lurkers-guide/ftp/Synopses/062.Walkabout

                            [1][ISMAP]-[2][Home]
                                      
    [3][Guide] [4][Background] ### SYNOPSIS ### [5][Credits] [6][Episode
                       List] [7][Previous] [8][Next] 

Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)

   Londo is outraged that Babylon 5 has accepted the sole surviving Narn
   heavy cruiser, the G'Tok, into the station's mutual protection
   alliance. Garibaldi is unimpressed.
   
   A visibly upset Lyta Alexander visits Medlab searching for answers
   about the death of Kosh but none are available.
   
   [INLINE] Garibaldi steps into C & C just as a red Vorlon personal
   transport jumps in. He enigmatically warns Ivanova against paging the
   Captain immediately. When Ivanova bites, he mentions that Sheridan has
   taken a walk...outside. As Ivanova peers aghast out the window, the
   Vorlon ship pauses to write a greeting on its hull to the spacewalking
   captain.
   
   G'Kar treats a very appreciative Na'Kal to dinner in his quarters. The
   conversation quickly sobers when Na'Kal reports that aside from the
   G'Tok only about ten Narn vessels survived the war. He is further
   disappointed when G'Kar says they cannot retaliate against the
   Centauri, but must defend Babylon 5 instead.
   
   [INLINE] Waiting for the new ambassador to arrive, Ivanova tells
   Sheridan that Garibaldi has gone to find Dr. Franklin, who has avoided
   his quarters for several days. Sheridan is still astonished by
   Franklin's revelation about his stim addiction. It is a day for
   surprises. The new ambassador is considerably darker than the old
   Kosh. They agree to refer to him as Kosh in public in order not to
   endanger the fragile new alliance. But when Sheridan asks what he
   should call him in private the Vorlon says, "Kosh."
   
   "We are all Kosh," he adds without elaboration.
   
   Garibaldi tracks Stephen down in the Zocalo. When Michael questions
   him about his recent wanderings, Stephen explains that he is engaged
   in a "walkabout." It is the Australian aborigine rite of soul
   searching, and he hopes to find himself somewhere if he walks far
   enough.
   
   [INLINE] The new Kosh examines his predecessor's quarters, Staring at
   a wall, he perceives an afterimage, apparently of some Shadows and a
   human.
   
   Lyta isn't sure what she is looking for, but upon nearing the new
   ambassador's quarters she finds a very angry Vorlon. He tries to
   throttle a piece of the old Kosh out of her but she insists that Kosh
   wasn't with her at all when she left the last time. Her profuse
   apologies seem to satisfy him marginally and she is permitted to stay.
   
   Later in Sheridan's office she almost admits that the new Kosh is
   blaming her for the old ambassador's death. She drifts into her own
   regrets as Sheridan muses about the Vorlons. "Is there a problem?"
   Kosh's old voice asks. Lyta jolts alert.
   
   "I said, 'Is there a problem?'" Sheridan repeats.
   
   Lyta quickly replies, "No." Before she can leave the Captain has a
   request for her.
   
   [INLINE] Franklin finds a nightclub where a beautiful woman is singing
   a love song. "I understand you completely, it's over for you," she
   croons as he stares at her smitten and begins to unwind.
   
   Sheridan explains his proposition to engage a Shadow vessel with a
   telepath aboard the White Star in order to test the theory that they
   are vulnerable to telepathic jamming. When he asks for volunteers the
   aliens present are remarkably quiet with the exception of G'Kar, who
   offers the G'Tok, and Delenn. Sheridan refuses to take Minbari
   telepaths along as backup, but the council overrules him unanimously.
   
   To Stephen's delight, the singer, Cailyn, joins him while the club
   closes up around them.
   
   Na'Kal refuses G'Kar's request to support the White Star, claiming
   that Sheridan is on a fool's mission. The White Star leaves anyway
   with only a single Minbari war cruiser as escort. They will jump out
   of hyperspace as soon as a Shadow attack is reported and attempt to
   engage the enemy alone.
   
   Holding her cut glass tumbler at eye level Cailyn peers at Franklin.
   She believes that if she catches the refracted image just right she
   can see someone's soul. But all she sees of him is pieces.
   
   G'Kar is awakened by a furious Garibaldi hurling back the book of
   G'Quon. When the Narn protests his impotence in the face of Na'Kal's
   refusal, Garibaldi reminds him that human pilots protected the G'Tok
   during the last days of the war not because they wanted to and not
   because they weren't afraid of dying, but because their commander had
   the moral authority to order them to do it. As the leader of the Narn
   in exile it is G'Kar's responsibility to lead, not Na'Kal's, Garibaldi
   hisses, and then storms out.
   
   Franklin strokes Cailyn's shoulder in bed and tries to offer his
   assistance. When she asks for a prescription painkiller Metazine to
   help her sleep, he grows very upset and tells her she should drink
   less instead. She is annoyed at his rebuke and reminds him that he
   offered to help. He just refuses crossly and turns away.
   
   Waiting on the White Star, Sheridan tries to comfort Lyta. She asks
   him about Kosh's death, and is intrigued when he tells her how Kosh
   had touched his mind on that and another occasion. Just then a Shadow
   attack is located. They jump in leaving the Minbari ship poised in
   hyperspace behind them.
   
   Lyta prods the Shadow and collapses when it retaliates. As the Shadow
   ship homes in on the White Star Sheridan shakes Lyta. In a flash the
   telepath sees Kosh's death. Her fury steadies her and she halts the
   Shadow ship in space. While it's paralyzed, Sheridan orders Lennier to
   pour all power into the forward batteries, even to the extent of
   taking the jump engines off line. The Shadow is destroyed.
   
   Cailyn filches Stephen's identicard while he lies sleeping and leaves
   the room.
   
   [INLINE] Lyta announces that the Shadow got off a distress call before
   they destroyed it. The jump engines still need ten minutes to
   recuperate when four more Shadow ships arrive. The White Star flees as
   the Minbari cruiser jumps in, but there are only three telepaths on
   board and Lyta is exhausted. Evasive action isn't enough and soon the
   Shadow locks on. In the instant before they are destroyed a jump point
   opens for the G'Tok and other alien ships coming to the rescue. They
   destroy the attacking Shadow and the remaining three enemies flee.
   
   Sheridan cackles with glee and rushes to the window. "And so it
   begins," the old Kosh says to Lyta.
   
   Franklin wakes up and finds Cailyn lying on the floor with his card
   and a vial of Metazine. He rushes her to Medlab only to discover that
   she is suffering from terminal neural paralysis. Instead of the
   overdose he assumed, she had collapsed from excruciating pain. She has
   only six months to live. She begs him not to send her away, explaining
   that singing in DownBelow makes her last days worthwhile because she
   gives the people there hope.
   
   After docking Lyta rushes to tell the new ambassador that a piece of
   Kosh Naranek may still be alive in someone else.
   
   Stephen enjoys one last song by Cailyn, then resumes walking.

   [14][Next] 
   
      [15]Last update: November 9, 1997

References

   1. file://localhost/cgi-bin/imagemap/titlebar
   2. LYNXIMGMAP:file://localhost/lurk/maps/maps.html#titlebar
   3. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/guide/062.html
   4. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/background/062.shtml
   5. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/credits/062.html
   6. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
   7. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/061.html
   8. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/063.html
   9. file://localhost/lurk/lurker.html
  10. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/062.html#TOP
  11. file://localhost/cgi-bin/uncgi/lgmail
  12. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/episodes.php
  13. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/061.html
  14. file://localhost/home/woodstock/hyperion/docs/lurk/synops/063.html
  15. file://localhost/lurk/lastmod.html