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151 lines
5.1 KiB
151 lines
5.1 KiB
<h2><a name="OV">Overview</a></h2>
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<blockquote><cite>
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Garibaldi experiences an alien encounter chillingly similar to what he
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went through years ago on Mars, when he first met former Babylon 5
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commander Jeffrey Sinclair.
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</cite></blockquote>
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Issue 6 (July 1995)
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<p>
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Setting: Before
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<a href="/lurk/guide/031.html">"The Coming of Shadows"</a>
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<pre> Writer: Tim DeHaas
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Premise: J. Michael Straczynski
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Penciller: John Ridgway
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Inker: C-S. Hampton</pre>
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<p>
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<hr>
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<p>
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<h2><a name="SY">Synopsis</a></h2>
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<p>
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Garibaldi and Keffer climb out of the crashed ship and leave quickly, in
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case their attacker comes looking for them. Garibaldi makes certain to set
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the ship to self-destruct. As they walk away, Garibaldi
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mentions that he's seen a ship like the attacker's before. Years ago,
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on Mars...
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<p>
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Two young officers, Foster and Sanchez, waited for Lt. Commander Sinclair and
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Garibaldi in the Mars spaceport. Garibaldi turned out to be unconscious in
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the passenger compartment of his ship; Sinclair woke him and tossed him
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to Foster and Sanchez to sober up. "Earthforce may have given me this
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make-work mission to keep me out of the way," Sinclair said, "but by God, I
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<em>will</em> accomplish it."
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<p>
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Much later, Garibaldi flew Sinclair and the two others over the surface of
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Mars, searching for something. Garibaldi notes that Sinclair wasn't what
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he expected -- after what he'd heard about Sinclair being a hero of the
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Battle of the Line, he hadn't expected someone stiffer than a corpse. Sinclair
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refused to tell Garibaldi what they were looking for, and even filed fake
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flight plans so nobody else would know where they were.
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<p>
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On the fifth day of searching, the ship's navigational systems and inertial
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dampers suddenly went offline. Garibaldi managed to crashland the ship,
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wrecking it, without killing everyone -- but Sanchez' leg was broken, and
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Foster didn't survive. Sanchez clearly blamed Garibaldi.
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<p>
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Sinclair and Garibaldi went to get help, a fifty-mile trek across the surface.
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They weren't far when Sanchez linked in to report that all the ship's systems
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had suddenly started working again -- evidence that Garibaldi wasn't at fault
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after all. Sanchez picked up a dust storm on the ship's scanners; Sinclair
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and Garibaldi sought cover.
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<p>
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Keffer and Garibaldi reach the top of a large rock formation overlooking
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the crash site. From that high vantage point, Keffer can see what looks like
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a small Centauri settlement in the distance. But Garibaldi's attention is
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elsewhere: the Shadow ship has landed next to the crash site, and humanoid
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figures have emerged,
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examining what little remains of the wreckage. "Did you see something like
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that on Mars?" Keffer asks, staring down at the Shadow ship. "That and
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<em>more</em>," Garibaldi answers, face full of fear. He says there's no
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hope of a rescue, because he didn't tell anyone where he was going.
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<p>
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On the ground, the remains of the crashed ship suddenly vanish without a
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trace, as does the impact ditch. "They're getting rid of the evidence,"
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Garibaldi says. "They don't want anyone to know they were here."
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<p>
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The figures seem to decide that someone survived the crash, and head
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purposefully toward the rock formation. "Let's get the hell out of here!"
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says Garibaldi as he and Keffer scramble down the other side of the formation.
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<H2><A NAME="BP">Backplot</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> Earthforce used to give Sinclair busywork missions to keep him out
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of the way, suggesting he was something of a troublemaker.
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<li> Garibaldi has seen a Shadow ship, if only a small one, on Mars.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="UQ">Unanswered Questions</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> Who are the beings on the Shadow ship?
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<li> What was Sinclair supposed to be searching for?
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<li> What else did Garibaldi see on Mars?
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<li> What caused Garibaldi's ship to malfunction years ago?
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<li> Does whatever Garibaldi saw mean that the Shadows have been
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active for many years? (See also episode
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<a href="/lurk/guide/038.html">"In the Shadow of Z'ha'dum"</a>)
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="AN">Analysis</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> If Sinclair and Gariabldi found a Shadow ship on Mars, and especially
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if they were able to destroy it somehow, that might explain why the
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Shadows haven't attacked any human ships in the series so far (as of
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<a href="/lurk/guide/039.html">"Knives."</a>)
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<li> Of course, there's no evidence that Garibaldi saw a <em>functioning</em>
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Shadow ship on Mars; maybe he and Sinclair found an ancient crash site,
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the occupants long since dead or vanished -- which would have given
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Garibaldi the opportunity to explore inside. That may even have been
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what Sinclair was sent to look for.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="NO">Notes</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> Keffer has also seen a Shadow ship before, in
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<a href="/lurk/guide/026.html">"A Distant Star,"</a>
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though it was a large cruiser rather than the smaller variety in
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this story.
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</ul>
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<H2><A NAME="JMS">jms speaks</A></H2>
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<ul>
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<li> Issues 6-9 of the B5 comic from DC will focus on how Sinclair and
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Garibaldi met and formed their friendship.
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<p>
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(This is based on a premise from me, so it's canon.)
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</ul>
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<pre>
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</pre>
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