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  Synopsis by Matthew Murray (mmurray@wsu.edu)
  
   In a large building on Minbar, a Minbari, Rathenn, holding a large
   box, chases after a robed figure. He tells the figure, who he calls
   Entil'za, that the ancient books told the Minbari to enter the
   sanctuary and open the box, which has remained sealed for over 900
   years. The robed figure opens the box to see an envelope inside, with
   the words "Jeffrey David Sinclair" written on it. The figure removes
   his hood to reveal he is indeed Ambassador Sinclair. "How did he know
   that you would be here?" Rathenn asks. "How did he know your name?"
   
   Back on Babylon 5, C&C detects a distress call coming from sector 14,
   which surprises Ivanova since it has been quarantined for nearly 3
   years after Babylon 4 disappeared there. Lt. Corwin plays the message,
   and it is Ivanova's own voice, which a computer voice scan confirms.
   "They're coming through," Ivanova's voice cries out desperately,
   "repeat, they're coming through. This is Earth Alliance Station
   Babylon 5. They're all over the place! They're killing us. Can anyone
   hear me? They're killing us!"
   
   On Minbar, Sinclair sits by himself, contemplating what he has read.
   Rathenn returns, saying that Sinclair's ship has been prepared.
   Rathenn offers to listen to whatever Sinclair might have to say, but
   Sinclair says the message was meant for him alone. He tells Rathenn to
   have the others continue the work in his absence, and that he
   appreciates Rathenn's trusting him when he first arrived -- something
   no one else did. Rathenn merely says that it is because of Delenn, and
   that he has done nothing extraordinary. Sinclair tells him that his
   help has been invaluable, and that the Rangers will finish the work
   ahead. He walks away, and Rathenn knows he will not see Sinclair
   again. A Vorlon comes up behind him and offers, "He is the closed
   circle. He is returning to the beginning." Rathenn asks what the
   Vorlon means, but it walks away instead of responding.
   
   Ivanova plays back the distress signal for Sheridan and Garibaldi, but
   denies ever having sent the message. Garibaldi corrects her, saying
   that she hasn't yet, but since it comes from sector 14 -- a place
   where time doesn't work right -- anything is possible. Garibaldi
   relates to the others that, when he visited Babylon 4 two years
   earlier, he had a flash-forward in which he experienced the fall of
   Babylon 5, which could very well be the same thing to which this
   message refers. Garibaldi tells Sheridan he wants to check it out, and
   Sheridan agrees.
   
   Zack Allen is having quite a time trying to process the identicards of
   those in the station's docking bay, but while he is processing them,
   he comes across a very interesting one -- that of Ambassador Sinclair.
   Zack welcomes Sinclair back to the station, and asks him if he plans
   to be staying long. Sinclair says that is a more interesting question
   than Zack probably knows, and disappears into the crowd.
   
   While Garibaldi begins the long trip to sector 14, Lennier enters
   Delenn's quarters. She asks him if "he" is here, and Lennier tells her
   yes. Lighting, a candle, she recites, "We are Grey. We stand between
   the candle and the star." She tells Lennier that "he" is her friend.
   Lennier tells her that he knows, but that "it must be done, or the
   dream will die, and countless others will die with it." She says she
   wishes she had more time, but that time is all they have. They both
   walk away, leaving a letter, hand-addressed to Delenn, behind.
   
   Marcus and Sheridan are in the war room talking when Delenn arrives,
   telling them that they must both accompany her to the White Star, with
   Ivanova, and one other. The other is Sinclair, who enters the war
   room. He tells Sheridan that he appreciates the work he has done
   looking after the station. Garibaldi calls in, reporting that the
   temporal rift in sector 14 is twice as large as it was before, and
   that it is being created by a tachyon beam emanating from Epsilon 3.
   
   On Epsilon 3, Zathras and another caretaker watch what is happening to
   the Great Machine, which Zathras describes as "not good." The other
   caretaker suggests they tell Draal, but Zathras knows that it is
   taking all of Draal's power to control the machine. Zahtras knows what
   he must do, and he will do it, or else there might be great death.
   
   Sheridan asks Delenn why they are going to the White Star instead of
   to Epsilon 3, but Delenn simply insists that they must go to sector
   14. Sheridan doesn't understand, but Delenn promises to explain
   everything when the time is right. Meanwhile, Garibaldi finally
   arrives at sector 14, and performs a scan on the temporal rift formed
   there.
   
   Two ships depart from Babylon 5, carrying those going to the White
   Star. Sheridan tells Sinclair that he was very surprised to see him in
   the war room, but Sinclair says that he was just as surprised to be
   there. Sheridan mentions that Sinclair's timing seems to be more than
   a coincidence, to which Sinclair replies that there are no
   coincidences. Marcus tells Sheridan to quit while he's ahead, since
   Sinclair has a reputation, back on Minbar, for seldom giving straight
   answers to questions.
   
   Garibaldi, after increasing power to the scanners, picks up the
   distress message from Ivanova, which he records. Ivanova reports that
   the captain is dead, and their defenses are down. She says that the
   enemy is boarding from all over, and that Garibaldi is rigging the
   fusion reactors. She switches to external cameras, and the enemies
   attacking the station are indeed Shadows. It is not long before they
   deliver their final blow, and Ivanova's message is terminated.
   
   Everyone arrives in a conference room in the White Star. Delenn asks
   Sheridan if he trusts her, and he admits that he would trust her with
   his life. She invites them all to sit down. She begins by telling them
   that she was aware of the transmissions from Epsilon 3 several hours
   before they left, the same time that other information came into her
   possession. "As you know," she explains, "our last great war against
   the Shadows was a thousand years ago. With the help of the Vorlons and
   a few others, we were able to defeat them, driving them from their
   homeworld, Z'ha'dum. But... there is something you do not know. What
   you are about to see has never been shown to anyone outside the Grey
   Council."
   
   She touches a small device, and on the wall behind her, an image
   appears showing a great space station, with many ships around it,
   fighting. "This is one of the few surviving records from that war.
   Toward the end, the tide of battle had turned against us. Our greatest
   starbase, the center of our efforts in the war, had been destroyed by
   the Shadows. Without a long-range base of operations from which to
   launch our forces, we were doomed to lose the war. Then, as if in
   answer to our prayers, a replacement arrived." She touches the device
   again, and something very familiar appears on the screen.
   
   "Babylon 4!" Sheridan says in amazement.
   
   "Oh my God," Ivanova says. "We always knew that Babylon 4 had been
   taken to somewhere in time, but we assumed it was into the future."
   
   "No," Delenn says, "it was taken into the distant past, where it
   helped us defeat the Shadows. Without Babylon 4, we would have lost
   the war, or it would have ended in a stalemate."
   
   "So you're saying the Minbari... that you stole Babylon 4...?"
   Sheridan says.
   
   "Not quite," Delenn tells them. "Before coming to you, I received two
   additional records from Draal. Remember, the Great Machine on Epsilon
   3 has been there for over 500 years. During that time, it recorded
   much of what happened in this area of space." She changes the image to
   Babylon 4 again. "After Babylon 4 vanished six years ago, it
   reappeared again, two years ago. Ambassador Sinclair and Mr. Garibaldi
   traveled there at great personal risk to help evacuate her crew before
   it vanished again."
   
   "It was a close call," Sinclair tells them, "we almost didn't get out.
   We never did find out who was behind it."
   
   "And that is about to change," Delenn replies, changing the image
   again. "This was recorded shortly before the station first disappeared
   six years ago. As Babylon 4 neared completion, the allies of the
   Shadows recognized it for what it was, and sent these ships to destroy
   it. Striking without warning, they would have succeeded in their
   attack, but something stopped them." A ship appears on the screen,
   firing at the Shadow fighters.
   
   "The White Star?" Sheridan asks.
   
   "Delenn, are you saying we stole Babylon 4?" Marcus asks.
   
   "But that was years ago!" Ivanova says.
   
   "Yes!" Delenn says. "And that is exactly where we must go. At this
   moment, the Great Machine is using all its power to enlarge the
   temporal rift in sector 14. We will use it to go back six years into
   the past. Once there, we must prevent the destruction of Babylon 4,
   and take the station with us through time. Because, if we fail to save
   Babylon 4, Babylon 5 will also be destroyed."
   
   Sheridan can't believe that he is responsible for the disappearance of
   Babylon 4, but Delenn says that it has already happened, and all they
   must do is establish the past. No one knew where the replacement
   station had come from until she came to Babylon 5, and she was afraid
   to say anything, for fear of changing the future. Marcus says he isn't
   sure how moving Babylon 4 through time will save Babylon 5. Delenn
   answers that, without Babylon 4, the Shadows would come out of the
   last war much too strong -- something with which Sinclair agrees.
   Sheridan asks where the information came from, but Sinclair just says
   a reliable source. Marcus says that, if Sinclair believes it, he
   believes it. Delenn says that, if they do not proceed, in the next
   major attack by the Shadows, Babylon 5 will be destroyed. Sheridan
   calls Garibaldi, who says that he has been recording everything he
   can, and that the time stamp on the distress messages is eight days in
   the future. Based on this, Sheridan reluctantly agrees to go along
   with the plan. He calls Garibaldi and says they will investigate
   further, and that he should return to Babylon 5.
   
   Lennier appears on the screen, and tells them that they are being
   followed by something he believes comes from Epsilon 3. Delenn
   explains that only the Great Machine can control such an unstable time
   field, and that the ship that is following them will assist them in
   helping control the time field. The ship docks, and Delenn, Sheridan,
   and Sinclair go to meet it. Delenn explains that a homing device must
   be placed in Babylon 4's central power core so that the Great Machine
   will find a clearly defined target, and that Draal has sent one of his
   aides to assist. That aide turns out to be Zathras, who clumsily
   crashes into another Minbari. As Zathras approaches and tries to
   introduce himself, Sinclair remembers having met him before. Zathras
   is confused, but Sinclair explains it is in his own past. He warns
   Zathras not to say anything to him that might change the past. Zathras
   is very confused, but agrees. Zathras tells both Sinclair and Sheridan
   that he is honored to meet them, but for different reasons. Sheridan
   asks what the reasons are, but Zathras will not say, since Draal
   advised him not to mention that, as well as other things, which he
   doesn't remember. Delenn arrives and tells them that Zathras'
   equipment is being unloaded, and that they are ready to proceed.
   Delenn leads Zathras away, leaving Sinclair and Sheridan alone.
   Sinclair tells Sheridan he needs a favor.
   
   As the White Star meets Garibaldi's Starfury, Sheridan tells Garibaldi
   it is important to go back to Babylon 5, even though Garibaldi very
   much wants to go with them back to Babylon 4. Garibaldi doesn't
   understand, but complies. After Garibaldi has gone, Sheridan asks
   Sinclair if he didn't want to talk to Garibaldi himself, and Sinclair
   tells him he did. He walks away to a viewscreen, where he watches
   Garibaldi's ship fly off. He remembers the flashforward he experienced
   on Babylon 4, as well as the destruction of Babylon 5 he saw a couple
   years earlier in Ladira's vision. He promises himself that he won't
   let it happen.
   
   The White Star arrives in sector 14, and Zathras hands out small
   devices to everyone, saying that without them, they may become unstuck
   in time. These devices, time stabilizers, will protect them and keep
   them from drifting. After everyone has put on their time stabilizers,
   the White Star moves into the temporal rift.
   
   As the White Star makes its journey into the past, Garibaldi arrives
   back at the station, where he meets Zack, who tells him that Sinclair
   was there. Garibaldi is shocked, unable to believe Sinclair would
   leave without saying anything.
   
   The White Star emerges from the temporal rift, and before long,
   detects the ships sent to destroy Babylon 4, which are escorting very
   powerful fusion bomb. The White Star moves to intercept the ships. The
   ships fire on the White Star, but there is neglible damage due to,
   Lennier explains, the ability the ship has to learn from previous
   encounters.
   
   Garibaldi arrives in his quarters to find a message from Ambassador
   Sinclair, but it requires a password. It isn't long, though, until
   Garibaldi is able to guess the password, "Hello, old friend." The
   message from Sinclair apologizes for not saying goodbye. Sinclair says
   that, if he had met with Garibaldi, neither of them would be returning
   from Babylon 4, and that Sinclair had to do whatever he could to
   protect his friend.
   
   Though the weapons are outside optimum firing range, Ivanova is able
   to fire at the ships manually, destroying the fusion bomb. A huge
   blast is created, and the White Star is caught in it. Sheridan's time
   stablizer is hit by a blast of energy, and he vanishes. Zathras runs
   up to the damaged stabilizer, and explains that Sheridan has become
   unstuck in time, and could be in either the past or the future. Though
   everyone is very concerned and wants to find Sheridan, Sinclair knows
   that the mission is what is truly important, and if they wait too
   long, they may lose their one chance to move in under Babylon 4's
   damaged scanners.
   
   Sheridan is thrown down onto the floor and kicked. He is picked up by
   several guards, who say that he is awake again. Sheridan looks at the
   figure on the throne, and recognizes it as Londo, who looks quite a
   bit older than Sheridan is used to him.
   
   The White Star moves to grapple onto a stable area of Babylon 4.
   Delenn has been deeply disturbed by Sheridan's disappearance. Sinclair
   insists that he will be all right, and, to her stunned surprise, tells
   her in Minbari that he knows what is coming. He asks if she is all
   right, and she says she isn't. She says she is sorry, but he doesn't
   want her to be. Sinclair tells her that he never knew before now where
   he belonged in life, but that now, his path is clear.
   
   Sheridan asks Londo why he is there, and Londo tells him that he is
   finally going to put Sheridan out of Londo's own misery, finally
   punishing him for his crimes of neglect and convenience. Londo tells
   him that, during the war, he drove away the Shadows, but that the
   Shadows' servants came to Centauri Prime, and Sheridan allowed it to
   happen. Sheridan is taken to a window, where he looks out upon the
   burning, smoking city around him. "There's the legacy of your war,"
   Londo tells him.
   
   The White Star connects to Babylon 4, and the crew exits the ship.
   Though the configuration of the station is different, Ivanova believes
   she can find her way around. Ivanova needs to secure the primary
   corridors while they place the homing device, and Marcus goes off with
   her to help. Sinclair asks Zathras if he will be able to unload and
   prepare the equipment by himself, and Zathras indicates he can.
   
   "Ready?" Sinclair asks Delenn.
   
   "Why do your people always ask if someone is ready before you're going
   to do something massively unwise?" she asks him.
   
   Smiling, he answers her. "Tradition." The two of them move off down
   the corridor, to set the plan into motion.

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      [15]Last update: June 15, 1996

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