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								<p>  Shon, a young alien boy, has developed a "congested blockage

								in his upper air passages."  When Dr. Franklin explains to Shon's

								parents that Shon's condition can be cured by a fairly routine

								surgical procedure, the parents seem bewildered.  "You will cut him

								open?" they ask, and explain that the "Chosen of God" cannot be

								"punctured" -- for their souls will escape.

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/parents.gif">

								"<em>Food animals</em> are punctured."

								<p>  B5 has received a distress signal from the starliner Asimov,

								which has been immobilized because of a fire in its command and

								control center--unfortunately, the ship is now adrift in Raider

								territory.  Ivanova (who pleas with Sinclair to send her instead of

								Garibaldi) is sent to lead a fighter wing to rescue the Asimov.

								<p>  Dr. Maya Hernandez, one of the B5 doctors, tries to convince

								Shon's parents to allow the procedure, but they are quite determined

								not to allow it.  Just as it becomes evident that the parents

								will not change their mind, Franklin suggests an alternate

								procedure.  He admits that this procedure won't work as well, but

								it's better than nothing.  After the parents leave to consider this

								new method, Dr. Franklin explains to Hernandez that, though this

								procedure will obviously not save Shon, it will at least give

								Franklin time to try to convince the parents to change their mind.

								Both doctors realize that there are only two options--surgery or

								death--but Franklin explains that it is sometimes necessary to

								"heal the family before you can heal the patient."  Shon's parents

								return and say that they are willing to try Franklin's new

								procedure.

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/gloppet.gif">

								Franklin comforts Shon.

								<p>  Franklin, who is speaking with Sinclair, explains his dilemma.

								Franklin requests that Sinclair order him to perform the surgery,

								but Sinclair declines, commenting that it's a dangerous precedent

								to set.  Franklin explains that that precedent has <em>already</em> been

								set--by Sinclair's ordering Dr. Kyle to save Ambassador Kosh

								(cf. <a href="/lurk/guide/000.html">"The Gathering"</a>)--and

								when Franklin brings up the idea of making

								this issue official by petitioning Sinclair with a formal request

								to operate, Sinclair asks him to try to find another solution.

								<p>  Meanwhile, Franklin's "procedure" is obviously not working.

								When the parents become angered, Franklin pleads with them again,

								but they still refuse to allow surgery.  Finally, Franklin

								threatens to suspend their parental authority if they will not

								allow him to operate--and he makes a formal request for Commander

								Sinclair to decide this issue.

								<p>  Shon's parents go to Sinclair and request that he decide in

								their favor.  Sinclair explains his dilemma--he must consider

								Franklin's request, but he must also act as the parents' advocate

								because the parents' race has no ambassador on the station.  The

								parents express their objection--they don't like the situation and

								believe that Sinclair will rule against them because "Earth people

								always stick together."

								<p>  The parents visit Ambassador G'Kar and ask for the Narn to

								intervene on their behalf, but G'Kar claims that the parents' world

								doesn't have much to offer to Narn--and claims the Narns don't

								casually enter into other people's affairs.  The parents then visit

								Ambassador Mollari, who says that he sympathizes with them but

								explains that it would be too expensive to intervene--if the

								Council was called on this matter, there would be a whole array of

								costs that would have to be justified.  Ambassador Kosh proves just

								as unhelpful to the parents:  concerning the issue of a patient's

								safety versus the concerns of the patient's world, he simply says,

								"The avalanche has already started.  It is too late for the pebbles

								to vote."

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/plead-kosh.gif">

								Shon's parents plead with Kosh.

								<p>  When the parents plea with Delenn, she says that she

								sympathizes entirely, but she also says that the Minbari are

								reluctant to get involved with the religious affairs of other

								people--especially because they've seen what happens when other

								races interfere with Minbari religious affairs.  Delenn explains

								that both Dr. Franklin and the parents believe they are doing

								what's "right" -- yet how can either of them prove it?

								<p>  Meanwhile, Ivanova's team has found the Asimov--but they have

								also picked up the signal of an approaching Raider vessel.

								<p>  Sinclair explains to Garibaldi how distraught he is--the buck

								keeps being passed back to him.  Earth Central refuses to advise,

								and the other ambassadors refuse to take action.  Later, when

								Sinclair visits Shon, Shon explains that, though he doesn't want to

								die, he doesn't want the surgery either.

								<p>  When Sinclair finishes speaking with Shon, Dr. Franklin asks

								him what his decision on the request will be.  Sinclair explains

								that it's a difficult decisions:  both sides, according to their

								own beliefs, are morally "right."  "Who should I believe?" asks

								Sinclair.  "You [Dr. Franklin], because we share the same beliefs?

								Or do we? ... What makes a religion false?  If any religion is

								right, then maybe they all have to be right.  Maybe God doesn't

								care how you say your prayers, just as long as you say them ...

								What we hold sacred gives our lives meaning.  What are we taking

								away from this child? ... I have to refuse to sign the order.  I

								can't allow you to perform the operation."

								<p>  When Franklin angrily confronts Sinclair, Sinclair explains

								that he really had no choice in the matter.  According to his

								personal beliefs, he would sign the order right away--but as

								commander of B5, he wants to ensure the neutrality of the station.

								He explains that he can't just set other races' beliefs aside

								whenever it's convenient or whenever they violate human beliefs.

								He also says that, though he is violating the precedent set when he

								ordered Dr. Kyle to operate on Kosh, that particular precedent must

								be stopped somewhere.

								<p>  Meanwhile, Shon's condition is worsening.  Franklin calls

								Shon's parents, who say how grateful they are for Sinclair's

								wisdom, and who tell Shon how proud they are of him that he is

								dying honorably.  When Shon's parents leave, however, Franklin

								decides to operate on Shon anyway--he can't allow a simple legal

								order to get in the way of what's "right," according to him.  Dr.

								Hernandez decides to help him.

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/operate.gif">

								Preparing to operate.

								<p>  The Raider ship that is approaching Ivanova is meanwhile

								getting closer.  Ivanova, in defiance of general orders to the

								contrary, breaks formation and pursues this Raider ship--as the

								rest of the squadron escorts the Asimov back to B5.  Ivanova

								successfully destroys this ship, but notes a large squadron of

								Raider ships approaching after her.  She reverses her thrusters,

								trying to escape.

								<p>  Franklin's operation was successful, and Shon--who is now

								<em>physically</em> fine--comments that he doesn't feel spiritually any

								different than he did before.  When his parents arrive, however,

								they angrily shun Shon--they treat him as if he were some sort of

								evil demon and try to exorcise him.

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/abandon.gif">

								Shon, abandoned by his parents.

								<p>  Sinclair, when he hears, angrily confronts Franklin.  However,

								they are both interrupted by Hernandez, who summons them to the Med

								Lab.  At Med Lab, the parents have again arrived--and this time

								they appear a little more complacent.  They say that if it were in

								their power to forgive Franklin, they would--because he meant no

								harm, and because he did what he did out of compassion.  They

								leave, after wrapping Shon in a "travelling robe."

								<p>  A little later, when Franklin and Hernandez are researching

								the customs of Shon's race, Franklin comes across a description of

								a "travelling robe."  Suddenly, he rushes out of the Med Lab, runs

								through the corridors, and arrives at Shon's room--only to realize

								that he is too late, that the parents have already killed Shon.

								The parents, however, don't see why Franklin is so upset--they

								comment, "This was not our son.  This was only a shell.  There was

								nothing to do but end the pain of the shell."

								<p>

								<img align="middle"

								src="/lurk/gif/010/ceremony.gif">

								"Do not grieve, Dr. Franklin."

								<p>  Later, Sinclair tells Franklin that he won't ask for his

								resignation--this time.  However, he comments that Franklin

								shouldn't have made the request--then, he wouldn't have had to

								violate it.  Franklin is quite upset with himself, however, for not

								knowing that the parents would kill Shon.  Franklin wonders if

								things might not be better or easier if nobody cared about life or

								religion.

								<p>  "What makes us human is that we care--and because we care, we

								never stop trying," replies Sinclair.

								<p>  Meanwhile, Ivanova and her squadron have returned safely.

								When Garibaldi asks her about the orders she violated, Ivanova

								explains that sometimes things work out when one takes an educated

								risk.  Garibaldi replies that at other times, they don't--and he

								explains the events of the preceding days to Ivanova.

								<p>

								Shawn Bayern

								<em>bayern@cshl.org</em>

								<hr>

								Copyright 1994, Shawn Bayern.  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.