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234 lines
12 KiB
234 lines
12 KiB
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<p>
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(Continuing where
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<a href="018.html">Part 1</a>
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left off)
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<p>
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Garibaldi is relieved to hear that Sinclair and Ivanova are returning from
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the planet, but his relief is cut short when a tech announces that a ship,
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a <em>big</em> ship, is coming through the jump gate. He looks down at his
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computer display. "What the hell?"
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<p>
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The ship is an Earth Alliance heavy cruiser, the Hyperion, Captain Ellis
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Pierce commanding. He says he's been ordered to take control of the situation.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/hyperion-gate.gif"> The Hyperion
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comes through the gate.
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<p>
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In Medlab, Sinclair and Franklin watch over the alien from Epsilon 3.
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Franklin says he is still studying the alien's biology, but that he seems
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to be stabilizing.
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<p>
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Pierce is waiting in Sinclair's office, looking at an onscreen introduction
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to Babylon 5's facilities, when Sinclair arrives. Pierce says his crew will
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enjoy getting a little R&R on such a "cushy" station. Sinclair wants to know
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who authorized Pierce to take over; Sinclair has jurisdiction over Babylon 5's
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sector. Pierce says the Hyperion was in hyperspace when it received orders
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to divert to Babylon 5. The potential of the technologies Sinclair has
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discovered are enormous, and Earth wants a show of force so other races
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don't try to get a piece of the action before Earth has had its pick; if
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the Hyperion weren't present, the situation could get very messy. Sinclair
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angrily replies that the situation was fine until Pierce charged in with a
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heavy cruiser and shook things up.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/pierce.gif"> Pierce tells Sinclair
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why he's there.
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<p>
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Garibaldi is at a bar, drinking water and watching the news with some other
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patrons. The top story, of course, is the revolt on the Mars colony. Earth
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is sending in shock troops to quell the rebellion. The other bar patrons
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are delighted, and start insulting the Mars colonists. "We pay taxes so
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they can have the best atmosphere reprocessors, water reclamation... They
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ought to be damned grateful."
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One of them suggests, jokingly, that Earth should do "what my grandfather
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always said: nuke 'em till they glow and shoot 'em in the dark. That'd take
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care of 'em, just like magic." Infuriated, Garibaldi performs a magic trick
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of his own, assaulting the mouthy bar patron and stalking off.
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<p>
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Sinclair confers with Senator Hidoshi, complaining that he'd been told
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personally by President Santiago that he has jurisdiction over Babylon 5's
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sector. He threatens to resign over the issue unless Hidoshi can get
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Santiago to reaffirm his authority in the matter. Hidoshi says he'll see
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what he can do, but it might not be much as the President is preoccupied
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with the Mars colony revolt.
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<p>
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In the command center, Ivanova tells Sinclair that the Hyperion has just
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launched an expedition to the planet's surface, and that the planet's
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defense systems, much more active than before, are preventing them from
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getting close. Sinclair demands that Pierce call off the expedition,
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making up a story about needing a special jamming device to get through
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the defense systems.
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<p>
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Ivanova then tells Sinclair that they've been monitoring greatly increased
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seismic activity from the planet, activity that seems to be artificially
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induced and that's increasing in severity. If it continues to do so, the
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planet will rip itself apart, taking Babylon 5 with it.
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<p>
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Later, Ivanova reports that they've discovered the planet is honeycombed
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with passages and fusion reactors, some of them miles in diameter. The
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fusion reactors seem to be set to overload. She estimates less than 48
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hours until the planet is destroyed. Garibaldi says it would take at least
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three days to evacuate the station even if all the ships in the sector
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were called in.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/conference.gif"> Discussing the
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situation.
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<p>
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Londo catches up with Ivanova in the corridor and demands to know what's
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going on. He presses her on the issue, until she replies, "You want to
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know what's really going on down there right now? Boom. Boom boom boom.
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Boom boom. <em>Boom</em>. Have a nice day."
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<p>
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Delenn and Draal are returning to Delenn's quarters when Draal hears the
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sick alien's voice calling out to him. The two of them head for Medlab.
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<p>
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Sinclair goes to talk to Garibaldi about the incident in the bar. Garibaldi
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expresses his frustration at finding himself helpless; he can't help Lise,
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doesn't even know if she's alive or dead. "The planet we're parked next to is
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about to go up like a Roman candle. What am I supposed to do, arrest it?"
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He says he just snapped. He and Sinclair discuss his reluctance to call
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Lise over the years -- he was afraid she'd reject him, and even more afraid
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she wouldn't -- and Sinclair promises to try pulling a few strings to get
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Garibaldi a comm channel to Mars. He asks Garibaldi to make sure Ivanova
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leaves the station if they end up needing to evacuate.
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<p>
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Draal and Delenn arrive in Medlab. Franklin tries to stop them from going
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in to see the alien, but the alien awakens and calls out to Draal. He says
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everyone must stay away from the planet, that it will explode without a
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heart, "without another."
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/listen.gif"> Draal and Delenn listen
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to the alien.
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<p>
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After getting that confirmation that expeditions to the planet will only
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hasten its detonation, Sinclair arrives in the command center to find that
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Pierce is about to launch another group of ships to the planet. He knows
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what the alien (whose name is Varn) said, but feels that Varn has every
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reason to lie to keep people away. Sinclair threatens to shoot Pierce's
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ships out of the sky if they approach the planet, and orders the station's
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fighters to prepare for launch. Convinced that Sinclair feels he has
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nothing to lose, Pierce backs down.
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<p>
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Suddenly, an unknown alien ship enters through the jumpgate and scans the
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station's language and translation files. Its captain, Takarn, who appears
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to be of the same race as Varn, claims that the planet belongs to his people,
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who have been searching for it for 500 years. He gives Sinclair and Pierce
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ten hours to leave the area, or he'll take the planet by force.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/scan.gif"> The Hyperion and Babylon 5
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are scanned.
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<p>
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Before Sinclair can respond, Pierce answers Takarn with his own ultimatum:
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withdraw within nine hours, or the Hyperion will attack.
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<p>
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Varn tells Sinclair that the newcomers are outcasts, rejected by his people,
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who are all long dead now. He has been guarding the planet, connected to
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the heart of the machine, for five hundred years.
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He monitored Babylon 5's construction, learned its languages from its
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transmissions, but the time wasn't right to reveal himself until his failing
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health forced the issue. He warns Sinclair that the newcomers must not be
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allowed to take the planet. It is for the future.
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<p>
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Sinclair talks to Delenn and Draal, who claim that Varn didn't tell them
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anything more than what he told Sinclair. Sinclair leaves, and as Delenn
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and Draal talk about what Varn meant by "another," Londo enters and says
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the three of them need to talk.
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<p>
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Pierce tells Sinclair that he needs Babylon 5's forces to make an effective
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attack against the alien ship. Sinclair assures Pierce that when the time
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comes, he'll commit his forces to the battle.
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<p>
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Londo, Delenn, and Draal talk about Varn; Londo tells them of Varn's appearance
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in the hallway earlier. He wants to help, to take a risk, as he did years
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before when he led the raid on Frallis 12. He realizes that one of the group
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will have to stay behind permanently.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/garden.gif"> Londo volunteers his help.
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<p>
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Ivanova clears a transport to leave the station: "The more we get out now,
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the fewer we'll have to evacuate later." It flies off -- it's a shuttle
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with Centauri markings -- just as Garibaldi links in to report that someone
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has stolen Varn from Medlab.
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<p>
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Takarn signals the station, furious that they're allowing a transport to
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try to go to the planet. Ivanova checks, and sure enough, the Centauri
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shuttle is headed for the surface. Takarn launches his attack, prompting
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Babylon 5 and the Hyperion to unleash their fighter wings. The battle is
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joined.
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<p>
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Londo, piloting the shuttle, seems delighted to be back in the thick of
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things. "Who says the good old days are gone, eh?" Draal and Delenn,
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tending after Varn, look a little nervous about Londo's daredevil piloting
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style.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/thruster.gif"> Londo looks for the
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landing thruster controls.
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<p>
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On the station, Sinclair and Ivanova note that the planet isn't
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attacking the Centauri shuttle for some reason. Garibaldi goes after it
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in a shuttle of his own.
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<p>
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Deep within the planet, with the battle raging furiously overhead, Garibaldi
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finds Delenn, Draal, Londo and Varn in the room where Sinclair and Ivanova
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discovered Varn initially. Draal tells Garibaldi that he's staying behind;
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someone has to run the machine, and it will give him the purpose, the life
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in service of others, that he has long been missing among his own people.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/hyperion-gun.gif"> The Hyperion fires
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its main gun.
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<p>
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Back in space, the battle continues. The station takes a direct hit,
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sustaining serious damage. It's about to be fired on again when a strange
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force emanates from the planet, causing all the controls in the command
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center to go dark. A translucent image of Draal appears, informing all
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three parties that the planet belongs to none of them. "It belongs only
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to itself, and to the future." As the planet's secrets would give a huge
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advantage to any race that had them to itself, he places the safekeeping of
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the planet in the hands of the Babylon 5 Advisory Council, whose enlightened
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self-interest he hopes will cause them to leave the place alone. But if not,
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he warns that the defense systems are now fully operational, and any ship
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that attempts to land will be destroyed.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/energy.gif"> Emanation from Epsilon 3.
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<p>
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The aliens, apparently not believing the threat, fly toward the planet. As
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promised, a tremendously powerful weapon fires from the surface, vaporizing
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them instantly.
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<p>
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Delenn says an emotional farewell to Draal. Varn, staying behind to watch
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over Draal, assures her that the planet is wondrous, that Draal's life will
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be extended. He will "see all the futures, hear all the songs, and touch
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the edge of the universe with his thoughts."
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<p>
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As the Hyperion leaves, Pierce says he's received a message from Earth
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reaffirming Sinclair's authority. He apologizes to Sinclair. After the
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ship leaves, Ivanova tells Sinclair she has a channel to Mars for Garibaldi.
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<p>
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Garibaldi is delighted to learn that Lise is alive, even more so to talk
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to her. She was caught in the crossfire while getting food, but her wounds
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aren't serious and she's expected to recover. She says the fighting has
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begun to die down; the Earth-supported provisional government seems to have
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the upper hand. Garibaldi tells her he's sorry he ever left, and asks if
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he can meet up with her on his next leave. She tells him she's married,
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and expecting a baby. The news crushes him.
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<p>
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Later, Garibaldi is in an observation area, staring out into the stars,
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when Delenn joins him. He asks why she and Londo didn't come to Sinclair
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once they realized someone needed to be in the planet. She says she
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didn't, "because I know in my heart that if I had, Commander Sinclair would
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be down there now. He is searching for a purpose. But his destiny lies
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elsewhere." Garibaldi asks how she managed to get Londo to go. She says
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she offered him a deal. She now owes him a large favor, which she's sure
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he'll collect eventually, but she says he enjoyed the adventure, as it
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awakened something in him that had long been buried.
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<p>
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<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/019/observation.gif"> Delenn joins
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Garibaldi.
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<p>
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"One thing I've discovered," Garibaldi says. "Some things
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are better left buried." He leaves.
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<p>
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Delenn gazes out across the stars. "Good night, old friend," she says.
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"Sleep well."
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<p>
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<h3>Synopsis by <a href="http://www.midwinter.com/~koreth/">Steven Grimm</a></h3>
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