brennen
/
lurkers-guide



								<p>

								It is December 30, 2258.  As the episode opens, Londo and G'Kar are arguing

								before the council about quadrant 37.  G'Kar accuses the Centauri government

								of sending armed ships into Narn space, but Londo is adamant in his belief

								that quadrant 37 is neutral territory, because of a treaty.  G'Kar declares

								that the Narn government no longer acknowledges the treaty because it was

								forced upon them.  Sinclair intervenes and points out that the Narns have

								operated a military base on the border of Centauri space, without incident,

								for five years, and wonders why the problems have only now begun.  G'Kar

								claims that outposts such as those are necessary for Narn planetary

								security.  Londo responds, "Keep this up, G'Kar, and soon you won't have a

								planet to protect." G'Kar storms out of the council chamber.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/tiptoe.gif"> G'Kar makes his accusation.


								<p>

								Elsewhere on the station, Garibaldi is talking to some people when a dying

								man stumbles over to him.  The man is badly injured and can barely talk, but

								manages to utter one message before he dies.  "You've got to stop them," he

								says.  "They're going to kill him...  they're going to kill him."


								<p>

								Garibaldi explains to Sinclair and Ivanova that the man, named Stephen

								Petrov, was a lurker from Downbelow who he had picked up for petty theft and

								reformed.  He had been an informant of Garibaldi's for six months, though

								Garibaldi had not heard from him in nearly two weeks.  Garibaldi is upset

								that Petrov had died while wanting to turn his life around, but realizes

								that his death may not have been in vain, if what he said was true.  Though

								they don't know whose life may be in danger, Garibaldi is determined to find

								the answer.


								<p>

								Later, Sinclair and Catherine Sakai watch the news in Sinclair's quarters.

								"After which, the president and his escort left the Mars colony on a

								goodwill tour of the outer planet colonies.  Sources close to the president

								have hinted that he'll give a major policy speech New Year's Day from the

								jump point on Io.  The speech is likely to concern human-alien relations

								over the remainder of his five-year term," says the anchorwoman.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/couch.gif"> Watching the news.


								<p>

								Catherine

								asks Sinclair if he has plans for New Year's.  He says that he doesn't,

								unless the conflict between the Narn and Centauri is still continuing.

								Catherine has made plans, but wants to surprise Sinclair.  Sinclair has a

								surprise for her as well.  He talks to her about their relationship and the

								problems they have had in the past, and how much he loves her.  "Look," he

								asks her, "do you want to get married or don't you?"  "Yes," she replies.


								<p>

								Londo and Vir are in Londo's quarters discussing the problems the Centauri

								are having with the Narn.  Londo is upset at having to tell the council that

								he must give quadrant 37 to the Narns, but knows that he must do it and that

								he has nearly no alternative.  Then, there is an incoming communication

								which Vir answers.  When the voice asks for Londo, Vir first answers that he

								is very busy, but Londo recognizes the voice and takes the call personally.

								He recognizes the man on the other end as Morden, who had rescued the Eye

								from the raiders.  Londo wants to talk, but Morden refuses, instead setting

								up a meeting at the park in one hour, to discuss a problem that Morden

								doesn't mention.  Londo agrees, and then sends Vir away, to prepare for the

								meeting.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/ducks.gif"> "I think I'll stick my

								head in the station's fusion reactor."


								<p>

								Delenn and Lennier are in Delenn's quarters.  Delenn is again working on the

								crystal structure that she has been constructing for a long time.  "Did you

								see Ambassador Kosh?" she asks Lennier, and he responds affirmatively.  "Did

								you relay my question precisely?  Word for word?"  Again, Lennier responds

								affirmatively, and when Delenn asks for his reaction, Lennier tells her.

								"Just one word.  He said: Yes."  Delenn stops working on the structure and

								leaves hastily, telling Lennier to wait for her.


								<p>

								Garibaldi, now in Downbelow, searches for information on Petrov's death.  He

								is met with consternation from the various lurkers, but eventually finds one

								that has information for him.  The strange man says that it is common for

								lurkers to accept assignments from people on the station when they need more

								people to work.  "Last week, one of the guys hired us to load cargo for

								transport." Garibaldi asks what kind, but the man didn't ask.  He suspected

								that the man who had asked them to load the cargo was trouble.  Garibaldi

								asks for a name, and the man provides one: Devereaux, whom he claims hangs

								out in the casino.  The lurker also provides one last startling bit of

								information.  "The last time I saw Petrov was just before he went looking

								for you.  Whatever he saw, whatever he knew, scared him half to death."


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/information.gif"> Garibaldi gathers

								information.


								<p>

								In the park, Londo searches for Morden and eventually finds him.  Londo

								tells Morden that he wanted to thank him for returning the Eye, but Morden

								waves it off.  "Unnecessary," Morden says.  "I'm here to be of service,

								Ambassador!  My associates believe that you are a person of great potential,

								trapped in a position where your skills are unseen and unappreciated.

								They'd like to change that."  Londo tells Morden that nothing can be

								changed, and that his life is as much as it will ever be, but Morden

								suggests trying anyway.


								<p>

								Morden knows of the trouble in quadrant 37 and offers to solve the problem

								for the Centauri.  Londo doesn't believe it, but Morden persists, telling

								Londo to tell his superiors that he will take care of the situation.  Londo

								does not still completely understand.  "What is the price for this...help?"


								<p>

								"No price, Ambassador," Morden answers simply.  "But at some point in the

								future, if we deliver on our promises, we may come to you and ask you for a

								favor.  That's all."  Morden leaves.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/help.gif"> "We're simply here to help."


								<p>

								Delenn enters Kosh's quarters.  She breathes from a gas mask once, then puts

								it away and speaks.  "I have come as I said I would.  Kosh, I have great

								doubts.  I must know if it's true.  I must see with my own eyes."


								<p>

								Kosh says nothing in response.  Suddenly, a bright light comes from the

								encounter suit, and slowly, the top of the suit begins to move out of

								place.  Delenn looks at what she sees and smiles.  "Yes, thank you.  Now I

								will keep the promise.  Goodbye.  You will not see me again as I am now."

								She bows to Kosh and leaves.


								<p>

								In the casino, Garibaldi finds Devereaux and introduces himself.  Devereaux

								refuses to cooperate, but relents after Garibaldi forces him to go to

								security to identify Petrov.  "Big mistake, hot shot," Devereaux says to

								Garibaldi.  "You shouldn't poke around in things you don't understand.  This

								is too big for you."  Garibaldi does not believe this, and escorts Devereaux

								out of the casino.


								<p>

								Meanwhile, in Londo's quarters, Vir enters and tells Londo that the Centauri

								government wants to know if he has relayed their message to the council.

								Londo tells Vir to reply that he will personally take care of the problem in

								quadrant 37.  Though Vir believes Londo is drunk, Londo assures him it is

								not so, and tells him to send the message.


								<p>

								Sinclair goes to G'Kar's quarters, where Na'Toth tells him that G'Kar is too

								busy, but she changes her mind after several females emerge from his

								bedroom.  Sinclair wants the Narn to give Centauri room to maneuver, but

								G'Kar refuses; he considers it a dead issue.  Sinclair tries to get him

								reconsider.  The Narn, he says, are abusing their power by threatening the

								Centauri much as the Centauri had done to them.


								<p>

								"We know what we're doing," G'Kar says.  "Is there anything else?"


								<p>

								"Just that I've had this feeling lately that we're standing at a crossroads,

								and I don't like where we're going.  But there's still time to choose

								another path.  You can be part of that process, G'Kar.  Choose wisely.  Not

								just for the Centauri, but for the good of your own people as well."


								<p>

								"We all do what we have to," G'Kar says, and asks Sinclair to leave.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/crossroads.gif"> "We're standing at a

								crossroads."


								<p>

								Later, Sinclair, Catherine, Ivanova and Garibaldi are eating dinner

								together.  Garibaldi wants to know what the occasion is, and Sinclair tells

								him that he and Catherine are getting married, and they want want Garibaldi

								and Ivanova to be the best man and maid of honor, respectively.

								Congratulations are exchanged, and Garibaldi tells Sinclair that he is glad

								to be his friend and best man.  A beep comes from Garibaldi's communicator,

								and he receives a message that Devereaux, and the two men who were with him,

								is missing.  Garibaldi tells Sinclair that he found something interesting

								about Devereaux.  When he investigated Devereaux's PPG, he found no serial

								number stamped on the inner coil.  Only special agents in Earth Force

								security get unnumbered PPGs, a fact which suggests to Garibaldi that

								something serious is going on.


								<p>

								In quadrant 37, a Narn perimeter guard is investigating the sector, and

								reports that he has found nothing.  He loses contact with the base.

								Suddenly, something materializes directly in front of him.  It is a large

								black ship that has many protusions resembling legs or tentacles.  It fires

								a beam at the ship, which is instantly destroyed.  A second mysterious ship

								appears nearby, then a third, then a fourth.  Several Narn ships, fighters

								and large capital ships alike,

								attempt to intercept and return fire on the spider-like vessels, but their

								attempts are fruitless.  All the Narn ships are destroyed, and soon the

								outpost on a nearby planet is destroyed as well.  The mystery ships vanish,

								fading to invisibility as they move away from the planet.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/outpost.gif"> The Narn outpost.


								<p>

								Ivanova, at C&C, taking an opportunity to relax since no more ships are due

								in for a while, watches the news.  "At which time the vice president

								disembarked Earth Force 1.  He is currently undergoing medical tests while

								the president continues en route to Jupiter.  Reports indicate that the vice

								president is suffering from a viral infection and hopes to catch up with the

								tour as it returns from Io."


								<p>

								There is, however, no time for Garibaldi to relax.  One of the ships that

								Devereaux had hired Petrov to load cargo onto was delayed by engine trouble,

								and he is inspecting the cargo.  His aide arrives to help.  Though the cargo

								containers are supposed to contain medical supplies, Garibaldi finds

								transmitters which are set to broadcast static -- a "poor man's jamming

								device."  In another crate is a triangulation system, used to determine

								optimum placement for the transmitters.  The device is set for a location

								near the transport point on Io, and the jammers are set to jam the gold

								channel frequency for Earth Force 1.  Garibaldi links to Sinclair.  "We've

								got a problem.  Ultraviolet priority."  He doesn't go into more detail, but

								tells Sinclair to meet him in a briefing room in twenty minutes.  He rushes

								away.  After Garibaldi leaves, his aide makes a communication of his own.

								"This is blue alpha," he says.  "Stand by."


								<p>

								While Garibaldi is on his way, he comes across Devereaux and his

								associates.  Garibaldi tries to apprehend them, but is shot in the back by

								his aide.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/devereaux.gif"> Devereaux confronts

								Garibaldi.


								<p>

								Sinclair, in his quarters, tells Ivanova that Garibaldi has still not

								reported in.  They both agree that Garibaldi would not call for an

								ultraviolet alert and then not go in to follow it up, so they surmise that

								something must be wrong.  Sinclair continues to try to contact Garibaldi,

								but is interrupted by the chime of his door.  He is thinks it's Garibaldi,

								but he's wrong.  It is Delenn.  "Hello Commander," she says.  "I believe you

								recognize this."  She holds up the triluminary given her by a member of the

								Grey Council.  "Yes," Sinclair answers, remembering a hooded member of the

								Council holding that up to his face when he was aboard the Minbari ship at

								the Battle of the Line.  Delenn presses further.  "You remember what

								happened at the Battle of the Line, don't you?  You remember being taken

								aboard our ship?"  Sinclair says he remembers a little of what happened, but

								doesn't know everything or what it means.  "I suspected as much," Delenn

								answers.  "We have a lot to discuss, Commander.  By coming to you, I am

								putting both of our lives at risk.  But there are things you should know."


								<p>

								Sinclair says it's a bad time because Garibaldi is missing.


								<p>

								"I understand," Delenn says.  "Come to my quarters, and I'll tell you as

								much as I can.  But don't wait too long, Commander.  Certain things have

								been set in motion, and I do not have much time."  She leaves.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/recognize.gif"> "I believe you recognize

								this."


								<p>

								While Garibaldi slowly and painfully makes his way to the elevator, Na'Toth

								delivers some disheartening news to G'Kar about quadrant 37.  She tells him

								that the outpost there is gone, and though G'Kar thinks they have just lost

								contact, she informs him that the homeworld sent a ship to investigate, and

								found everything gone, and all the records destroyed.  There were no

								survivors.  Na'Toth laments the 10,000 deaths, but G'Kar is preoccupied with

								even darker matters.  "It wasn't the humans.  The Centauri don't have the

								will.  The Vorlon's don't care.  The Minbari wouldn't do it.  The other

								worlds aren't powerful enough for a strike like this," he says.  "There's

								someone else out there, Na'Toth," he says grimly.


								<p>

								Things are a bit lighter around the rest of the station, however.  It is now

								midnight, and the New Year's celebration has just concluded with the ringing

								in of the new year, 2259.  When a couple of guests at the celebration

								attempt to leave, they find Garibaldi in the elevator.  He has lost a great

								deal of blood and is unconscious.


								<p>

								In Delenn's quarters, she is completing the building of her crystal

								construct.  "Are you sure there's no other way?" asks Lennier, who watches

								her sadly.


								<p>

								"What must happen will happen," Delenn says.  "Valen said this day would

								come.  Who are we to stand in the way of prophecy?"  Lennier tries to

								convince her to stop what she is doing by asking her what will happen if she

								is wrong.  "Then speak well of me when I'm gone," she answers, smiling

								faintly.  She turns away from him and looks at the crystal structure for a

								moment.  She then silently picks up the triluminary from the table and

								inserts it into a slot at the top of the device.  It begins to glow with an

								eerie white light, and soon the entire device is glowing in a similar

								manner.  "If he comes, it must be soon," she intones gravely, watching the

								corner of the room as something fills it, apparently coming from the glowing

								structure.  "I have little time."


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/sculpture2.gif"> "What must happen will

								happen."


								<p>

								Garibaldi is rushed to MedLab, where Dr. Franklin shouts to an assistant to

								prepare for surgery.  He diagnoses Garibaldi as having massive internal

								damage, and he cannot operate until his condition stabilizes.


								<p>

								Sinclair is worried about Garibaldi, but Garibaldi moves a little and is

								able to offer an important warning as Sinclair listens.  "They're going

								to...they're going to kill the president.  At the transfer point on Io.

								Warn him!  Warn him..."  Sinclair rushes out as Dr. Franklin goes to work.


								<p>

								Sinclair quickly arrives at C&C and asks Ivanova if she has been able to get

								through to Earth Force 1.  She tells him that all conventional channels are

								being jammed.  They are even unable to get through on the gold channels.

								The C&C staff tries to reroute through civilian channels and to get Earth

								Central on-line as well, but they do not succeed either way.  They are,

								however, still getting the ISN news feed, which they display so they can

								monitor the situation.  The anchorwoman reports that, though the president

								was supposed to begin his New Years speech ten minutes earlier, he had not

								done so.  She gets an emergency signal.  Suddenly, Earth Force 1 bursts into

								flames.  "Station Io is dispatching hospital ships, but it doesn't seem

								possible that anyone could have survived that kind of..."  Sinclair tells a

								tech to shut the screen off.  The president is dead.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/ef1.gif"> Earth Force 1.


								<p>

								While watching Dr. Franklin and the others in MedLab work on Garibaldi,

								Sinclair says that he wants guards posted around MedLab around the clock and

								medical personnel available 24 hours a day so that what happened before

								cannot happen again.  He says that they only have one name to go on,

								Devereaux, and that they need any information available about him.  Sinclair

								leaves, and we see that he was talking to Garibaldi's aide, who just smiles

								and looks through the window into MedLab.


								<p>

								In Delenn's quarters, Lennier cries silently as he watches and listens to

								Delenn.  Though she cries out several times, he does nothing but watch in

								anguish.


								<p>

								G'Kar and Na'Toth solemnly board a core shuttle, in which Ivanova is

								already seated.  G'Kar asks about Commander Sinclair and Garibaldi, and

								Ivanova tells them that Sinclair is in MedLab with him, and that Garibaldi's

								situation is still very uncertain.  G'Kar wants to tell Sinclair that there

								is little point in further mediating the dispute over quadrant 37.  Ivanova

								has heard about what happened, and asks if they have information, but they

								have none.  G'Kar offers his condolences over the death of President

								Santiago and hopes that Earth finds whoever is responsible.  Na'Toth tells

								Ivanova that the Narn will find and punish those responsible for the

								destruction of everything in quadrant 37.


								<p>

								Back in the park, Londo and Morden meet again.  Londo is amazed and outraged

								at what happened to quadrant 37 and the death of the 10,000 Narns there.  "I

								didn't know you cared," Morden replies.  "Ten thousand, a hundred thousand,

								a million, what's the difference?  They're Narns, Ambassador.  Your sworn

								enemy."  Londo, however, is still shocked.  He didn't think that Morden

								would take such drastic action.  "Ambassador, your name is being spoken at

								the highest levels of the Centauri government.  They don't know how you did

								it.  They don't care.  They credit you with saving them from another

								embarrassment without creating a war in the process.  They've noticed you,

								Ambassador, which was the point of the exercise.  I hear they have great

								plans for you."  Londo still cannot grasp the scope of what happened, but

								Morden continues.  "Ambassador, you're a hero.  Enjoy it!  I'll be around."

								He then leaves.


								<p>

								Sinclair tries to convince an Earth senator that the president was

								assassinated, but she does not believe it.  She claims that their evidence

								has only pointed to problems with their fusion reactor, and that it was all

								nothing more than an accident.  The senator doesn't believe that Garibaldi

								could know that the president might be assassinated if Earth's best agents

								did not.  She tells him that she doesn't want a panic to be created by

								spreading "unsubstantiated rumors" and orders him to maintain silence on his

								feelings of the presidential assassination.  Sinclair storms away.


								<p>

								Meanwhile, Garibaldi's aide calls to several other security agents who are

								nearby.  Devereaux and his men are lying on the floor dead.  Garibaldi's

								aide says that they tried to fire at him when they would not go in for

								questioning, and claims he killed them in self-defense.  One of the officers

								says Devereaux's PPG is cold, which it wouldn't be if Devereaux had fired

								it.  But he withdraws his comment, perhaps not wishing to contradict his

								superior.


								<p>

								Dr.  Franklin begins to operate on Garibaldi.


								<p>

								Sinclair is at the bar, drinking.  He watches the news regarding the death

								of President Santiago and the inauguration of vice president Morgan Clark to

								the presidency.  "It is important that we move on to create the world that

								Louis Santiago would have wanted for his children, my children, and for

								posterity yet to come," President Clark says in an address.  "We will begin

								by focusing more on the needs of our own people, to sustain them through

								this difficult time, and to prepare them for the tasks ahead."


								<p>

								Sinclair, sensing someone else entering the bar, turns around and sees

								Ambassador Kosh.  "And so it begins," intones Kosh.  "You have forgotten

								something," he continues.  Suddenly realizing what Kosh meant, Sinclair

								rushes out of the bar and goes to Delenn's quarters.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/begins.gif"> "And so it begins."


								<p>

								He enters and finds Lennier still staring at the corner, and the still

								glowing crystal statue on the table.  Lennier seems to be oblivious to

								Sinclair at first "You're too late," he says at last.


								<p>

								Sinclair follows Lennier's gaze over to the corner of the room, where he

								sees a large, white, faintly glowing mass.  He slowly walks over to it and

								examines it.  "What is it?"


								<p>

								"A chrysalis," replies Lennier.  "She is changing."


								<p>

								"Into what?"


								<p>

								"I don't know," is the only reply that Lennier can give, as Sinclair looks

								at Delenn's eyes, just barely visible beneath the surface of the chrysalis.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/022/chrysalis.gif"> Delenn's chrysalis.


								<p>

								Na'Toth enters G'Kar's quarters, but cannot find him.  As she calls out his

								name, an automated message begins.  "Na'Toth, by the time you get this

								message, I will be gone.  I have certain suspicions about the attack on

								quadrant 37.  I am taking the first transport back to homeworld.  You will

								not be able to contact me.  I will contact you.  And, uh, one more thing.

								Tell the commander he was right.  We were at a crossroads, and there is no

								going back.  Expect me when you see me."


								<p>

								Londo arrives in MedLab to find Ivanova waiting there.  She explains that

								she had relieved the commander and that he will be back on watch soon.  When

								Londo asks about Garibaldi's condition, she says they are still operating

								and they still don't know what the outcome will be.  Londo says that he

								would like to wait with her.  "He is an annoying man, but I would miss him

								if he..."  They then turn and continue to watch the operation, while

								Garibaldi's aide looks on silently.


								<p>

								Morden sits in the middle of a room, surrounded by strangely shimmering,

								shadowlike forms.  They make a few sounds, apparently language, but not one

								that we can understand.  "Yes, I think he's ready," Morden says to them.  He

								continues to answer, speaking to them after they speak to him.  "Perfect for

								our needs.  No, no, he suspects nothing.  When the time is right, Ambassador

								Mollari will do exactly as we wish.  Destiny is on our side."


								<p>

								Catherine, with a solemn look on her face, walks over to a sofa on which

								Sinclair is sitting, staring intently.  She puts her arms around him, but he

								only acknowledges her with words.  "Nothing's the same any more."


								<p>

								Lennier maintains a candlelight vigil over Delenn as she rests, slowly

								changing in her chrysalis.


								<h3>Synopsis by Matthew Murray (i9717029@unicorn.it.wsu.edu)</h3>