The Illegal Alien
A gentle alien from another galaxy landed on Earth, hid its spacecraft and got an apartment, a car and a job in a convenience store. It was an explorer and would live among Earthlings and learn their ways.
However, everyone around it quickly realized it was an alien, mostly because of the three eyes and four arms. People became terrified. Aliens wanted to invade the country and destroy civilization. The alien was arrested by Homeland Security, convicted without a trial and put in jail as an illegal alien.
It mixed with the other convicts and learned a lot.
Eventually it was released on parole, reporting regularly to a NASA scientist to ensure it would do nothing “alienly.” It was given another job in a convenience store inside the NASA building. The scientist met regularly with the alien, including when buying coffee and donuts, and asked the alien to provide its technology. The scientist said Earthlings were curious. She said there was much to learn—how would it report back home? Radio? In person? If the alien would divulge such information, including its communications technology, she would see that its job was upgraded to washing toilets at NASA. If the alien refused, it would be exported to a prison in El Salvador.
The alien had learned enough about Earth.
It fled NASA and returned to its hidden spacecraft, taking the scientist with it. On board, in space, plotting the course to the next habitable planet, the alien said the scientist was invited. They would explore the universe together.
The scientist’s main job during the voyage, which took forty years, was to clean the zero gravity toilets.