lurkers-guide/synops/019

<p>
(Continuing where
<a href="018.html">Part 1</a>
left off)
<p>
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 <em>big</em> ship, is coming through the jump gate.  He looks down at his
computer display.  "What the hell?"
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/hyperion-gate.gif"> The Hyperion
comes through the gate.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/pierce.gif"> Pierce tells Sinclair
why he's there.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/conference.gif"> Discussing the
situation.
<p>
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.  <em>Boom</em>.  Have a nice day."
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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."
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/listen.gif"> Draal and Delenn listen
to the alien.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/scan.gif"> The Hyperion and Babylon 5
are scanned.
<p>
Before Sinclair can respond, Pierce answers Takarn with his own ultimatum:
withdraw within nine hours, or the Hyperion will attack.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/garden.gif"> Londo volunteers his help.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/thruster.gif"> Londo looks for the
landing thruster controls.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/hyperion-gun.gif"> The Hyperion fires
its main gun.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/energy.gif"> Emanation from Epsilon 3.
<p>
The aliens, apparently not believing the threat, fly toward the planet.  As
promised, a tremendously powerful weapon fires from the surface, vaporizing
them instantly.
<p>
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."
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
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.
<p>
<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/observation.gif"> Delenn joins
Garibaldi.
<p>
"One thing I've discovered," Garibaldi says.  "Some things
are better left buried."  He leaves.
<p>
Delenn gazes out across the stars.  "Good night, old friend," she says.
"Sleep well."
<p>
<h3>Synopsis by <a href="http://www.midwinter.com/~koreth/">Steven Grimm</a></h3>