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   (Continuing where [9]Part 1 left off)
   
   Garibaldi is relieved to hear that Sinclair and Ivanova are returning
   from the planet, but his relief is cut short when a tech announces
   that a ship, a _big_ ship, is coming through the jump gate. He looks
   down at his computer display. "What the hell?"
   
   The ship is an Earth Alliance heavy cruiser, the Hyperion, Captain
   Ellis Pierce commanding. He says he's been ordered to take control of
   the situation.
   
   [INLINE] The Hyperion comes through the gate.
   
   In Medlab, Sinclair and Franklin watch over the alien from Epsilon 3.
   Franklin says he is still studying the alien's biology, but that he
   seems to be stabilizing.
   
   Pierce is waiting in Sinclair's office, looking at an onscreen
   introduction to Babylon 5's facilities, when Sinclair arrives. Pierce
   says his crew will enjoy getting a little R&R on such a "cushy"
   station. Sinclair wants to know who authorized Pierce to take over;
   Sinclair has jurisdiction over Babylon 5's sector. Pierce says the
   Hyperion was in hyperspace when it received orders to divert to
   Babylon 5. The potential of the technologies Sinclair has discovered
   are enormous, and Earth wants a show of force so other races don't try
   to get a piece of the action before Earth has had its pick; if the
   Hyperion weren't present, the situation could get very messy. Sinclair
   angrily replies that the situation was fine until Pierce charged in
   with a heavy cruiser and shook things up.
   
   [INLINE] Pierce tells Sinclair why he's there.
   
   Garibaldi is at a bar, drinking water and watching the news with some
   other patrons. The top story, of course, is the revolt on the Mars
   colony. Earth is sending in shock troops to quell the rebellion. The
   other bar patrons are delighted, and start insulting the Mars
   colonists. "We pay taxes so they can have the best atmosphere
   reprocessors, water reclamation... They ought to be damned grateful."
   One of them suggests, jokingly, that Earth should do "what my
   grandfather always said: nuke 'em till they glow and shoot 'em in the
   dark. That'd take care of 'em, just like magic." Infuriated, Garibaldi
   performs a magic trick of his own, assaulting the mouthy bar patron
   and stalking off.
   
   Sinclair confers with Senator Hidoshi, complaining that he'd been told
   personally by President Santiago that he has jurisdiction over Babylon
   5's sector. He threatens to resign over the issue unless Hidoshi can
   get Santiago to reaffirm his authority in the matter. Hidoshi says
   he'll see what he can do, but it might not be much as the President is
   preoccupied with the Mars colony revolt.
   
   In the command center, Ivanova tells Sinclair that the Hyperion has
   just launched an expedition to the planet's surface, and that the
   planet's defense systems, much more active than before, are preventing
   them from getting close. Sinclair demands that Pierce call off the
   expedition, making up a story about needing a special jamming device
   to get through the defense systems.
   
   Ivanova then tells Sinclair that they've been monitoring greatly
   increased seismic activity from the planet, activity that seems to be
   artificially induced and that's increasing in severity. If it
   continues to do so, the planet will rip itself apart, taking Babylon 5
   with it.
   
   Later, Ivanova reports that they've discovered the planet is
   honeycombed with passages and fusion reactors, some of them miles in
   diameter. The fusion reactors seem to be set to overload. She
   estimates less than 48 hours until the planet is destroyed. Garibaldi
   says it would take at least three days to evacuate the station even if
   all the ships in the sector were called in.
   
   [INLINE] Discussing the situation.
   
   Londo catches up with Ivanova in the corridor and demands to know
   what's going on. He presses her on the issue, until she replies, "You
   want to know what's really going on down there right now? Boom. Boom
   boom boom. Boom boom. _Boom_. Have a nice day."
   
   Delenn and Draal are returning to Delenn's quarters when Draal hears
   the sick alien's voice calling out to him. The two of them head for
   Medlab.
   
   Sinclair goes to talk to Garibaldi about the incident in the bar.
   Garibaldi expresses his frustration at finding himself helpless; he
   can't help Lise, doesn't even know if she's alive or dead. "The planet
   we're parked next to is about to go up like a Roman candle. What am I
   supposed to do, arrest it?" He says he just snapped. He and Sinclair
   discuss his reluctance to call Lise over the years -- he was afraid
   she'd reject him, and even more afraid she wouldn't -- and Sinclair
   promises to try pulling a few strings to get Garibaldi a comm channel
   to Mars. He asks Garibaldi to make sure Ivanova leaves the station if
   they end up needing to evacuate.
   
   Draal and Delenn arrive in Medlab. Franklin tries to stop them from
   going in to see the alien, but the alien awakens and calls out to
   Draal. He says everyone must stay away from the planet, that it will
   explode without a heart, "without another."
   
   [INLINE] Draal and Delenn listen to the alien.
   
   After getting that confirmation that expeditions to the planet will
   only hasten its detonation, Sinclair arrives in the command center to
   find that Pierce is about to launch another group of ships to the
   planet. He knows what the alien (whose name is Varn) said, but feels
   that Varn has every reason to lie to keep people away. Sinclair
   threatens to shoot Pierce's ships out of the sky if they approach the
   planet, and orders the station's fighters to prepare for launch.
   Convinced that Sinclair feels he has nothing to lose, Pierce backs
   down.
   
   Suddenly, an unknown alien ship enters through the jumpgate and scans
   the station's language and translation files. Its captain, Takarn, who
   appears to be of the same race as Varn, claims that the planet belongs
   to his people, who have been searching for it for 500 years. He gives
   Sinclair and Pierce ten hours to leave the area, or he'll take the
   planet by force.
   
   [INLINE] The Hyperion and Babylon 5 are scanned.
   
   Before Sinclair can respond, Pierce answers Takarn with his own
   ultimatum: withdraw within nine hours, or the Hyperion will attack.
   
   Varn tells Sinclair that the newcomers are outcasts, rejected by his
   people, who are all long dead now. He has been guarding the planet,
   connected to the heart of the machine, for five hundred years. He
   monitored Babylon 5's construction, learned its languages from its
   transmissions, but the time wasn't right to reveal himself until his
   failing health forced the issue. He warns Sinclair that the newcomers
   must not be allowed to take the planet. It is for the future.
   
   Sinclair talks to Delenn and Draal, who claim that Varn didn't tell
   them anything more than what he told Sinclair. Sinclair leaves, and as
   Delenn and Draal talk about what Varn meant by "another," Londo enters
   and says the three of them need to talk.
   
   Pierce tells Sinclair that he needs Babylon 5's forces to make an
   effective attack against the alien ship. Sinclair assures Pierce that
   when the time comes, he'll commit his forces to the battle.
   
   Londo, Delenn, and Draal talk about Varn; Londo tells them of Varn's
   appearance in the hallway earlier. He wants to help, to take a risk,
   as he did years before when he led the raid on Frallis 12. He realizes
   that one of the group will have to stay behind permanently.
   
   [INLINE] Londo volunteers his help.
   
   Ivanova clears a transport to leave the station: "The more we get out
   now, the fewer we'll have to evacuate later." It flies off -- it's a
   shuttle with Centauri markings -- just as Garibaldi links in to report
   that someone has stolen Varn from Medlab.
   
   Takarn signals the station, furious that they're allowing a transport
   to try to go to the planet. Ivanova checks, and sure enough, the
   Centauri shuttle is headed for the surface. Takarn launches his
   attack, prompting Babylon 5 and the Hyperion to unleash their fighter
   wings. The battle is joined.
   
   Londo, piloting the shuttle, seems delighted to be back in the thick
   of things. "Who says the good old days are gone, eh?" Draal and
   Delenn, tending after Varn, look a little nervous about Londo's
   daredevil piloting style.
   
   [INLINE] Londo looks for the landing thruster controls.
   
   On the station, Sinclair and Ivanova note that the planet isn't
   attacking the Centauri shuttle for some reason. Garibaldi goes after
   it in a shuttle of his own.
   
   Deep within the planet, with the battle raging furiously overhead,
   Garibaldi finds Delenn, Draal, Londo and Varn in the room where
   Sinclair and Ivanova discovered Varn initially. Draal tells Garibaldi
   that he's staying behind; someone has to run the machine, and it will
   give him the purpose, the life in service of others, that he has long
   been missing among his own people.
   
   [INLINE] The Hyperion fires its main gun.
   
   Back in space, the battle continues. The station takes a direct hit,
   sustaining serious damage. It's about to be fired on again when a
   strange force emanates from the planet, causing all the controls in
   the command center to go dark. A translucent image of Draal appears,
   informing all three parties that the planet belongs to none of them.
   "It belongs only to itself, and to the future." As the planet's
   secrets would give a huge advantage to any race that had them to
   itself, he places the safekeeping of the planet in the hands of the
   Babylon 5 Advisory Council, whose enlightened self-interest he hopes
   will cause them to leave the place alone. But if not, he warns that
   the defense systems are now fully operational, and any ship that
   attempts to land will be destroyed.
   
   [INLINE] Emanation from Epsilon 3.
   
   The aliens, apparently not believing the threat, fly toward the
   planet. As promised, a tremendously powerful weapon fires from the
   surface, vaporizing them instantly.
   
   Delenn says an emotional farewell to Draal. Varn, staying behind to
   watch over Draal, assures her that the planet is wondrous, that
   Draal's life will be extended. He will "see all the futures, hear all
   the songs, and touch the edge of the universe with his thoughts."
   
   As the Hyperion leaves, Pierce says he's received a message from Earth
   reaffirming Sinclair's authority. He apologizes to Sinclair. After the
   ship leaves, Ivanova tells Sinclair she has a channel to Mars for
   Garibaldi.
   
   Garibaldi is delighted to learn that Lise is alive, even more so to
   talk to her. She was caught in the crossfire while getting food, but
   her wounds aren't serious and she's expected to recover. She says the
   fighting has begun to die down; the Earth-supported provisional
   government seems to have the upper hand. Garibaldi tells her he's
   sorry he ever left, and asks if he can meet up with her on his next
   leave. She tells him she's married, and expecting a baby. The news
   crushes him.
   
   Later, Garibaldi is in an observation area, staring out into the
   stars, when Delenn joins him. He asks why she and Londo didn't come to
   Sinclair once they realized someone needed to be in the planet. She
   says she didn't, "because I know in my heart that if I had, Commander
   Sinclair would be down there now. He is searching for a purpose. But
   his destiny lies elsewhere." Garibaldi asks how she managed to get
   Londo to go. She says she offered him a deal. She now owes him a large
   favor, which she's sure he'll collect eventually, but she says he
   enjoyed the adventure, as it awakened something in him that had long
   been buried.
   
   [INLINE] Delenn joins Garibaldi.
   
   "One thing I've discovered," Garibaldi says. "Some things are better
   left buried." He leaves.
   
   Delenn gazes out across the stars. "Good night, old friend," she says.
   "Sleep well."
   
  Synopsis by [10]Steven Grimm
  

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      [17]Last update: March 19, 1997

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