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lurkers-guide



								<h3>Synopsis by Matthew Murray (mmurray@wsu.edu)</h3>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/bluff.jpeg" alt="">

								Sheridan and Ivanova try to keep order as they meet with the transport

								association to work out the new ship

								screening policy on Babylon 5.  Ivanova tries to appease the crowd, but

								they will not listen to anything she has to say.  One man stands up and

								accuses them of hoarding the weapons so they can control everyone.  He

								challenges Sheridan, saying that, without his gun, Sheridan would be afraid

								to fight.  Sheridan steps down from the rostrum and hands his PPG to

								the man, taking his less-powerful weapon away and using it instead.

								When Sheridan asks the man to use the PPG, the man backs down.

								Sheridan retrieves his PPG, and tells Ivanova to adjourn the

								meeting until the next day, which she does.  The crowd files out, and

								Sheridan is upbraided by Ivanova for handing the man the PPG until Sheridan

								explains that he removed the PPG's energy source prior to giving it to

								the man.  Two Narns enter the room, and one introduces himself.

								"Captain Sheridan?  Counselor Na'Far.  I've just arrived and wanted to

								check in with you.  I'm here to replace citizen G'Kar."


								<p>

								Na'Far explains to Sheridan and Ivanova that the Centauri believe G'Kar

								is creating an armed resistance on the Narn Homeworld, and they want it

								stopped.  Sheridan asks Na'Far why he doesn't want the occupation

								stopped; Na'Far says that he feels it is not yet the time for action,

								and that he has been instructed to take over on Babylon 5.  Sheridan

								denies his request, and insists that Na'Far work out his problems with

								G'Kar alone.  Na'Far politely, but reservedly, thanks him and leaves.


								<p>

								In Earhart's, Garibaldi tells a very tired Dr. Franklin a story, but

								Franklin is in no mood.  Ivanova comes by and sits down with them.

								Franklin says that he has been worried about Sheridan, who has been

								under an extreme amount of pressure recently, but Ivanova insists that

								he has had to be, because he has had more to deal with.  Franklin

								receives a call from MedLab, asking him to take an extra shift.  He

								reluctantly agrees, and goes off to the bathroom.  While he's gone,

								Garibaldi tells Ivanova that he looked through Sheridan's file when he

								came aboard the station, and that he feels Sheridan is capable of

								handling any problems that arise.  Ivanova leaves, running into

								Franklin on the way out.  He is much more energetic now, and tells

								Garibaldi that he plans to ask a beautiful woman sitting nearby to

								dance, which he does.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/belittle.jpeg" alt="">

								Na'Far talks to Londo, to whom he was instructed to report

								prior to contacting G'Kar.  Na'Far asks if he may speak with G'Kar, but

								Londo avoids the request, instead asking whether or not it would be

								safe to visit Narn, if the captured Narns are doing what they

								should, and if the executions are continuing.  Na'Far answers

								affirmatively to each.  Londo says that Na'Far may leave, which he

								does.  Vir, who witnessed this, asks Londo if it was really necessary

								to break the Narns' spirit as well, but Londo insists that the Narn must lose

								their pride, or they'll pose another problem later.


								<p>

								Lt. Corwin tells Sheridan that they have been monitoring an alien probe

								that has entered Babylon 5 space, a probe of no known design.

								The probe, which appears to have no weapon systems,

								begins transmitting a code to Babylon 5, a series of repeating

								signals that will take the computer several hours to decode.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/favor.jpeg" alt="">

								Londo tells Delenn that he feels the rift that has grown between them

								is unfortunate, and that he misses her as a friend.  He tells her that

								he has done her favors in the past, and now wants her to repay him.  He

								says that he believes Vir would be an excellent choice for a new

								Centauri diplomatic mission to Minbar.  Delenn asks why he feels Vir

								should be sent to Minbar, and Londo attempts to lie to her, but she

								catches him.  "Over the last two years," he tells her, "to my

								considerable surprise, I have become very fond of Vir.  Sometimes in

								his eyes, I see a younger version of myself, before... He would be

								better off away from here.  Away from what must be.  He would only get

								in the way."  Delenn suggests that perhaps Londo needs Vir, but Londo

								insists this isn't true, and gives Delenn Vir's papers.  Delenn says

								that she will do what she can.  Londo leaves.


								<p>

								Garibaldi and Franklin sit down for an Italian dinner in Garibaldi's

								quarters, and Garibaldi begins to talk to Franklin about his use of

								stims.  Garibaldi tells him that, for obsessive compulsives like

								themselves, it can be easy to form addictions.  Franklin insists that

								he doesn't have a problem, but Garibaldi, who noticed Franklin's stim use back

								at Earhart's, tells him that he checked the records and found that Franklin

								purposefully takes extra shifts, even though he is always overworked.

								Franklin is upset that Garibaldi did this, but promises Garibaldi he

								doesn't have a problem, and will cut back on his use of stims.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/talon.jpeg" alt="">

								While Sheridan sits at a bar, Na'Far's bodyguard, Ta'Lon, the same Narn

								Sheridan rescued the previous year from the Streib ship, appears and

								tells Sheridan that he wants to repay the debt he owes.  In his desire

								to help the Narn after the Narn-Centauri War began, he ended up

								Na'Far's bodyguard, but says that he is no longer sure if he is

								protecting Na'Far from outsiders or other Narns.  Ta'Lon tells Sheridan

								there is a debt he must repay as a matter of honor, and though Sheridan

								is initially resistent, he accepts Ta'Lon's offer.


								<p>

								Lt. Corwin reports to Ivanova that the computer has finished analyzing

								the probe's language codes.  It

								was sent to initiate contact with other life forms, and promises

								that, if a list of just over 600 questions in many complex scientific

								and mathematical fields are answered within 24 hours, they will be

								rewarded with cures for disease and highly-advanced technology, but

								should they fail, they will be vaporized in a 500,000 megaton explosion

								when the probe self-destructs.


								<p>

								Ivanova and Sheridan try to work through solutions to the problem, but

								are unable to come up with any acceptable alternatives other than

								answering the probe's question.  Ivanova tells him that most of the

								questions are very technical and some nearly theoretical, and that she

								had to send some of them back to Earth to be answered.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/resign.jpeg" alt="">

								Na'Far tells G'Kar that many Narns are starving, and that the

								resistance is keeping the Narns on the homeworld from getting the food

								sent by the Centauri.  G'Kar tells him that they don't want the help of

								the Centauri, but Na'Far says that Centauri food may be their only

								chance for survival.  G'Kar explodes, telling Na'Far that he isn't

								responsible for the Narn invasion, and that he doesn't want to be

								blamed for those problems.  G'Kar insists that the resistance is

								working to secure their own food and resources, but Na'Far despairs that

								they will ever be able to bring in enough.  G'Kar says that the

								Centauri are simply trying to control them, a fact to which Na'Far

								concedes, but insists that the time for action is not yet at hand.

								Na'Far begs G'Kar to postpone his battle against the Centauri and

								return home, while Na'Far looks after things on Babylon 5.

								G'Kar says the other Narn on Babylon 5

								will not accept Na'Far, and therefore he must stay, but

								Na'Far tells him that the Centauri will persecute and imprison their

								families if he remains.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/franklin.jpeg" alt="">

								Dr. Franklin tries to treat an alien patient, but is unable to

								communicate with him, and there is no translator available.  Ivanova

								calls and asks Franklin if he has received answers to the questions

								he relayed to Earth.

								Franklin, under a great deal of pressure,

								orders the patient away and looks in his desk to see stims inside, but

								quickly closes the desk without using them.


								<p>

								Vir insists that he doesn't want to go to Minbar, but Londo assures him

								that he will have a good time, and that it is a good career move, and

								that he will still return to the station now and then.  He assures Vir

								that he is simply trying to protect him, and is capable of taking care

								of things himself.  Londo is confident that Vir will adjust to his life

								on Minbar.


								<p>

								"Londo, if I leave, you'll be alone!" Vir objects.


								<p>

								"Ah," Londo replies, "I have always been alone."


								<p>

								Na'Far and Ta'Lon leave G'Kar's quarters and are accosted by some of

								the members of G'Kar's resistance, who insist that he is merely a

								puppet of the Centauri designed to carry out their will on Babylon 5.

								One of the Narns insists that Na'Far's sole purpose there is to break

								their souls, and wants him to go back to Narn.  A battle ensues, but is

								interrupted by G'Kar who stops them and tells them that they cannot

								succeed if they fight amongst themselves.  If the only way to solve

								these problems is to return to Narn, he agrees to do so.


								<p>

								With only six hours left, Babylon 5 has all but 75 questions answered,

								and they continue to process more all the time.  Sheridan asks if they

								might be able to power up the weapons slowly so the probe wouldn't be

								able to detect it, but this crisis is interrupted by another: Corwin

								tells him that the transport association is demanding another meeting,

								which Sheridan reschedules seven hours later.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/pack.jpeg" alt="">

								Garibaldi visits G'Kar, who is in the process of packing to return to

								Narn.  He explains his reasons, but Garibaldi tries to explain that the

								Centauri will kill him should he return, a fact which G'Kar is only too

								aware of, but believes is only the solution.  Garibaldi tries to

								convince him to stay, but G'Kar will not.  G'Kar thanks him for his

								concern, and Garibaldi leaves.


								<p>

								Dr. Franklin, talking to a doctor on Earth, is outraged to hear that

								they do not have answers to all the questions he asked.  He blows up at

								her, telling her to find the other answers, or else he will do what he

								can before he dies to discredit her.  He shuts off the link, and

								opens his desk again.  This time, he succumbs and injects

								himself with stims.


								<p>

								Na'Far tries to rally the Narns aboard the station to his way of

								thinking, and tells them that one great victory is better than numerous

								small victories.  He does a good job of persuading them of this, but

								there is one thing that this plan omits that they all want to have.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/047/nosend.jpeg" alt="">

								With three minutes remaining, C&C rushes to get the answers

								transmitted, but Sheridan stops Ivanova, saying that he thinks there is

								something unusual about the situation, namely why a more advanced

								race would wish to give less-advanced races technology beyond their

								own.  He says that wishing to eliminate lesser races, in that

								case, doesn't make any sense.  He proposes that the entire thing is a

								ruse, designed not to destroy races who haven't reached a certain level

								of technological awareness, but rather to destroy races who HAVE, and

								present a threat to the probe's creators.  With only 15 seconds

								remaining, Sheridan orders the information to not be sent.  The probe

								leaves.  Sheridan

								orders all of the answers relayed through a securebot a large distance away

								from the station.  The probe self-destructs, destroying

								both itself and the securebot, but leaving the station intact.  While

								Ivanova tries to get the debris back to the station for study, Sheridan

								laments that he now has to face the Transport Association again.


								<p>

								As G'Kar leaves the station, he is stopped by the many Narns of the

								resistance, who insist that G'Kar is valued and needed on the station.

								They refuse to let him leave, and though he tries to insist he is

								leaving in order to help them, they will not let him leave.  He reminds

								them that their families may be in jeopardy, but they all realize this

								and are ready to accept what happens if it means the freedom of all

								Narns.  Even Ta'Lon has been convinced to stay and join the Narn

								resistance, and tells G'Kar that only with his help can they eventually

								succeed.  G'Kar agrees to stay aboard the station.


								<p>

								Garibaldi and Franklin sit in Earhart's discussing recent events, and

								though Garibaldi apologizes for what he said about the stims, Franklin

								tells him that he does have his use of them under control, since he

								managed to get through the previous days' trials without using them at

								all.  He asks where Ivanova and Sheridan are, and Garibaldi tells him

								not to ask...


								<p>

								...Because they're embroiled in a Transport Association meeting, this

								one even louder and more disorganized than before.


								<p>

								Londo and Vir walk together in the docking bay, not saying a word.  As

								Vir boards a ship, he looks back to Londo, who does nothing but nod.

								Vir enters the ship, and Londo turns and walks away.