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								  Synopsis by Matthew Murray (n9641343@cc.wwu.edu)


								   Sheridan is sitting alone at the conference table in the War Room when

								   Ivanova comes in. Sheridan tells her it's strange to have the place so

								   empty, and though Ivanova insists the war is over, Sheridan isn't so

								   sure that it is, with all the trouble back on Earth. The quarantine

								   has pretty much shut down Babylon 5, but Sheridan is sure they will

								   find a way back from this setback as well. Ivanova asks him why he's

								   worried, and though Sheridan insists he isn't, she knows better.

								   Sheridan explains that he hasn't spoken to his father much since they

								   broke away from Earth, and that his last letter mentioned strangers

								   hanging around town, asking questions about his family. Sheridan told

								   his parents to get out while they could, but he hasn't gotten any word

								   since the embargo. Ivanova says that, being a former diplomat, his

								   father couldn't just disappear, but Sheridan is still worried. He asks

								   if everything else is okay, and Ivanova tells him that, despite a few

								   problems in customs since Zack took over for Garibaldi, they haven't

								   had a major incident.


								   Zack enters the docking bay to find an incident in progress--a minor

								   fight, which one of the security guards says was started when several

								   new arrivals to the station wouldn't allow their cargo to be

								   inspected. They couldn't detect anything from the scans, so Zack moves

								   to open a crate, but the owner insists it's private property. Zack

								   orders the man to move, but he doesn't. As a last recourse, Zack fires

								   his PPG at the crates, which angers the man even further. Zack moves

								   to the crates, but before he can open one, it opens itself, and a

								   small levitating device floats out. Zack recognizes the device. "It's

								   a camera."


								   "That's right," the man tells him as the camera films Zack and the

								   other security officers with their weapons drawn. "A camera. It goes

								   with the territory. I'm a reporter and this is my crew. And you just

								   made the evening news."


								   Franklin meets up with Sheridan and tells him that he pulled some of

								   his doctors off duty in two other MedLabs to help move the

								   cryogenically frozen telepaths in some of the freezing units, which

								   are malfunctioning due to overuse, to other working units. Sheridan

								   tells him to do what he has to, but wishes he didn't have to keep the

								   telepaths frozen. Franklin is worried, though, that they could prove

								   dangerous to themselves or others with the leftover Shadow technology

								   still in their heads. Sheridan agrees and knows that even though the

								   Shadows are gone, they will need to deal with what they left behind

								   for a long time. Sheridan's commlink beeps, and a voice informs

								   Sheridan of someone's arrival. Sheridan tells him he's on his way. "I

								   thought we saw the worst of it with the Shadows, the Vorlons, the

								   war..." Sheridan tells Franklin. "But there's something far worse than

								   the Shadows: reporters."


								   Sheridan arrives in his office, and the reporter is only too happy to

								   see him. He introduces himself as Dan Randall from ISN, and is quite

								   upset since Ivanova threatened to throw him out an airlock unless he

								   provided a full manifest of his equipment. Randall says they changed

								   the manifest so they would be allowed on the station. Sheridan insists

								   they would have let them on, but not their equipment since ISN is only

								   a source of propaganda for President Clark, and Randall would never do

								   an objective story. Randall insists that there is no such thing as a

								   completely objective journalist, but that he, and others still on ISN,

								   want to try to slip the truth through in small pieces, the best they

								   can do under the circumstances. Randall asks Sheridan to work with him

								   so that Sheridan's point of view will be represented and that,

								   otherwise, there's no guarantee.


								   Garibaldi is in Downbelow, speaking with someone about retrieving a

								   priceless family artifact, which Garibaldi recognizes as a Drazi

								   religious statue the man is using to hide stolen valuables in. He

								   makes a deal for its retrieval and a percentage of what's inside.

								   Lennier appears and asks Garibaldi why he resigned. Garibaldi says

								   he's done his duty, and served his time, and just wants some time to

								   make his own life. Lennier tells him that, for the Minbari, it is an

								   honor serve one's people, but Garibaldi has had quite enough honor for

								   the time being. He asks about Delenn, whom Lennier says is doing well,

								   but Garibaldi quickly changes the subject when Lennier starts

								   mentioning Sheridan. It's too late, though. "Speak the Devil's name,"

								   Garibaldi says, "and he shall appear." Sheridan introduces Randall to

								   Lennier, whom he wants to escort Randall around the station so that he

								   can be assured of getting the most unbiased opinion possible. Lennier

								   starts Randall on his tour, and while no words are exchanged between

								   Sheridan and Garibaldi, there is clearly tension in the glances the

								   two exchange. Garibaldi picks up the photograph of the Drazi statue,

								   and remembers...


								   He is alone in his prison cell, sitting in a chair, while a ghostly

								   voice repeats over and over, "You work for no one but us. You work for

								   no one but us." Garibaldi's memory fades and he gets up from his table

								   and leaves.


								   Randall, Lennier, and the news crew are in one of the lifts. Randall

								   asks Lennier about the ship he noticed being repaired outside Babylon

								   5 when he arrived. Lennier explains that those ships, belonging to the

								   League of Non-Aligned of Worlds, were damaged during the war, and are

								   being repaired so they will be able to get back home safely. Lennier

								   says that the station charges only for the material needed for the

								   repairs, which Randall finds very generous.


								   After making sure the cameras are recording, Randall asks Lennier

								   where they are. Lennier explains they are in Downbelow, where those

								   who come to Babylon 5 and can't afford to live on the station stay.

								   Lennier says that Sheridan is trying to put a stop to the exploitation

								   the Lurkers often face by instituting work programs. Just then,

								   Franklin and several other medical officers run by, carrying someone

								   who just had a heart attack. Franklin explains this, and accepts

								   Randall's offer to speak with him later. Just as Franklin is about to

								   leave, he receives a call on his commlink from someone in MedLab,

								   saying the cryo units are ready for restart. Franklin says he'll be

								   right there, and though he tries to keep the conversation discreet,

								   the camera, still recording, catches it all on tape.


								   Lennier leads the reporters through a corridor, where Sheridan and

								   Londo are in the midst of a heated discussion, with Londo complaining

								   about the lack of heat in his quarters. The camera captures all of

								   this as well.


								   Sheridan and Delenn are sitting together in his office while a young

								   woman finishes applying makeup to Delenn's face. Randall is

								   interviewing them, and begins by asking them if it was ever their

								   intention to break away from Earth. Sheridan insists it wasn't--he

								   seceded to protest bombing of civilian targets, and they will rejoin

								   once President Clark is out of office. Randall asks if Sheridan still

								   believes Clark was responsible for President Santiago's death, and

								   Sheridan says that he does, that Clark doesn't let anyhting stand in

								   his way. Randall asks Delenn how she feels about all this, and she

								   says that she is used to it--this sort of thing happens everywhere.

								   Randall comments on how close Sheridan and Delenn have become, and

								   asks if it is true that they might marry eventually, which Sheridan

								   won't comment on. Randall says that there must be other forces pulling

								   against them, but Delenn says that, despite all that, the heart does

								   not recognize boundaries on a map, hatred, or wars. She says if others

								   don't understand that, she will make them understand. Randall asks if

								   they are concerned about the repurcussions, but Sheridan says there is

								   no force in the galaxy that can stop all they have accomplished.


								   Randall arrives at Garibaldi's table in Downbelow, and tells him that

								   they are getting ready to leave. He asks Garibaldi if he would like to

								   talk about his resignation, but Garibaldi is less than enthused to do

								   so. Randall appeals to him, saying that he is the only command staff

								   member who was with Babylon 5 from the start. He promises to allow

								   Garibaldi to say whatever he likes. Garibaldi remains silent for a

								   moment, as he decides what he wants to do.


								   Ivanova is in Sheridan's office with a tray of food when Sheridan

								   comes in with a tray of his own. Planning to eat while they watch the

								   ISN broadcast, Ivanova asks if Sheridan is worried, since there will

								   no doubt be some bias on the broadcast. Sheridan says that they did

								   the best they could, and that they wanted to get it out into the open

								   as soon as possible, and since they managed to avoid major crises and

								   chose their words very carefully, he feels there is very little ISN

								   can do to them. Delenn arrives, and Sheridan turns on his monitor.


								   "This is an Interstellar Network News special report. Reporting live

								   from the ISN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, your host, Alison

								   Higgins."


								   Higgins begins by explaining that, two weeks earlier, they sent Dan

								   Randall to Babylon 5 to do a report, which will be shown later in the

								   broadcast. She runs through the daily headlines: President Clark

								   announced that his troops have reclaimed 75% of the Mars Colony which

								   broke away 259 days earlier, and the day has been declared a holiday.

								   Hearings also began on anti-Earth activity with testimony given by

								   members of the entertainment industry. Lee Parks, a Tri-Vid writer and

								   producer, testified, admitting that he used his Tri-Vids to spread

								   anti-Earth messages to outside forces to use against Earth. He also

								   names three others who helped him--Tri-Vid writer Carleton Jerrico,

								   and actors Beth Trumbo and Adrian Mostel. Higgins says Parks was sent

								   to a mental hospital where he will receive treatment to one day be

								   reaccepted into society.


								   After a brief interlude with a segment of "This Year in History," the

								   Babylon 5 story begins...


								   "Good evening, I'm Dan Randall. When we first approached the Ministry

								   of Information with the idea of travelling to Babylon 5 for this

								   story, they advised against. They believed it would put the safety of

								   myself and my news crew in jeopardy. But the first rule of journalism

								   is, 'You go where the story is.' Still, nothing could have prepared us

								   for what we found."


								   Randall explains that, outside Babylon 5, everything seems to be

								   normal, but inside, most human residents are living in filthy and

								   dangerous areas of the station, while the best quarters in the station

								   are reserved for aliens and those running the station with taxes

								   collected from its inhabitants. Randall finds it ironic that the

								   Minbari were appointed the keepers of these humans, and runs a clip

								   without audio showing Lennier leading him through Downbelow. He

								   explains how any attempt at protest by these humans is put down, with

								   the humans sedated, as is demonstrated by one of them, on a gurney,

								   being escorted away by several medical personnel, including the Chief

								   of MedLab.


								   Randall explains that, as they toured Babylon 5, they learned the

								   alien races were in control. Showing film of Captain Sheridan and

								   Ambassador Mollari, he asks why Sheridan, a decorated war hero, would

								   tolerate this from others.


								   Randall explains that, to answer these questions, they talked to

								   experts. He introduces Dr. William Indiri, Dean of Psychiatry at

								   Harvard Medical School, and an expert on xenopsychology and Minbari

								   War Syndrome. Indiri explains that many Earth-Minbari War Veterans

								   suffer from an inferiority complex, feeling that other races are

								   better than humans. Indiri explains that, during the war, under that

								   administration, the Minbari were a vastly superior force, which could

								   lead those who fought against them to consider them morally superior.

								   Randall asks if the disease could cause someone to turn against their

								   own race, and Indiri agrees that it is possible, since most people in

								   such a situation could feel that an advanced species is closer to God

								   than they are, eventually forcing them to turn against everything they

								   believe in.


								   "The second rule of journalism is," Randall explains, "'No one does

								   anything without a reason.' They may not admit it, even to themselves,

								   but the reason is there. To understand what's been happening on

								   Babylon 5 since their break from Earth, you first have to understand

								   why." He plays the segment of video taken in Downbelow when Franklin

								   responded to a colleague's call about cryo units. "A small piece of

								   conversation, overheard by chance. We'll find out what those few words

								   really mean when we come back."


								   After a commercial break, the broadcast resumes, with Randall calling

								   attention to one of the ships docked outside Babylon 5 upon his

								   arrival. He explains that the warship is one of a fleet used by

								   Sheridan and Delenn in their recent military campaign, being fixed at

								   the taxpayers' expense. Randall explains that new weapons were added

								   to Babylon 5's defense system just prior to their secession from

								   Earth, and were used against Earth during the war. Randall shows this

								   as another piece of the puzzle, but wants to find the answer to it

								   all.


								   The video taken of Delenn and Sheridan in Sheridan's office is shown.

								   On the tape, we hear Randall's voice ask Delenn of possible

								   repurcussions. "It will be a struggle," she tells him.


								   "A struggle against Earth?" Randall asks her.


								   "Of course. If they don't understand," she says, "we will make them

								   understand."


								   "Anything that gets in the way disappears," Sheridan interjects.


								   "There's a lot of people back home who might be concerned about what

								   you're saying. It sounds as if you're putting the mingling of Human

								   and Minbari above the safety of your own world."


								   "There's no force in the galaxy that can stop what we've done here

								   together," Sheridan responds. "Nothing will be able to stop us."


								   The tape ends, and Randall says that, if it sounds troubling, there is

								   good reason. He says that he managed to speak with Garibaldi, the

								   former security chief who explained it. More video airs, and Garibaldi

								   explains that he feels Sheridan is suffering from a "God complex" and

								   is acting like he's the Second Coming, as if he knows what's good for

								   everyone else. Garibaldi says he thinks he's gone over the top.

								   Garibaldi is sure he'll get in trouble for saying this, but says

								   someone had to say it.


								   Randall continues by saying that, using information obtained aboard

								   Babylon 5, they were able to slip into a restricted area. The video

								   airs, with Randall, on the tape, explaining what he's seeing: A large

								   number of cryogenic freezing units in use. Babylon 5 should only be

								   operating four or five at a time, and in a limited capacity. None of

								   the names on the units match those in the station's logs. He wants to

								   know where the people came from, and why they are there.


								   Randall explains that this is their Rosetta Stone. The humans come

								   from Downbelow, captured and sedated by Franklin's staff. Meanwhile,

								   alien ships are being built and repaired outside the station. Randall

								   says that you never build a fleet unless you're prepared to use it,

								   and he and others at ISN believe they know why.


								   After another commercial break, the broadcast resumes, and Randall

								   introduces one last interview, which is significant for all that is

								   denied in it. The video shows Franklin, in MedLab, explaining his job.

								   Randall asks how long patients stay on the station, and Franklin says

								   they don't stay long, since Medlab aren't equipped to handle long-term

								   stays. Randall asks if he ever uses cryogenic freezers, and Franklin

								   says he does it very rarely, and that they aren't using any at all at

								   the moment.


								   "Rule number three," Randall says, as the camera returns to the ISN

								   news desk. "People only lie when they have something to hide. We know

								   there are humans in cryo on Babylon 5. We saw them, as did you. So

								   what are they hiding?" Prodded by Randall, Dr. Indiri speculates that

								   Sheridan's Minbari War syndrome is causing him to want to change

								   humans to be more like Minbari.


								   Randall explains that, with all they've shown, the truth is

								   self-evident, once you find they key. The key, he feels, is Delenn,

								   around whom all of what they uncovered revolves. Randall suggests that

								   the Minbari surrendered at the Battle of the Line so they could

								   destroy humanity from within instead. Though he says the idea of

								   mixing human and Minbari DNA may sound absurd, it has already

								   happened, with Delenn, when she became half-human. Randall concludes

								   that it must be Sheridan's plan to show others how good it can be to

								   be half alien and, should they disagree, or not want to go along with

								   the experiments, he will use the alien fleet he is assembling against

								   them, to "make them understand." Randall says that the fault is not

								   Sheridan's, since Earthforce should have discovered his disease

								   earlier and tried to cure it. This problem was only made worse by his

								   Minbari War Syndrome, coupled with the loss of his family's home in a

								   fire the week before resulting in his father's disappearance, and the

								   pressures of command.


								   "Our job," Randall concludes, "is to report the news. Not to make it,

								   or guide it. But from this reporter's perspective, the situation on

								   Babylon 5 is deteriorating quickly, and must be dealt with. The

								   quarantine order will help prevent more humans from falling prey to

								   this genetics program, but it's only a short-term solution. As for

								   Sheridan, he does not deserve our scorn, our anger, or our contempt.

								   He is a war veteran, and that should at least earn him our sympathy.

								   We here at ISN hope he receives the best care possible so he can

								   someday come back to us. This is Dan Randall at ISN. Goodnight."


								   The broadcast ends. Ivanova, directly in front of the monitor, with a

								   great amount of anger on her face, can do nothing but storm out of the

								   room. Delenn, initially seated, goes to Sheridan who stands, silently,

								   facing the wall. He will not speak to her, and he will not turn to

								   look at her. She goes after Ivanova. After a moment, Sheridan turns

								   the monitor off.


								   [14][Next]


								      [15]Last update: June 6, 1997


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