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								  Synopsis by Matthew Murray (mmurray@wsu.edu)


								   Ivanova, in C&C, is joined by Sheridan. She explains to him that they

								   have succeeded in ridding the station of all the members of the

								   Nightwatch they know about, and that Garibaldi is trying to track down

								   the ones they might not know about. Garibaldi arrives, his arm in a

								   sling, and explains that he fractured it during the recent attack on

								   the station. He explains that most of the people on the station are

								   upset about the communications channels being shut down, but Sheridan

								   and Ivanova know they can't be reinstated until Earth can be prevented

								   from using them to retake the station. Garibaldi asks how long

								   Sheridan plans to be out of his uniform, and Sheridan explains that he

								   won't put it back on until the situation is resolved. He leaves to

								   make the rounds, which both Garibaldi and Ivanova are unsure about.

								   Sheridan insists he can take care of himself and leaves.


								   Delenn is addressing some of the Minbari from the ships outside

								   Babylon 5, telling them that she was asked by Sheridan to thank them

								   for defending the station. They leave, and Lennier tells her that the

								   captain of the Minbari fleet wants to come aboard for a tour, which

								   she agrees to. Delenn asks Lennier what he thinks of the situation,

								   but he does not respond, instead saying that "what is, is" and that

								   the prophecy, which stated that the Minbari would unite with the other

								   half of their soul has come true. Delenn says that the prophecies may

								   be misleading and that, should the other parts come true, there is no

								   guarantee that any of them will survive.


								   As Sheridan makes his rounds in the Zocalo, a gunman waits, enclosed

								   in shadows high above, targeting him with his weapon. Just as he is

								   about to fire, he is pulled away by Boggs, a former member of

								   Garibaldi's security staff, telling him that he was told to wait. The

								   gunman insists that he had a good shot, but Boggs is less sure, saying

								   instead that, should Sheridan fall, others would rise to take his

								   place and that, sooner or later, they will get their "pound of flesh."


								   Delenn and Lennier approach Marcus as he returns from a voyage. Delenn

								   tells Marcus that she has called for the Nafak'cha, the rebirth

								   ceremony, which commemorates a great change that is coming, or one

								   that has already arrived. Marcus feels that the time may be

								   inappropriate, given that everyone will be embroiled in ceremonies of

								   their own for a while.


								   One such ceremony is taking place where the members of EarthForce

								   commit the bodies of their comrades, fallen in battle against Earth,

								   to the depths of space, led by Sheridan, wearing his uniform one final

								   time.


								   Lord Refa arrives at a table in the Zocalo where Londo is sitting.

								   Refa is unhappy at being dragged to Babylon 5 instead of Londo going

								   to him. Londo tells Refa that he has been studying the reports from

								   the frontlines, and expresses dismay at the fact that the Centauri are

								   fighting a war on so many fronts. Refa claims the Centauri can handle

								   it, and that their resources are greater than Londo thinks. Londo,

								   however, knows about his alliance with Morden and the Shadows, and

								   urges Refa to do as he did and break off his contact with them. Londo

								   tries to convince Refa that, by fighting wars on so many smaller

								   fronts, should the Shadows decide to conquer the Centauri, there will

								   not be much of a fight. Refa laughs at him, saying that Morden and his

								   associates are the greatest power he knows, and that they are the key

								   to his ascent to the throne. Londo tells him that Refa will do as he

								   says because he has poisoned Refa's drink. The poison works in two

								   parts, and should Refa not do as Londo asks, the second part of the

								   poison will be introduced to Refa as well. Londo orders Refa to

								   bolster the lines of defense around Centauri Prime, cease attacking on

								   the other fronts, and break off contact with Morden, unless he wants

								   to receive the other part of the poison.


								   Garibaldi finishes accessing the command codes, and he, Sheridan, and

								   Ivanova follow through the procedures necessary to change the command

								   level passwords, which requires shutting down the security system and

								   restarting it. Delenn arrives, and has Sheridan go with her. She asks

								   him and the other senior officers to take part in the rebirth

								   ceremony, along with other ambassadors, G'Kar, and most importantly to

								   her, Londo, whom she feels is in the greatest need of rebirth. She

								   explains that they all need to put their pain behind them so they can

								   prepare for the greater struggles ahead.


								   Boggs explains to a few others that he has received orders from the

								   Nightwatch office to no longer worry about killing Sheridan, but

								   rather taking care of Ambassador Delenn. Once she is done with, the

								   support of the Minbari will vanish, allowing Earth to retake Babylon

								   5. Though the gunman is worried, Boggs reassures him that Sheridan can

								   be blamed no matter what. The gunman is all too glad to be back

								   killing Minbari, as he used to do so, after extreme torture, during

								   the Earth-Minbari war. They begin preparing the plan against Delenn.


								   Delenn, in disguise, arrives at a bar Marcus frequents in Downbelow.

								   She asks him why he isn't preparing for the ceremony, but he tells her

								   that he has decided against participating. She doesn't understand his

								   reluctance, but their conversation is cut short when someone he has

								   been waiting for comes in.


								   Garibaldi turns off the computer system and restarts it. When it comes

								   back on-line, the codes have been changed, but something new has

								   happened as well: the computer has taken on an attitude of its own,

								   and is less than inclined to follow Garibaldi's orders, which is due

								   to a faulty artificial intelligence program, originally planned to be

								   integrated into the station, which accidentally came on-line. As the

								   computer taunts him and Ivanova, they plan to get rid of it yet again.


								   Delenn and Lennier approach Londo about taking place in the rebirth

								   ceremony, but he is less than inclined to do what is necessary, which

								   involves giving away something that once held great importance to him,

								   and telling someone something he had never told anyone else. Delenn

								   explains that she feels he needs to make up for the past and prepare

								   for the future, but Londo claims he is already doing that, and has no

								   interest in the ceremony. He storms off.


								   Their meeting with G'Kar goes equally badly; he claims that he is far

								   too busy with all of his new responsibilities to attend. Marcus

								   appears and comments on how everyone else is as disinterested in the

								   idea as he is. Lennier reminds Delenn that she was to meet the Fleet

								   Captain, and she goes to the docking bay, with Marcus in tow. On the

								   way, they stop for a few moments, and she asks why he doesn't want to

								   perform the ceremony. He tells her he has nothing left to give up for

								   it, and that, because he didn't listen to his brother when he was

								   first warned about the Shadows, he has already lost everything he

								   cared about. He joined the Rangers to help fill the gap in himself

								   created by the Shadows. He tells her that he has nothing left to give

								   up, but Delenn says that is exactly what he must sacrifice--his grief,

								   loss, and painful memories. He must forgive himself for being alive.


								   Marcus quickly breaks off to tell security about Fleet Captain Lenann

								   coming on board, and Delenn goes to meet the newcomer. As he arrives,

								   however, she, Lenann, and one of his bodyguards are assaulted and

								   kidnapped by the scheming members of the Nightwatch.


								   As Garibaldi puts up with the neverending ramblings of the computer,

								   Ivanova calls him to report the kidnapping. Delenn asks her captors to

								   let her tend to the bodyguard's injuries, incurred in the gunfire.

								   Boggs reappears and checks on the status of another member of the

								   Nightwatch, who is busy scrambling some circuits.


								   While Sheridan talks to Marcus, who blames himself for Delenn's

								   kidnapping, Corwin reports that a call about the kidnapping is coming

								   in. Sheridan has it traced, and it goes through. It is Boggs who

								   explains his demands to have the Minbari cruisers leave in six hours,

								   or all the hostages will be killed. They have scrambled the Babcom

								   lines so the call can't be traced, and are monitoring all security

								   channels. He warns them not to do anything stupid, or he will have no

								   qualms about using violence, which he demonstrates by having the

								   bodyguard killed, despite Delenn's screams of protestation. Marcus

								   runs off to try to track Boggs down himself. Sheridan orders Garibaldi

								   to find out all he can about Boggs' contacts, and anything else they

								   may be able to use to find them.


								   Marcus arrives in Downbelow, and sits down for a poker game with a

								   group of men he had previously had an agreement with to leave alone, a

								   deal which he has chosen to break in order to obtain information. None

								   of them are willing to help, though, and he promises that, if none of

								   them do, he will take them all down, followed by everyone else in the

								   bar. The game players rise to meet the challenge, and appear to

								   overshadow Marcus quite severely.


								   Delenn and Lenann speak to each other in Minbari about a possible

								   escape method, but the gunman understands their language, which he

								   picked up during the war, and thwarts the plan by tightening their

								   loosening ropes. He tells them that neither of them will survive the

								   ordeal, but Delenn stuns him by telling him that she feels sorry for

								   him, something he doesn't understand. She tells him that he is an

								   unfortunate casualty of the war, and though the Earth and the Minbari

								   have managed to come together, he has not, and he is left all alone.

								   He starts to fire on her, but Lenann jumps up from his chair,

								   diverting the weapon, which severely injures him. Boggs appears and

								   stops the gunman from going any further.


								   Marcus, meanwhile, has kept his word, having dispatched of everyone in

								   the bar except two of the poker players, who he soon takes care of. As

								   he surveys the damage, realizing there is no one left awake to give

								   him information, Lennier arrives and tells Marcus that he has come to

								   discuss the rebirth ceremony, asking him again to come. Marcus doesn't

								   understand why he's talking about that, and Lennier explains that it

								   was Delenn's last request, and that, if he doesn't continue the

								   preparations, there is nothing else to do. Lennier turns away, and

								   Marcus grabs him on the arm, something which infuriates Lennier.

								   Lennier rounds back on Marcus, explaining that he would like to tear

								   apart the station looking for Delenn, but can't. As his part of the

								   rebirth ceremony, he explains why he must do what she asks: he loves

								   her.


								   Lennier explains that his love for her is not romantic love, but more

								   higher and more noble, a "pure, perfect love," that he knows can never

								   truly be returned, since she is fated for another. He has made a vow

								   never to leave her side, a vow Marcus recognizes as dangerous. At that

								   point, the last gambler Marcus downed awakes, and begins to tell

								   Marcus, under threat of more pain, what he wants to know.


								   Ivanova explains that, though they still can't trace the call, they

								   did find a background sound which Garibaldi is able to identify as the

								   cooling system which feeds the fusion reactor in Grey sector. Sheridan

								   knows that isn't enough, but Marcus arrives with another piece of the

								   puzzle: the man he talked to overheard a contact in Security talk

								   about delivering some equipment for call scrambling to level 14. They

								   scan Grey 14 and find that it has been closed off -- supposedly under

								   Garibaldi's orders, orders he never gave. They begin preparing their

								   attack, which, Sheridan explains, begins with a surrender.


								   As the Nightwatch members prepare to kill Delenn and Lenann, the

								   contact Marcus told about calls Boggs and reports that the Minbari

								   ships are leaving. Boggs tells his contact to send a narrow-beam

								   transmission to Earth. After the conversation ends, a loud sound is

								   heard, which Boggs rushes out to investigate. Lots of people are

								   running by, and one explains that a leak in the coolant system is

								   forcing evacuation of the sector. As the Nightwatch members try to

								   escape with Delenn and Lenann, they are led into an ambush led by

								   Sheridan and Garibaldi. Boggs is shot down, and the remaining captors

								   are pinned down, but when Sheridan makes a run to save Delenn and

								   Lenann, the gunman, only injured by a PPG shot, throws a knife in

								   Delenn's back and runs. Sheridan gives chase, eventually backing the

								   gunman into a corner. Sheridan's rage takes over and, without a

								   weapon, he beats the gunman senseless.


								   Lennier tells Ivanova and Sheridan that Delenn will be okay, since the

								   knife missed her vital organs. Sheridan wants to continue with the

								   rebirth ceremony, but Lennier says that, since the ceremony must be

								   held within a certain amount of time after preparations begin, she

								   will not be able to conduct the ceremony. Garibaldi, meanwhile, is

								   still being taunted by the artificial intelligence. While he is in the

								   elevator, he is finally pushed too far, and shoots out the speaker.


								   Lennier, at Delenn's side, is delighted to see that Sheridan has

								   arrived. Lennier leaves, leaving Sheridan to tell Delenn that they

								   have decided to bring the rebirth ceremony to her. He has chosen to

								   give up his uniform, and confides in her that he cares about her a

								   great deal, and that he was willing to kill the gunman with his bare

								   hands to save her. After he has finished, he leaves, and Garibaldi

								   comes in, carrying his uniform. He tells her that he is constantly

								   afraid what will happen if he ever completely lets go. Ivanova is

								   next, and, after putting her uniform on the growing pile, admits to

								   Delenn that she believes she loved Talia. Franklin and his uniform are

								   last, and he tells her, "I think I have a problem." After he is done,

								   and they are all about to leave, Lennier approaches them and tells

								   them that, as part of the ceremony, Delenn made them something, which

								   is waiting in their quarters.


								   C&C is overcome with a quiet hush as Sheridan, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and

								   Franklin appear, resplendent in Delenn's gifts: striking new black and

								   grey uniforms. "What's the matter," Sheridan tells the shocked

								   officers, "Haven't you ever seen someone who's been reborn before? The

								   crisis, for now, is over. Tell the ships... We're open for business."


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								      [15]Last update: April 24, 1996


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