The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5
You can not select more than 25 topics Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.

207 lines
10 KiB

  1. [1][ISMAP]-[2][Home]
  2. [3][Guide] [4][Background] ### SYNOPSIS ### [5][Credits] [6][Episode
  3. List] [7][Previous] [8][Next]
  4. Sinclair and Garibaldi await the arrival of a ship bearing the body of
  5. Branmer, the Minbari general who led the attack on the Line. Branmer
  6. died on a diplomatic mission and his ship is enroute home, stopping
  7. along the way to let people pay their respects. The ship -- a Minbari
  8. cruiser, the same kind that Sinclair fought on the Line -- arrives
  9. through the jumpgate.
  10. On the zocalo, Ivanova is taking a break. Talia Winters arrives and
  11. sits across the bar from her. Meanwhile, a girl in scruffy clothing
  12. steals a piece of jewelry from a vendor. She's spotted, and runs away,
  13. then collapses on the floor, unconscious. Talia and Ivanova rush to
  14. her side. "She's a telepath," Talia says.
  15. The Minbari ship approaches the station. Scans indicate that it's
  16. flying with gun ports open -- armed for a fight. The captain refuses
  17. to explain, but Delenn arrives at the command center in time to
  18. explain that it's simply a way of honoring a great military leader.
  19. In medlab, Dr. Franklin reports that the girl appears normal except
  20. for unusually high EEG readings. Talia explains that she was a latent
  21. telepath whose powers suddenly activated -- probably due to the onset
  22. of puberty -- and her mind was unable to cope with the sudden inrush
  23. of foreign thoughts. Talia offers to notify the Psi-Corps so they can
  24. send a representative, but Ivanova objects.
  25. [INLINE] Franklin examines the girl.
  26. A procession bearing Branmer's casket comes aboard. Neroon, Branmer's
  27. second in command, greets Sinclair and Delenn. Ivanova and Garibaldi
  28. lead him away to the area they've prepared for the viewing of
  29. Branmer's body. Delenn comments to Sinclair that such a viewing is
  30. very unusual, but that the Star Riders, Branmer's clan, insisted on
  31. it. She seems disturbed.
  32. [INLINE] The funeral procession.
  33. Ivanova arrives in medlab just as the girl awakens. As she gains
  34. consciousness, she's nearly overwhelmed by the thoughts of the other
  35. people nearby, but Talia teaches her how to block them out. According
  36. to Talia, who couldn't help picking up the girl's thoughts, her name
  37. is Alisa Belden, and both of her parents are dead. Ivanova and Talia
  38. argue about who has jurisdiction over Alisa; Ivanova vows that Alisa
  39. won't leave the station if she can help it.
  40. Neroon won't allow Garibaldi's men to guard Branmer's body until the
  41. viewing ceremony. He insists on Minbari guards. He baits Sinclair
  42. about the Line, but Delenn defuses the conversation.
  43. [INLINE] Neroon makes his demand.
  44. The ceremony proceeds normally until the casket is opened. Branmer's
  45. body is nowhere to be seen.
  46. Sinclair orders Garibaldi to begin an investigation. Neroon threatens
  47. to go to war over the issue, claiming that the last incident involving
  48. a Minbari leader, the death of Dukhat (which Garibaldi counters was a
  49. tragic accident) was the cause of the last war. He's rebuffed by
  50. Delenn, who says that no one clan has the right to dictate Minbari
  51. policy.
  52. After Neroon and Delenn leave, Ivanova tells Sinclair about Alisa.
  53. Sinclair says he'll stand behind whatever decision Ivanova makes.
  54. Later, Sinclair visits Delenn in her quarters. As she adds pieces to
  55. her crystal sculpture, Delenn tells Sinclair that Branmer was
  56. originally a high priest of the religious caste. When the holy war
  57. against Earth began, Branmer felt an obligation to go to battle. He
  58. felt the Minbari cause was just, but obeyed the surrender order when
  59. it came. Another warleader, Sineval, committed suicide rather than
  60. obey the order, and many among the military caste greatly resent the
  61. surrender. Sinclair notes that Neroon is one of them; he seems to be
  62. spoiling for a rematch.
  63. [INLINE] Discussing Neroon.
  64. In medlab, Alisa is trying on new clothes, courtesy of the Psi Corps,
  65. while Talia tells her that the Corps will take good care of her once
  66. she joins. Ivanova arrives and counters with the story of the Corps'
  67. treatment of her mother.
  68. Neroon intercepts Garibaldi in a corridor. The investigation is
  69. meeting with no success so far. An aide rushes up, clutching a piece
  70. of Branmer's burial robe. He says it was found outside the quarters of
  71. the pak'ma'ra -- carrion eaters.
  72. Garibaldi and Neroon interrogate one of the pak'ma'ra, who claims
  73. ignorance about the disappearance of Branmer's body. Convinced that
  74. the alien is hiding something, Garibaldi orders all the pak'ma'ra to
  75. have their stomachs pumped.
  76. [INLINE] The pak'ma'ra denies knowledge.
  77. Na'Toth offers a deal to Alisa: a pampered life on the Narn homeworld
  78. in exchange for periodic tissue samples. Trying to get a glimpse of
  79. life on Narn, Alisa peers into Na'Toth's mind, and is repulsed; it's
  80. cold, alien. Franklin suggests that she take that into account while
  81. she considers the offer.
  82. [INLINE] Na'Toth makes her offer.
  83. Dr. Franklin reports to Garibaldi that analysis of the pak'ma'ras'
  84. stomach contents was negative; they hadn't dined on Minbari lately.
  85. Neroon, furious that Garibaldi is wasting his time pumping alien
  86. stomachs, threatens to have his ship tear the station apart if
  87. Garibaldi can't solve the mystery.
  88. Tests reveal that Alisa is at least a P10, which she jokes will
  89. probably make her worth more to the Narn. Ivanova warns Alisa against
  90. accepting the Narn offer, citing evidence that the Narn keep aliens as
  91. slaves and are likely to do so to Alisa once she's in their clutches.
  92. Talia once again suggests the Psi-Corps, provoking a heated argument
  93. with Ivanova; Alisa breaks in and says she wants to know _all_ her
  94. options.
  95. Ivanova takes Alisa to visit Delenn, who describes Minbari telepaths.
  96. Psi ability among the Minbari is considered a rare gift, and those who
  97. have it lead lives of public service, helping people who need their
  98. talents. In return, the Minbari people provide for all the psis'
  99. needs. While Delenn speaks, Alisa peers into her mind, and to her
  100. shock sees a vision of white-robed Minbari stunning the guards in
  101. front of Branmer's coffin, then opening the lid. Alisa flees Delenn's
  102. quarters; Delenn can clearly feel that she was being scanned. Alisa
  103. tells Ivanova that Delenn knows what happened to the body.
  104. [INLINE] Discussing Minbari telepaths.
  105. Sinclair enters his quarters to find them a shambles. He's attacked
  106. from behind by Neroon. The two of them scuffle; Neroon claims that he
  107. wanted to search the one place that would be strictly off-limits. But
  108. Garibaldi, arriving with Alisa in tow, claims he searched Sinclair's
  109. quarters with Delenn observing, and ushers Neroon away. Alisa tells
  110. Sinclair what she saw in Delenn's mind.
  111. Delenn and an aide are packing something into a cargo container when
  112. Sinclair bursts into the cargo area. It's an urn, containing Branmer's
  113. ashes.
  114. Delenn claims that she's honoring Branmer's wishes; he asked for a
  115. simple ceremony, and wouldn't want his body paraded around as a symbol
  116. of war. She had planned to pass the disappearance off as a miracle, a
  117. transformation of Branmer's body so that he could take his place among
  118. the gods. Now Sinclair and Garibaldi are in a difficult position,
  119. since they've promised to tell Neroon the results of their
  120. investigation. Delenn offers a compromise: Neroon will be told the
  121. truth, but _she_ will tell him.
  122. Neroon is furious when he learns what happened. He vows to lead a
  123. protest personally. Delenn stops him cold, claiming that if he
  124. contradicts her claim of transformation, the Star Riders will be
  125. destroyed, dishonored, by the Grey Council, whose opinion she claims
  126. to represent. She orders him to obey her, "just as you obeyed the
  127. order to end the war," and further to apologize to Sinclair.
  128. Neroon does so, and is surprised when Sinclair offers to pay tribute
  129. to Branmer's courage and skill in a personal message to the Minbari
  130. people. "Perhaps there was some small wisdom in letting your people
  131. live," Neroon says. "We like to think so," replies Sinclair.
  132. [INLINE] Neroon and Sinclair reconcile.
  133. Sinclair and Delenn are talking in the stone garden when Alisa arrives
  134. and announces that she's going to live with the Minbari. Delenn claims
  135. that Alisa will help increase the understanding and communication
  136. between humans and Minbari. Sinclair agrees.
  137. Alisa bids Ivanova and Talia an emotional farewell. Talia doesn't
  138. agree with her decision, but admits that Sinclair is right; Alisa's
  139. presence among the Minbari will benefit both peoples.
  140. Sinclair meets up with Alisa on her way aboard the Minbari ship, and
  141. asks her if she saw anything else in Delenn's mind. Alisa responds
  142. that there was one other thing, a word, "chrysalis." "She shut down
  143. real fast when I touched that," Alisa says. She boards the cruiser,
  144. leaving Sinclair to ponder the significance of the word.
  145. Synopsis by [9]Steven Grimm
  146. [15][Next]
  147. [16]Last update: March 19, 1997
  148. References
  149. 1. file://localhost/cgi-bin/imagemap/titlebar
  150. 2. LYNXIMGMAP:file://localhost/lurk/maps/maps.html#titlebar
  151. 3. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/017.html
  152. 4. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/background/017.shtml
  153. 5. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/credits/017.html
  154. 6. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
  155. 7. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/016.html
  156. 8. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/018.html
  157. 9. http://www.midwinter.com/~koreth/
  158. 10. file://localhost/lurk/lurker.html
  159. 11. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/017.html#TOP
  160. 12. file://localhost/cgi-bin/uncgi/lgmail
  161. 13. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
  162. 14. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/016.html
  163. 15. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/018.html
  164. 16. file://localhost/lurk/lastmod.html