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								<h3>Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)</h3>


								<p>

								Garibaldi is griping about having to eat the same breakfast every day for

								three years when an attractive covered plate arrives for Ivanova with a

								little note attached.  To everyone's astonishment it turns out to be fresh

								eggs and bacon which Marcus has miraculously managed to smuggle aboard as a

								surprise thank you gift.  As he and Sheridan drool, Susan swears to get even

								for this when she can find Marcus.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/marcus.jpeg" alt="">

								At the moment however, Marcus is trying very hard not to be found, or

								to be beaten up.  He is busily fending off five or six men attacking

								him and a woman in DownBelow.  He succeeds, but just barely and the woman is

								knocked out.


								<p>

								The daily routine continues but in the background ISN reports new

								evidence regarding President Clark and the assassination of his predecessor

								(<a href="../guide/035.html">"Hunter, Prey,"</a>)

								and that a newly discovered alien race is a threat to

								planetary security

								(<a href="../guide/045.html">"Matters of Honor."</a>)

								Marcus' charge appears to be safe

								in Medlab, but Marcus warns Dr. Franklin that she is the target of assassins.

								<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/gkar.jpeg" alt="">

								Garibaldi checks up on G'Kar in his cell

								(<a href="../guide/050.html">"Dust to Dust,"</a>)

								and finds him

								in fine spirits. The former ambassador is using his incarceration to reflect

								and write about the recent experiences of the Narn so that past mistakes might

								be corrected.  He is pleased to hear that Garibaldi has begun to read The

								Book of G'Quan and says he will let Garibaldi read his book when it is done.

								The meeting is cut short when Garibaldi is called away to a War Council

								where his "package" has arrived.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/canyon.jpeg" alt="">

								The package turns out to be the woman Marcus has been protecting, Dr.

								Mary Kirkish of Interplanetary Expeditions (whose slogan is "Exploring

								the past to create a better future.")  She tells the Council that she had

								been working at a Syria Planum site on Mars seven years ago where her team had

								discovered an alien ship like the one shown recently on ISN.  They dug most

								of it up and then were ordered to leave.  From the secondary base camp they

								watched unmarked shuttles fly to the site.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/excavate.jpeg" alt="">

								Then one night another alien

								ship flew to the site and finished digging up the buried ship, then descended

								into the dig site, from which a nerve-wrenching screech was soon heard.  Both

								the ships rose into the air and

								flew away.  Since then, one by one, the other workers at the site have

								died or disappeared.  It turns out that Garibaldi also saw this alien ship

								when he was a shuttle pilot on Mars.  He also found a Psi Corps badge at the

								site.  Kirkish continues, saying that another such ship has been discovered

								in the crust of Ganymede.  This time EarthGov wants to try to keep the ship,

								possibly

								to use it to control Earth.  They must not have a chance to keep it, Kirkish

								warns.  Her story told, Lennier ushers her to a Minbari ship that will

								bear her to safety.


								<p>

								Franklin asks, "If Earth and the Psi Corps really are working with the

								Shadows, this is too big.  How can we fight something like that?"  Obviously

								shaken, Sheridan dismisses the Council, but asks Delenn to stay.


								<p>

								Zack is sitting in Garibaldi's office when the B5 Nightwatch liaison

								comes in to remind him of the meeting tomorrow.  Zack is uneasy with the

								man's gung-ho attitude and isn't encouraged when he mentions that watching

								unsuspecting people on security cameras makes him feel like God.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/sanctuar.jpeg" alt="">

								Standing deep in contemplation on an empty observation deck, Sheridan

								removes the Earth Alliance insignia

								from his lapel.  He goes with Delenn to inform the

								others of his decision.  They are aghast when he tells them that he plans to

								take the White Star to Ganymede to knock out the Shadow vessel before

								President Clark can gain control of it.  What if he is attacked by Earth

								ships?  Will he fire on them?  What if he is captured?


								<p>

								He tells them he will not be captured and charges them to cover for him

								while he is gone for a minimum of 4 days.  He also arranges for a simulation

								of his own death if he should not be able to return.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/nightwch.jpeg" alt="">

								The Nightwatch liaison is happy to tell the meeting that their efforts

								to expose disloyalty on B5 and on Earth have been a terrific success, but

								that Earth has been sold out by traitors throughout EarthGov, Earth

								Force, and the media, as part of an alien-instigated conspiracy to weaken

								and overthrow the government.  Thus, Nightwatch has been given greater

								powers to investigate anyone who might be suspicious.  One officer speaks

								up, "In that case, does anyone know where the Captain is?"


								<p>

								He is falling asleep in his command chair halfway to Jupiter.  Lennier

								convinces him to retire to the sleeping quarters where he finds Delenn.

								Utterly exhausted, he begins to talk about missing home and his father.

								More than anything else right now, he says, he misses the sound of rain because

								it can always put him to sleep.  So to his great relief, with a phrase Delenn

								summons the patter of rain on the roof.<br clear=all>


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/blame.jpeg" alt="">

								Marcus is briefing Ivanova in Sheridan's office about a force building

								up on the border of Centauri space when she erupts at him.  She claims she

								doesn't understand how to relate to him, and she tells Marcus she holds him

								personally responsible for the Captain's "suicide mission" because, "Damn it!

								I don't have anyone else to blame!"


								<p>

								Jumping out of hyperspace, the White Star picks up transmissions from the

								Ganymede site.


								<p>

								"Subject is approaching target.  Repeat.  Subject is approaching target."


								<p>

								Delenn explains that the Shadow ships need a sentient being to merge with

								them before they can become fully functional, and this must be happening

								right now.  If a subject isn't prepared for the event the resulting ship

								will be murderously insane.  The crew listen and watch in horror as the

								Shadow ship comes alive and begins attacking the facilities around it.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/hydrogen.jpeg" alt="">

								Knowing that any Earth cruiser wouldn't stand a chance against it

								Sheridan quickly rides in to attack the Shadow vessel.  Disoriented though it

								is, nevertheless the alien ship is still capable of destroying them.  They

								damage it insignificantly but anger it enough to chase them into the

								atmosphere of Jupiter.  The Shadow ship fires but only manages to ignite the

								hydrogen atmosphere.  Both ships fly deeper and deeper into the gas giant

								until the White Star's hull begins to buckle under the pressure.  At the last

								moment, Sheridan orders the White Star to pull out.  The Shadow is unable to

								stop falling and implodes as the White Star soars towards space.


								<p>

								Just as they begin to congratulate themselves the White Star is struck

								again.  This time the enemy is the Agamemnon, the Captain's old ship,

								attacking and ordering them to surrender or be destroyed.  Sheridan won't

								fire on the Agamemnon and can't surrender.  As he sits in his chair indecisive,

								Delenn suggests opening a jump point while still inside Jupiter's atmosphere.

								By opening it just at the edge of space the explosive effects of the

								hydrogen are minimized and they are able to scuttle to safety.


								<p>

								ISN reports that an unidentified alien vessel has attacked and destroyed an

								outpost on Ganymede before being destroyed in Jupiter by the Agamemnon.  In

								response to heightened concerns about planetary security the president is said

								to be considering a new plan to increase security.


								<p>

								As Garibaldi says, they got away with it, but only for now.  The Nightwatch

								liaison has noticed that the Captain was missing for four days.  He

								deduces that Garibaldi must be covering for Sheridan and suggests that Zack

								use his relation with the Chief to find out what's going on.  Zack

								vehemently refuses saying he won't betray a friendship.  "If he could trust

								me he would have brought me in this thing weeks ago," he mutters, giving

								away the fact that he knows something fishy is going on.  The Nightwatch

								man angrily tells Zack he has to decide between friendship and his job.


								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/052/chart.jpeg" alt="">

								Marcus dares to breach Ivanova's spare time in order to show her a chart

								he has drawn up to explain his position on B5 and the hierarchy within the

								station.  As they share a laugh at his whimsy, Sheridan pages Ivanova to

								turn on ISN immediately. Citing threats to planetary security, President

								Clark has decreed Earth to be under martial law.

								<br clear=all>