brennen
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lurkers-guide



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


								<p>

								Ivanova requests a favor from Delenn.  She wants to borrow a White Star

								ship to go in search of First Ones like the ones found at Sigma 957

								(<a href="049.html">"Voices of Authority"</a>)

								who might assist them in their desperate mission next week against Z'ha'dum.


								<p>

								Vir and Londo hear a party in the throne room.  Draped in chains and garbed

								in a punishing jester's costume which is thrusting spikes into his head and

								body, G'Kar silently suffers the merry abuse of Cartagia's courtiers.


								<p>

								Ivanova and Marcus are having no success in their search, which is no

								wonder considering that they are relying on wild stories that travelers

								have told of godlike beings or ancient civilizations.  So far, they all

								lead only to dead ends.


								<p>

								Zack has located the transport which is supposed to have found Garibaldi's

								Starfury, and he takes a wing out to investigate.


								<p>

								Alone with Londo in the imperial pleasure gardens, Vir finally erupts in

								outrage against G'Kar's humiliation and agony and Londo's seeming

								unconcern.  Once again Londo counsels biding their time.  The entire

								business of plotting against the Emperor is too disturbing for poor Vir.

								That is, until the Emperor chances upon them, waving bloody hands and

								complaining strenuously at G'Kar's refusal to scream under torture.

								Without a bit more action, Cartagia regrets that he will just have to kill

								the Narn.  It's really no fun any other way.  After Cartagia departs, Vir

								decides regicide isn't so objectionable after all.


								<p>

								Delenn pays a visit to Lyta Alexander.  There is nothing in the telepath's

								quarters but a mattress and the standard communications console.  A bit

								embarrassed, Lyta explains that the new Vorlon ambassador has required her

								to remove everything else because they are distractions, and since he can

								force her to obey, she has.  Delenn wants Lyta to find out why the Vorlons

								are not assisting in the mission against Z'ha'dum.  Lyta replies that the

								Vorlons appear to have plans of their own and they don't seem to be

								interested in what happens to others any more.  Although terrified of the

								ambassador, Lyta vows to try to help Delenn.


								<p>

								Zack and his team find the transport they are looking for and order it to

								surrender.  When it maintains radio silence they fire to disable it.  It

								ejects a life pod and explodes.  Inside the pod is Garibaldi, meshed down

								to a table, unconscious, and wearing a week-old beard.  A computer voice

								says, "Activating program," and Garibaldi awakens for a moment.  Zack rushes

								him to the station, where Dr. Franklin is disappointed that Zack can't tell

								him anything about who was holding Garibaldi; but the prognosis is good and

								Garibaldi is expected to recover.


								<p>

								The Vorlon streams out of Lyta to her great discomfort.  She angrily shouts

								that she deserves some respect for her sacrifices to the Vorlons, and some

								answers.  "Respect?  From whom?"  the Ambassador replies.  As she

								dejectedly turns to go she decides to chance it and mentally probes the

								Vorlon.  He slaps her across the room with a blast of energy.  Then,

								leaning forward, he says chillingly, "You would know my thoughts?  Would

								you?"  The disk on the head of his suit dilates and her screams begin.


								<p>

								"A little scream.  Is that so much to ask for?"  Londo begs.  If G'Kar will

								just put aside his pride and give the emperor the reaction he craves, he

								can live to fulfill his bargain with Mollari.  G'Kar refuses, arguing that

								he would no longer be a Narn if he gave in, and that of course Londo can't

								possibly understand.


								<p>

								"Yes I do," Londo retorts savagely, as he leaves G'Kar's cell.  "Yes I do!"


								<p>

								Ivanova broods in the captains chair.  With a couple of hours to kill,

								Marcus asks her about her plans if they live through this war.  She wants

								to return home, travel some, pay her respects to her dead father, but

								there's no one special waiting.  Marcus has someone special, he says, but

								she doesn't know it yet.  He's never actually had relations with a woman,

								it turns out.


								<p>

								"I thought First Ones were rare," Ivanova mutters.


								<p>

								Just then, the ship's controls pick up some odd signals which appear to

								indicate a pocket in hyperspace hidden by a distortion field.  They switch

								course to investigate.  As they enter the pocket, they can see from the

								forward windows a vast fleet including some absolutely enormous ships.  The

								smaller vessels shooting around the edges reveal that this is a Vorlon

								fleet on the move.


								<p>

								Garibaldi comes to in Medlab.  He tells Zack that he's having bad dreams,

								but doesn't elaborate on the visions of Shadow ships and incarceration that

								are hounding him.  He seems surprised that two weeks have passed since

								Sheridan left for Z'ha'dum, but not very surprised that Sheridan died there.


								<p>

								An enormous bird-shaped ship travels though hyperspace on an unknown

								trajectory.


								<p>

								Delenn thanks the Brakiri ambassador for bringing information regarding

								what the other races are planning.  Those who oppose the decision to attack

								Z'ha'dum intend to hold a rally in the Zocalo to gather support for

								stopping the assault.  Delenn insists that the Shadows will attack in any

								case so it's better to strike now when they are weak.  As he departs, the

								Ambassador asks if she knows anything about the large vessel that seems to

								be approaching Babylon 5.  She does not.


								<p>

								Vir and Londo are roused in the middle of the night and led by a taciturn

								guard to a secret alcove.  Vir is terrified.  And well he should be, for

								they are guests in Cartagia's personal torture chamber.  They are not the

								entertainment however... G'Kar is.  The Emperor has decreed that there and

								now, G'Kar will either cry out under the stroke of the electro-whip, or die

								on the 40th beat.  G'Kar suffers mightily, as Londo surreptitiously mouths

								"scream" at him.  At the 39th stroke, the Narn finally gives a mighty wail

								and sinks to the floor.


								<p>

								Jumping into B5 space, Ivanova orders an immediate meeting with Lyta

								Alexander and a thorough scan of sector 70x10x53.


								<p>

								Lennier sees an unusual level of activity in the Zocalo and notifies Delenn.


								<p>

								The huge birdlike ship exits the jump gate and initiates docking procedures

								without the station's approval.  Ivanova orders a security red alert.

								Garibaldi struggles off his bed to go investigate.


								<p>

								From a catwalk above the Zocolo, the Drazi leader begins to stir up the

								crowd with anti-Minbari rhetoric.


								<p>

								Zack isn't happy to see the Chief out of Medlab but can't stop to send him

								back.  Security forces square off against the personnel transport as it

								approaches the floor of the docking bay.  Two forms are visible inside.

								But when the door opens, all Garibaldi can say is, "Well, I'll be damned."


								<p>

								The crowd in the Zocalo begins to grow more rowdy as the Drazi continues.

								He claims that they will all be destroyed if anyone attacks Z'ha'dum, just

								as Sheridan was.  To the astonishment of them all, the dead man himself

								steps up onto their platform.


								<p>

								"Captain.  We're sorry.  We thought you were dead."


								<p>

								"I was.  I'm better now," Sheridan says ironically, sharing a look with

								Lorien standing in the shadows.


								<p>

								The Captain begins to address the crowd.  No more hesitation.  They must

								now assemble the greatest fleet in the history of the galaxy.  The only man

								to have survived Z'ha'dum calls on them and their governments to end this

								war once and forever, not just until next time.  The crowd cheers their

								support.


								<p>

								Delenn rushes to his side, and as they embrace, John promises never to

								leave her again.


								<p>

								Ivanova finds Lyta collapsed in her quarters.  "You know, don't you," Lyta

								says.  "It's started."


								<p>

								The war council gathers in Sheridan's office for a briefing.  He explains

								what he has learned about the Vorlon and Shadow objectives, and how the

								balance between them has been lost.  "Something, Mr. Garibaldi?" Sheridan

								snaps at the Chief who is glaring at Lorien suspiciously.


								<p>

								"I just want to know who our new best friend is," Garibaldi growls.  He

								isn't satisfied with just a name, or Sheridan's assurances, or the rest of

								the secrecy surrounding the Captain's return.


								<p>

								Ivanova and Marcus enter with Lyta.  The joy of reunion is quickly

								overshadowed by the report of the vast Vorlon fleet followed by the

								telepath's news.  To everyone's horror it appears that that fleet has just

								destroyed an inhabited planet because it had harbored a Shadow force.  The

								Vorlons have decided that it's time to destroy everything that has been

								touched by the Shadows.  Now the Army of Light must stop both the Shadows

								and the Vorlons if anyone hopes to survive this struggle.


								<p>

								Meanwhile, the Vorlon planet-killer ship cruises towards its next target.