

Thats correct, sir. We have

received word that the Fleet is en

route to assist, but ...

ADMIRALBut time is not on our side.

COMMANDER ROFOLO

No, sir. No its not. The odds of

finding the pirates, along with

any individuals taken captive,

decreases by the minute.

The Admiral nods, and a hand returns to his temples.

ADMIRALThank you, Commander.

Rofolo leaves the Admiral to his thoughts.

EXT. BANYAN FOREST - DAY

The totalled hoverjet - along with the nearby banyans -

continues to burn.

And but of course, out from behind a fallen tree trunk

twenty feet from the fire, crawl Owen and Joe, dirty,scratched, but relatively unharmed.

OWEN

Theyve got to be gone by now.

The boys stand before the wreckage, inspecting the fire

that, moments before, was their ride out of the jungle.

OWEN

Wow.

JOE

Owen, um, those that know me might

say that I can be a little

reckless, from time to time. So

please, understand where Im

coming from when I say: that was

way, way too close.

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OWEN

No arguments here.

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

Owen and Joe step out of the banyans and into the

relatively open jungle.

They spot the airborne command ship through the tree tops.

OWEN

There. That way.

JOE

So what, sneak attack, round two?

Owen gestures at the angry red jungle that surrounds them.

OWEN

Unless you want to stay here, camp

out for a bit.

JOE

No, no, Im sick of this place.

They head towards the jungle clearing.

JOE

Other than smashing our only means

of transportation straight into a

tree at the end there ... that was

actually pretty good riding.

OWEN

Thanks.

JOE

I mean those hoverjets are builtso that even the stupidest of

creatures can control them with

pretty minimal instruction.

OWEN

Didnt need to say that part.

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JOE

But all the same, good riding.

EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING - DAY

The pirates attend to the goods stolen from the Jump Ring,loading the remaining items onto the platform.

The prisoners are now one pack, just off to the side of the

platform, shepherded by pirates.

The kids stare at the lingering black smoke that drifts

above the jungle.

Aralla looks over at her ship, amongst those stolen by the

pirates. So close, yet so far.

She takes a few steps towards the ships, moving out from

the other prisoners, watching the pirates from the corner

of her eye.

Kobor grabs her by the arm.

KOBOR

No.

Aralla looks back at her friend.

KOBOR

Too late now.

Aralla resists, weakly. Kobor pulls her back to the group.

The pirates finish with the last of the booty. The platform

is loaded.

Maleonas takes one last look around, then addresses the

other pirates.

MALEONAS

Get the prisoners onboard. Were

done here.

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

The boys push through the jungle, the command ship ahead.

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Some of the pirates join Maleonas on the platform as they

pack the prisoners amongst stolen wares.

Others head for raider ships and stolen space craft.

The platform lifts off the ground.

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

A few weird little flying things buzz around the boys. Owen

swats them out of the way.

OWEN

Should we be worried about weirdalien germs around here? Is my

face going to melt off, or my guts

explode, or anything like that?

JOE

Did your species happen to spend

millions of years evolving as one

minute facet of this planets

particular, interconnected

spectrum of biodiversity?

OWEN

No.

JOE

Then youre probably okay.

OWEN

Probably, huh?

JOE

Well, cant really be certainabout anything in this universe,

can you now?

OWEN

Guess thats sort of comforting.

Strange hooting from the jungle.

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JOE

Now thats what you want to worry

about. I dont think teeth are

affected that much by how youre

built on a cellular level.

OWEN

Less comforting.

The hover platform appears ahead, rising above the trees

towards the command ship.

The boys come to a staggering stop.

OWEN

No.

EXT. PLATFORM - DAY

The platform is midway between the clearing below and the

command ship above.

The prisoners stare transfixed at the lingering black smoke

that rises above the jungle canopy.

Dr. Vroon shuffles over to the kids.

DR. VROON

Im sorry.

LOOTHU

I just cant believe theyre gone.

The platform nears the large, rectangular notch in the

underside of the pirate command ship.

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

Owen and Joe watch the platform reach the command ship and

lock into place. Then the other ships, the raiding vessels

and stolen space crafts, lift off the ground.

OWEN

No, no, no.

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The small armada points spacewards, accelerates quickly,

and is gone in an instant.

Owen and Joe are left staring at an open sky. Alone.

OWENThis cant be happening. What am I

doing here? This is ...

(turns to Joe)

This is your fault. This is all

your fault! I shouldnt be here!

JOE

What? I shouldnt be here either!

You think this sort of thing

happens all the time or something?

And you drove us into that tree,Owen, not me!

OWEN

Yeah? You were the one that walked

face first right into the guy

holding your friends prisoner.

JOE

Hey, it was your genius idea to

try to rescue them, remember? We

shouldve stayed on the Ring, leftthis to the professionals!

Owen takes a slow, surly step towards Joe.

OWEN

I shouldnt have even been on that

Ring. But you showed up. And

kidnapped me. I should be at home,

oblivious. Safe. Now Im going to

die on some angry alien jungle

planet that probably doesnt evenhave a name. Because of you. You

stupid, stupid alien.

JOE

That so? Makes two of us, buddy.

Owen turns his back on Joe, shaking his head, fuming.

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One of the carnivorous pods drops out of a tree. Owen jumps

out of the way to avoid its gaping, fang-lined maw.

OWEN

Would you just give me a break -

Owen grabs a log off the ground, and without thinking,

smashes it right into the pods mouth.

OWEN

- for one second? Come on!

The pod yelps, then pulls itself back up into the trees.

Owen holds onto his log like an irate caveman.

JOE

You done? I can wait you know, if

you want to knock around a few

more plants.

Owen tosses the stick aside, and takes a step forward.

OWEN

Done.

The boys continue on in silence.

FADE OUT.

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ACT II

FADE IN:

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

Owen and Joe trek through the jungle, pushing past blood-

red vines and trees.

They walk towards a small break in the foliage.

EXT. JUNGLE CREVASSE - DAY

And its not a bare patch. Its a crevasse, twenty feet

across, right smack dab in front of the boys.

The two shuffle a little closer and stare down into theendless darkness below.

Joe kicks a small stone over the edge. A feint watery plunk

echoes up from the void.

JOE

Wow.

OWEN

Really?

Owen looks to either side. The crevasse stretches off in

both directions, with no end in sight.

OWEN

Do you remember flying over this?

JOE

It was all a bit of a blur, truth

be told.

Joe pulls at his tentacle-hair.

JOE

Can you jump it?

OWEN

What? No. Can you?

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JOE

Wouldnt even come close. Just

thought Id ask. In case you guys

have springy super legs or

something. I dont know.

OWEN

Do we see if it comes together at

some point?

Its Joes turn to look left and right.

JOE

Or, do we save ourselves the

hassle and admit weve got to get

across this thing?

Eyes linger on the other side of the crevasse.

OWEN

Why should it get any easier?

INT. COMMAND SHIP - PLATFORM HANGAR - SPACE

While docked to the command ship, the hover platform

doubles as the center of the hangars floor.

An upper catwalk wraps around the perimeter of the long,cavernous room. Pirates stand guard along the catwalk,

looking down upon the spoils and the prisoners below.

One end of the hangar is dominated by a pair of large

doors, sealed shut, for the time being.

The stolen items remain as they were when they were loaded

onto the platform.

The prisoners have, once again, been gathered into a group,

off to the side of the booty, watched over by more pirates.

The prisoners sit on the floor, huddled together, heads

down, some with their arms wrapped around their legs (or

the closest alien equivalent).

Aralla, Kobor, Tessaracta, Loothu and Dr. Vroon form their

own little group.

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ARALLA

That was our chance.

KOBOR

Dont say that.

ARALLA

Why? Its true. That was our

chance. Now its gone.

LOOTHU

Muh-muh-maybe theyll let us go.

TESSARACTA

You really think thats going to

happen, Loothu?

Silence. Loothu shrinks, his fidgeting tentacles kneading

at nothing, looking to his forlorn friends.

LOOTHU

So, um, mister, I mean, doctor,

Vroon, sir? What were you doing

out there on the Ring?

Dr. Vroon looks around at their captors.

DR. VROON

Im not sure I care to talk about

it at the moment.

LOOTHU

Oh.

DR. VROON

But please, son, dont take that

the wrong way.

Vroon points a subtle thumb at the pirates.

DR. VROON

They make me nervous.

LOOTHU

Oh.

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DR. VROON

What about the lot of you?

KOBOR

We were just taking a break.Escaping. It was one of Joes

favorite spots.

That comment is a sucker punch to the gut, for all of the

kids. No one attempts to revive the conversation.

EXT. JUNGLE CREVASSE - DAY

Owen and Joe lean against a tall husk of a tree.

A sickly, pale grey carnivorous pod hangs a few feet above.It quivers, but doesnt make any motions towards the boys.

JOE

I like how were going with the

only tree thats weak enough for

us to push it over.

Backs against the tree, they dig their feet into the dirt.

What passes for alien roots begin to pop out of the ground,

and the tree leans towards the fissure.

Teeth clenched, grunting, groaning, the boys give the tree

one last push, and the tip of the tree crashes on the other

side of the crevasse.

The pod dangles below the tree, still hanging on, swaying

gently back and forth.

The makeshift bridge stays put.

Owen and Joe size up the log, the thin span of footingagainst a bottomless drop.

OWEN

Could work.

JOE

Hows about you lead the way?

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OWEN

I get to play the canary?

JOE

What?

OWEN

Nothing.

Owen steps up to the log, puts a foot on it, then another.

The tree groans under Owens weight, before hes even moved

past the lip of the fissure.

Owen shakes his arms, lets out a heavy breath, getting

psyched up

OWEN

Alright, lets do this.

Owen starts to move, one tentative step after another. He

holds his arms out to balance himself, tightrope style.

JOE

Just slow and steady, Owen.

Owens made it a third of the way across.

JOE

You got this. No problem.

Now Owens in the middle. The weathered log bows below him.

The sickly pod lifts up and reaches out weakly at Owen.

Owen lets out a startled cry and kicks out at the pod, more

mindless reaction than cunning attack.

The pod breaks off, hangs in midair for the briefest of

moments, and then spirals downwards into the abyss.

A wet thud makes its way up from below. Then, squeaking.

OWEN

Great.

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Flying things explode from the darkness, enveloping the

log, and Owen along with it.

The boy gets down on all fours, gripping the tree.

JOE

Owen!

The flying things knock off pieces of the log as they

stream upwards. The sharp sound of splitting wood cuts

through the creatures squeaks.

OWEN

Joe youve got to cross it, now!

JOEWhat?!

OWEN

The trees giving way! Move it!

Owens turns back to the other side of the crevasse,

crawling across the log, shielding his face as best he can.

One of the creatures smashes into him, and his hand slip

out from under him.

Hitting hard against the log, Owen holds on with a

desperate bear hug. But hes back up quickly, crawling.

JOE

Oh man.

Joe lunges forward, swatting flying things out of the way.

He makes it a few steps before poor balance and the swarm

force him onto his hands and knees.

Snapping wood cracks like thunder.

Owen reaches the other side of the fissure and scrambles up

onto his feet.

Joes about half way across.

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OWEN

Come on, Joe!

JOE

I am going as fast as I can!!

Joe crawls forward, fingers digging into the log.

The log crumples in the middle, dropping down a few feet.

Joe braces himself, but the log isnt giving up quite yet.

Five feet away, scrambling on his belly. Owen reaches out,

grabs the sleeves of Joes jumpsuit.

And the log snaps, collapsing in the middle.

Owen pulls Joe towards him as the log gives way.

Everything from the waste up is on solid ground, but Joes

legs dangle down into the void.

OWEN

I got you, I got you.

Owen drags Joe up over the edge of the crevasse.

The two boys lie on their backs, silent, panting.

Down at the bottom of the fissure, the log hits with a

heavy splash.

Then they begin to laugh - as much out of joy as at the

sheer madness of the situation.

JOE

That. Was. Insane.

Owen slaps Joe on the chest and gets to his feet, groaning.

OWEN

Lets go. I want to get off this

stupid planet. So bad.

Joe stands, equally weary.

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They take on last look at the crevasse before marching on.

INT. COMMAND SHIP - PLATFORM HANGAR - SPACE

The prisoners remain seated, and silent.

Then the sound of the engines change, their pervasive hum

winding down as the ship comes out of hyperspace.

The prisoners look amongst one another nervously.

TESSARACTA

Were here.

KOBOR

Wherever here is.

A harsh digital tone sounds throughout the ship, like one

long klaxon siren.

The pirates stand at attention and circle the prisoners.

The prisoners get to their feet, as if a Pavlovian

response, anticipating being prodded somewhere or other.

Theres a muffled sound like two heavy objects colliding,

metal on metal, and the ship lurches sideways.

Some of the stolen items topple over, their clanging adding

to the aural assault.

No ones knocked off their feet, but pirates and prisoners

brace themselves.

The ship settles. Everythings quite. Everythings still.

Then, footsteps from above. Maleonas steps out onto the

catwalk. He addresses the pirates below.

MALEONAS

Take the prisoners down in groups,

and lock them up.

The pair of large doors at the end of the hangar slide

open, their mechanisms grumbling.

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On the other side of the doors: a freight elevator.

Then the prodding commences, and the prisoners are pushed

towards the waiting elevator at the end of the room.

The kids and Dr. Vroon are part of the first group thatsled inside.

With the first batch of prisoners loaded in, the elevator

doors slide shut.

FADE OUT.

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ACT III

FADE IN:

EXT. EDGE OF JUNGLE CLEARING - DAY

Owen and Joe step out of the jungle and into the clearing.

OWEN

Made it.

Other than the discarded items and rejected spaceships, the

jungle clearing is empty. Not an alien soul in sight.

JOE

Lets see if were getting out of

here anytime soon.

EXT. ABANDONED SPACESHIPS - DAY

Owen stares at a trio of feint daytime alien moons.

He sits atop a weathered storage container, alone.

At his back are the abandoned spaceships.

An odd critter appears, like a ferret mixed with a

centipede, winding its way through the junk.

Owen glances down at the alien creature, just watching it

as it moves in closer.

He surveys the ground around him, picks up a rock, and lobs

it indifferently at the furry ferret-thing.

The critter squeaks and scampers off.

Owen returns his attention skyward.

Joe steps out of the nearest ship, a junker of a vessel,

and ambles over to Owen, flopping down beside him.

JOE

They wiped the nav charts.

Probably so no one could trace the

ships.

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OWEN

I take it thats a bad thing.

JOE

Yep. Even if the ship works, wedont know where were going. Wed

be flying blind through the

galaxy. And if you hadnt figured

by now, big galaxy.

Owen nods absently. Then he cocks his head, face scrunched.

OWEN

But, we do know where were going.

(points spaceward)

Were going wherever they went.Can we follow them?

JOE

Only if they ... if they didnt

mask their hyperspace jumps.

OWEN

Did they?

The boys jump off the container and scramble onto the ship.

INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DAY

Joe smacks away at monitors and buttons.

JOE

Unbelievable.

OWEN

What?

JOEIve got em, Ive got em. All of

the hyperspace entry points, side

by side.

OWEN

Well lets go!

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JOE

Owen, these trails are like

ripples in water. Theyre clear at

first, but eventually, space

settles. Trails die out. And these

ones are already fading.

OWEN

Then wed better get moving.

JOE

Owen ... if we lose those trails

before we reach the exit points,

then well be stranded, in space,

without any way of knowing which

way to go.

OWEN

What other choice do we have?

Joe giggles humourlessly, eyes wide, almost like a madman.

JOE

Alright. Alright. Take a seat,

were already running out of time.

EXT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - DAY

The spaceships exterior door slides shut, the engines rev

up, and the ship lifts off the ground.

INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DAY

Joe pilots the ship. Owen sits beside him. Both boys stare

at the ships viewscreen, nervous, but determined.


The space junker flies away from the jungle planet.

INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - SPACE

The viewscreen displays the void of space beyond. Its

overlaid with realtime visualizations of the hyperspace

trails, as well as vector indicators and calculations.

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JOE

There we are ...

Joes eyes dart side to side, scanning the viewscreen.

JOEWeve got a problem.

OWEN

What?

JOE

The ships didnt stick together.

Indeed, though the trails start together, they veer off in

all directions like a three dimensional starburst.

OWEN

Go where most of them go.

JOE

There isnt a most of them.

OWEN

Then follow the biggest one.

JOE

Owen, are you sure about this?!

OWEN

What? No!

JOE

Oh man.

OWEN

Joe? Do it.

Joe reaches out to the controls.

EXT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - SPACE

The spaceship speeds up and enters hyperspace.

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INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - HYPERSPACE

Stretched-out stars flash by the viewscreen as the ship

barrels through hyperspace.

A dozen of the visualized hyperspace trails lead the way.Theyre not straight, instead twisting through space like

roller coasters, bending around stars and planets.

JOE

Tunnels are clear, velocities

matched.

Then the lights in the bridge begin to flicker.

JOE

You have got to be kidding me.

The sound of the engines begins to wane, the pitch

oscillating. Alarms sound, warnings flash.

JOE

No, no, no, no, no.

The engines rev up, then back down. Lights shine bright,

then dim.

JOEYou piece of junk!

Joe claws at the controls.

JOE

Come on, come on!

The engines cant seem to maintain a steady output.

And the hyperspace trail visualizations are expanding,

losing definition, even bleeding into one another.

JOE

Owen, were losing them.

Now the trails arent much more than one blurry tunnel.

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OWEN

Just stay in the middle.

JOE

Were not going to have a middle

for much longer.

The vague, collective path continues to fade away.

JOE

We need those exit points, Owen.

Right now.

The ghostly pack of the hyperspace trails is almost gone.

OWEN

Please, please, please ...

Then the viewscreen explodes with information,

notifications, and alien script, all pointing to spherical

nodes at the end of the trail: hyperspace exit points.

JOE

There!

Joe slams his hand against the controls.

EXT. PIRATE PLANET ORBIT - SPACE

The beat-up spaceship exits hyperspace above an ominous

grey sphere. Dark, churning clouds sweep across the planet,

leaving most of the surface obscured.


The pirate planet looms enormous on the viewscreen.

Joe slumps back in his chair, groaning.

JOE

Owen, I really dont think you

understand how close that was.

OWEN

Tell me about it later.

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INT. COLONY LIVING QUARTERS DAY

Mrs. Adamson stands at a wall-mounted communication screen,

while Mr. Adamson taps at a thin handheld datapad.

MRS. ADAMSONHoney, I still cant reach Cater.

MR. ADAMSON

Huh. Transport bay logs show the

rovers been returned. Just a few

minutes ago, actually.

MRS. ADAMSON

Then why isnt he answering?

MR. ADAMSONHes a teenager. Probably thinks

we bug him too much as it is.

MRS. ADAMSON

Well, he could still answer his

mother.

The front door chimes. Owens parents look up, then at each

other, puzzled.

MRS. ADAMSONWhy would Owen ring?

Mr. Adamson walks to the main entry the living quarters.

MR. ADAMSON

Open.

The door opens, revealing the Administrator and the

scientists from the landing site.

ADMINISTRATORMr. and Mrs. Adamson?

Mrs. Adamson joins her husband.

MRS. ADAMSON

Yes?

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ADMINISTRATOR

We have a situation.


Joe taps at the controls. A fluctuating scanning gridappears on the viewscreen overtop the planet.

JOE

Well, it aint pretty down there,

but at least they should be easy

to find. Theres just one point of

activity.

The display zooms in on a small pinprick on the planet,

which expands to fill the screen. A sort of infrared / x-

ray view highlights a solid mass against the grey.

JOE

If the others are anywhere on that

rock, Im thinking its there.

OWEN

Along with the pirates.

JOE

Along with the pirates.

OWEN

Alright then. Lets take a look.

EXT. PIRATE PLANET WASTELANDS - DUSK

The planet is a dark mirror of Terra Nova. Barren, desolate

grey rock, clouds blocking out the systems star. Lightning

snakes down to the ground, violent and jagged.

Joes clunker spaceship breaks through the clouds, heading

down to the rocky surface.

INT. PIRATE JAIL - DUSK

The jail cells are hollowed-out pits in dank grey rock,

sectioned off by rusted metal bars.

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Pirates push the prisoners towards the open cells,

separating the kids from the rest.

The pirates place their hands on stubby consoles beside the

cells. The metal bars swing shut, clanging heavily.

One of the pirates takes a lazy seat by the door.

Kobor, Tessaracta, and Loothu step up beside Aralla.

KOBOR

Now what?

ARALLA

Theres only one question, really: how

many of those guys do you think all of

us can take on at once?

FADE OUT.

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owen and the aliens - episode 4 - "i should be at home"

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