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346 lines
20 KiB
346 lines
20 KiB
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<p> Earth Central has planned a cultural exchange where all alien
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societies on B5 will have the opportunity to demonstrate their
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dominant religious beliefs. Needless to say, this idea has caused
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nightmares for the security officers; at the moment, Garibaldi is
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trying to stop an alien from bringing a ceremonial knife aboard the
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station. Suddenly, he sees Sinclair's old girlfriend, Catherine
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Sakai, arrive on the station. He immediately leaves to warn
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Sinclair.
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<p> G'Kar is in his quarters, trying to have a quiet dinner when
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he is interrupted by a Narn courier, Tu'Pari, who is carrying a
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message that he claims to be important. After Tu'Pari leaves
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G'Kar's quarters, G'Kar plays the message. The message turns out
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to be from an old enemy of G'Kar, named D'Rog [spelling correction
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pending]. "I bring what you doubtless will consider good news: I
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am dying." G'Kar smiles in appreciation. The message continues,
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"In fact, by the time you get this recording, I will already be
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dead. Ah, but then, very shortly, so will you."
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<p> D'Rog explains that G'Kar should not be surprised--vengeance
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was inevitable after G'Kar humiliated D'Rog before the Narn Council
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and ruined D'Rog's family's name. "You will be dead within 48
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hours of receiving this message. Already, my agent is close to
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you. You will not know who, or how, or where, until it is too
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late." Just then, Na'Toth--G'Kar's new diplomatic attache--arrives
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and reports for duty. G'Kar can do nothing but stare at her,
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suspiciously.
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<p> Sinclair, in his quarters, is getting ready for the Centauri
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religious demonstration when Garibaldi arrives. Garibaldi warns
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Sinclair that Catherine is on the station. Sinclair thanks him,
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saying that he's happy to know that she's on board, so he can avoid
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her. Then, suddenly, he asks if she came to the station alone or
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with another man. Garibaldi replies that she was alone.
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<p> The Centauri religious demonstration has begun. It is quite
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a festival, with dancing, drinks, and pretty much everything else
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you'd expect at a Centauri party. "It's a celebration of life,"
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says Vir. Londo is immensely enjoying himself--drinking, crawling
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up on the table, explaining Centauri household "gods," telling
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Delenn that she's "very cute for a Minbari" and that Garibaldi is
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"cute, too, in an annoying sort of way."
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/cute.gif" align=middle> "You're cute, too, in an
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annoying sort of way."
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<p> Finally, Londo falls to
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the table, unconscious. Vir stands up and says, triumphantly,
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"Ahh! He has become one with his inner self!"
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<p> "He's passed out," comments Garibaldi, smugly.
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<p> "That too," responds Vir.
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<p> Meanwhile, Commander Sinclair--having had enough of the
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Centauri demonstration and having left quietly in the middle--has
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decided, after all, to see Catherine. After he finds her, they
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speak for a while. She says that she hadn't known that Sinclair
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was in command of the station--otherwise she wouldn't have come.
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"I keep my promises.... I'll leave now if you want me to."
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Sinclair won't hear of it, though. Instead, he invites her for
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dinner. At length, she accepts: "This is how we get into trouble
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every three years.... All right, just dinner."
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<p> Later, G'Kar and Na'Toth are speaking in their quarters.
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G'Kar is suspiciously pondering recent events--he mentions, his
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assistant's, Ko D'ath's, recent death in an unlikely airlock
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accident. He asks Na'Toth who sponsored her to be his attache;
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when she answers, he notices that her sponsor's sponsor was none
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other than D'Rog. He explains to her that D'Rog has hired someone
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to kill him, and evidently this assassin is someone close to G'Kar.
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Na'Toth only replies, "With all due respect, if it were me, you
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wouldn't be here for us to have this conversation." G'Kar is
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unsatisfied--according to D'Rog's message, G'Kar would be kept in
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fear for a while before actually being killed--"the last thing he
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wants is a quick death." He can still not discount Na'Toth as a
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suspect.
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<p> Na'Toth tries to reason with him: "How can you be sure there
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<strong>is</strong> as assassin on board? What if he only told you this to
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frighten you?" G'Kar replies that this is very unlikely.
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<p> She thinks again, then explains that if D'Rog wanted to make
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sure the assassination were carried through, he would have gone to
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the "Assassins' Guild" to get a killer. She explains that killers
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from the Assassins' Guide traditionally leave a black flower--a
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"death blossom"--as a warning to their victims so that the victims
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can tie up their affairs. She asks G'Kar if he's received one of
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these flowers; he replies that he hasn't. "Then I wouldn't worry,"
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she concludes, and adds, "I'm sure the question will resolve itself
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soon enough."
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<p> Later, G'Kar is sleeping in his bed when he is awoken by a
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strange smell. He calls Na'Toth to his quarters to show her what
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was left in his bed: a black flower. "You have no idea how
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<strong>that</strong> got into my bed?" he asks.
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/gkar-asleep.gif" align=middle> G'Kar, about to
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have a rude awakening.
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<p> "Ambassador," comments Na'Toth, "it is not my place to
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speculate on how anything gets into your bed. Your reputed
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fascination with Earth women, for instance..." She goes on to
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suggest that G'Kar see Commander Sinclair if he's worried. G'Kar
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declines, saying that he prefers to fight his own battles--further,
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his going to Sinclair might raise questions that he'd rather not
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answer--questions concerning his years on the Council. "Personally,"
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he says, "I don't care if the information comes out--my only
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concern is that it might compromise our standing in the negotiations.
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So we have to handle this quietly, for the sake of planetary
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security." Na'Toth asks G'Kar why he is telling her all of this,
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considering that she's currently under his suspicion. "Earthers
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have a phrase: 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.'
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I think they stole it from us." He adds that he also would like to
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strengthen the relationship between them. He then tells Na'Toth to
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find Tu'Pari, the courier who originally brought the message--G'Kar
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wants to find out who gave the message to Tu'Pari. Tu'Pari must
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still be on the station, according to G'Kar, because no Narn ships
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have left B5 since the day before. "Finding him will be your first
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test," he commands.
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<p> Elsewhere on the station, Lennier--Delenn's new assistant--has
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arrived on the station. He greets her as "Satai Delenn," addressing
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her as a member of the Grey Council deserves to be addressed.
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He further refuses to look straight at her; he only looks down; "It
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is forbidden!" he says.
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<p> "You can look up...." says Delenn, "I cannot have an aid who
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will not look up. You will be forever walking into things." At
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length, Lennier agrees.
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<a name="satai-delenn">
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<p> Lennier comments that he feels that he's in an awkward
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position. He has been, he feels, greatly and suddenly promoted;
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after all, he's now an assistant to a member of the Grey Council.
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Delenn only comments that he received a high recommendation from
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his teachers and that he will soon adjust. "You can begin by
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promising not to mention the Grey Council again during your stay.
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No one here knows of my connection; no one must find out."
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<p> "But, to deny the Council--!" blurts Lennier.
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<p> "I'm denying nothing. But it would lead to certain questions
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that I don't want to answer just now. You will not use my title,
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'Satai.' You will address me only as 'Delenn.' Do you understand?"
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</a>
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<p> He says that he does not--but that it doesn't matter:
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"Understanding is not required--only obedience."
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<p> G'Kar, in the meantime, has gone to N'Grath (the insect-like
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vendor in the alien sector) to seek a bodyguard. In a few hours,
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he will attend the Minbari religious ceremony, and he doesn't want
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to be unprotected in public.
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<p> Sinclair and Catherine Sakai are having dinner. They talk
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about how they meet every few years, talk briefly, end up in bed
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together, then go their separate ways. They both agree that their
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relationship should not go on like this--it isn't worth it.
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<p> The Minbari religious ceremony has begun. It is, needless to
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say, quite the opposite of the Centauri celebration: It is orderly
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and ceremonial. Delenn starts out by reading a story that deals
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with death and renewal. Orderly music is played at certain points
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in the story. Red pieces of fruit are then handed out; Delenn
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tells everyone to eat them. She shows a slight interest in
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Sinclair's eating the fruit, then moves on with the ceremony. "So,
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it begins!" she says.
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/taste.gif" align=middle> "Taste of it."
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<p> G'Kar, during the whole ceremony, has been extremely agitated,
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because his bodyguard did not arrive. He storms into his quarters,
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screaming and complaining; but Na'Toth only directs him into an
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adjoining room. In that room, he sees the bodyguard sitting down,
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quietly. He yells at him for a moment, then hits him in annoyance.
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The bodyguard falls over stiffly, and it is evident that he has
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been killed. Further, a black flower--the warning sign--is hanging
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from the bodyguard's clothing.
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<p> G'Kar has called Garibaldi into his quarters. Garibaldi
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investigates the murder: "You just came in and found this guy dead
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in your bedroom?" G'Kar explains that he has never seen the person
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before and has no idea who he is or why he was in G'Kar's bedroom.
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G'Kar claims, as an alibi, that he was at the Minbari ceremony when
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this person was killed. Garibaldi agrees, but comments that G'Kar
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seemed rather nervous and preoccupied at the ceremony. Garibaldi
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continues his search of G'Kar's quarters, only to find a hot-pink
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piece of woman's underwear behind the bed. G'Kar is, needless to
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say, annoyed--he also doesn't like that Garibaldi continues to
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question =him=. He orders Garibaldi out of his quarters, invoking
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diplomatic immunity. "I brought you here as a courtesy," says
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G'Kar. He tells Garibaldi that he should be spending more time
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trying to find out who the murderer was, rather than questioning
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G'Kar.
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<p> Garibaldi humbly apologizes, but doesn't leave before
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commenting, "And just let me say, ambassador, from the bottom of my
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heart, hot pink is definitely your color."
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/hot-pink.gif" align=middle> "Hot pink is definitely
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your color."
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<p> Na'Toth, after considerable searching, finally finds Tu'Pari
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and brings him back--under slight protest--to G'Kar.
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<p> Catherine is meanwhile in the middle of a business negotiation.
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She is giving information to her associates about a
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planetoid which she has located and which she believes would be a
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good candidate for mining. Her associates are satisfied, and also
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offer her their congratulations--a valuable mineral was discovered
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on a previous planet which she scouted, and, under the contract,
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she is entitled to a percentage of the profits. When they show her
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the amount of credits to which she is entitled, she is almost
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speechless and quite surprised at her good fortune.
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<p> Na'Toth has brought back Courier Tu'Pari to G'Kar's quarters.
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He thanks her and sends her out, saying that he wants to speak with
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Tu'Pari alone. She leaves. He grabs Tu'Pari by the neck and asks
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who gave Tu'Pari the message to deliver. When Tu'Pari replies that
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the message in from D'Rog, G'Kar merely tightens his grip and says
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that D'Rog is dead. Tu'Pari then admits that the message is from
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Councillor Sha'Toth, Na'Toth's father. "The danger is much closer
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to you thank you think, ambassador," says Tu'Pari.
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<p> Sinclair is in his quarters listening to Tennyson's
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<a href="/lurk/making/ulysses.html"><cite>Ulysses</cite></a>
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when Catherine enters. She brings some expensive wine and comments
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that she has terrific news and is "tired of not having anyone to
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share it with." She comments on his liking of old poetry: "What's
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it take to drive you into the 23rd century?" She quotes some of it
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to him; he is surprised to find that she has memorized it. She
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responds, "I lived with you for a year--I didn't have much choice."
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Sinclair comments that what she's doing right now may not be such
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a good idea; however, she pleads with him not to send her out.
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Although they have superficially agreed that their relationship is
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over and that they have no feelings for each other any longer, she
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says that "you don't just turn it off like a switch." She admits
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that, even though they have been separated for a while, and even
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though she has tried relationships with other men, she never
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stopped thinking about him. After a bit of tension, they agree to
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spend the night with one another.
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<p> G'Kar is in his quarters, communicating with the Narn
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homeworld. He is requesting that Na'Toth be reassigned immediately.
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They confirm his request; further, they apologize for the
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delays in communication. "What delays?" asks G'Kar.
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<p> G'Kar's correspondent explains that the appointed courier met
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with an unfortunate accident right before he was going to leave for
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Babylon 5. They have not yet been able to find a replacement.
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<p> "What are you talking about?" G'Kar asks. "The courier is
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right here. I--" Suddenly, he realizes, and turns around to find
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Tu'Pari staring at him, pointing a gun at him, and smiling evilly.
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<p> The next morning, Catherine, in bed with Sinclair, is talking
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with him. They reflect on their relationship, its longevity, and
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its resilience--how it started at the academy, lasted through the
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war, and somehow showed itself every three years since then. They
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also speak of how things might be different this time ...
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<p> Meanwhile, the assassin Tu'Pari has been waiting for Ambassador
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G'Kar to awake. When G'Kar does awake, Tu'Pari gloats a bit
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about how G'Kar's being awake will "make this far more interesting."
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G'Kar, needless to say, is anger and runs toward Tu'Pari in
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order to attack him. However, the devices (known as "pain-givers")
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around G'Kar's neck and arms propel him back--in pain--before he
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gets close enough to Tu'Pari to be threatening. "My orders are
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quite specific," says Tu'Pari. "You are to know pain. You are to
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know fear. And then, you are to die." However, he admits that it
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will be a pleasure when the assignment is finished--"Allaying the
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target's suspicions can be so time-consuming. Do you have any idea
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how long I sat in the customs area waiting for Na'Toth to 'find'
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me?"
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/know-pain.gif" align=middle> "You are to know
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pain..."
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<p> G'Kar tries to reason with Tu'Pari; he offers to double the
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assassin's current payment if he will abort his mission.
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<p> Tu'Pari notes how, though G'Kar could probably make him very
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wealthy, to betray a commission would be a violation of the rules
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and the spirit of the Assassins' Guild. Indeed, if Tu'Pari were to
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violate those rules, the Assassins' Guild would then have to kill
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=him=. To accentuate his point, he increases the intensity of the
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pain-givers.
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<p> Na'Toth enters G'Kar's quarters and, when she cannot find
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G'Kar, orders the computer to replay the last transmission in which
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G'Kar participated. The computer shows her ...
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<p> Tu'Pari is continuing to use the pain-givers against G'Kar.
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"The pain must be overwhelming. Why hold it in? Cry out, ambassador!"
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<p> "I would die," retorts G'Kar, "before giving you that
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satisfaction." However, it is evident that he is, indeed, in great
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pain. However, just to be sure, Tu'Pari continues to raise the
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intensity of the pain-givers. G'Kar does, eventually, indeed, cry
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out.
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<p> At that moment, Na'Toth finally enters. She explains how she
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found Tu'Pari and G'Kar--she knew that Tu'Pari would want "complete
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privacy," so she searched for and found which transport tube had
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"suddenly broken down," as Na'Toth comments. Tu'Pari orders her
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away, but Na'Toth refuses to leave. She claims to be Tu'Pari's
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backup: "I have to finish the job in case you fail."
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<p> Tu'Pari skeptically replies that he was not informed about any
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backup.
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<p> "No, the primary never is--standard practice in the Assassins'
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Guild, as you well know," says Na'Toth.
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<p> Still, Tu'Pari refuses to believe her. Na'Toth ignores him--
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she comments on the "crude, unimaginative" pain-givers that are
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being used on G'Kar, saying that they are much too quick--that
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their orders were to prolong G'Kar's pain and discomfort as much as
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possible until "the deadline."
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<p> "And what would you recommend?" asks Tu'Pari, still skeptical.
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<p> She answers with action: she brutally kicks him a few times,
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picks him up, and repeatedly hits him, sending him falling out of
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the room.
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<p> But Tu'Pari is still unmoved. "And this is the part," he
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says, "where I'm supposed to decide I trust you, drop my guard, and
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let you shoot me in the back? Sorry, but I can't take the chance
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that you're lying." However, just by saying this, his guard was
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lowered enough. G'Kar, whose pain-givers are no longer activated,
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quickly rushes up to Tu'Pari and knocks him unconscious.
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<p> "That hurt!" he says to Na'Toth, in a friendly way.
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<p> "Ambassador," she answers, "it was the only way to disable the
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pain-givers. I had to hit them as hard as possible, as often as
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possible, and still make it appear as though I were beating you
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into another incarnation."
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<p> "And you didn't enjoy it in the least?" he asks.
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<p> "I didn't say that!" she jokingly responds. She asks what
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G'Kar will do with Tu'Pari....
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<p> Three days later, when Tu'Pari awakes, he is annoyed to find
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that he has been unconscious for so long. G'Kar explains that to
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make up for any inconvenience, he has deposited a large sum of
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money in Tu'Pari's personal account at home. Tu'Pari realizes what
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this means--the Assassins' Guild will think he betrayed his
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commission, and it will not take kindly to what it believes to be
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a violation of its rules.
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<p> G'Kar smiles and is glad to realize that he has nothing to
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fear from the Guild any longer--the commission was Tu'Pari's alone,
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and because the Assassins' Guild will be so embarrassed by this
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incident, they'd prefer to forget it all never happened--except for
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killing Tu'Pari if they find him. Happily, G'Kar and Na'Toth send
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Tu'Pari on his way, both saying, "You will know pain, and you will
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know fear, and then you will die. Have a pleasant flight."
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<p>
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<img src="/lurk/gif/005/pleasant.gif" align=middle> "Have a pleasant flight."
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<p> Sinclair and Catherine are saying goodbye to one another.
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However, they both agree that this time will be different--"I'm not
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leaving, this time," says Sinclair.
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<p> "This should be interesting," responds Catherine. She then
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asks him what he's planning for Earth's religious demonstration.
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He replies that he has no idea--and that he also has no idea how
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he'll top the Minbari demonstration, with all its "Bells, drums,
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robes, and little pieces of fruit."
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<p> "Red fruit?" she asks, her interested piqued. "And was there
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a serious exchange of looks?" He says that there were--it's part
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of the rebirth ceremony, he says. She laughs and says that that
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type of ceremony can also double as a marriage ceremony--"depending
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on how seriously anyone took it, somebody got married the other
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day."
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<p> "Maybe that's why G'Kar's smiling. Funny, I didn't think
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Londo was his type," Sinclair jokes.
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<p> Catherine leaves, but says she'll return soon. They both
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wonder if they'll "get it right this time."
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<p> Sinclair has finally arranged Earth's religious demonstration.
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He brings the alien ambassadors into a room which contains hundreds
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of people, all of different religions. Sinclair moves along a line
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formed by them, introducing them one-by-one to the aliens. There
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were, as the aliens commented, no drums, no bells, no chants--only
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a showcase of Earth's proud diversity.
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<p>
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Shawn Bayern
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<em>bayern@cshl.org</em>
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<hr>
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Copyright 1994, Shawn Bayern. All rights reserved. Permission is
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granted to distribute this synopsis <strong>noncommercially</strong> as long as
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the synopsis and this copyright notice remain intact. Babylon 5 is
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a copyright of the PTN Consortium; no infringement of that
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copyright is intended by writing these synopses.
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