Fade in.
INT – Day – In the cargo bay, looking out onto an unidentified small space-port landing pad
View from inside the cargo bay, looking out through the lowering aft loading ramp, across the landing field toward the control tower and port buildings. The sun is high and bright. Two armed and armored soldiers are standing darkly silhouetted against the bright background. As the ramp lowers, we see that there is a small crowd of a few dozen refugees standing not far from the landing pad, random average folks and families with packs, bags, and what they can carry.
CPL Kaminski: Doesn’t look so bad.
SGT Kaushik: Any bets on how long it takes for more to show up? Some of ‘em HAD to see us coming in – these are just the ones with no other option but to wait here and hope since whenever.
CPL Kaminski: Looked like a ghost town from higher up – can’t be more than a couple dozen people left.
SGT Kaushik: Hope you’re right. Still wish Harbin and the new recruits were here.
CPL Kaminski: Don’t need a ship to beat in the first-time basics.
The ramp touches down, the soldiers advance down it a little way. The refugees stand up and move slowly froward as a mass.
CPL Kaminski: (yelling) We got room, keep it orderly! Everyone form a line right here!
The refugees slow their mass movement, and sort of start to shuffle into a queue, then start to shove and argue a bit.
A device drops down on a spiral chord next to Kaminski. It looks like a combination bullhorn, camera, bar-code reader, and display screen. He grabs it, and addresses the surging crowd using it. His greatly amplified voice pours from speakers above.
CPL Kaminski: LISTEN UP! NO-ONE GETS ON WITHOUT AN ID CHECK. LINE UP QUIETLY, OR WE LEAVE!
The crowd settles down, looks among themselves, looks at the soldiers, and starts queuing up more orderly. A few more refugees can be seen running onto the field, coming around the corner of one of the buildings on the edge of the landing field, heading for the ship. Not a lot of them, and there seems to be both individuals and a couple of family groups with kids.
SGT Kaushik: (pointing to guy at front of the queue) You! Step up and identify yourself! Everyone else, keep back! One person or family at a time!
Refugee 1: Tom Corwin.
CPL Kaminski scans his face and palm, then looks at the readout screen on the scanner.
Inset: the readout shows an images of an eye and hand with points highlighted for it. Text says “POS ID – retina, facial, prints 100%; THOMAS REGINALD CORWIN, PLUMBER, NO CRIMINAL HIST”
CPL Kaminski: (Waving him on board, pointing into the cargo bay) GO sit there, await further instructions!
Thomas Crown sighs with relief and walks on board with nothing more than a small slung duffel bag.
SGT Kaushik: (keeping eye on crowd, waving to a family group next in line) You three, step up! The rest, keep back!
Camera pulls back outside a ways, showing the ship loading, with the family group going on. A few more refugees continue to trickle onto the field. In the background, the smoking black spot of an approaching damaged flier is seen rapidly growing, heading for the space-port landing field.
Fade to