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679 lines
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679 lines
35 KiB
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<B>Londo's voice over (note differences with series, cf MotFL).</B> <P>
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<blockquote>
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I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in
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the Earth year 2257 with the founding of the last of the Babylon
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stations, located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call
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for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats, and travelers
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from a hundred worlds. Could be a dangerous place. But we
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accepted the risk, because Babylon 5 was our <em>last</em>, best hope
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for peace. Under the leadership of its final commander, Babylon
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5 was a dream given form: a dream of a galaxy without war, when
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species from different worlds could live side by side in mutual
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respect. A dream that was in danger as never before, by the
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arrival of one man on a mission of destruction. Babylon 5 was
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the last of the Babylon stations. This is its story.
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</blockquote>
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<hr>
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<p>
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We join LtCdr Takashima at Ops, guiding a transport ship in to dock.
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Station security chief Garibaldi calls in (most contacts within the
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station are both audio and video). He's looking for Cdr Sinclair, who
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needs to meet one of its passengers personally. Takashima reports he's
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on his way already. <P>
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Del Varner (one man on a mission of destruction), is in the docking bay
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passing through security. Sinclair arrives to meet Lyta Alexander, the
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telepath newly assigned to B5. While Varner is watching, Sinclair
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welcomes her aboard and explains the rules of the station. As they head
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off to her quarters, Lyta looks back; she and Varner appear to have
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exchanged glances. <P>
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Ambassador G'Kar storms into Ops, shouting objections to the requirement
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that his supply ship from Narn submit to a weapons search. Takashima
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deflects him coolly and there is no resolution. "As far as I'm
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concerned, they can sit out there for the next solar year. If it makes
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you feel any better, I could send them a fruit basket..." <P>
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Sinclair and Lyta cut through the alien sector on the way to her
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quarters. Sinclair uses the otherworldliness of it to underscore his
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point about B5's purpose - it's a hub for exchange of all kinds between
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people of all kinds, and must be able to cater to any of them. "Sooner
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or later, everyone comes to Babylon 5." At Lyta's question, Sinclair
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explains what happened to the other four stations: three were sabotaged,
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one more simply disappeared 24 hours after coming on-line. She does not
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take this to be a good sign. <P>
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Later, the senior officers are gathered in Sinclair's office. Kosh, the
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last of four foreign ambassadors to B5, will be arriving in 48 hours.
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From the input of the officers it is clear that the Vorlons are very
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secretive. Takashima has been in contact with Kosh but with audio only
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- the Vorlon claimed his monitors were malfunctioning. Garibaldi says
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the Earth Alliance knows almost nothing about them - no-one's even seen
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a Vorlon. Dr. Kyle (medical chief) says they've only given him enough
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info to generate the right atmosphere - "Pretty thick stuff." <P>
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Outside, a tiny clawed ship deploys from an undocked transport, zips
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down to the station, grabs onto it, and carves a hole in the hull under
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its belly. <P>
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Minbari Ambassador Delenn invites Sinclair to meet in the Garden, an
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open air environment in the center of the station (the view down the
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great cylinder is breathtaking). He is starting to ask why he sees her
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there almost every other day, but she interrupts him. <P>
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<PRE>
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D: Notice the waves, each moving in its own order, predictable,
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unchanging. But drop in a single stone, and see how the
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pattern changes. Everything around it is altered.
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[turning to Sinclair] This is from your world?
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S: It's a Japanese stone garden. Setting it aside was tough.
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[...]
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D: I am glad it is here. On my world there are books -
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thousands of pages - about the power of one mind to change
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the universe. But none say it as clearly as this.
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[Delenn changes the topic to the Vorlons, and gives Sinclair
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a copy of all the information she has about them]
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D: If anyone asks, say it fell from the sky.
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S: Why? I mean the war between us has been over for almost ten
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years but there are still a lot of people on either side
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who'd hang both of us for this kind of...
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D: [standing] Commander - you know everything about your stone
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garden, but clearly you have not spent enough time looking
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at it. Good day.
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</PRE>
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The Garden's artificial night descends on Sinclair as he stares off down
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the station's axis. <P>
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At Ops, a ship is reported to be coming through the jump point.
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Takashima is distressed - "Damn, that's a Vorlon ship all right.
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Ambassador Kosh two days early. I was afraid he'd pull something like
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this." <P>
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In a dark corridor, a poorly glimpsed figure scans its hand at a door,
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which opens to reveal Varner inside. As the figure enters, Varner says,
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"About time." But, when the door swings shut, there is a bright flash
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of light and the thud of a falling body from within. <P>
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Sinclair, Garibaldi, and Takashima are strapped into a rail-car moving
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down the axis to the other end of the station. Kosh will be arriving in
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only two hours. Sinclair sends Garibaldi to ensure that Ambassador
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Londo will be at the early reception, "We don't want a repeat of what
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happened when G'Kar arrived." A private message then comes in for
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Sinclair, which he says he'll take in his quarters. <P>
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The message is from Sinclair's SO, Carolyn Sykes, who is returning a
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week early from a trading expedition (ETA 1 hour, 40 minutes). "Just in
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time for the reception," says Sinclair, already starting to look haggard
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as he changes outfits. <P>
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G'Kar stops Takashima in an upward-curving corridor to happily announce
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that he's ordered his transport to submit to the weapons search. <P>
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<PRE>
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G: Since you doubtless have your hands full, our captain will
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wait until after the Ambassador's ship has docked. Is that
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satisfactory?
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T: Yes, yes it is. Are you feeling all right Ambassador?
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G: Couldn't be better! See you at the reception then...
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[he walks off, humming and <em>bouncing</em>]
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</PRE>
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Londo is gambling at the station's casino. Garibaldi arrives, for whose
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monetary support Londo soon appeals. Del Varner is listening in from a
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table very near by as Londo touts his own gambling system. When he
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suddenly starts reminiscing about the days of Centauri wartime
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greatness, Garibaldi interrupts him - "Be a good Ambassador and promise
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you'll be at Docking Bay 9 in two hours." "I'll be there," Londo
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agrees, "what else have I got to do - I'm broke!" However, when
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Garibaldi leaves, Varner approaches Londo, "This system of yours - it's
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a sure thing...?" <P>
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Lyta Alexander is telepathically overseeing a business deal, to the
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marked (but honest) advantage of the fellow employing her. When that
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concludes, G'Kar invites her to talk, invoking "privacy" (a feature of
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the room that can shield transactions at any table). G'Kar proceeds to
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offer her money for sex, the major purpose (but clearly not the only
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one) being to acquire telepathy for the Narn Regime through her genetic
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resources. Lyta is not interested. "I've heard about the Narn
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obsession with buying new technology, but you can't just <em>buy</em> someone's
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genetic makeup. It's... immoral." G'Kar persists, even to the point of
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bringing up details of the coupling. We can only assume, from her
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expression, that she doesn't take him up on it. <P>
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Varner steps into a corridor where a security guard is shining a
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flashlight in peoples' faces. Varner passes this scrutiny and smiles
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confidently. <P>
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The Vorlon ship is closing up its scintillating fins and entering the
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station under Takashima's control. She routes it to docking bay 9 and
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directs Sinclair there. <P>
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Sinclair steps onto a turbolift and takes it down, but it stops almost
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immediately. The computer reports a momentary power loss - there will
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be a 2.3 minute delay for secondary power to become available. <P>
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The Vorlon ship opens and Kosh emerges, wearing a great big encounter
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suit with a cape hanging from the back. He glides slowly down the ramp
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into the bay. <P>
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Sinclair jogs up to the closed docking bay, arriving at the same time as
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Garibaldi and Takashima. Garibaldi begins to complain about Londo's
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absence, but an alarm suddenly goes off. Sinclair sends Takashima off
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to notify security and opens the bay door, finding Kosh on the floor.
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They can't open his suit because the atmosphere would kill him, so
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Sinclair sends Garibaldi off to have Kyle ready the medlab immediately. <P>
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Later, Sinclair is in the medlab, where Kyle is mixing up the atmosphere
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for Kosh. Takashima comes in and reports that the Vorlon government has
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forbidden them to open the encounter suit at all. "We haven't come this
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far to watch it all fall apart," Sinclair growls. "Jeff, I'm warning
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you," she objects, "they're deadly serious about security." "Then we'll
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give them security," - he orders all monitors and data logging to be
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turned off, reminds Kyle of his oath of confidentiality, and sends him
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in to do what he can. He acquiesces, and as he prepares for the
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unknown, Takashima says, "Good luck, and I hope you're wrong..." <P>
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Looking through the glass into the environment room, Takashima tells
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Sinclair what she and Kyle had been talking about earlier - legend has
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it that the only human being ever to have seen a Vorlon had been turned
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to stone. Soon ready, Kyle touches the outside of the suit in a couple
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places, and it opens, light streaming out. He looks in... and sees what
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he sees. <P>
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Later, in his office, Sinclair is reporting to Earth that Kosh could
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well die. The Senator warns that the Vorlon government is very
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suspicious of what happened - if there is any sign of foul play there
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could be serious repercussions. On hearing that Garibaldi is in charge
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of the investigation, he's skeptical. "Is that wise? I was opposed to
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you bringing him on in the first place. He's been bounced from one
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station to another for years, I don't know if he's up to an
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investigation on this scale." (Garibaldi has come in meanwhile and has
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been listening out of sight.) Sinclair proclaims complete confidence in
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his security chief, and they sign off. "Old news," Garibaldi says.
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Sinclair charges him with finding out where everyone was during the five
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minutes between Kosh's arrival and the alarm, and grants him "full
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diplomatic access." <P>
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Stumbling into his quarters, Sinclair finds Carolyn in his bed. "You
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really should change your access code more often," she says. He kisses
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her and collapses in exhaustion. <P>
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We find Dr. Kyle in the outer room of the medlab, staring blankly off
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into space. The computer analysis completes; an unidentified foreign
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compound is present in Kosh's body. His condition is very poor, the
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prognosis terminal. <P>
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Kyle, un-rattled as usual, wakes up Sinclair to report that Kosh was
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poisoned, and he needs know what kind of poison it was in order to
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counteract it. If he knew where it got in through the environment suit,
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he could probably find enough of it there for an identification.
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Failing that, Kosh will die in 24 hours. Sinclair immediately calls
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security and seals off the station: no ships may come or go until
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further notice. <P>
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Meanwhile, G'Kar and Delenn are in her quarters talking about the
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situation. <P>
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<PRE>
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G: Why won't you accept the facts? Who was the only one of us
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missing from the welcome party when Kosh arrived? Londo
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Mollari!
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D: And why would the Centauri Republic want to kill Ambassador
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Kosh?
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G: What better way to prop up a fading empire than to start a
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war? They've been trying to join forces with the Earth
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Alliance for years! A mutual enemy would serve that purpose
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very well.
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D: And if your assumption is correct and he is the assassin,
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what would you suggest?
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G: An alliance between our governments. Yours is the oldest of
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the five federations, ours is the youngest.
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Technologically, you're centuries ahead of everyone else.
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We have <em>unlimited</em> manpower and the will to use it! Can
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you imagine what we could achieve together?
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D: I can, which is why it must never be allowed to happen.
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Your perceptions are colored by your history with the
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Centauri. As former slaves of their government, you would
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seize any opportunity to raise a force against them.
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G: We were never slaves! Our world was invaded, our people...
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D: The word - was ill chosen. My apologies. But my decision
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stands. Thank you for coming, Ambassador.
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G: HAH! I should have known better than to waste my time.
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You're even worse than the Centauri; they're beyond the
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dream of conquest. But you, you had the Earth Alliance on
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its knees - one more stroke and you would have defeated
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them! Yet you surrendered - why?
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D: We had our reasons.
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[While G'Kar talks into space, Delenn opens a hidden
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compartment and puts on one of 20 or so simple rings
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ceremoniously displayed there]
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G: On Narn we heard that the decision to surrender came from
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your holy men. A secret group called the "Grey Council" -
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weak frightened old fools with no vision or the will to
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fight. But <em>we</em> -
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</PRE>
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Delenn interrupts him with the palm of her now-ring-bearing hand; G'Kar
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is suddenly transfixed by artificial gravity. Delenn doesn't release
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G'Kar from the worsening force until she extracts from him the promise
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that he never mention the Grey Council in her presence again. (While
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completely over-matched, G'Kar does remain standing.) Once released, he
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pants, "Oh Delenn, I gave you a chance for greatness and you threw it
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away. Whatever happens now, let it be on your own head." <P>
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Garibaldi finds Londo at the bar by the casino. "It's a pity," Londo
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says, "I suppose there'll be war now, mm? All that running around
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shooting at one another? I would have thought sooner or later it would
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go out of fashion." When Garibaldi begins questioning him, Londo blows
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him off, but then acquiesces to "full diplomatic access." He was still
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gambling at the time, he claims - Varner had promised to back his bets
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but then pulled out after Londo suffered heavy losses. <P>
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<PRE>
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L: He's here, if you want to talk to him.
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[he points out Varner across the room, but Garibaldi
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continues to question]
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G: Can anyone confirm your story?
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L: Yes - the new telepath, Lyta Alexander. I saw her talking
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to Varner shortly after you left.
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G: Who would want to kill the ambassador?
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L: Mr. Garibaldi - it's a big universe! If I knew who did it I
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would tell you. I'm not here to make trouble. You know why
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I am here? I'm here to grovel before your wonderful Earth
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Alliance, in hopes of attaching ourselves to your destiny,
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like... what are those fish called on your planet that
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attach themselves to sharks?
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G: Ramoras.
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L: Yes. You make very good sharks Mr. Garibaldi. We were
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pretty good sharks ourselves, once - but somehow, along the
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way, we forgot how to bite. There was a time, when this
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whole <em>quadrant</em> belonged to us! What are we now? Twelve
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worlds and a thousand monuments to past glories, living off
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memories, stories, selling trinkets. My god man, we've
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become a tourist attraction! "See the great Centauri
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Republic, open 9 to 5, Earth time." [he sighs] Anything
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else?
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G: No. Thank-you, Ambassador.
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</PRE>
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Finally walking over to question Varner, Garibaldi discovers the man is
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nowhere to be found. <P>
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Takashima and Kyle are in private quarters, discussing the Kosh dilemma.
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At the Vorlons' request, all the monitors had been off in the docking
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bay, so no-one but Kosh himself knows how he was poisoned. Kyle
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suggests that they enlist the telepath's aid to find out, and Takashima
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agrees it's the best thing to do (but only after a quite contrary story
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from her own life about the importance of sticking by the rules). The
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Vorlons would never allow it, of course, so they plan to proceed behind
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Sinclair's back. <P>
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When they confront Lyta with the idea in the medlab, she objects - quite
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rightly - that she could be thrown out of the Psi Corps for the crime of
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unauthorized mind scanning. Takashima urges the gravity of the
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situation, "Lyta, if the ambassador dies, the Vorlons will retaliate.
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This station is the first logical target. If I were in their position,
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I'd have a cruiser standing by in hyperspace right now just waiting to
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attack us. Thousands would die, and after us who knows how many
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more..." <P>
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Meanwhile, air is leaking out from one of the holes caused by the
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grabber ship still attached to the hull. The techs begin to notice
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the pressure loss and send a maintenance pod to investigate. <P>
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Vast forces weighing upon her shoulders, Lyta agrees to scan Kosh.
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Preparing herself, she explains, "When I get inside, it's subjective -
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I'll feel what he felt, but I'll see my body, not his. This could get
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rough." Initially she can't make mental contact with him, but succeeds
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when she takes off one of her gloves and puts her hand <em>inside</em> the
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encounter suit. <P>
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With Lyta, we see Sinclair walking forward through a warped image of the
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docking bay. "Welcome to Babylon 5," he says, smiling. A glance at his
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left hand shows it is slightly cupped away from sight. Sinclair offers
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his right, and we see a woman's arm reach forward to shake it (PoV,
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remember). He quickly grabs the proffered hand and slaps a big red
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circle onto the back of it. Soon the image of the bay distorts and
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tumbles, leaving us looking up from the floor at a grim Sinclair, then
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blackness. <P>
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In the medlab, Lyta is screaming blindly. Once the staff extricate her
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from the environment room, Kyle and Takashima talk her back to reality.
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She reports where the poison hit, and Sinclair jogs in just in time for
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Lyta to viciously accuse him of the deed. <P>
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Later, we momentarily see Varner in the marketplace pointing a little
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gadget at Lyta, who apparently doesn't see him. <P>
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The maintenance pod comes upon the grabber ship, which produces a cannon
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and demolishes it. <P>
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Varner follows a yellow-suited man into a turbolift and gets recognized
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by Eric, a yellow-suited tech. There is a flash of light as the door
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closes, and Eric emerges grimly - and alone. <P>
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In another senior staff meeting, Takashima reports that word has gotten
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out that a witness has identified Sinclair as the assassin. The senator
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calls and, given conflict of interest, orders Sinclair to temporarily
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surrender command of the station to Takashima, who will also represent
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the EA at the upcoming emergency council. "Jeff, once the council gets
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into this, there's nothing we can do without compromising the neutrality
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of Babylon 5 - we <em>can't</em> let that happen." After the senator signs
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off, the officers voice strong objections, but Sinclair demands that
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they do this one by the book. <P>
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The Babylon 5 advisory council is in session. G'Kar is making the case
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against Sinclair: he was suspiciously missing when Kosh debarked, and
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there is no record of the lift malfunction Sinclair claims delayed him.
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G'Kar opens the floor to questions, and Delenn asks Dr. Kyle who it was
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that identified Sinclair. Kyle replies that the witness has requested
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anonymity, which would of course change if this went to trial. When
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asked about the poison, Kyle reports that it was Florizine, a rare
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poison found only in the Damocles sector [a chilling name]. G'Kar
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immediately announces that "Sinclair's woman" had arrived from the that
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very sector less than an hour before the assassination attempt! <P>
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During a recess, Londo is at the bar again, staring at his drink. G'Kar
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walks merrily up to him and says, "Ambassador Mollari, I would like to
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discuss your vote with you." <P>
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Garibaldi is updating Sinclair on his investigation as they walk through
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the corridors. Garibaldi doesn't trust what Lyta has to say - "I've
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seen her a lot with Del Varner, the guy who kept Londo from attending
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the reception." Turns out Varner has many EA indictments for smuggling
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illegal technology. Garibaldi can't fathom that man's actions; why
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would he put himself at risk stepping into EA jurisdiction? Why would
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he deliberately anger Londo by offering monetary support and then
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backing out, when many of his own underworld clients are Centauri?
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Furthermore, Varner was too much in debt to cover Londo's bets anyway.
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Sinclair sends Garibaldi off to talk to have a chat with Mr. Varner. <P>
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Council resumes - Sinclair is now on the stand. G'Kar opens with a
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motion to extradite Sinclair to the Vorlon home-world for trial and
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quickly opens the vote with a yes. Takashima votes no for EA. Delenn,
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with unknown difficulty, abstains. Londo, with deep regret, votes yes.
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The council is deadlocked: two for, two against or abstaining. G'Kar
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then announces that he'd suggested his idea to the Vorlon government
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just recently: they requested that he vote yes on their behalf. The
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motion passes, deportation to take place in 12 hours. <P>
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Garibaldi arrives at Varner's quarters to find the access system out of
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commission. Gaining entry with a gadget, he puzzles at a small puddle
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of orangish liquid on the floor. Then he puzzles at Del Varner's body
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in a big fish tank. <P>
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In the medlab, Kyle confirms that the body is indeed Varner's, dead for
|
|
at least X hours. Also, he will be able to counteract the poison in 6-7
|
|
hours, which is not much less than the time Kosh has got left. <P>
|
|
|
|
Garibaldi has lost the only lead he'd found. "Dammit, maybe they were
|
|
right - maybe you got the wrong man for this job after all," he says to
|
|
Sinclair in the corridors. "Michael, I picked you because you're right
|
|
for the job. You're not politick, you're not subtle, and sometimes
|
|
you're a pain in the ass - and I wouldn't have it any other way." <P>
|
|
|
|
At Ops, a tech reports to Takashima that the maintenance pod was lost.
|
|
She sends a repair crew to check out what's going on. <P>
|
|
|
|
G'Kar and Lyta meet in the alien sector. She notes his lack of a
|
|
breathing mask, and he points out his gill implants. "Come," he says,
|
|
"there's been a complication." <P>
|
|
|
|
In the casino, Londo apologizes to Garibaldi for his vote - G'Kar had
|
|
blackmailed him with scandalous information about Londo's father. Of
|
|
such secrets is Centauri power made and broken. Londo didn't know his
|
|
vote would matter, but he admits, at Garibaldi's questioning, that
|
|
knowing wouldn't have changed anything. "This is my weakness, my
|
|
failure. I am sorry, <em>truly</em> sorry." <P>
|
|
|
|
In Sinclair's quarters, Carolyn is looking in awe at a medal of honor. <P>
|
|
|
|
<PRE>
|
|
C: Jeff, this medal, you were on the Line, and you never told
|
|
me?
|
|
S: I didn't want to talk about it.
|
|
C: Why?
|
|
[Sinclair broods over a star globe, looking old]
|
|
S: I was a squad team leader when the call came in. We all
|
|
knew it was a suicide mission, the Minbari had broken
|
|
through, closing in. Every ship we had left was ordered to
|
|
circle Earth. We had to stop them, no matter what it cost.
|
|
They came at us out of nowhere, we never had a chance. The
|
|
sky was full of stars, every star an exploding ship. One of
|
|
ours. My team was blown out of the sky in less than a
|
|
minute. Twelve ships. I managed to take out a fighter
|
|
before they hit my stabilizers. I was losing power, I'd
|
|
lost my team, and I figured if I was going to die I'd take
|
|
someone out with me, so I targeted one of their heavy
|
|
cruisers, hit my afterburners. I was going to ram them head
|
|
on. The last thing I remember is hurtling toward that
|
|
cruiser, filling my screen. Big... my god so big. Then,
|
|
something passed in front of my eyes - I guess I blacked out
|
|
from the acceleration. When I came to 24 hours later, the
|
|
cruiser was gone. I checked in. They told me the war was
|
|
over. The Minbari had surrendered.
|
|
C: [appealing] Because of the Line.
|
|
S: No. We were beaten. We didn't stop them, they stopped
|
|
themselves, and I wish to hell I knew why.
|
|
</PRE>
|
|
|
|
Meanwhile, Lyta enters the medlab and engages Kyle in conversation about
|
|
Kosh's condition. While Kyle walks around examining readings, Lyta
|
|
surreptitiously shuts down medical equipment behind him. Kyle starts to
|
|
ask her how it is that she was seen talking to a man who'd already been
|
|
dead, but is interrupted by alarms going off. He tries to stop Lyta,
|
|
and they exchange blows. Kyle is painfully tossed around, but stumbles
|
|
into a floor-mounted laser, with which he manages to shoot her in the
|
|
arm. She stumbles through the exit, drawing a weapon. In the hallway
|
|
outside, she encounters the <em>real</em> Lyta Alexander running to
|
|
investigate. The fake points her gun at Lyta for a full heartbeat,
|
|
screeching but not shooting, then whirls and fires at Sinclair instead
|
|
as he comes in from the other direction. Sinclair dives aside and she
|
|
escapes. Inside the medlab, Kyle has been doing damage-control, and
|
|
reports that Kosh will still pull through. <P>
|
|
|
|
The false Lyta is careening down the corridor, cradling her arm.
|
|
Falling against a wall, her whole face is <em>malformed</em> momentarily by a
|
|
scream of pain. She stumbles on. <P>
|
|
|
|
In a cargo bay, Garibaldi shows the now-disabled grabber ship to
|
|
Sinclair, reporting how it was found. Only one individual could have
|
|
come aboard in it. "Short range," Sinclair muses - some other ship must
|
|
have brought it here. Garibaldi also reports that the body of Eric the
|
|
tech has turned up dead, yet friends have reported seeing him recently.
|
|
Just then Takashima links in to call them all over to Varner's quarters
|
|
- she has something to show them. <P>
|
|
|
|
Takashima has cracked open Varner's files and discovered that Varner was
|
|
on the station to sell a changeling net: illegal technology that can
|
|
make a person's appearance and voice that of someone else, at the risk
|
|
of death from prolonged exposure. "So that's what Kosh saw in the
|
|
docking bay," Takashima realizes. The net puts out a huge amount of
|
|
energy, enough to detect with the station's sensors. Sinclair orders
|
|
Takashima to reconfigure them to scan inwards, and then heads off to
|
|
security. <P>
|
|
|
|
Sinclair and Garibaldi arrive at Ops in body armor, carrying <em>big</em> guns.
|
|
Filtering out known sources, Takashima finds the expected energy spike.
|
|
Sinclair orders that area sealed off and heads for the door. Takashima
|
|
suggests they take a hovering recorder along, "The way things are going,
|
|
you may need a witness." Indeed, moments after they've left, a tech
|
|
reports that something is coming through the jump gate. "It must be the
|
|
transport ship - damn!" she says. The tech looks up in fear - "That's
|
|
not a transport!" "Looks like the commander's ride is here," she
|
|
replies. But it's not just a ride - no less than <em>three</em> Vorlon
|
|
cruisers emerge from the gate amid a swarm of fighters. <P>
|
|
|
|
In the corridors, Sinclair has Garibaldi set his weapon to a non-killing
|
|
level so that they can take the assassin alive. The move in with
|
|
Takashima's assistance from Ops, pinpointing the energy source. There
|
|
is a brief exchange of fire, and Garibaldi is thrown backward by a hit
|
|
in the chest. He tears off his super-heated jacket, which took most of
|
|
the blast. Sinclair forges ahead alone. <P>
|
|
|
|
At Ops, the Vorlons have demanded the immediate transport of Sinclair.
|
|
Takashima orders a tech to link the Vorlons in to the recorder following
|
|
him. While the tech gets to work on that, the Vorlons threaten attack
|
|
in 5 minutes. <P>
|
|
|
|
Sinclair exchanges fire with the assassin, but neither is hit. He
|
|
stalks slowly forward to where the figure disappeared, looking back
|
|
once. When he turns his attention forward again the assassin (disguised
|
|
now as Eric) tackles him from behind. Both apparently having lost their
|
|
guns now, they start fist-fighting. Sinclair is quickly in severe
|
|
trouble. However, the chameleon net starts changing images as they
|
|
grapple - first Varner appears, then Lyta, and finally Sinclair himself
|
|
in body armor! The assassin is forced to pause each time, and at the
|
|
last change Sinclair throws him against a high-voltage barrier in a room
|
|
across the corridor. Gouts of electricity pour through the figure, and
|
|
the disguise finally gives out, revealing him to be... Minbari! <P>
|
|
|
|
The Vorlon fighters are powering up their already awesome-looking
|
|
weapons as they close on the station. The tech finally gets the signal
|
|
from the recorder finally connected to the outgoing link. <P>
|
|
|
|
There is an explosion (possibly the chameleon net), and the assassin is
|
|
thrown back into the corridor. "Why," Sinclair asks in wonder, "Why did
|
|
you do it?" Looking up at him, the Minbari has only this to say: "There
|
|
is a hole in your mind." With that, he reaches up and breaks his own
|
|
wrist, activating some kind of device in his arm. Through the link,
|
|
Takashima shouts, "Oh my god, he's wired!" Sinclair orders the area
|
|
sealed off and sprints down the corridor. He's quickly blown through a
|
|
closing bulkhead by a great explosion behind him. <P>
|
|
|
|
B5 is thrown off kilter by the blast, and Vorlon fighters veer off to
|
|
avoid colliding with it. It takes quite some effort on Takashima's part
|
|
to pull it back into position without ripping apart the spinning
|
|
station. <P>
|
|
<a name="delenn-timing">
|
|
Garibaldi and Delenn find Sinclair returning from the destroyed section.
|
|
</a>
|
|
"This little breach of security isn't gonna affect my Christmas bonus,
|
|
is it?" Garibaldi quips. Delenn asks him, "Do you need anything?"
|
|
"Coffee," Sinclair chuckles, "two sugars, cream - and aspirin." <P>
|
|
|
|
<a name="carolyn-leave">
|
|
A shower and change later, Sinclair sees Carolyn off the station -
|
|
</a>
|
|
trading has called her away again. On a whim, she invites him to quit
|
|
Babylon 5 and go off with her. "I'll think about it," he says. "Well
|
|
don't take too long," she replies, "I'll wait, but not forever." <P>
|
|
|
|
Later, the officers gather in the medlab. The station will be fully
|
|
operational again in a few days, and Kosh is recovering and out of
|
|
critical. Then Delenn enters and invites Sinclair aside, "I regret that
|
|
a Minbari was responsible for all this sadness," she says. Sinclair is
|
|
forgiving - "You can't be responsible for the actions of every member of
|
|
your race, Delenn." "No. But there is something I can do." So saying,
|
|
she gives him a file of information about the assassin, whose clan she
|
|
recognized when she watched the recording broadcast to the Vorlons. "I
|
|
think you'll find it... most interesting." <P>
|
|
|
|
Still later, Sinclair is in his quarters, proposing a toast with G'Kar
|
|
"To a fully operational Babylon 5!" "To the future!", G'Kar returns,
|
|
and they drink. G'Kar expresses his pleasure at how it all turned out,
|
|
and reaffirms their mutual goal of peace. However, Sinclair has his own
|
|
agenda. <P>
|
|
|
|
<PRE>
|
|
S: I'm surprised you didn't ask about Del Varner.
|
|
G: I assumed he was simply another innocent victim.
|
|
S: Not quite. His last entry spoke of a big payoff for
|
|
bringing a changeling net across the border. He was
|
|
supposed to meet with his buyer in the Tigris sector but was
|
|
running behind - didn't your supply ship also pass through
|
|
the Tigris sector on its way here?
|
|
G: If you have a point to make, Commander, pleeease make it.
|
|
S: I believe the assassin was brought here on <em>your</em> supply ship.
|
|
[G'Kar is carefully examining Sinclair's bric-a-brac]
|
|
That's why they needed the changeling net before they
|
|
arrived - a Minbari warrior walking off a Narn ship would
|
|
draw a lot of attention. With the net, he could appear to
|
|
be one of your crew and infiltrate the station. When Varner
|
|
missed connecting with your ship he came here, so you had to
|
|
find another way to get the assassin on board. They used
|
|
the transport we found on the station's hull to get him
|
|
inside, he then killed Del Varner and grabbed the changeling
|
|
net.
|
|
G: Sheer speculation, Commander. With the death of Del Varner,
|
|
and of the assassin, you have no proof.
|
|
</PRE>
|
|
<a name="nanobluff">
|
|
G'Kar goes to leave, but Sinclair has one last thing to tell him. It
|
|
</a>
|
|
seems with his drink G'Kar has swallowed some nanotechnology, which has
|
|
by now made itself at home in his intestines. It is shielded from
|
|
outside detection, and it can be used to pinpoint G'Kar's location at
|
|
any time. Sinclair points something at him by way of demonstration, and
|
|
G'Kar jumps when it beeps. "This is an outrage!" he cries. "This is
|
|
insurance," Sinclair replies, "What you do here is your own business.
|
|
You can scheme and plan and play all the games you want. But get this
|
|
straight - if you ever endanger this station again, my people will find
|
|
you, and the results will be most unpleasant." <P>
|
|
|
|
Storming out of Sinclair's quarters, G'Kar is blocked for a moment by
|
|
Garibaldi and Londo coming out of a lift. Garibaldi mimes a gadget at
|
|
G'Kar with a "beep-beep" as he walks by. "Beep Beep?" Londo asks,
|
|
"It must be Earth humor. Who can figure a species like that - Beep
|
|
Beep." G'Kar is quite beside himself. <P>
|
|
|
|
Londo walks on to the reception, but Garibaldi and Sinclair stop and
|
|
talk in the corridor. <P>
|
|
|
|
<PRE>
|
|
G: Do you think they'll find that transmitter you slipped him?
|
|
S: No. Because there isn't one.
|
|
G: There isn't? Wait...
|
|
S: I lied. I figured if there was a transmitter sooner or
|
|
later they'd find it and remove it. But if I just told him
|
|
there was, they'd keep looking, indefinitely.
|
|
G: Commander, do you have any idea of the tests they'll put him
|
|
through, the <em>things</em> they'll do to him, tryin' to find a
|
|
transmitter that's not there?
|
|
S: Yes. Come on...
|
|
</PRE>
|
|
|
|
All are present at Kosh's long-delayed reception except G'Kar (possibly
|
|
off having his stomach pumped). Sinclair welcomes Kosh to the station,
|
|
there is applause, and Kosh bows. Delenn steps forward and nods in
|
|
respect, and Londo raises his glass to him. <P>
|
|
|
|
Later, Delenn finds Sinclair alone in the night-darkened Garden. <P>
|
|
|
|
<PRE>
|
|
S: Delenn, just before he died, the Minbari assassin looked at
|
|
me and said, "There is a hole in your mind."
|
|
D: An old Minbari insult, nothing you need worry about.
|
|
S: Maybe... it's just - there's a 24-hour period in my life
|
|
that I can't account for. It happened during the war with
|
|
your people. You wouldn't be holding anything out on me
|
|
would you, old friend?
|
|
D: Commander, I would never tell you anything that was not in
|
|
your best interest.
|
|
S: Well, we'll talk about this again, one of these days. Come
|
|
on, we should get back to the reception.
|
|
D: By the way, there's something I've been wondering - why
|
|
"Babylon 5?" After prior four stations were lost, or
|
|
destroyed, why build another?
|
|
S: Plain old human stubbornness, I guess. When something we
|
|
value is destroyed, we rebuild it. If it's destroyed again
|
|
we rebuild it again. And again, and again, and... [looking
|
|
down the vast Garden] again. Until it stays. That, as our
|
|
poet Tennyson once said, is the goal: "To strive, to seek,
|
|
to find, and not to yield."
|
|
</PRE>
|
|
|
|
Lastly, from a beautiful point of view outside the station, we see
|
|
Takashima at Ops. "This is Lieutenant Commander Takashima. Our docking
|
|
bays stand ready to receive you. Babylon 5 is open for business." <P>
|
|
|
|
Matthew Ryan <em>mattryan@pobox.com</em>
|
|
<hr>
|
|
Copyright 1994, Matthew Ryan. All rights reserved. Permission is
|
|
granted to distribute this synopsis <strong>noncommercially</strong> as
|
|
long as the synopsis and this copyright notice remain intact. Babylon 5
|
|
is a copyright of the PTN Consortium; no infringement of that copyright
|
|
is intended by writing these synopses.<p>
|
|
|
|
Anthony Taylor (FNATT@elmer.alaska.edu) wrote a preliminary version of
|
|
the files on the pilot, and I am grateful to him for many of the points
|
|
listed on the above page (included with his permission). <P>
|
|
|