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


								<p>

								Ivanova, in C&C, is joined by Sheridan.  She explains to him that they

								have succeeded in ridding the station of all the members of the

								Nightwatch they know about, and that Garibaldi is trying to track down

								the ones they might not know about.  Garibaldi arrives, his arm in a sling,

								and explains that he fractured it during the recent attack on the

								station.  He explains that most of the people on the station are

								upset about the communications channels being shut down, but Sheridan

								and Ivanova know they can't be reinstated until Earth can be prevented

								from using them to retake the station.  Garibaldi asks how long

								Sheridan plans to be out of his uniform, and Sheridan explains that he won't

								put it back on until the situation is resolved.  He leaves to

								make the rounds, which both Garibaldi and Ivanova are unsure about.

								Sheridan insists he can take care of himself and leaves.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/thanks.jpeg" alt="">

								Delenn is addressing some of the Minbari from the ships outside Babylon

								5, telling them that she was asked by Sheridan to thank them for

								defending the station.  They leave, and Lennier tells her that the

								captain of the Minbari fleet wants to come aboard for a tour, which she

								agrees to.  Delenn asks Lennier what he thinks of the situation, but he

								does not respond, instead saying that "what is, is" and that the

								prophecy, which stated that the Minbari would unite with the other half

								of their soul has come true.  Delenn says that the prophecies may be

								misleading and that, should the other parts come true, there is no guarantee

								that any of them will survive.


								<p>

								As Sheridan makes his rounds in the Zocalo, a gunman waits, enclosed in

								shadows high above, targeting him with his weapon.  Just as he is about

								to fire, he is pulled away by Boggs, a former member of Garibaldi's

								security staff, telling him that he was told to wait.  The gunman

								insists that he had a good shot, but Boggs is less sure, saying

								instead that, should Sheridan fall, others would rise to take his place

								and that, sooner or later, they will get their "pound of flesh."


								<p>

								Delenn and Lennier approach Marcus as he returns from a voyage.  Delenn

								tells Marcus that she has called for the Nafak'cha, the rebirth

								ceremony, which commemorates a great change that is coming, or one that

								has already arrived.  Marcus feels that the time may be inappropriate,

								given that everyone will be embroiled in ceremonies of their own for a

								while.


								<p>

								One such ceremony is taking place where the members of EarthForce

								commit the bodies of their comrades, fallen in battle against Earth, to

								the depths of space, led by Sheridan, wearing his uniform one final

								time.


								<br clear=all>

								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/poison.jpeg" alt="">

								Lord Refa arrives at a table in the Zocalo where Londo is sitting.

								Refa is unhappy at being dragged to Babylon 5 instead of Londo going to

								him.  Londo tells Refa that he has been studying the reports from the

								frontlines, and expresses dismay at the fact that the Centauri are

								fighting a war on so many fronts.  Refa claims the Centauri can

								handle it, and that their resources are greater than Londo thinks.

								Londo, however, knows about his alliance with Morden and the Shadows,

								and urges Refa to do as he did and break off his contact with them.

								Londo tries to convince Refa that, by fighting wars on so many smaller

								fronts, should the Shadows decide to conquer the Centauri, there will

								not be much of a fight.  Refa laughs at him, saying that Morden and his

								associates are the greatest power he knows, and that they are the key

								to his ascent to the throne.  Londo tells him that Refa will do as

								he says because he has poisoned Refa's drink.  The poison works in two

								parts, and should Refa not do as Londo asks, the second part of the

								poison will be introduced to Refa as well.  Londo orders Refa to

								bolster the lines of defense around Centauri Prime, cease attacking on

								the other fronts, and break off contact with Morden, unless he wants to

								receive the other part of the poison.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/idea.jpeg" alt="">

								Garibaldi finishes accessing the command codes, and he, Sheridan, and

								Ivanova follow through the procedures necessary to change the command

								level passwords, which requires shutting down the security system and

								restarting it.  Delenn arrives, and has Sheridan go with her.  She asks

								him and the other senior officers to take part in the rebirth ceremony,

								along with other ambassadors, G'Kar, and most importantly to her,

								Londo, whom she feels is in the greatest need of rebirth.  She explains

								that they all need to put their pain behind them so they can prepare

								for the greater struggles ahead.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/meeting.jpeg" alt="">

								Boggs explains to a few others that he has received

								orders from the Nightwatch office to no longer worry about killing

								Sheridan, but rather taking care of Ambassador Delenn.  Once she is

								done with, the support of the Minbari will vanish, allowing Earth to

								retake Babylon 5.  Though the gunman is worried, Boggs reassures him

								that Sheridan can be blamed no matter what.  The gunman is all too glad

								to be back killing Minbari, as he used to do so, after extreme torture,

								during the Earth-Minbari war.  They begin preparing the plan against

								Delenn.


								<p>

								Delenn, in disguise, arrives at a bar Marcus frequents in Downbelow.

								She asks him why he isn't preparing for the ceremony, but he tells her

								that he has decided against participating.  She doesn't understand his

								reluctance, but their conversation is cut short

								when someone he has been waiting for comes in.


								<p>

								Garibaldi turns off the computer system and restarts it.  When it

								comes back on-line, the codes have been changed, but something new has

								happened as well: the computer has taken on an attitude of its own, and

								is less than inclined to follow Garibaldi's orders, which is due to a

								faulty artificial intelligence program, originally planned to be

								integrated into the station, which accidentally came on-line.  As the

								computer taunts him and Ivanova, they plan to get rid of it yet again.


								<p>

								Delenn and Lennier approach Londo about taking place in the rebirth

								ceremony, but he is less than inclined to do what is necessary, which

								involves giving away something that once held great importance to him,

								and telling someone something he had never told anyone else.  Delenn

								explains that she feels he needs to make up for the past and prepare

								for the future, but Londo claims he is already doing that, and has no

								interest in the ceremony.  He storms off.


								<br clear=all>

								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/gkar.jpeg" alt="">

								Their meeting with G'Kar goes equally badly; he claims that he is

								far too busy with all of his new responsibilities to attend.  Marcus

								appears and comments on how everyone else is as disinterested in the

								idea as he is.  Lennier reminds Delenn that she was to meet the Fleet

								Captain, and she goes to the docking bay, with Marcus in tow.  On the

								way, they stop for a few moments, and she asks why he doesn't want to

								perform the ceremony.  He tells her he has nothing left to give up for it,

								and that, because he didn't listen to his brother when he was first

								warned about the Shadows, he has already lost everything he cared about.  He

								joined the Rangers to help fill the gap in himself created by the

								Shadows.  He tells her that he has nothing left to give up, but Delenn

								says that is exactly what he must sacrifice--his grief, loss, and

								painful memories.  He must forgive himself for being alive.


								<br clear=all>

								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/kidnap.jpeg" alt="">

								Marcus quickly breaks off to tell security about Fleet Captain Lenann coming on

								board, and Delenn goes to meet the newcomer.  As he arrives, however, she,

								Lenann, and one of his bodyguards are assaulted and kidnapped by the

								scheming members of the Nightwatch.


								<p>

								As Garibaldi puts up with the neverending ramblings of the computer,

								Ivanova calls him to report the kidnapping.  Delenn asks her captors to

								let her tend to the bodyguard's injuries, incurred in the gunfire.  Boggs

								reappears and checks on the status of another member of the Nightwatch,

								who is busy scrambling some circuits.


								<p>

								While Sheridan talks to Marcus, who blames himself for Delenn's

								kidnapping, Corwin reports that a call about the kidnapping is coming

								in.  Sheridan has it traced, and it goes through.  It is Boggs who

								explains his demands to have the Minbari cruisers leave in six hours,

								or all the hostages will be killed.  They have scrambled the Babcom

								lines so the call can't be traced, and are monitoring all security

								channels.  He warns them not to do anything stupid, or he will have no

								qualms about using violence, which he demonstrates by having the bodyguard

								killed, despite Delenn's screams of protestation.

								Marcus runs off to try to track Boggs down himself.  Sheridan orders

								Garibaldi to find out all he can about Boggs' contacts, and anything

								else they may be able to use to find them.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/poker.jpeg" alt="">

								Marcus arrives in Downbelow, and sits down for a poker game with a

								group of men he had previously had an agreement with to leave alone, a

								deal which he has chosen to break in order to obtain information.

								None of them are willing to help, though, and he promises that, if none

								of them do, he will take them all down, followed by everyone else in

								the bar.  The game players rise to meet the challenge, and appear to

								overshadow Marcus quite severely.


								<p>

								Delenn and Lenann speak to each other in Minbari about a

								possible escape method, but the gunman understands their language,

								which he picked up during the war, and thwarts the plan by tightening their

								loosening ropes.  He tells them that neither of them will survive the

								ordeal, but Delenn stuns him by telling him that she feels sorry for

								him, something he doesn't understand.  She tells him that he is an

								unfortunate casualty of the war, and though the Earth and the Minbari

								have managed to come together, he has not, and he is left all alone.

								He starts to fire on her, but Lenann jumps up from his chair,

								diverting the weapon, which severely injures him.  Boggs appears and

								stops the gunman from going any further.


								<p>

								Marcus, meanwhile, has kept his word, having dispatched of

								everyone in the bar except two of the poker players, who he soon

								takes care of.  As he surveys the damage, realizing there is no one

								left awake to give him information, Lennier arrives and tells Marcus

								that he has come to discuss the rebirth ceremony, asking him again to

								come.  Marcus doesn't understand why he's talking about that, and

								Lennier explains that it was Delenn's last request, and that, if he

								doesn't continue the preparations,

								there is nothing else to do.  Lennier turns away, and Marcus

								grabs him on the arm, something which infuriates Lennier.  Lennier

								rounds back on Marcus, explaining that he would like to tear apart the

								station looking for Delenn, but can't.  As his part of the rebirth

								ceremony, he explains why he must do what she asks: he loves her.


								<p>

								Lennier explains that his love for her is not romantic love, but more

								higher and more noble, a "pure, perfect love," that he knows can never

								truly be returned, since she is fated for another.  He has made a vow

								never to leave her side, a vow Marcus recognizes as dangerous.  At that

								point, the last gambler Marcus downed awakes, and begins to tell

								Marcus, under threat of more pain, what he wants to know.


								<p>

								Ivanova explains that, though they still can't trace the call, they

								did find a background sound which Garibaldi is able to identify as the

								cooling system which feeds the fusion reactor in Grey sector.  Sheridan

								knows that isn't enough, but Marcus arrives with another piece of the

								puzzle: the man he talked to overheard a contact in Security talk about

								delivering

								some equipment for call scrambling to level 14.  They scan Grey 14 and

								find that it has been closed off -- supposedly under Garibaldi's orders, orders

								he never gave.  They begin preparing their attack, which, Sheridan

								explains, begins with a surrender.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/shootout.jpeg" alt="">

								As the Nightwatch members prepare to kill Delenn and Lenann,

								the contact Marcus told about calls Boggs and reports that the

								Minbari ships are leaving.  Boggs tells his contact to send a

								narrow-beam transmission to Earth.  After the conversation ends, a loud

								sound is heard, which Boggs rushes out to investigate.  Lots of people

								are running by, and one explains that a leak in the coolant system is

								forcing evacuation of the sector.  As the Nightwatch members try to

								escape with Delenn and Lenann, they are led into an ambush led by

								Sheridan and Garibaldi.  Boggs is shot down, and the remaining

								captors are pinned down, but when Sheridan makes a run

								to save Delenn and Lenann, the gunman, only injured by a PPG shot, throws a

								knife in

								Delenn's back and runs.  Sheridan gives chase, eventually backing the gunman

								into a corner.  Sheridan's rage takes over and, without a weapon,

								he beats the gunman senseless.


								<p>

								Lennier tells Ivanova and Sheridan that Delenn will be okay, since the

								knife missed her vital organs.  Sheridan wants to continue with the

								rebirth ceremony, but Lennier says that, since the ceremony must be

								held within a certain amount of time after preparations begin, she will

								not be able to conduct the ceremony.  Garibaldi, meanwhile, is still

								being taunted by the artificial intelligence.  While he is in the

								elevator, he is finally pushed too far, and shoots out the speaker.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/confess.jpeg" alt="">

								Lennier, at Delenn's side, is delighted to see that Sheridan has

								arrived.  Lennier leaves, leaving Sheridan to tell Delenn that they

								have decided to bring the rebirth ceremony to her.  He has chosen to

								give up his uniform, and confides in her that he cares about her a

								great deal, and that he was willing to kill the gunman with his bare

								hands to save her.  After he has finished, he leaves, and Garibaldi

								comes in, carrying his uniform.  He tells her that he is constantly

								afraid what will happen if he ever completely lets go.  Ivanova is

								next, and, after putting her uniform on the growing pile, admits to

								Delenn that she believes she loved Talia.  Franklin and his

								uniform are last, and he tells her, "I think I have a problem."  After

								he is done, and they are all about to leave, Lennier approaches them

								and tells them that, as part of the ceremony, Delenn made them

								something, which is waiting in their quarters.


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								<p>

								<img align=right width=128 height=96 src="/lurk/gif/055/uniform3.jpeg" alt="">

								C&C is overcome with a quiet hush as Sheridan, Ivanova, Garibaldi, and

								Franklin appear, resplendent in Delenn's gifts: striking new black and

								grey uniforms.  "What's the matter," Sheridan tells the shocked

								officers, "Haven't you ever seen someone who's been reborn before?  The

								crisis, for now, is over.  Tell the ships... We're open for business."


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