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  Synopsis by Matthew Murray (mmurray@wsu.edu)
  
   Sheridan approaches a store owner who is having an argument with a
   member of the Night Watch. The member of Night Watch says that the
   store owner, who has been hanging signs expressing his negative
   feelings about President Clark, is committing acts of sedition.
   Sheridan tries to calm him down, and says that the shopkeeper has a
   right to his opinion. He warns the Night Watch officer that, if such
   harassment happens again, the responsible party will be disciplined.
   
   Ivanova arrives in Garibaldi's office to receive a message from the
   PsiCop Bester, who will be arriving on Babylon 5 in seven hours. He
   claims that there is an individual on board who may be a danger to the
   station, Earth, and the PsiCorps. Garibaldi tells her that he thinks
   this visit, like Bester's others, is merely a ploy to check up on
   them. It turns out that Bester's concerns may be justified, for a
   crazed man, shouting, "The mountain is falling on me," is attacking
   people elsewhere on the station.
   
   Sheridan warns the other members of the Babylon 5 war council that
   Bester will soon be on the station. He tells them that, with the
   current state of the station and everything that has been going on,
   they can't afford to be scanned by Bester, who might not obey PsiCorps
   regulations. Garibaldi suggests killing him if he learns too much, but
   Sheridan won't hear of it. Delenn tells everyone that, although risky,
   there may be an alternative to violence.
   
   Vir arrives off a transport to meet Londo in the docking bay. After
   exchanging a few pleasantries, Londo asks Vir to tell him everything
   about his trip.
   
   Dr. Franklin, in MedLab, is treating the man who had the crazed fits
   earlier when a nurse comes in with one of his victims, who nearly died
   in avalanche several months earlier. Since the crazed man had been
   shouting about a mountain falling on him, Dr. Franklin asks him to be
   tested for traces of Dust.
   
   When Bester's transport arrives at the station, Ivanova orders
   everyone off the command deck so that she can perform a maintenance
   routine, but she has other ideas in mind. "They don't know you, your
   kind, the way I do," she says to herself. "They don't understand, they
   think it's some kind of a joke. But nothing works with you people.
   Nothing but force. Computer, activate forward defense grid. We can't
   risk throwing it all away, not because of you. I've been saying it for
   weeks now... The defense grid's been acting funny. Defense grid,
   prepare to fire. Fire!"
   
   "Belay that order," shouts Sheridan, who entered unbeknownst to
   Ivanova. He manages to convince her that this would be throwing away
   her career, and that she would become exactly what she hates most. He
   deactivates the defense grid and tells the computer to begin docking
   manuevers.
   
   After his ship docks, Bester comes aboard the station, and is taken to
   Sheridan's office, where Sheridan and the others are waiting, each
   with a Minbari standing by them. Sheridan introduces them as Minbari
   telepaths, who he has brought to level the playing field. He tells
   Bester that he doesn't trust him, and blames him for what happened
   with Talia Winters. Bester tries to bait Garibaldi on that topic, but
   isn't successful. Ivanova explains that, while a human telepath
   couldn't block a PsiCop's scan, a group of Minbari telepaths can.
   Franklin gives him the choice of either taking the sleeper drugs to
   suppress his telepathic abilities, or to put up with the Minbari
   telepaths. Bester chooses to submit to an injection of sleepers.
   
   Londo, Vir, Delenn, Lennier, and the Drazi ambassador and his aide are
   meeting together to try to solve the dispute between the Centauri and
   the Drazi. Londo explains that the Centauri Republic wants a buffer
   zone of seven planets, which is five more than he originally wanted.
   This angers the Drazi ambassador, but Londo is unwilling to say
   anymore, and tells the Drazi ambassador that, if he isn't careful,
   what happened to the Narn homeworld might happen to the Drazi
   homeworld as well. Londo and the Drazi leave, leaving Vir alone with
   Delenn and Lennier. He thanks them for supporting his visit to Minbar,
   and suggests that Londo might do well to visit as well. Delenn and
   Lennier are unsure that that would help, but Vir insists that he knows
   there is more to Londo than meets the eye.
   
   Bester explains to the command staff that he has come aboard the
   station to find one of the main distributors of Dust, a drug which
   allows the user to activate his or her latent telepathic gene,
   allowing them to invade others' minds, living their life for several
   hours. It is highly addictive, and more is required each time to
   achieve the affect. When a telepath is read by someone using Dust, he
   almost never recovers. Bester explains that he believes that the
   seller wants to sell the Dust to alien governments to use as a weapon,
   and that that is what the Corps is worried about.
   
   G'Kar tells Lindstrom, the Dust dealer, that their agreement called
   for no selling of Dust while he was delivering it to G'Kar. G'Kar
   promises to pay him, when he learns that it works as advertised.
   Lindstrom presents G'Kar with a small packet of Dust, which G'Kar
   explains he wants to use as a weapon. Lindstrom tells him that the
   drug was designed for human telepaths, and might not work on the Narn,
   whose telepaths and their families had been exterminated many
   generations earlier. G'Kar tells Lindstrom they will continue business
   after the Dust has been tested, but Lindstrom warns him that it could
   be dangerous. G'Kar doesn't care, and sends him on his way.
   
   Garibaldi and Bester are walking together through a crowded area.
   Bester explains that he wishes to protect Earth just as Garibaldi
   wishes to protect Babylon 5. Bester says it is his job to protect the
   human race from threats that only the Corps can stop. He says they may
   be the only chance that the human race has for survival.
   
   G'Kar sits crumpled on the floor of his quarters, the empty Dust
   packet sitting nearby. He croaks out the word "Mollari," and leaves
   his quarters. He sees and hears the world around him differently while
   he is under the effects of the drug, picking up the stray thoughts of
   those that walk by him, and he is scarcely able to control their
   effect on him. But, he does manage to make his way through the station
   slowly, toward his destination.
   
   Garibaldi and Bester are interrogating one of the more powerful
   members of Babylon 5's underground about what he knows about the Dust
   dealer. When the man, Ashi, claims he doesn't know anything, Bester
   says that he's lying, explaining that strong emotions cause him to
   blurt out things like that sometimes, though the information can't be
   used officially. Ashi explains that he was approached by a man with
   numerous crates of Dust, but that he wouldn't help handle them. He
   tells Garibaldi that the man has quarters in Red Sector, that he is
   using the assumed name Morgenstern, and that he has a shipment coming
   in this afternoon. Garibaldi sends the man away with two other
   security officers, and then asks Bester how he was able to read the
   man's thoughts. Bester explains that his uniform gives him a power
   over others -- whether or not he can read their thoughts, they believe
   he can. Garibaldi accuses him of using it merely for intimidation, but
   Bester is quick to point out to Garibaldi that his uniform, too, can
   be used for that purpose.
   
   Londo tells Vir that the report he is planning to send to the Centarum
   is not appropriate, and that it demonstrates great political naivete.
   Vir tries to explain his point of view, but Londo will not listen to
   anything he has to say, only allowing Vir to leave in his explanation
   of Minbari spirituality. Londo's door chimes, and Vir goes to answer
   it, but is accosted and rendered unconcious by G'Kar, who then enters
   Londo's quarters, a look of fire in his eyes.
   
   Garibaldi and Bester hide behind a large crate in a storage room,
   hoping that they will be able to catch the dealer and the evidence all
   at the same time, according to due process, which Garibaldi accuses
   Bester of ignoring all too frequently. Several men enter the room, and
   begin their dealings for the Dust. Garibaldi speaks into his link
   quickly, and a shrill siren fills the room, dropping all of the men to
   their knees, while Garibaldi confiscates the Dust. Several other
   security officers enter and cart off the men involved in the deal.
   
   Londo, bleeding and unable to move, finds G'Kar standing over him, and
   tries to make an offer to him. G'Kar, still under the effects of the
   Dust, takes a trip into the depths of Londo's mind...
   
   ...He finds himself seeing Londo being assigned to Babylon 5, and
   learns that Londo was appointed to his position of Ambassador only
   because there was no one else who wanted it.
   
   G'Kar takes great pleasure, while inside Londo's head, in tormenting
   him about this fact. Londo begs G'Kar to leave his mind, but G'Kar
   refuses, demanding that Londo show him all of the secrets he has been
   holding in. He delves further into Londo's mind...
   
   ...This time seeing the meeting Londo had with Morden in the garden
   just before President Santiago's death.
   
   G'Kar reacts very strongly to this, finally learning that it was Londo
   who was behind the plight of the Narn. G'Kar demands to know who he
   was working with, but Londo refuses to tell him. Infuriated, G'Kar
   rips the information he wants from his mind. The resulting montage of
   images is so strong that it thrusts him out of Londo's mind, and into
   his own...
   
   ...G'Kar finds himself back on the Narn homeworld, many years earlier,
   witnessing the death of his father. His father asks him to honor his
   name right before he dies. The image ends, and G'Kar hears a voice. He
   turns around...
   
   ...To find an old Narn standing before him. The old Narn tells G'Kar
   that both the Narn and the Centauri are a dying people, and that they
   cannot simply fight forever, until both races have been exterminated.
   Once that happens, there can be no winners or losers. G'Kar says that
   he made a promise to his father to honor his father's name, but the
   old Narn asks him to reexamine how he should go about that. He tells
   G'Kar that, if they are a dying race, they should die with honor, and
   no longer devote their life to fighting and hatred. "We are fighting
   to save one another. And some of us must be sacrificed," he tells
   G'Kar, "if all are to be saved. Because if we fail in this, then none
   of us will be saved, and the Narn will be only a memory." The old Narn
   vanishes, but G'Kar is not alone for long...
   
   ...A strange voice fills his thoughts. "You have the opportunity, here
   and now, to choose. To become something greater and nobler and more
   difficult than you have been before. The universe does not offer such
   chances often, G'Kar."
   
   "Why now?" G'Kar asks. "Why not earlier? All this time... Where have
   you been?"
   
   "I have always been here," the voice replies. G'Kar finally sees its
   source as the sound of flapping wings fills his mind. G'Kar spins
   around to see the white, glowing figure of G'Lan rise up and fly into
   the distance.
   
   Once G'Lan has vanished, G'Kar can only sit and sob, with the
   unconcious Londo nearby. Neither of them notice another visitor, Kosh,
   who soon takes his leave.
   
   While Vir visits Londo, who is just regaining conciousness in MedLab,
   G'Kar faces the ombuds who is presiding over the hearing where he is
   being tried for his crimes. After G'Kar pleads guilty, Sheridan tries
   to convince the ombuds that G'Kar's actions were caused by the Dust,
   and therefore, not his fault. She disagrees, saying that the fact that
   he went to Londo's quarters, constitutes premeditation. She sentences
   him to a term of no less than 60 days in the station's prison
   facilities. Garibaldi approaches G'Kar and offers him the Book of
   G'Quan, which G'Kar had loaned him, but G'Kar asks him to keep it,
   since he himself is now "somewhat closer to the source."
   
   After being released from MedLab, Londo and Vir speak of the last few
   days' events, but Vir explains that he must leave that night. Londo
   tells him that he should never allow the Centauri government to make a
   joke of him or his work. Vir promises that he won't.
   
   Garibaldi escorts Bester to the docking bay, and though Bester has
   enjoyed working with Garibaldi, the feeling isn't mutual. When another
   PsiCop arrives for Bester, Garibaldi makes a hasty exit. As they walk
   away, Bester says that he knew the original purpose of Dust, to create
   telepaths from those without latent skill, would never work, but that
   at least he has retrieved it; it's back among humans, where it
   belongs.
   
   G'Kar sits alone in his prison cell, quietly thinking, and remembering
   the words he heard the old Narn speak to him, while under the effect
   of the Dust. "We are fighting to save one another. And some of us must
   be sacrificed, if all are to be saved."

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      [15]Last update: February 7, 1998

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