lurkers-guide/synops/099

<h3>Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)</h3>

<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr01.jpeg">
As soon as the transport of Psi Cops arrives, Bester debriefs them on their
mission to root out and capture Byron's telepaths.  He explains that the
telepaths who have left Byron are more dangerous than the others holed up
in Brown sector.  Meanwhile, somewhere in the station, one of his
bloodhound Psi Cops is led by a telepath into an ambush.  Bester gives the
Psi Cops their assignments and orders them to resolve the situation by the
next day.  

<p>
Lochley enters to catch the end of his speech.  She accuses him of enjoying
the hunt, and he replies that if they weren't protecting normals from rogue
telepaths, another worse method of controlling telepaths would be employed.
 He adds that his mission is to help rogue telepaths understand they are
all on the same side.  The transport tube doors open to reveal the body of
the ambushed bloodhound nailed to the wall under the words "Free Byron!" 

<p>
Byron contacts President Sheridan.  He can convince his followers to back
off if the Psi Cops leave the station.  Sheridan is trying to negotiate
when Bester walks in and sneers that Byron never keeps his promises.  "It's
over," he says.  

<p>
"No, there are other ways," Byron replies and breaks off.  He brushes off
Lyta's question about what Bester meant.  

<p>
Bester ignores Sheridan's anger and delivers a progress report.  Once he's
gone Sheridan wonders to Lochley why Garibaldi hasn't been heard from.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr04.jpeg">
Bester is greeted in his quarters by Garibaldi and a charged ppg.
Garibaldi demands that Bester dictate a full confession to the Babcom unit.
 Bester casually admits everything but declines to record it.  Garibaldi
threatens again with utter sincerity.  Bester tells him to go ahead and
shoot.  Garibaldi's face shows a struggle, but he just stands there with
his gun.  Bester nonchalantly walks past him and sits down.  "On a scale of
one to ten," he questions, "How stupid do you think I am, anyway?"  He
procedes to explain that he has installed an "asimov" in Garibaldi's mind.
Garibaldi cannot harm Bester, nor through inaction allow him to come to
harm.  The block is in his neural system so that he can want to kill Bester
and experience his rage, but he is "blocked at the point of action." Bester
mocks Garibaldi's futility some more and then leaves.  Garibaldi raises his
ppg again at Bester's retreating back, then destroys the Babcom unit in
frustration.

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr06.jpeg">
Byron complains again to Lyta how he had hoped that his followers could be
nobler and less violent than they are.  She changes the subject to why
Bester hates him.  Byron admits that he used to be Bester's Psi Cop
protege, until one day they intercepted a transport smuggling rogues.  Once
the rogues were captured, Bester ordered the squadron to destroy the
transport.  "They're just mundanes," he reasoned.  Byron did as he was
told, but ran away once he returned to Earth and vowed to find a better way
for telepaths to live.  

<p>
The telepaths outside the Byron's stronghold are in a losing firefight.
One of them thinks of a place they can get hostages.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr10.jpeg">
Garibaldi asks Dr.  Franklin if there is any medical way to break a
telepathic neural block.  Before Franklin can answer the telepaths rush in
shooting or subduing everyone in Medlab.  Moments later on Babcom, the
telepaths threaten to kill their hostages, starting with Garibaldi, unless
they get safe passage and a homeworld.  Byron watches this broadcast and
begs Lyta to find him a way to Medlab so he can stop the killing.  

<p>
The telepaths lift the teek Peter from his sickbed to help them guard an
access route.  Franklin tries to intervene for his patient and almost gets
killed.  

<p>
Zack leads a sally against Peter's position, but is confused into
retreating when confronted by a barrage of bedpans.  

<p>
Bester gloats to the President about his error in trusting rogue telepaths.
Even though Garibaldi's life is in danger, Bester still has jurisdiction
over the handling of the crisis, so there's nothing Lochley or Sheridan can
do, short of negotiating with terrorists.  

<p>
Lyta and Byron walk around their sealed-in domain.  She pauses at every air
shaft and sends her mind down each one, searching for a free path out.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr19.jpeg">
Garibaldi's time is almost up.  Bloodied and frightened, he and Franklin
eye the terrorists.  Byron and Lyta appear at Peter's checkpoint.
Garibaldi starts trying to talk the terrorists into working with him, but
no one responds.  Just then Sheridan's face comes on the console.  He
declares that they will not negotiate for the lives of hostages.  There is
the sound of a ppg charging and the telepaths point their guns at Garibaldi
who makes a last ditch effort to stop them.  A ppg is fired, and the lead
terrorist drops.  Byron has shot him.  

<p>
Sheridan paces agitatedly.  He tells Lochley he's probably condemned his
friend to death.  Byron pages them from Medlab.  He offers to surrender
with everyone responsible for committing crimes, if in exchange he is
allowed to gather all his people together and speak with them, and then the
innocent ones are allowed to leave the station peacefully.  Lochley agrees.  

<p>
Bester is pissed.  Lochley tells him that he no longer has jurisdiction.
If he wants Byron, he needs to go through channels back on Earth.  Just
then Zack comes in with the identicards and signed confessions of telepaths
who committed violence.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr24.jpeg">
While the telepaths quietly commune, Bester approaches their sealed off
entrances and puts out a mental call to Byron.  He offers Byron forgiveness
in exchange for coming back to the family, but Byron refuses.  

<p>
Bester gathers his bloodhounds for a final attempt to grab Byron at
docking.  As the violent telepaths begin to surrender to Lochley and armed
guards, Bester rushes up and demands the prisoners.  One of the telepaths
panics and fires at Bester.  In the ensuing fight, telepaths and guards are
shot and a fuel conduit is ruptured.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr31.jpeg">
Byron and Lochley shout a ceasefire.  Byron picks up a ppg and looks at the
chemicals pouring out on the floor.  Byron demands that Lyta leave him now,
and thereby save his soul by saving the other telepaths who will be leaving
the station soon.  She must be strong for him, he says.  She walks away,
and as the remaining surrendering telepaths draw close, he charges the ppg
and aims at the fuel.  Sheridan grabs Lyta and everyone runs out before
Byron and his telepaths explode.  

<p>
Watching the grisly cleanup, Sheridan asks Bester if he's satisfied now.
Bester seems lost.  He never believed Byron hated him and the Corps so
much.  Franklin finds Sheridan and asks where Garibaldi is.  He's worried
because Garibaldi appeared so distraught and beaten earlier.  

<p>
The remaining telepaths file off station under Bester's futile eye.  Lyta
rushes up, calling "Wait!"  One-by-one, she touches each of the telepaths
and gives them individual contact information for finding safe houses and
rescuers set up for them wherever they go.  It is Byron's last gift to them
to keep them free.  "Remember Byron," she tells each.  

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<p>
<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/099/pr37.jpeg">
Garibaldi enters his quarters with a bottle of liquor.  He pours it in a
tumbler, hesitates a moment and drains it.  

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