lurkers-guide/synops/013

<p>
Ivanova, after awakening with difficulty from a sound sleep, reports to
C&C just in time to find Sinclair listening to a distress call from a
lone Starfury pilot who's being attacked by raiders not far from the
station.  Sinclair launches a wing of fighters to aid the pilot, but it's
too late; the raiders overwhelm and destroy the Starfury.
<p>
A well-dressed man comes aboard the station on his own.  When the customs
officer comments that his identicard hasn't been updated in a while, the
man replies that he's been out of touch, out exploring on the Rim.  "Find
anything interesting?" asks the officer.  "Yes," replies the man with an
enigmatic smile.
<p>
Ivanova, Garibaldi, and Sinclair meet.  Ivanova reports that by the time
the station's fighters got there, there was nothing left of the Starfury
they were supposed to rescue.  Garibaldi comments that the raiders have
been hitting closer and closer to Babylon 5 lately, prompting Ivanova to
wonder how they're getting in and out so quickly.  The raider ships are
much too small to make their own jump points, and the nearest jumpgate
in this latest incident was hours away.  Sinclair puts Delta Wing on
alert and asks Garibaldi to go over the cargo manifests of ships due to
arrive shortly in the hopes of identifying the raiders' next target.
<p>
After Ivanova leaves, Sinclair tells Garibaldi what he's discovered about
the events during his 24 hours out of action at the Battle of the Line
(cf.
<a href="008.html">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</a>)
and asks Garibaldi to help him find out more.
<p>
Londo, waiting at a bar table, is visited by a somewhat sleazy-looking
man who hands him a black
box.  The box contains the Eye, "the oldest symbol of Centauri nobility,
property of the first Emperor, lost over a hundred years ago at the
Battle of Nashok."  The Centauri government, says Londo, paid very
generously for the Eye.  "But I would very much like to know how you got
your hands on this," Londo says.  "No, you wouldn't," says the man,
and leaves.  Londo walks off with the Eye, unaware that he's being watched
by someone at the bar -- the newcomer who'd been out exploring.
<p>
G'Kar and Londo find themselves waiting for the same transport tube.  Londo
mentions a famine on the southern frontier of the Narn homeworld; the
conversation quickly degenerates into a barrage of insults and threats,
causing both of them to miss the lift.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/tube.gif"> "So now it is all our fault,
eh?"
<p>
Later, G'Kar is visited in his quarters by Morden, the man who arrived on
the station earlier.  Morden claims his visit was authorized by the correct
officials in the Narn government.  He has come to ask G'Kar a question:
"What do you want?"  Morden persists, asking the question again and again,
until G'Kar nearly kicks him out of his quarters.  Finally, as if sensing
the intent of the question, G'Kar tells Morden that what he really wants is
to decimate the Centauri -- "to completely, utterly erase them."  "And
then what?" asks Morden.  G'Kar, taken aback, answers, "I don't know.  As
long as my homeworld's safety is guaranteed, I don't know that it matters."
Morden thanks G'Kar and leaves; it appears that wasn't quite the answer
he was looking for.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/morden.gif"> "What do you want?"
<p>
Meanwhile, Londo greets a Centauri noble, Lord Kiro, and Kiro's aunt,
Lady Ladira, who is also the seer and prophetess of Kiro's house.  Ladira
looks rather ill, initially ascribing it to the rigors of space travel.
But it's soon clear that Babylon 5 itself is causing her distress; she
pushes herself into a corner and begins ranting.  "Babylon will fall.
This place will be destroyed!  Fire... death... pain..."  She faints.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/kiro.gif"> Londo greets Kiro and Ladira.
<p>
Later, Kiro and Londo are with Ladira in Kiro's quarters.  She's feeling
better now, but the vision is still there: Babylon 5 will be destroyed.
The ordeal has left her tired, and she excuses herself.  As she leaves,
Londo questions her accuracy.  Kiro recalls with a derisive chuckle that
when he was young, she predicted he would someday be killed by shadows.
<p>
He asks Londo if he can see the Eye, which originally belonged to his
family, before he plays lowly messenger and brings it back to the Emperor.
Londo agrees.  As they leave Kiro's quarters, they're followed by a
shady character, who reports into a small device: "Six to one.  Have
located target.  Commencing surveillance."
<p>
Morden visits Delenn in her quarters and asks her the same question he
asked G'Kar.  With her back to Morden, she questions the purpose of his
visit.  In midsentence, she stops as if she suddenly feels faint.  Her
hand shoots to her forehead, covering it, and then away, to reveal a
hollow silver triangle glowing in her skin.  (cf.
<a href="008.html#recognize-delenn">"And the Sky Full of Stars"</a>)
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/delenn.gif"> Morden visits Delenn.
<p>
She covers her forehead again and spins around to face Morden.  He becomes
darker and darker until he appears nothing more than a silhouette -- a
shadow.  Delenn demands that he leave immediately; he does so, apparently
unaware that she sensed anything odd about him.  After he's gone, Delenn's
triangle fades away as she looks on, shocked.  "They're here," she says,
a hint of fear in her voice.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/here.gif"> "They're here."
<p>
Kiro and Londo look at the Eye in Londo's quarters.  Kiro paces and speaks
of conditions back home.  The people grow unhappy, disillusioned with the
government; the Emperor has not been seen in public for over a year.  Finally,
he comes out with what's on his mind: why should he give the Eye back to
the Emperor when his family is its rightful owner?  Londo calms him down,
reminding him that he could try to use the Eye to usurp the Emperor's power,
but he would quickly be dead.  "These are not the good old days," Londo
says wistfully.  "Yes," answers Kiro, "more's the pity."  Kiro leaves the
Eye in Londo's care, wondering out loud where everything went wrong for
the Centauri.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/eye.gif"> Kiro examines the Eye.
<p>
Ladira, asleep, dreams of her vision, or the sounds of it.  Voices shouting:
"Evacuate!"  "They're heading for the docking
bay!"  "Hit 'em with everything we've got!"  "Destruct!  Destruct!"  Then
the sound of an explosion.  She awakens.
<p>
In space, the freighter Achilles is enroute to a jumpgate when its scanners
pick up raider ships approaching.  They call for help; Sinclair, in C&C,
orders Delta Wing to launch.  Ivanova, the wing commander, heads for the
station's jumpgate at top speed.
<p>
Six, the man who watched Londo and Kiro earlier reports in again.  "They've
taken the bait.  You keep them busy.  We'll take care of Babylon 5 from this
end."
<p>
Kosh returns to the station in his ship.  As he disembarks and walks down the
hall, Morden ducks behind a corner to avoid being seen.
<p>
Delta Wing arrives through the jumpgate nearest the Achilles.  Ivanova orders
two ships to stay behind at the gate in case the raiders try to flee through
it; the rest follow her at maximum burn toward the Achilles.
<p>
Kiro calls Londo and says he's ready to leave with the Eye.  Londo assures
him that the Centauri military will have ships to ready protect Kiro every
step of the way once he enters Babylon 5's gate.  Londo gathers up the Eye
and leaves his quarters.
<p>
As he reaches the transport tube, he's intercepted by Morden, who asks his
usual question and claims he's not allowed to leave until he gets an answer.
Londo is irritated and says he just wants to be left alone.
"Is that it, Ambassador?" asks Morden.  "Is that all you want?"
<p>
Irritated, Londo answers that no, that's not all he wants.  He wants the
Centauri Republic to stretch forth across the galaxy, to regain its days of
glory.  "I want to stop running around like a man late for an appointment,
afraid to look forward or look back ... I want it all back, the way that
it was."  He calms down.  "Does that answer your question?"
<p>
"Yes," Morden says to himself after Londo leaves.  "Yes, it does."
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/londo.gif"> "Do you really want to
know what <em>I</em> want?"
<p>
Sinclair, troubled that the latest raider attack is taking place much farther
from the station than other recent raids, asks for a cargo manifest for the
Achilles.
<p>
Six and an accomplice intercept Londo, Kiro, and Ladira as they head for Kiro's
ship.  He has his accomplice take the Eye ahead, while he takes the three
Centauri hostage and orders them to continue to the ship.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/robbery.gif"> Taken hostage.
<p>
Sinclair learns that the Achilles is carrying farming equipment, hardly
valuable enough to be worth raiding.  Deducing that it may be a diversion,
he orders Ivanova to return to base.  He checks the list of arriving and
departing ships and notices that Kiro's personal liner is scheduled to
leave shortly.  He heads for the docking bay.
<p>
Sinclair arrives in the bay just as Six and his hostages do.  Kiro tries to
fight Six off, but ends up with his arm twisted behind his back and a gun
to his head.  Six warns Sinclair against trying to stop him from leaving,
threatening to burn a hole through the station's hull.  Sinclair stands
aside and says Six is free to go.
<p>
Once Six and Kiro have left, Sinclair tells Garibaldi to stand by with Alpha
Wing and disable the liner as soon as it leaves the station.  Londo escorts
Ladira out of the docking bay.  She is preoccupied.  "The shadows are coming
for him."
<p>
As Garibaldi and the rest of Alpha Wing chase
after the liner, a jump point forms near the station.
A carrier flies through and releases a swarm of raider ships.  "So that's
how they're doing it," says Sinclair.  "A ship that big would have to be
capable of solo jumps."
<p>
The raider ships occupy Garibaldi's attention as the situation develops
into a full-blown firefight.  While he and his men (with the help of the
station's defensive grid) fight the raiders, the Centauri liner enters a
small docking bay in the raider mothership and is sealed inside.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/dogfight.gif"> The battle is joined.
<p>
Meanwhile, amid sirens and a mob of people heading for
safer parts of the station, Londo finds Ladira standing in the middle of
a corridor.  He tries to get her to leave, but she is paying more attention
to her vision.  "Fire.  Death and destruction.  The shadows have come for
Lord Kiro.  The shadows have come for us all!"
<p>
Elsewhere on the station, Morden hurries down an empty corridor as if late for
an appointment.  Kosh emerges
from a doorway, blocking Morden's path.  "Leave this place," Kosh says.
"They are not for you.  Go.  Leave.  Now."  Morden doesn't appear ready to
obey.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/kosh.gif"> "Go.  Leave.  Now."
<p>
The battle grows more intense.  Sinclair tells Garibaldi to drive the raiders
toward the back of the station, and tells one of the C&C techs to recalibrate
the defense grid accordingly.  As the raiders are driven back, Ivanova and
her team emerge from the jumpgate.  "Surprise."
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/chase.gif"> Chasing down the raiders.
<p>
Between Ivanova, the station's guns, and Garibaldi at their tails, the
raiders don't last long.  Unfortunately, the mothership creates a jump
point while its fighters are keeping everyone busy.  Ivanova tries to follow
it into hyperspace, but Sinclair orders her not to.  The raider mothership
gets away.
<p>
Garibaldi tells Sinclair that the station sustained minor damage, with a
few injuries.  Ambassador Kosh has asked for tools to repair his encounter
suit, but won't say what happened to it.  The station lost two ships in
the battle; one pilot managed to eject in time.  Garibaldi speculates that
they've hurt the raiders badly enough that they won't be back for a long
time, if ever -- the mothership, after all, is just a big target without
its fighters.
<p>
Ladira and Londo come into Sinclair's office.  Sinclair demands to know what
was on the ship that was so valuable, and why it wasn't on the manifest.
Ladira has another vision, this time of the raider mothership emerging from
a jump point elsewhere in space.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/time.gif"> "My time is your time."
<p>
Inside the ship, Six has his men grab Kiro from behind.  He laughs at Kiro's
objection that the two of them had a deal; the raiders intend to ransom the
Eye to the Centauri, and then ransom Kiro as well.
<p>
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a huge alien ship, black with spines and dark
blue mottling, appears just next to the raider mothership.  Without warning
or provocation, it slices into the mothership with an intense beam weapon,
cutting the raider ship to ribbons within seconds.
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/shadow.gif"> The mystery ship.
<p>
Later, Londo and Ladira say farewell.  Londo is despondent; he feels he will
be held responsible for the loss of the Eye.  "It would seem my career is
finished," he says.  When Ladira offers to help, he replies, "I'm afraid I'm
beyond anything short of a miracle."  She leaves.
<p>
Seconds after, Londo's door chimes.  It's Morden, and he's carrying a charred
box.  "A gift," he says, "from friends you don't know you have."  Londo opens
the box.  It's the Eye.  He turns to thank Morden, but the man seems to have
vanished.  "Let me buy you a drink!" shouts Londo.  "Let me buy you a whole
<em>fleet</em> of drinks!  How can I ever find you to thank you?"
<p>
"We will find you, Ambassador," a disembodied voice answers.  "We will find
you."
<p>
<img align="middle" src="/lurk/gif/013/gift.gif"> "A gift, from friends you
don't know you have."
<p>
In the lavatory, Garibaldi and Sinclair talk about the successful resolution
of the situation.  On the way out, Garibaldi says he did some checking and
found that Sinclair wasn't first on the list to run Babylon 5.  In fact, he
was very far down the list.  The Minbari, it seems, made their support of
the station contingent on being able to approve the commander, and rejected
everyone right down the line until Sinclair.  "They wanted you, Jeff."
<p>
Sinclair meets Ladira in a departure lounge.  When she tells him of her
vision, he replies that it didn't happen; the station came through the
attack just fine.  Ladira replies that the station is safe for now -- but
the vision is still there.  She offers to let him see
her vision, not an easy thing, but possible.  He agrees.  He sees Babylon 5
from space.  A shuttle flies from the docking bay as the station erupts in
explosions, the hull rupturing as Babylon 5 is eaten from the inside by
a firestorm.  Finally it detonates, blown into thousands of fiery fragments.
<p>
Sinclair is hoarse.  "This... is it a vision of what will be, or what might
be?"
<p>
"The future is always changing.  We create the future, with our words,
with our deeds, and with our beliefs.  This is a possible future, Commander.
And it is my hope that you may yet avoid it."
<p>
Ladira bows and leaves Sinclair to ponder what he's just seen.
<p>
<h3>Synopsis by <a href="http://www.midwinter.com/~koreth/">Steven Grimm</a></h3>