lurkers-guide/ftp/Synopses/000.The-Gathering

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        _Londo's voice over (note differences with series, cf MotFL)._
                                      
     I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in
     the Earth year 2257 with the founding of the last of the Babylon
     stations, located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for
     refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats, and travelers from a
     hundred worlds. Could be a dangerous place. But we accepted the
     risk, because Babylon 5 was our _last_, best hope for peace. Under
     the leadership of its final commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given
     form: a dream of a galaxy without war, when species from different
     worlds could live side by side in mutual respect. A dream that was
     in danger as never before, by the arrival of one man on a mission
     of destruction. Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations.
     This is its story.
     
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   We join LtCdr Takashima at Ops, guiding a transport ship in to dock.
   Station security chief Garibaldi calls in (most contacts within the
   station are both audio and video). He's looking for Cdr Sinclair, who
   needs to meet one of its passengers personally. Takashima reports he's
   on his way already.
   
   Del Varner (one man on a mission of destruction), is in the docking
   bay passing through security. Sinclair arrives to meet Lyta Alexander,
   the telepath newly assigned to B5. While Varner is watching, Sinclair
   welcomes her aboard and explains the rules of the station. As they
   head off to her quarters, Lyta looks back; she and Varner appear to
   have exchanged glances.
   
   Ambassador G'Kar storms into Ops, shouting objections to the
   requirement that his supply ship from Narn submit to a weapons search.
   Takashima deflects him coolly and there is no resolution. "As far as
   I'm concerned, they can sit out there for the next solar year. If it
   makes you feel any better, I could send them a fruit basket..."
   
   Sinclair and Lyta cut through the alien sector on the way to her
   quarters. Sinclair uses the otherworldliness of it to underscore his
   point about B5's purpose - it's a hub for exchange of all kinds
   between people of all kinds, and must be able to cater to any of them.
   "Sooner or later, everyone comes to Babylon 5." At Lyta's question,
   Sinclair explains what happened to the other four stations: three were
   sabotaged, one more simply disappeared 24 hours after coming on-line.
   She does not take this to be a good sign.
   
   Later, the senior officers are gathered in Sinclair's office. Kosh,
   the last of four foreign ambassadors to B5, will be arriving in 48
   hours. From the input of the officers it is clear that the Vorlons are
   very secretive. Takashima has been in contact with Kosh but with audio
   only - the Vorlon claimed his monitors were malfunctioning. Garibaldi
   says the Earth Alliance knows almost nothing about them - no-one's
   even seen a Vorlon. Dr. Kyle (medical chief) says they've only given
   him enough info to generate the right atmosphere - "Pretty thick
   stuff."
   
   Outside, a tiny clawed ship deploys from an undocked transport, zips
   down to the station, grabs onto it, and carves a hole in the hull
   under its belly.
   
   Minbari Ambassador Delenn invites Sinclair to meet in the Garden, an
   open air environment in the center of the station (the view down the
   great cylinder is breathtaking). He is starting to ask why he sees her
   there almost every other day, but she interrupts him.
   
  D: Notice the waves, each moving in its own order, predictable,
     unchanging.  But drop in a single stone, and see how the
     pattern changes.  Everything around it is altered.
     [turning to Sinclair] This is from your world?
  S: It's a Japanese stone garden.  Setting it aside was tough.
     [...]
  D: I am glad it is here.  On my world there are books -
     thousands of pages - about the power of one mind to change
     the universe.  But none say it as clearly as this.
     [Delenn changes the topic to the Vorlons, and gives Sinclair
     a copy of all the information she has about them]
  D: If anyone asks, say it fell from the sky.
  S: Why?  I mean the war between us has been over for almost ten
     years but there are still a lot of people on either side
     who'd hang both of us for this kind of...
  D: [standing] Commander - you know everything about your stone
     garden, but clearly you have not spent enough time looking
     at it.  Good day.

   The Garden's artificial night descends on Sinclair as he stares off
   down the station's axis.
   
   At Ops, a ship is reported to be coming through the jump point.
   Takashima is distressed - "Damn, that's a Vorlon ship all right.
   Ambassador Kosh two days early. I was afraid he'd pull something like
   this."
   
   In a dark corridor, a poorly glimpsed figure scans its hand at a door,
   which opens to reveal Varner inside. As the figure enters, Varner
   says, "About time." But, when the door swings shut, there is a bright
   flash of light and the thud of a falling body from within.
   
   Sinclair, Garibaldi, and Takashima are strapped into a rail-car moving
   down the axis to the other end of the station. Kosh will be arriving
   in only two hours. Sinclair sends Garibaldi to ensure that Ambassador
   Londo will be at the early reception, "We don't want a repeat of what
   happened when G'Kar arrived." A private message then comes in for
   Sinclair, which he says he'll take in his quarters.
   
   The message is from Sinclair's SO, Carolyn Sykes, who is returning a
   week early from a trading expedition (ETA 1 hour, 40 minutes). "Just
   in time for the reception," says Sinclair, already starting to look
   haggard as he changes outfits.
   
   G'Kar stops Takashima in an upward-curving corridor to happily
   announce that he's ordered his transport to submit to the weapons
   search.
   
  G: Since you doubtless have your hands full, our captain will
     wait until after the Ambassador's ship has docked.  Is that
     satisfactory?
  T: Yes, yes it is.  Are you feeling all right Ambassador?
  G: Couldn't be better!  See you at the reception then...
     [he walks off, humming and _bouncing_]

   Londo is gambling at the station's casino. Garibaldi arrives, for
   whose monetary support Londo soon appeals. Del Varner is listening in
   from a table very near by as Londo touts his own gambling system. When
   he suddenly starts reminiscing about the days of Centauri wartime
   greatness, Garibaldi interrupts him - "Be a good Ambassador and
   promise you'll be at Docking Bay 9 in two hours." "I'll be there,"
   Londo agrees, "what else have I got to do - I'm broke!" However, when
   Garibaldi leaves, Varner approaches Londo, "This system of yours -
   it's a sure thing...?"
   
   Lyta Alexander is telepathically overseeing a business deal, to the
   marked (but honest) advantage of the fellow employing her. When that
   concludes, G'Kar invites her to talk, invoking "privacy" (a feature of
   the room that can shield transactions at any table). G'Kar proceeds to
   offer her money for sex, the major purpose (but clearly not the only
   one) being to acquire telepathy for the Narn Regime through her
   genetic resources. Lyta is not interested. "I've heard about the Narn
   obsession with buying new technology, but you can't just _buy_
   someone's genetic makeup. It's... immoral." G'Kar persists, even to
   the point of bringing up details of the coupling. We can only assume,
   from her expression, that she doesn't take him up on it.
   
   Varner steps into a corridor where a security guard is shining a
   flashlight in peoples' faces. Varner passes this scrutiny and smiles
   confidently.
   
   The Vorlon ship is closing up its scintillating fins and entering the
   station under Takashima's control. She routes it to docking bay 9 and
   directs Sinclair there.
   
   Sinclair steps onto a turbolift and takes it down, but it stops almost
   immediately. The computer reports a momentary power loss - there will
   be a 2.3 minute delay for secondary power to become available.
   
   The Vorlon ship opens and Kosh emerges, wearing a great big encounter
   suit with a cape hanging from the back. He glides slowly down the ramp
   into the bay.
   
   Sinclair jogs up to the closed docking bay, arriving at the same time
   as Garibaldi and Takashima. Garibaldi begins to complain about Londo's
   absence, but an alarm suddenly goes off. Sinclair sends Takashima off
   to notify security and opens the bay door, finding Kosh on the floor.
   They can't open his suit because the atmosphere would kill him, so
   Sinclair sends Garibaldi off to have Kyle ready the medlab
   immediately.
   
   Later, Sinclair is in the medlab, where Kyle is mixing up the
   atmosphere for Kosh. Takashima comes in and reports that the Vorlon
   government has forbidden them to open the encounter suit at all. "We
   haven't come this far to watch it all fall apart," Sinclair growls.
   "Jeff, I'm warning you," she objects, "they're deadly serious about
   security." "Then we'll give them security," - he orders all monitors
   and data logging to be turned off, reminds Kyle of his oath of
   confidentiality, and sends him in to do what he can. He acquiesces,
   and as he prepares for the unknown, Takashima says, "Good luck, and I
   hope you're wrong..."
   
   Looking through the glass into the environment room, Takashima tells
   Sinclair what she and Kyle had been talking about earlier - legend has
   it that the only human being ever to have seen a Vorlon had been
   turned to stone. Soon ready, Kyle touches the outside of the suit in a
   couple places, and it opens, light streaming out. He looks in... and
   sees what he sees.
   
   Later, in his office, Sinclair is reporting to Earth that Kosh could
   well die. The Senator warns that the Vorlon government is very
   suspicious of what happened - if there is any sign of foul play there
   could be serious repercussions. On hearing that Garibaldi is in charge
   of the investigation, he's skeptical. "Is that wise? I was opposed to
   you bringing him on in the first place. He's been bounced from one
   station to another for years, I don't know if he's up to an
   investigation on this scale." (Garibaldi has come in meanwhile and has
   been listening out of sight.) Sinclair proclaims complete confidence
   in his security chief, and they sign off. "Old news," Garibaldi says.
   Sinclair charges him with finding out where everyone was during the
   five minutes between Kosh's arrival and the alarm, and grants him
   "full diplomatic access."
   
   Stumbling into his quarters, Sinclair finds Carolyn in his bed. "You
   really should change your access code more often," she says. He kisses
   her and collapses in exhaustion.
   
   We find Dr. Kyle in the outer room of the medlab, staring blankly off
   into space. The computer analysis completes; an unidentified foreign
   compound is present in Kosh's body. His condition is very poor, the
   prognosis terminal.
   
   Kyle, un-rattled as usual, wakes up Sinclair to report that Kosh was
   poisoned, and he needs know what kind of poison it was in order to
   counteract it. If he knew where it got in through the environment
   suit, he could probably find enough of it there for an identification.
   Failing that, Kosh will die in 24 hours. Sinclair immediately calls
   security and seals off the station: no ships may come or go until
   further notice.
   
   Meanwhile, G'Kar and Delenn are in her quarters talking about the
   situation.
   
  G: Why won't you accept the facts?  Who was the only one of us
     missing from the welcome party when Kosh arrived?  Londo
     Mollari!
  D: And why would the Centauri Republic want to kill Ambassador
     Kosh?
  G: What better way to prop up a fading empire than to start a
     war? They've been trying to join forces with the Earth
     Alliance for years!  A mutual enemy would serve that purpose
     very well.
  D: And if your assumption is correct and he is the assassin,
     what would you suggest?
  G: An alliance between our governments.  Yours is the oldest of
     the five federations, ours is the youngest.
     Technologically, you're centuries ahead of everyone else.
     We have _unlimited_ manpower and the will to use it!  Can
     you imagine what we could achieve together?
  D: I can, which is why it must never be allowed to happen.
     Your perceptions are colored by your history with the
     Centauri.  As former slaves of their government, you would
     seize any opportunity to raise a force against them.
  G: We were never slaves!  Our world was invaded, our people...
  D: The word - was ill chosen.  My apologies.  But my decision
     stands. Thank you for coming, Ambassador.
  G: HAH!  I should have known better than to waste my time.
     You're even worse than the Centauri; they're beyond the
     dream of conquest.  But you, you had the Earth Alliance on
     its knees - one more stroke and you would have defeated
     them!  Yet you surrendered - why?
  D: We had our reasons.
     [While G'Kar talks into space, Delenn opens a hidden
     compartment and puts on one of 20 or so simple rings
     ceremoniously displayed there]
  G: On Narn we heard that the decision to surrender came from
     your holy men.  A secret group called the "Grey Council" -
     weak frightened old fools with no vision or the will to
     fight.  But _we_ -

   Delenn interrupts him with the palm of her now-ring-bearing hand;
   G'Kar is suddenly transfixed by artificial gravity. Delenn doesn't
   release G'Kar from the worsening force until she extracts from him the
   promise that he never mention the Grey Council in her presence again.
   (While completely over-matched, G'Kar does remain standing.) Once
   released, he pants, "Oh Delenn, I gave you a chance for greatness and
   you threw it away. Whatever happens now, let it be on your own head."
   
   Garibaldi finds Londo at the bar by the casino. "It's a pity," Londo
   says, "I suppose there'll be war now, mm? All that running around
   shooting at one another? I would have thought sooner or later it would
   go out of fashion." When Garibaldi begins questioning him, Londo blows
   him off, but then acquiesces to "full diplomatic access." He was still
   gambling at the time, he claims - Varner had promised to back his bets
   but then pulled out after Londo suffered heavy losses.
   
  L: He's here, if you want to talk to him.
     [he points out Varner across the room, but Garibaldi
     continues to question]
  G: Can anyone confirm your story?
  L: Yes - the new telepath, Lyta Alexander.  I saw her talking
     to Varner shortly after you left.
  G: Who would want to kill the ambassador?
  L: Mr. Garibaldi - it's a big universe!  If I knew who did it I
     would tell you.  I'm not here to make trouble.  You know why
     I am here?  I'm here to grovel before your wonderful Earth
     Alliance, in hopes of attaching ourselves to your destiny,
     like... what are those fish called on your planet that
     attach themselves to sharks?
  G: Ramoras.
  L: Yes.  You make very good sharks Mr. Garibaldi.  We were
     pretty good sharks ourselves, once - but somehow, along the
     way, we forgot how to bite.  There was a time, when this
     whole _quadrant_ belonged to us!  What are we now?  Twelve
     worlds and a thousand monuments to past glories, living off
     memories, stories, selling trinkets.  My god man, we've
     become a tourist attraction!  "See the great Centauri
     Republic, open 9 to 5, Earth time."  [he sighs] Anything
     else?
  G: No. Thank-you, Ambassador.

   Finally walking over to question Varner, Garibaldi discovers the man
   is nowhere to be found.
   
   Takashima and Kyle are in private quarters, discussing the Kosh
   dilemma. At the Vorlons' request, all the monitors had been off in the
   docking bay, so no-one but Kosh himself knows how he was poisoned.
   Kyle suggests that they enlist the telepath's aid to find out, and
   Takashima agrees it's the best thing to do (but only after a quite
   contrary story from her own life about the importance of sticking by
   the rules). The Vorlons would never allow it, of course, so they plan
   to proceed behind Sinclair's back.
   
   When they confront Lyta with the idea in the medlab, she objects -
   quite rightly - that she could be thrown out of the Psi Corps for the
   crime of unauthorized mind scanning. Takashima urges the gravity of
   the situation, "Lyta, if the ambassador dies, the Vorlons will
   retaliate. This station is the first logical target. If I were in
   their position, I'd have a cruiser standing by in hyperspace right now
   just waiting to attack us. Thousands would die, and after us who knows
   how many more..."
   
   Meanwhile, air is leaking out from one of the holes caused by the
   grabber ship still attached to the hull. The techs begin to notice the
   pressure loss and send a maintenance pod to investigate.
   
   Vast forces weighing upon her shoulders, Lyta agrees to scan Kosh.
   Preparing herself, she explains, "When I get inside, it's subjective -
   I'll feel what he felt, but I'll see my body, not his. This could get
   rough." Initially she can't make mental contact with him, but succeeds
   when she takes off one of her gloves and puts her hand _inside_ the
   encounter suit.
   
   With Lyta, we see Sinclair walking forward through a warped image of
   the docking bay. "Welcome to Babylon 5," he says, smiling. A glance at
   his left hand shows it is slightly cupped away from sight. Sinclair
   offers his right, and we see a woman's arm reach forward to shake it
   (PoV, remember). He quickly grabs the proffered hand and slaps a big
   red circle onto the back of it. Soon the image of the bay distorts and
   tumbles, leaving us looking up from the floor at a grim Sinclair, then
   blackness.
   
   In the medlab, Lyta is screaming blindly. Once the staff extricate her
   from the environment room, Kyle and Takashima talk her back to
   reality. She reports where the poison hit, and Sinclair jogs in just
   in time for Lyta to viciously accuse him of the deed.
   
   Later, we momentarily see Varner in the marketplace pointing a little
   gadget at Lyta, who apparently doesn't see him.
   
   The maintenance pod comes upon the grabber ship, which produces a
   cannon and demolishes it.
   
   Varner follows a yellow-suited man into a turbolift and gets
   recognized by Eric, a yellow-suited tech. There is a flash of light as
   the door closes, and Eric emerges grimly - and alone.
   
   In another senior staff meeting, Takashima reports that word has
   gotten out that a witness has identified Sinclair as the assassin. The
   senator calls and, given conflict of interest, orders Sinclair to
   temporarily surrender command of the station to Takashima, who will
   also represent the EA at the upcoming emergency council. "Jeff, once
   the council gets into this, there's nothing we can do without
   compromising the neutrality of Babylon 5 - we _can't_ let that
   happen." After the senator signs off, the officers voice strong
   objections, but Sinclair demands that they do this one by the book.
   
   The Babylon 5 advisory council is in session. G'Kar is making the case
   against Sinclair: he was suspiciously missing when Kosh debarked, and
   there is no record of the lift malfunction Sinclair claims delayed
   him. G'Kar opens the floor to questions, and Delenn asks Dr. Kyle who
   it was that identified Sinclair. Kyle replies that the witness has
   requested anonymity, which would of course change if this went to
   trial. When asked about the poison, Kyle reports that it was
   Florizine, a rare poison found only in the Damocles sector [a chilling
   name]. G'Kar immediately announces that "Sinclair's woman" had arrived
   from the that very sector less than an hour before the assassination
   attempt!
   
   During a recess, Londo is at the bar again, staring at his drink.
   G'Kar walks merrily up to him and says, "Ambassador Mollari, I would
   like to discuss your vote with you."
   
   Garibaldi is updating Sinclair on his investigation as they walk
   through the corridors. Garibaldi doesn't trust what Lyta has to say -
   "I've seen her a lot with Del Varner, the guy who kept Londo from
   attending the reception." Turns out Varner has many EA indictments for
   smuggling illegal technology. Garibaldi can't fathom that man's
   actions; why would he put himself at risk stepping into EA
   jurisdiction? Why would he deliberately anger Londo by offering
   monetary support and then backing out, when many of his own underworld
   clients are Centauri? Furthermore, Varner was too much in debt to
   cover Londo's bets anyway. Sinclair sends Garibaldi off to talk to
   have a chat with Mr. Varner.
   
   Council resumes - Sinclair is now on the stand. G'Kar opens with a
   motion to extradite Sinclair to the Vorlon home-world for trial and
   quickly opens the vote with a yes. Takashima votes no for EA. Delenn,
   with unknown difficulty, abstains. Londo, with deep regret, votes yes.
   The council is deadlocked: two for, two against or abstaining. G'Kar
   then announces that he'd suggested his idea to the Vorlon government
   just recently: they requested that he vote yes on their behalf. The
   motion passes, deportation to take place in 12 hours.
   
   Garibaldi arrives at Varner's quarters to find the access system out
   of commission. Gaining entry with a gadget, he puzzles at a small
   puddle of orangish liquid on the floor. Then he puzzles at Del
   Varner's body in a big fish tank.
   
   In the medlab, Kyle confirms that the body is indeed Varner's, dead
   for at least X hours. Also, he will be able to counteract the poison
   in 6-7 hours, which is not much less than the time Kosh has got left.
   
   Garibaldi has lost the only lead he'd found. "Dammit, maybe they were
   right - maybe you got the wrong man for this job after all," he says
   to Sinclair in the corridors. "Michael, I picked you because you're
   right for the job. You're not politick, you're not subtle, and
   sometimes you're a pain in the ass - and I wouldn't have it any other
   way."
   
   At Ops, a tech reports to Takashima that the maintenance pod was lost.
   She sends a repair crew to check out what's going on.
   
   G'Kar and Lyta meet in the alien sector. She notes his lack of a
   breathing mask, and he points out his gill implants. "Come," he says,
   "there's been a complication."
   
   In the casino, Londo apologizes to Garibaldi for his vote - G'Kar had
   blackmailed him with scandalous information about Londo's father. Of
   such secrets is Centauri power made and broken. Londo didn't know his
   vote would matter, but he admits, at Garibaldi's questioning, that
   knowing wouldn't have changed anything. "This is my weakness, my
   failure. I am sorry, _truly_ sorry."
   
   In Sinclair's quarters, Carolyn is looking in awe at a medal of honor.
   
  C: Jeff, this medal, you were on the Line, and you never told
     me?
  S: I didn't want to talk about it.
  C: Why?
     [Sinclair broods over a star globe, looking old]
  S: I was a squad team leader when the call came in.  We all
     knew it was a suicide mission, the Minbari had broken
     through, closing in.  Every ship we had left was ordered to
     circle Earth.  We had to stop them, no matter what it cost.
     They came at us out of nowhere, we never had a chance.  The
     sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship.  One of
     ours.  My team was blown out of the sky in less than a
     minute.  Twelve ships.  I managed to take out a fighter
     before they hit my stabilizers.  I was losing power, I'd
     lost my team, and I figured if I was going to die I'd take
     someone out with me, so I targeted one of their heavy
     cruisers, hit my afterburners.  I was going to ram them head
     on.  The last thing I remember is hurtling toward that
     cruiser, filling my screen.  Big... my god so big.  Then,
     something passed in front of my eyes - I guess I blacked out
     from the acceleration.  When I came to 24 hours later, the
     cruiser was gone.  I checked in.  They told me the war was
     over.  The Minbari had surrendered.
  C: [appealing] Because of the Line.
  S: No.  We were beaten.  We didn't stop them, they stopped
     themselves, and I wish to hell I knew why.

   Meanwhile, Lyta enters the medlab and engages Kyle in conversation
   about Kosh's condition. While Kyle walks around examining readings,
   Lyta surreptitiously shuts down medical equipment behind him. Kyle
   starts to ask her how it is that she was seen talking to a man who'd
   already been dead, but is interrupted by alarms going off. He tries to
   stop Lyta, and they exchange blows. Kyle is painfully tossed around,
   but stumbles into a floor-mounted laser, with which he manages to
   shoot her in the arm. She stumbles through the exit, drawing a weapon.
   In the hallway outside, she encounters the _real_ Lyta Alexander
   running to investigate. The fake points her gun at Lyta for a full
   heartbeat, screeching but not shooting, then whirls and fires at
   Sinclair instead as he comes in from the other direction. Sinclair
   dives aside and she escapes. Inside the medlab, Kyle has been doing
   damage-control, and reports that Kosh will still pull through.
   
   The false Lyta is careening down the corridor, cradling her arm.
   Falling against a wall, her whole face is _malformed_ momentarily by a
   scream of pain. She stumbles on.
   
   In a cargo bay, Garibaldi shows the now-disabled grabber ship to
   Sinclair, reporting how it was found. Only one individual could have
   come aboard in it. "Short range," Sinclair muses - some other ship
   must have brought it here. Garibaldi also reports that the body of
   Eric the tech has turned up dead, yet friends have reported seeing him
   recently. Just then Takashima links in to call them all over to
   Varner's quarters - she has something to show them.
   
   Takashima has cracked open Varner's files and discovered that Varner
   was on the station to sell a changeling net: illegal technology that
   can make a person's appearance and voice that of someone else, at the
   risk of death from prolonged exposure. "So that's what Kosh saw in the
   docking bay," Takashima realizes. The net puts out a huge amount of
   energy, enough to detect with the station's sensors. Sinclair orders
   Takashima to reconfigure them to scan inwards, and then heads off to
   security.
   
   Sinclair and Garibaldi arrive at Ops in body armor, carrying _big_
   guns. Filtering out known sources, Takashima finds the expected energy
   spike. Sinclair orders that area sealed off and heads for the door.
   Takashima suggests they take a hovering recorder along, "The way
   things are going, you may need a witness." Indeed, moments after
   they've left, a tech reports that something is coming through the jump
   gate. "It must be the transport ship - damn!" she says. The tech looks
   up in fear - "That's not a transport!" "Looks like the commander's
   ride is here," she replies. But it's not just a ride - no less than
   _three_ Vorlon cruisers emerge from the gate amid a swarm of fighters.
   
   In the corridors, Sinclair has Garibaldi set his weapon to a
   non-killing level so that they can take the assassin alive. The move
   in with Takashima's assistance from Ops, pinpointing the energy
   source. There is a brief exchange of fire, and Garibaldi is thrown
   backward by a hit in the chest. He tears off his super-heated jacket,
   which took most of the blast. Sinclair forges ahead alone.
   
   At Ops, the Vorlons have demanded the immediate transport of Sinclair.
   Takashima orders a tech to link the Vorlons in to the recorder
   following him. While the tech gets to work on that, the Vorlons
   threaten attack in 5 minutes.
   
   Sinclair exchanges fire with the assassin, but neither is hit. He
   stalks slowly forward to where the figure disappeared, looking back
   once. When he turns his attention forward again the assassin
   (disguised now as Eric) tackles him from behind. Both apparently
   having lost their guns now, they start fist-fighting. Sinclair is
   quickly in severe trouble. However, the chameleon net starts changing
   images as they grapple - first Varner appears, then Lyta, and finally
   Sinclair himself in body armor! The assassin is forced to pause each
   time, and at the last change Sinclair throws him against a
   high-voltage barrier in a room across the corridor. Gouts of
   electricity pour through the figure, and the disguise finally gives
   out, revealing him to be... Minbari!
   
   The Vorlon fighters are powering up their already awesome-looking
   weapons as they close on the station. The tech finally gets the signal
   from the recorder finally connected to the outgoing link.
   
   There is an explosion (possibly the chameleon net), and the assassin
   is thrown back into the corridor. "Why," Sinclair asks in wonder, "Why
   did you do it?" Looking up at him, the Minbari has only this to say:
   "There is a hole in your mind." With that, he reaches up and breaks
   his own wrist, activating some kind of device in his arm. Through the
   link, Takashima shouts, "Oh my god, he's wired!" Sinclair orders the
   area sealed off and sprints down the corridor. He's quickly blown
   through a closing bulkhead by a great explosion behind him.
   
   B5 is thrown off kilter by the blast, and Vorlon fighters veer off to
   avoid colliding with it. It takes quite some effort on Takashima's
   part to pull it back into position without ripping apart the spinning
   station.
   
   Garibaldi and Delenn find Sinclair returning from the destroyed
   section. "This little breach of security isn't gonna affect my
   Christmas bonus, is it?" Garibaldi quips. Delenn asks him, "Do you
   need anything?" "Coffee," Sinclair chuckles, "two sugars, cream - and
   aspirin."
   
   A shower and change later, Sinclair sees Carolyn off the station -
   trading has called her away again. On a whim, she invites him to quit
   Babylon 5 and go off with her. "I'll think about it," he says. "Well
   don't take too long," she replies, "I'll wait, but not forever."
   
   Later, the officers gather in the medlab. The station will be fully
   operational again in a few days, and Kosh is recovering and out of
   critical. Then Delenn enters and invites Sinclair aside, "I regret
   that a Minbari was responsible for all this sadness," she says.
   Sinclair is forgiving - "You can't be responsible for the actions of
   every member of your race, Delenn." "No. But there is something I can
   do." So saying, she gives him a file of information about the
   assassin, whose clan she recognized when she watched the recording
   broadcast to the Vorlons. "I think you'll find it... most
   interesting."
   
   Still later, Sinclair is in his quarters, proposing a toast with G'Kar
   "To a fully operational Babylon 5!" "To the future!", G'Kar returns,
   and they drink. G'Kar expresses his pleasure at how it all turned out,
   and reaffirms their mutual goal of peace. However, Sinclair has his
   own agenda.
   
  S: I'm surprised you didn't ask about Del Varner.
  G: I assumed he was simply another innocent victim.
  S: Not quite.  His last entry spoke of a big payoff for
     bringing a changeling net across the border.  He was
     supposed to meet with his buyer in the Tigris sector but was
     running behind - didn't your supply ship also pass through
     the Tigris sector on its way here?
  G: If you have a point to make, Commander, pleeease make it.
  S: I believe the assassin was brought here on _your_ supply ship.
     [G'Kar is carefully examining Sinclair's bric-a-brac]
     That's why they needed the changeling net before they
     arrived - a Minbari warrior walking off a Narn ship would
     draw a lot of attention.  With the net, he could appear to
     be one of your crew and infiltrate the station.  When Varner
     missed connecting with your ship he came here, so you had to
     find another way to get the assassin on board.  They used
     the transport we found on the station's hull to get him
     inside, he then killed Del Varner and grabbed the changeling
     net.
  G: Sheer speculation, Commander.  With the death of Del Varner,
     and of the assassin, you have no proof.

   G'Kar goes to leave, but Sinclair has one last thing to tell him. It
   seems with his drink G'Kar has swallowed some nanotechnology, which
   has by now made itself at home in his intestines. It is shielded from
   outside detection, and it can be used to pinpoint G'Kar's location at
   any time. Sinclair points something at him by way of demonstration,
   and G'Kar jumps when it beeps. "This is an outrage!" he cries. "This
   is insurance," Sinclair replies, "What you do here is your own
   business. You can scheme and plan and play all the games you want. But
   get this straight - if you ever endanger this station again, my people
   will find you, and the results will be most unpleasant."
   
   Storming out of Sinclair's quarters, G'Kar is blocked for a moment by
   Garibaldi and Londo coming out of a lift. Garibaldi mimes a gadget at
   G'Kar with a "beep-beep" as he walks by. "Beep Beep?" Londo asks, "It
   must be Earth humor. Who can figure a species like that - Beep Beep."
   G'Kar is quite beside himself.
   
   Londo walks on to the reception, but Garibaldi and Sinclair stop and
   talk in the corridor.
   
  G: Do you think they'll find that transmitter you slipped him?
  S: No.  Because there isn't one.
  G: There isn't?  Wait...
  S: I lied.  I figured if there was a transmitter sooner or
     later they'd find it and remove it.  But if I just told him
     there was, they'd keep looking, indefinitely.
  G: Commander, do you have any idea of the tests they'll put him
     through, the _things_ they'll do to him, tryin' to find a
     transmitter that's not there?
  S: Yes.  Come on...

   All are present at Kosh's long-delayed reception except G'Kar
   (possibly off having his stomach pumped). Sinclair welcomes Kosh to
   the station, there is applause, and Kosh bows. Delenn steps forward
   and nods in respect, and Londo raises his glass to him.
   
   Later, Delenn finds Sinclair alone in the night-darkened Garden.
   
  S: Delenn, just before he died, the Minbari assassin looked at
     me and said, "There is a hole in your mind."
  D: An old Minbari insult, nothing you need worry about.
  S: Maybe... it's just - there's a 24-hour period in my life
     that I can't account for.  It happened during the war with
     your people.  You wouldn't be holding anything out on me
     would you, old friend?
  D: Commander, I would never tell you anything that was not in
     your best interest.
  S: Well, we'll talk about this again, one of these days.  Come
     on, we should get back to the reception.
  D: By the way, there's something I've been wondering - why
     "Babylon 5?"  After prior four stations were lost, or
     destroyed, why build another?
  S: Plain old human stubbornness, I guess.  When something we
     value is destroyed, we rebuild it.  If it's destroyed again
     we rebuild it again.  And again, and again, and... [looking
     down the vast Garden] again.  Until it stays.  That, as our
     poet Tennyson once said, is the goal: "To strive, to seek,
     to find, and not to yield."

   Lastly, from a beautiful point of view outside the station, we see
   Takashima at Ops. "This is Lieutenant Commander Takashima. Our docking
   bays stand ready to receive you. Babylon 5 is open for business."
   
   Matthew Ryan _matt@uhs.uchicago.edu_
     _________________________________________________________________
                                      
   Copyright 1994, Matthew Ryan. All rights reserved. Permission is
   granted to distribute this synopsis _noncommercially_ as long as the
   synopsis and this copyright notice remain intact. Babylon 5 is a
   copyright of the PTN Consortium; no infringement of that copyright is
   intended by writing these synopses.
   
   Anthony Taylor (FNATT@elmer.alaska.edu) wrote a preliminary version of
   the files on the pilot, and I am grateful to him for many of the
   points listed on the above page (included with his permission).
   

   
      [12]Last update: June 10, 1997

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