brennen
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lurkers-guide



								<p>

								During a meeting of the council, Londo complains about the absence of

								Ambassadors Delenn and G'kar.

								This upsets him greatly, and he moves that they reprimand both ambassadors

								and ask the Narn and Minbari governments to

								assign new representatives to the council.  When no

								one seconds the motion, Captain Sheridan adjourns the meeting and suggests

								they all meet the following morning.  As the ambassadors leave, Londo

								confronts Na'toth and asks her about G'kar.  She tells him only that he went

								to investigate the attack on the outpost in quadrant 37, and that he is able

								to take care of himself.


								<p>

								Meanwhile, G'kar is fleeing from several pursuing Shadow ships, smaller

								than the spiderlike vessels that destroyed the outpost in quadrant 37.  Though

								there are other one-man ships with him, they are losing the battle against

								the Shadows, and retreat to the jump gate.  Two of the ships are destroyed by

								the Shadows on the way, and the final remaining Narn pilot radios G'kar, "Tell

								the others.  Warn them.  In death we salute you.  Honor our names.

								Goodbye."  The ship makes a run directly into one of the Shadow vessels,

								which writhes in pain.  G'kar makes a pledge to remember the pilot who gave

								his life, as the Shadow ship explodes.  G'kar is able to

								get to the jumpgate, which he uses to travel to Babylon 5.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/shadows.gif"> The Shadow fighters in

								pursuit.


								<p>

								Dr. Franklin enters the officer's lounge, where he encounters Sheridan.

								Sheridan says he has some time before his sister arrives to visit.  Dr.

								Franklin tells Sheridan that Garibaldi's situation is very bad and that

								there is little chance of his coming out of a coma by conventional means.

								He mentions that there might be one solution: using the alien machine

								he obtained from Laura Rosen (cf.

								<a href="/lurk/guide/021.html">"The Quality of Mercy."</a>)

								He tells Sheridan about it, and asks for his

								permission.  Sheridan is somewhat apprehensive, but gives Franklin his

								permission.  He asks who Franklin had intended to transfer the life energy

								from, and Franklin answers that he had planned to take it from himself.

								Franklin leaves.


								<p>

								Later, Sheridan meets up with his sister, Elizabeth,

								when she arrives on her transport.  After some small talk, they go off to

								have dinner together.


								<p>

								Meanwhile, Londo receives a visitor: Morden.  Morden asks Londo how he can

								be of service, and Londo wants to be reassured that the attack on the Narn

								base in quadrant 37 cannot be traced back to him.  "The Narns will never be

								able to prove it was done at your instigation," Morden tells him, "and,

								based on your promise to take care of it, your government accepts your

								responsibility without question or hesitation.  Perfect symmetry.  I believe

								that this little demonstration will bring you some very interesting

								propositions."  When Londo asks what should happen if he is asked to provide

								another demonstration, Morden tells him that they will provide it, if only

								he names the target.  "A colony?  An outpost?" Morden suggests.


								<p>

								Londo laughs at that. "Why don't you eliminate the entire

								Narn homeworld while you're at it?"


								<p>

								"One thing at a time, Ambassador.  One

								thing at a time."  Before he leaves, Morden asks Londo for

								another small favor.  "If you should hear about anything strange happening

								out on the rim, I'd appreciate being informed, even if it seems

								unimportant."


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/morden-garden.gif"> "One thing at a time."


								<p>

								As Captain Sheridan and his sister eat dinner together, they talk about the

								two years they have been apart, though Elizabeth is a bit upset that Sheridan

								only wants to talk about work.  Sheridan explains that her being around only

								"brings it all back."  Elizabeth realizes that things have not been the same

								between them since his wife's death.  Sheridan says he needs more time -- that

								two years isn't enough.  He still has to remind himself that she is gone,

								and he has to force himself to remember that she is not alive.  Elizabeth

								understands, but wants Sheridan to honor her memory instead of burying

								himself in his work.  He says it isn't about work, but doesn't want to discuss

								the subject further.  They agree to put off the discussion until later.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/dinner.gif"> Sheridan talks about

								running the station.


								<p>

								Lennier still tends to Delenn's chrysalis while Sheridan finishes dinner and

								goes down to MedLab, where Dr. Franklin is about to begin using the healing

								machine to bring Garibaldi out of the coma.  Sheridan says that it is his

								responsibility to make sure that Garibaldi is safe, and he also doesn't want

								Franklin using the machine alone, in case a mishap takes his life as well.

								They agree that both of them will split the time on the healing machine: one

								will operate it while the other one is giving their life energy to

								Garibaldi.


								<p>

								Na'toth returns to G'kar's quarters, and begins studying some information

								she is carrying.  While she is doing so, a voice tells her to close the

								door.  She investigates the voice, finding it to be G'kar, sitting

								cross-legged on his bed.  "Weep for the future, Na'toth," he says to her.

								"Weep for us all."  She asks if he is all right, and he replies, "I have

								looked into the darkness, Na'toth.  You cannot do that and ever be quite the

								same again.  When you told me about the destruction of our base in quadrant

								37, I knew that only a major power could attempt an assault of that

								magnitude, but none of the governments here could have done it, which left

								only two possibilities: a new race, or an old race--a very old race.


								<p>

								"G'Quan spoke of a great war long ago against an enemy so terrible, it

								nearly overwhelmed the stars themselves.  G'Quan said that before that

								enemy was thrown down, it dwelled in a system at the rim of known space.


								<p>

								"I searched for days, going from one system to another.  Then, on dark

								deserted worlds, where there should be no life, where no living thing has

								walked in over a thousand years, something is moving, gathering its forces,

								quietly, quietly...hoping to go unnoticed.  We must warn the others,

								Na'toth.  After a thousand years, the darkness has come again."


								<p>

								Dr. Franklin is in MedLab, exhausted from the time spent on the healing

								machine, when Garibaldi wakes up.  He radios to C&C, telling Ivanova and

								Sheridan to get to MedLab.  Garibaldi's aide is listening in; he leaves his

								office in a hurry.


								<p>

								When Sheridan and Ivanova arrive, Garibaldi asks is if they were

								able to save President Santiago's life.  Ivanova tells him that they were

								not.  Garibaldi asks to see Sinclair, but learns about his reassignment.

								Sheridan introduces himself.  Ivanova asks if Garibaldi remembers who shot

								him, and while his aide,

								who has entered MedLeb, keeps a firm grip on his weapon, Garibaldi confesses

								that he never saw his assailant because he was shot from behind.  At this

								news, Garibaldi's aide removes his hand from his weapon and walks away.


								<p>

								Londo and G'kar meet up in the hallway.  Londo asks if G'kar has found

								anything interesting.  G'kar answers affirmatively, but tells Londo that he

								is going to tell the council about his findings.  He tells Londo that the

								only way to resolve the problems between the Narn and Centauri is with

								Centauri blood, but that what he has found may threaten all their races,

								except possibly the Vorlons, a race he doesn't believe could be threatened

								by anything.  G'kar is on his way to see Delenn, but Londo tells him that

								something happened to her right after he left.  When G'Kar asks if she is still

								alive, Londo says, "That is a very good question."


								<p>

								That question is soon answered as Lennier reenters Delenn's quarters to find

								the chrysalis open.  Though he doesn't see her at first, a quick search of

								the room leads him to find her in a dark corner, wrapped in a dark cloak.

								She speaks, her voice frail and weak, and asks him to help her.  Lennier

								calls Dr. Franklin, asking him to come to her quarters.  Lennier warns him

								before he enters that anything he learns must be kept confidential.  Delenn

								tells Franklin that she isn't ill.  "What I have become, what I suffer,

								requires you," she tells him, giving him her hand, which is now dry and

								scaly.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/chrysalis.gif"> The empty chrysalis.


								<p>

								Sheridan and Elizabeth discuss life aboard Babylon 5, and Sheridan continues

								to lament the loss of Anna, his wife.  Elizabeth notices that he seems to be

								acting more detached than ever, and asks him what is wrong.  He claims it

								was his fault that she died.  She tries to convince him that he had nothing

								to do with the explosion of the deep space vessel that killed her, but he

								tells her that he is responsible for her being there.  "We were gonna get

								together on our anniversary.  She'd arranged to meet me when we pulled into

								spacedock, off of Centauri Prime.  Well, we hadn't seen much of each other

								the year before--you know what the military life is like.  Well, I'd gotten

								real busy--I was up to my ears in inspections, drills...I had to call her

								and tell her I couldn't make it.  I was too busy--too damn busy.  Well,

								right after I cancelled, she took that science officer's job on the Icarus.

								Just a two week survey.  Said she'd back before I even noticed she was

								gone.  Well, she didn't come back, and I've been noticing she's is gone

								every minute of every day." Elizabeth tells Sheridan not to blame himself.

								He refuses to believe it isn't his fault, but he tells her the real

								reason he is so upset.  "When we used to talk to each other over long

								distance, we would say 'I love you' at the end.  The last time I talked to

								her...I don't know, I was rushed...I didn't say it.  I didn't even realize

								it.  And I figured I'd make it up to her later on.  I never even got to say

								good-bye to her.  Oh, Lizzy, I miss her.  I just didn't want her to go

								without telling her I loved her one last time."


								<p>

								Dr. Franklin makes a new discovery while treating Delenn--he pushes on part

								of her blue, scaly arm and it cracks away, revealing something underneath

								that is flesh-colored.  Neither he, Lennier, or Delenn know if that is

								something that should happen or not, so he quickly scans her with a medical

								device.  He lifts up her head to get a look at her face.  "What am I?" she

								asks weakly.  "What am I?"  As he looks into her face, which is covered with

								the blue substance, he has no answer to give her.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/whatami.gif"> "What am I?"


								<p>

								G'kar address the council about what he encountered at the rim.  "...which

								leads me to believe that the ancient race described in our holy books may

								have returned.  If true, this holds grave danger for all of us."  Sheridan

								suggests that the dead worlds where he found life may have been colonized by

								another race, but G'kar will not accept this, as he says that the ships that

								fired upon him looked very much like the drawings made by G'Quan.  But, because

								the rulers of the Narn homeworld have reservations about what he has found,

								no official confirmation of his findings

								have been given.  G'kar tells the council that

								he has convinced the rulers of his planet to send a ship "to the heart of

								the enemy's own domain, located at the rim of known space...a dark and

								terrible place known as Z'ha'dum.  It has been dead for a thousand years.

								No one goes there...no one.  Our ship will arrive in twelve hours, coming out

								of hyperspace as close to the enemy's homeworld as possible.  They will scan

								the planet for signs of life and return to hyperspace before anyone can

								attack."  Sheridan asks what will happen if someone is living there.

								G'kar replies, "Then all our races stand on the end of extinction."


								<p>

								Londo meets with Morden yet again.  He tells Morden about the information

								he got from G'kar.  Though Morden says little about it, he does ask when the

								ship is scheduled to arrive.


								<p>

								Talia Winters enters MedLab and begins talking to Garibaldi.  She understands

								what he wants her to do, but warns him that even if she does find anything,

								it is not admissible in court.  She tells him that the scan she performs

								will have to be a deep scan.  He understands, so she removes one of her

								gloves, takes his hand, and begins the scan.  She sees what happened when

								Garibaldi encountered Devereaux, and sees him raise his weapon...Right

								before Garibaldi is shot, however, she also sees the face of Garibaldi's

								aide, Jack, in a reflective surface at the very edge of his vision.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/talia.gif"> Talia agrees to help Garibaldi.


								<p>

								A security officer enters the office of Garibaldi's aide, and tells him that

								Delenn is emerged from the cocoon, and has wings like a butterfly.  He urges

								Jack to go and see, which he reluctantly does.  As soon as he leaves the

								office, he is assaulted by a group of security officers and held at bay

								until Sheridan arrives and orders them to take him to the lockup and put him

								under maximum security, with checks on him every fifteen minutes.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/welch-aide.gif"> Garibaldi's aide gets

								his just desserts.


								<p>

								Despite Dr. Franklin's objections, Garibaldi convinces him to let him go

								talk to his aide and find out why he attacked him.


								<p>

								"I trusted you," Garibaldi tells Jack during the ensuing interrogation.  "I

								taught you

								everything I know. I gave you every break.  I even treated you like my own

								brother."  He bangs his cane on the table and demands to know why Jack

								did it, to which his aide only responds that he had his instructions.

								Garibaldi asks him who gave the orders.


								<p>

								"There's a new order coming back

								home, Garibaldi.  You can either be part of it, or you can be stepped on.  A

								winner or a loser.  I'm with the side that's gonna win."  Garibaldi asks if

								it is Homeguard, but Jack tells him that he is wrong; the Homeguard are a

								bunch of amateurs.  Garibaldi tells Jack

								that he is in big trouble.  Jack scoffs.  "You don't even know what

								trouble is... but

								you're gonna find out, real soon."


								<p>

								Garibaldi tells Jack that the shooting of a

								senior officer is treason and mutiny and that the penalty is spacing.  "They

								put you in an airlock, seal it, and then open the space door.  You spend the

								next five minutes chewing vaccuum until your lungs turn inside-out, your

								eyeballs freeze, and your heart explodes.  It's the worse kind of death you

								can imagine.  And when that day comes, I'll be there to push the button."


								<p>

								Garibaldi begins to leave, but on the way out, Jack calls to him and

								performs a salute with his hand, the same that Bester once gave.  "Be seeing

								you," he says, smiling.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/seeing.gif"> "Be seeing you."


								<p>

								Sheridan is working in his office when Ivanova calls in, telling him that he

								has a call from President Clark.  The president tells him that he read the

								report on the arrest of Garibaldi's aide.  He asks if Sheridan actually

								believes the aide was in on the conspiracy to kill President Santiago.

								Sheridan has no evidence of that, but does say that he is guilty of shooting

								a senior officer.  Clark tells him that they need to investigate the matter

								fully and orders the prisoner transferred to Earth so that Clark can assist in

								the investigation.  "We can't risk this

								being mishandled, Captain," Clark tells Sheridan.  "During the time I served

								as vice-president under Santiago, I grew to admire and appreciate the man.

								I owe it to his memory to personally oversee any inquiry."  He orders that

								all other information regarding the matter be sent as well.  He

								compliments Sheridan on his good work.


								<p>

								As the Narn warship exits hyperspace into the system of Z'ha'dum, a Shadow

								ship, that had apparently been waiting for it, appears and swiftly attacks,

								completely destroying it before it has the opportunity to

								reenter the jump point.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/blast.gif"> The Narn warship is

								destroyed.


								<p>

								At the council meeting, Na'toth reports to G'kar and the council about the

								ship's destruction.  She says the Narn government believes it was an

								accident with the jump engines because it occurred right after they left

								hyperspace.  She also tells them that the government cannot afford to send

								another ship.  But G'kar doesn't believe it was an accident.  "When a

								warship jumps to normal space, it's briefly out of contact because of the

								energy drain.  It might have been attacked during that period.  But that

								couldn't happen unless...unless they knew the ship was coming and were

								waiting for it.  But no one knew, except..."  His voice falls dead as the

								meaning of his words hit him.  He looks quickly at both Londo and Sheridan,

								both of whom return his glance steadily.


								<p>

								Lennier enters the council chamber and addresses the council, telling

								them that Ambassador Delenn has returned and would like to reclaim her seat

								on the council.  Sheridan tells Lennier that it is all right, and tells

								Lennier to let her come in.  She does so, dressed in a long white cloak with

								a hood that covers her head.  She slowly removes the hood, revealing what

								she has changed into.  Her skin no longer is pale like that of a Minbari--it

								is now flesh-colored, that of a human.  She has long, brown hair which

								spills down over her ears, which have the same size and position of human

								ears, and what looks like part of the Minbari headbone, though it is only

								about a third of the size it once was.  While the council observes her,

								awestruck, she explains her change.  "Ambassador Sinclair has been allowed

								to live on my world as an act of good faith, to create a greater

								understanding between Minbari and humans.  In return, I have undergone this

								change with the blessings of my government, so that I may become a bridge

								between our worlds, in the hope that we will never know war between us

								again."


								<p>

								Sheridan tells his sister of Delenn's change.  She asks if it is

								just her outward appearance that has changed, or if it was her genetic

								structure as well.  Sheridan doesn't know, but tells her that Delenn wasn't

								eager to discuss it.  Elizabeth tells Sheridan that she has something

								he should watch, and that she decided after their talk to let him see it.

								It is a message that Anna sent her before she left on the Icarus.  Sheridan

								plays it and watches silently.


								<p>

								"Oh well," Anna's image says happily, "maybe

								we'll have the chance to try again later.  I am really excited about serving

								signing on board the Icarus next week.  John and I were supposed to spend

								some time together, but Dr. Chang thinks he's found the ruins to an ancient

								civilization nobody's ever heard of before.  The chance to be there when the

								discovery is confirmed is just too good an opportunity to pass up.  I had

								already decided to put off our vacation and go when John called to tell me

								that he had to cancel, so it worked out just great.  Though the poor dear

								looked so upset about breaking the news, I wanted to tell him I was going

								away anyway, but I...we had so much else to cover, and there's never enough

								time...  I'll just have to fill him in when I get back.  You've got quite a

								brother there, Liz.  I can't tell you how...how lucky I feel sometimes, even

								when he's not here.  I just...  Someone said that love knows no borders, and

								ours certainly proves the point.  Well, I'll check in with you when I get

								back, though with any luck, you'll hear about it on the news first.  My love

								to Danny and the kids.  Bye."


								<p>

								Sheridan says good-bye to her as well.

								"I love you, Anna," he tells the image on the screen.


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/goodbye.gif"> Saying goodbye.


								<p>

								Garibaldi thanks Talia for helping out, and she tells him that it wasn't a

								problem, but it still isn't admissable in court.  Garibaldi tells her that,

								thanks to her help, he can take it the rest of the way.  He asks her to

								leave, and speaks to Dr. Franklin and Ivanova.  "I trust her as much as

								I trust any telepath, but she's still PsiCorps." When Dr. Franklin asks what

								PsiCorps has to do with the attack, Garibaldi explains.  "I've been thinking

								about this little salute Jack gave me back in his cell -- same as that PsiCop

								Bester gave?  It's like he was rubbing my nose in something he knew I could

								never prove.  Remember the last election, there was a big scandal about the

								Corps endorsing Vice President Clark?"


								<p>

								"Sure.  It was big news.  Made all

								the nets," Ivanova says.  "Their charter prohibits them recommending

								candidates to their members."


								<p>

								Garibaldi continues.  "Exactly.  Now Jack

								didn't admit anything, but he did say that the Homeguard wasn't behind

								President Santiago's assassination.  But what if it was the PsiCorps?  What

								if they wanted someone in office who was sympathetic to the Corps?  Right

								before Earth Force 1 exploded, the Vice-President got off at Mars, saying he

								had the flu.  Pretty convenient, isn't it?"


								<p>

								Sherdian and Elizabeth say good-bye to each other, but he promises to

								write to her, letting her know how he is.  He thanks her for coming, and

								thanks her for everything she did.  "You're my brother," she tells him.  She

								waves to him and leaves.  Right after she does, Sheridan receives a

								call from Ivanova, telling him to come to C&C.


								<p>

								G'kar and Na'toth are in G'kar's quarters.  "Things have changed, Na'toth,

								and they will never be the same.  But we are Narns.  We have learned to cope

								with change--to triumph in the face of adversity.  We will overcome this as

								well.  We have no other choice."  Na'toth asks about something G'kar is

								holding, and he tells her that it is a human book.  He tells her that he has

								been studying their literature, and that he came across that book, and that

								he believes humans may be wiser than the Narns thought.  He reads from

								it, and while he is doing so, we see Lennier with Delenn in her quarters,

								as she puzzles over, and examines, her new form:


								<blockquote>

								Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.<br>

								Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.<br>

								The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere,<br>

								The ceremony of innocence is drowned.<br>

								And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,<br>

								Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?

								</blockquote>


								<p>

								<img align=middle src="/lurk/gif/024/poetry.gif"> G'Kar reads the poetry.


								<p>

								Sheridan arrives at C&C and asks Ivanova why she called him there.  "On a

								hunch," she explains, "I just checked on the ship taking the prisoner back

								to Earth.  He was transferred to another ship a half an hour ago.  It had

								EarthForce security markings, it knew all the right access and

								identification codes, had papers authorizing the transfer... But I just

								backtracked with Earth Central.  The ID codes don't match any ship registered

								to Earth Force."


								<p>

								"Great," Sheridan says.  "So he's gone, and all the

								evidence with him."  Sheridan asks if she notified President Clark, but

								she tells him that he isn't taking any calls.  "It gets cold up here

								sometimes, doesn't it, Lieutenant Commander?"


								<p>

								"Yes sir," she replies, as

								they both contemplate the situation.  "It does indeed."


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