Owen and the Aliens That Was Just a Run Through Written by Elliott Davidson

1 ACT I FADE IN: EXT. PIRATE BASE - DUSK A colossal escarpment stretches across the horizon. Built into the cliff, like a metal wedge splitting the sheer rock face apart, is the pirate base. The base is wider at the bottom, tapering as it climbs up and above the rock, ending in a sharp spire. Near the bottom is an open hangar, a gaping maw of an entrance into the base. The pirate command ship hangs in the air just below the upper tip of the base, docked to the spire. The front of the ship is interlocked with the tower, as if the two have fused into one impossible structure. INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK The boys observe the base on the viewscreen. OWEN Are they going to know were here? JOE At this distance? Yeah, probably. OWEN So ... ? JOE Im working on it. EXT. PIRATE BASE - DUSK The beat-up spaceship coasts towards the pirate base.

2 INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK A portly pirate mans a control booth, feet up, watching some sort of alien show. A monitor beeps beside him. He shifts his weight, scans the monitor, and smacks a few buttons. INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK The bridge is empty. The viewscreen blinks repeatedly. INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK The pirate waits for a response, scratches his head. HANGAR PIRATE Hello? Whos out there? Respond. INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - STORAGE - DUSK The boys rummage through the ships cargo. JOE Yeah, yeah, thats great, use that! INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK The pirate sits up, looming over the console. HANGAR PIRATE This is hangar entry. Identify yourself. No response. The pirates increasingly wary. HANGAR PIRATE Identify yourself. The pirate turns away and begins to access another program. Then a comm window appears on the monitor. Its Owen and Joe. Now dressed as pirates.

3 INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK Owen and Joe sit in the bridge, their jumpsuits adorned with rough odds and ends salvaged from the ships cargo. Rags, pelts, scraps of metal and plastics cover their suits and their faces, just barely mimicking pirate garb. The hangar pirate stares at them, impatient, suspicious. JOE (surly like a pirate) Sorry, sorry, were, uh, were having troubles with the comms on this bird. HANGAR PIRATE What are you still doing out there? Owen and Joe share a nervous glance. JOE Just testing her out. She broke down, isnt running too good. OWEN (surly like a pirate) Needs a lot of work! Shouldve left er behind back on ... that ... place. JOE Yeah, so, were going to bring er down now, let someone else deal with her. INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK The pirate chews on the boys words, scrutinizing them on the monitor ... then shrugs indifferently. HANGAR PIRATE Alright. Set her down before you crash into something.

4 INT. BEAT-UP SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK The hangar pirate disappears from the viewscreen. Owen and Joe share a moment of silence. OWEN Now what? JOE I think we just fly in. INT. PIRATE BASE HANGAR - DUSK The hangar is filled with pirate attack crafts and stolen vessels. Pirates mull around the hangar floor. The battered spaceship enters through the wide outer entrance, flies over to a vacant spot, and sets down. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK The beat-up spaceships hatch opens, and Owen and Joe step out into the hangar, a pair of diminutive pirates. JOE Caught a break for once, huh? OWEN We were due. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK Owen and Joe move through the hangar, surrounded by spaceships and genuine pirates. The boys try to keep their heads low and remain unnoticed as they look around the place. A group of pirates approach the boys. Owen and Joe slow. The pirates nod and grunt in acknowledgment. Owen and Joe, heads down and eyes cast aside, clear their throats, which is about the best their (human and alien) adolescent vocal chords can manage.

OWEN Arrr. The pirates look at Owen strangely. So does Joe. But the pirates move along, and the boys hustle forward. JOE What was that? OWEN I dont know. Felt pirate-y. JOE It wasnt. Dont do that, okay? OWEN Okay. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK The boys reach Joes ship, its hatch open and inviting. JOE Theres my girl. I missed you, baby! They scan the area quickly before darting into the ship. INT. JOES SPACESHIP - BRIDGE DUSK Joe jabs away at the ships console, running antsy hands through his hair-tentacles. Owen stands behind. JOE Charts are all here, systems operational. I think shes good to go. Joe pauses, then turns to Owen, hesitant. JOE We could go home, you know. Right now. And get help.

6 OWEN What if theyre taken somewhere else? Or worse? I cant leave now. Can you? JOE No. No ... but Ive got an idea. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK The boys reach Arallas ship, nestled amongst the others. JOE We dont tell Aralla about this until after we get out of here, you got that? INT. HANGAR CONTROL BOOTH - DUSK The hangar pirate continues to watch his show. Owen and Joe appear once again on the second monitor. JOE Hey, we got another bird that we need to check out, make sure shHANGAR PIRATE Yeah, yeah, just let me know when youre heading back. The pirate cuts the feed and returns to his show. INT. ARALLAS SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DUSK Owen and Joe stare at the ships blank viewscreen. JOE I like that guy. Joe works at the controls. Alien script appears on the viewscreen, cycling through various characters. JOE There. Lets go.

7 INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK Owen and Joe zip down the ships external stairs as the landing hatch closes behind. They wheel around and watch as Arallas ship lifts off. INT. PIRATE BASE HANGAR - DUSK Arallas ship heads to the hangar exit. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK Owen and Joe catch a last glimpse of the ship before it flies out the exit and away from the pirate base. OWEN I hope this works. JOE Itd better. INT. PIRATE COMMAND ROOM - DUSK Maleonas sits on a throne-like chair at the far end of a war table, his back to a wall of windows that look out onto the dark grey expanse of the rocky planet. A dozen idiot pirates sort through some of the spoils, littered across the floor. Off to the side, unattended, hovers Dr. Vroons box. MALEONAS (pointing at box) Whats in that? A few of the pirates bring the box out from the shadows. They poke and prod at it, but the box remains closed. Maleonas sighs heavily, looks out at the rock sea beyond. Then gas plumes hiss out from spreading cracks in the box. It opens like a flower, unfolding onto the floor. Maleonas leans forward in his seat, elbows on the table.

The air clears. The box holds a circuitry-imbued metallic halo. Long grey cables hang from the back of the headband. MALEONAS Which one of you found this? Dr. Vroons original pirate captor steps forward. MALEONAS And whom did you take it from? INT. PIRATE JAIL - DUSK Dr. Vroon watches the kids from his cell as they whisper amongst themselves across the room. EXT. JUNGLE PLANET ORBIT - SPACE A Security fighter exits hyperspace, appearing far above the crimson jungle planet. INT. SECURITY FIGHTER COCKPIT - SPACE Officer Urkfurk taps at the controls. URKFURK This is Officer Urkfurk, inspecting location one-oh-nine. Not that our scan window didnt close a long time ago ... His sour expression gives way to surprise, and he leans in close to check the readouts. URKFURK Ive got something. Its too small to be all of them, but Im detecting hyperspace tunnelling at location one-oh-nine. Repeat, detecting hyperspace tunnelling at one-oh-nine. Urkfurk digs a little deeper.

9 URKFURK The trails too faint to follow. But Im also seeing some localized noise on the planet surface. Urkfurk scratches his pig-like stubble as he stares at the red orb that looms before him. URKFURK Im going to take a closer look. EXT. JUNGLE PLANET ORBIT - SPACE The Security fighter zips off towards the planet. EXT. JUNGLE CLEARING - DAY Urkfurks fighter descends from the sky and lands in the center of the clearing. The fighters hatch lifts up, and the hefty Security officer hops out of the spacecraft. The occasional distant hoot drifts in from the jungle beyond the clearing. Urkfurk looks around at the loose ring of abandoned junk, some items old, some new. He moves to the edge of the clearing and picks up a piece of discarded booty. Its clean, relatively unscratched. Urkfurk looks it over briefly, then drops it in the dirt. He heads towards the abandoned ships. INT. DERELICT SPACESHIP - BRIDGE - DAY Urkfurk enters the ships bridge, inspects the controls. URKFURK Wiped clean. EXT. DERELICT SPACESHIP - DAY Urkfurk steps out of the spaceship, walks a few paces.

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He takes in his surroundings. The clearing is desolate, lifeless, still. URKFURK They were here. I missed them. FADE OUT.

11 ACT II FADE IN: INT. COLONY COMMUNICATION CENTER DAY Owens parents have joined the Administrator in the colonys command center. Mr. Adamson paces back and forth. MR. ADAMSON Okay, one more time. I want to make sure I have this right. You think that there was some sort of alien landing, here, out in the desert. ADMINISTRATOR Correct. MR. ADAMSON And that our son was at that landing site when it happened. ADMINISTRATOR Correct. MR. ADAMSON And that whatever landed has since left the planet. And our son - for whatever reason - went with it. ADMINISTRATOR Correct. Mr. and Mrs. Adamson share an anxious, desperate glance. MRS. ADAMSON So what do we do? ADMINISTRATOR We wait. And hope that they return.

12 INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR CORRIDOR - DUSK One could almost mistake the pirate base for a gigantic ant colony, its hallways cut out of the bare grey rock. Metal doors, hanging lights, random equipment and exposed cables grace the otherwise raw tunnels. Our two short pirate impostors make their way through the halls of the hideout, sneaking around in plain sight. OWEN This is so weird. Joe dodges a drop of stagnant water that falls from above, joining a murky puddle in the middle of the floor. JOE Cozy. Owen glances at the ship-filled hangar they leave behind. OWEN And I thought being stuck on their ship made me nervous. JOE At least we dont have to hide. OWEN True. JOE So do you have a plan here? OWEN What, the one step at a time thing isnt working for you anymore? JOE Yeah, yeah, upon further reflection, not my favourite course of action. OWEN They could be anywhere ...

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Owen walks over to a nearby door. It opens before him. And Owen stares straight into a hulking pirate belly, furry and slovenly, inches from his face. Owen looks up and meets the pirates eyes. OWEN Uh, sorry, wrong room. The pirate shakes his head, grumbling, and walks off. The boys watch the departing pirate, then share a glance. OWEN Wow. JOE How are we supposed to find them in this place? OWEN I take the doors on this side, you take the doors on that side? JOE If you say so. The boys split, each taking one side of the hallway. OWEN Wheres a directory when you need one? INT. PIRATE JAIL - DUSK The kids huddle together in their cell. ARALLA Im not waiting any longer. You guys ready to make this happen? Arallas friends each nod in response.

14 KOBOR Tess, time to play the princess card. TESSARACTA I suppose it is. Tessaracta moves up to the bars, stares directly at the lone guard by the door, and clears her throat. TESSARACTA Hey, you, peon. On your feet. Now. KOBOR Yikes. Here we go. The guard gets out of his chair and lumbers over. GUARD What did you say? TESSARACTA I am Princess Tessaracta of the Tolonok Hive Empire, and I will not tolerate this confinement a moment longer. You are going to escort me to the person in charge of this pathetic excuse for a pirate band this instant, so that I may negotiate fair payment for my immediate release. The guard postures up and moves in closer to the bars. GUARD Im, Im going to what now? TESSARACTA I said, you are going to open this cell, apologize for confining me, and escort me to your master so that I may discuss my release.

15 GUARD My master? Now look lady, this here is a pirate cooperative. Fair share of the spoils, based on pirate merit. TESSARACTA Please, I know a drone when I see one. The guard, riled up, moves in even closer. The other kids shuffle over to Tessaracta, lining up against the bars. GUARD Drone? Im no drone! Im a willing participant in this criminal enterprise, here on my own free will. TESSARACTA Thats what they want you to think. Mindless, like the rest. Now the guards steaming, standing right in front of the bars, half a foot from Tessaracta and the other kids. Tessaracta turns to her friends. Theyre speechless. Same goes for the prisoners in the others cells. TESSARACTA Kobor, do you have anything persuasive to add to this discussion? KOBOR Wha? Oh, right. Kobor reaches out, grabs the pirate by the shirt, and smashes the pirates head against the bars of the cell. The pirate guard slumps to the ground, out cold. TESSARACTA Apology accepted.

16 LOOTHU Touchy fellow, wasnt he? The kids drag the limp guard towards the cells controls. Aralla grabs the guards hand and jams it against the console. The cell rumbles open. ARALLA (to Kobor) Open the rest of them. KOBOR You got it. Kobor pulls the pirate by his collar towards the other cells, opening them one after another. The guard stirs, mumbling. Kobor knocks his head against another set of bars. The guard goes back to sleep. KOBOR Keep napping, buddy. INT. PIRATE BASE - JAIL ANTECHAMBER - DUSK A nondescript vestibule leads into the jail. Ten feet from the jails entrance, a lone pirate sits at a small console, elbow on desk, head in hand, trying his best not to fall asleep. Aralla and Kobor peek their heads out from the doorway. They spot the pirate, his back to them. Kobor steps into the room and walks up to the pirate. KOBOR Hey. The pirates limbs kick out in surprise and he spins around to spot the source of the greeting. PIRATE Wha?

17 PIRATES POV - DUSK Fist meets face. INT. PIRATE JAIL - DUSK Kobor drags the second pirate into the jail and leaves him on the ground beside the other guard. He claps invisible dirt off his hands, nods, pleased with his work. All of the cells are open, and the fifty or so prisoners stand together in the middle of the room. Aralla looks over Dr. Vroon and the stately, dignified, and not particularly imposing group of aliens. ARALLA You all want to get out of here? DR. VROON Ready when you are, my dear. INT. PIRATE BASE - JAIL ANTECHAMBER - DUSK The prisoners stream out of the jail, the kids in front, Dr. Vroon right behind. The groups cautious, but not quite creeping on tip toes. INT. PIRATE BASE - HALLWAY - DUSK The kids step out into the hallway. Deserted, both ways. KOBOR Anyone got a pick? Collective indecisiveness. Then Aralla points down one of the two options. ARALLA Either were lucky, or were not. The kids lead the way, the others follow. They approach a bend in the hallway.

18 INT. PIRATE BASE - HALLWAY - DUSK The prisoners turn the corner. They come face to face with three rather startled pirates fixing a busted down conduit. KOBOR Here we go. Kobor throws himself at the nearest of the pirates. Aralla joins in, then Tessaracta and Loothu. Kobor quickly outmuscles his opponent. The pirate is lifted above Kobors head and tossed aside, yelping as he slams into a wall. Tessaracta grapples with her pirate, the shoving match going back and forth, the stronger pirate evenly matched against Tessaractas many limbs. Loothu climbs onto the pirates back, smacking tentacles hit home, and the pirate is subdued. Arallas left. And shes not having as much success. The third pirate cowers over Aralla, gripping her wrists. A hefty tool swings down and connects with the back of the pirates head. The pirate keels over, revealing a riled up, hunched over, tool wielding Dr. Vroon. Vroons eyes are on the unconscious pirate, then Aralla. ARALLA Thanks. Dr. Vroon nods, offers a wily grin. All of the prisoners take in the scene. LOOTHU I dont think were going to be able to keep up the quiet approach.

19 INT. PIRATE BASE - ELEVATOR HUB - DUSK A circular elevator platform waits in the center of the room, hovering above the ground. The platforms open to the room, lacking any sort of walls or ceiling. The elevator sits below a wide shaft, access to the bases various levels. A railing surrounds the elevator, broken where four hallways lead into the hub, orthogonal to one another. The boys enter the hub from one of the hallways. A handful of pirates move about, some hopping on the elevator platform, others mulling around on the near side of the railing. Theyre oblivious to the intruders. OWEN I totally get that were all aliens and everything, but I keep expecting them to notice me, like Im the odd one out or something. JOE Owen, believe me, you look just as weird to my eye as they do. OWEN Thats sort of comforting. Owen and Joe take a few more steps into the room. Joe looks up into the gaping elevator shaft. Theres no way to tell how far it goes. OWEN Whoa. JOE Guessing that bad boy goes right to the top. Owen and Joe stare down the other possible routes. Left. Straight ahead. To the right. And of course, up.

20 OWEN This could take a while. FADE OUT.

21 ACT III FADE IN: INT. PIRATE BASE - HALLWAY - DUSK The prisoners rush through the pirate base, a stampede. Its a flood of bodies pushing through the base, brandishing pipes and pieces of furniture as clubs. Pirates are pushed aside, squashed against walls, trampled underfoot, and left behind. None of them are quick or courageous enough to try to subdue the escapees. Theres no time to shoot, no time to sound the alarm, just barely enough time to panic. The kids lead the way, and the prisoners are increasingly brazen, cheering with each subdued pirate. Dr. Vroon is particularly energized, bopping gawking pirates on the head with his newly found club. ARALLA Old mans feisty. KOBOR No kidding. Kobors approach is blunt and direct as he ploughs forward. Aralla and Tessaracta are speedy, elusive, coursing around pirates before slamming them into walls. Loothu takes the opportunity to crawl along the ceiling, rushing ahead of the others. He reaches a small group of dumbstruck pirates, then drops down onto the one in the middle. Loothu wraps tentacles around the pirates head, obscuring the pirates vision, and grabs onto the pirates wrists. Like a puppeteer, Loothu directs the pirates limbs, smashing commandeered fists into unsuspecting pirates.

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Loothu lifts up off his dummy pirates head, and makes the pirate punch himself right between the eyes. He hops off his unconscious and now useless mount, and stands proudly by his handiwork as the others catch up. Kobor looks over the pile of bodies, impressed. KOBOR Didnt know you had it in you, slimy. Loothu grins, flexing his tentacles like a bodybuilder. Then the prisoners are back on the move. INT. PIRATE BASE - ELEVATOR HUB - DUSK Owen and Joe make their way around the elevator railing. A growing rumble echoes throughout the hub. The few lingering pirates look around, then amongst themselves. OWEN You hear that? Owen and Joe look down the far hallway. The mob of prisoners comes around a corner, heading straight for the elevator hub. JOE No way. The throng of aliens let loose a mighty battle cry. The prisoners take on the handful of pirates. It isnt much of a stumbling block. Then they set their sights on Owen and Joe. The prisoners wrap around the railing, coming at Owen and Joe from both sides. JOE Uh, Aralla?

23 The boys stare at the prisoners, then at each other. And then they take in what theyre both wearing. OWEN / JOE (pointing at each other) Your clothes! Owen and Joe frantically try to tear off their pirate accessories in the face of the charging prisoners. OWEN / JOE (to prisoners) Wait, wait, wait! The boys manage to uncover their faces just as the prisoners are on top of them. ARALLA Joe! Owen! TESSARACTA Youre alive! Kobor turns to the other prisoners, keeps them at bay. KOBOR Hold on, hold on, theyre our friends! The kids share ecstatic embraces. LOOTHU I dont believe it! ARALLA What are you doing here? OWEN Were here to rescue you! ARALLA Rescue us? KOBOR Howd that go last time?

24 JOE Before? That was just a run through. TESSARACTA What are you two wearing? JOE / OWEN Disguises. ARALLA Boys, we are so past the point of disguises. DR. VROON Come on, enough talk, lets get moving! JOE Wait, whos this guy? DR. VROON Dr. Elimat Vroon. And now is not the time, my wiry green fellow. JOE Well if today aint just one new friend after another. Hangars this way! EXT. JUMP RING - SPACE Urkfurks fighter comes out of hyperspace. Its not alone. Some Security fighters make their way towards the Ring. Others continue to appear, blinking in from hyperspace. INT. SECURITY FIGHTER COCKPIT - SPACE Urkfurk checks the displays, taps at the controls. COMPUTER Docking initiated. Urkfurk slumps back in his seat, looks out at the stars.

25 EXT. JUMP RING - SPACE Urkfurks ship flies towards the Jump Ring, joining the cloud of returning Security fighters. INT. JUMP RING - PILOT LOADING BAY - SPACE Disengaged fighter cockpits rise up from the shafts below, settling at floor level. Canopies open, and Security officers hop out. All eyes are on Urkfurk, but no one says a word. The loose group of officers hustle towards the exit. INT. JUMP RING - SECURITY COMMAND - SPACE The Admiral, Commander Rofolo and the rest of the Commandos watch the displays, talking amongst themselves. Urkfurk appears at the entrance, a throng of hushed fellow officers behind him. The Admiral and the Commandos look up. Urkfurk takes a few steps into the command room. ADMIRAL Officer Urkfurk, is it? URKFURK Yes, sir. ADMIRAL What do you have to report, Officer? Urkfurk shuffles nervously, clears his throat. URKFURK I saw where they landed. Pirates left some junk behind. Picked through what they stole, took the good stuff, left the chaff.

26 ADMIRAL Probably a regular waypoint for their raids. URKFURK But they were gone. And the trails were cold. No indication of where they went from there. ADMIRAL I see. The Admiral turns his back to Urkfurk. Something flashes on the monitors. Commander Rofolo hunches over the system, investigating. COMMANDER ROFOLO Sir? Were getting a distress call. Rofolo works the controls. The others move in close. A scene outside the Jump Ring pops up on the viewscreen. Arallas ship is right in the middle. Rofolo continues to check the information as it streams in. COMMANDER ROFOLO Ship just appeared out of hyperspace. Started calling the moment she came through. The calls a recorded comm, waiting on us to answer. ADMIRAL Lets see what they have to say. Another window opens on the monitor. Its Owen and Joe, sitting in the bridge of Arallas ship, dressed as pirates, looking downward at the controls. JOE Okay, its recording. The boys look up at the screen. Joe waves.

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JOE Uh, hey. Hows it going? Um, Im Joe, this is Owen OWEN What are you doing? JOE Im introducing ourselves. Owen pushes Joe to the side, shaking his head, and looks straight at the camera. OWEN Weve got a problem over here ... INT. PIRATE BASE - ELEVATOR HUB - DUSK A handful of pirates, including Dr. Vroons captor, ride down the floating disc of an elevator. They set down floor level. Amongst a handful of unconscious bodies. PIRATE Uh oh. INT. PIRATE COMMAND ROOM - DUSK Maleonas stares out the windows, hands behind his back. A comm window appears on a wall monitor, displaying one of the pirates, now in the jail room. Behind him, the cells are open and empty. The only aliens that remain are the two pirates that filled in for Kobors punching bag, who both lay sprawled on the floor, groaning. PIRATE Sir, theyre gone. Maleonas wheels around to address the monitor.

28 MALEONAS What? PIRATE The prisoners, theyve escaped. They must be somewhere in the base. MALEONAS Sound the alarm. Find them. INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR ENTRANCE - DUSK Owen and Joe lead the escapees. The hangar is just up ahead, Joes ship visible from the hallway. JOE Were close, my ships right there! ARALLA Hey wheres my ship? JOE Yeah well worry about that later. Then the alarm sounds, a mechanical wail that pulses through the base. The prisoners slow down, cringing. OWEN Oh no. INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK The pirates in the hangar draw their laser guns. INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR CORRIDOR - DUSK The kids and the other aliens race forward. A pirate appears from behind a ship in the hangar, spotting the prisoners as they hustle down the corridor towards him. PIRATE (to other pirates) Over here!

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INT. HANGAR FLOOR - DUSK Pirates stream out from other rooms, from behind ships and equipment, rushing to the lone man at the entrance. INT. PIRATE BASE - HANGAR ENTRANCE - DUSK The prisoners stop just short of the hangar, blocked by a wall of pirates, laser guns pointed at them. Another wave of pirates appears behind the prisoners. The momentum, the energy, the bravado and hope that the group of prisoners displayed drains from their faces. Theyre trapped, with no where to go. FADE OUT.