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189 lines
9.0 KiB
189 lines
9.0 KiB
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<h3>Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)</h3>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/prison.jpeg">
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Seated at a small, bare table in the Captain's quarters, Franklin asks
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Sheridan how he managed to escape. Who were his contacts in the
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Resistance? Sheridan peers at him suspiciously. It isn't Franklin. It's
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an interrogator and they are still in Sheridan's cell. Drugged and weary,
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Sheridan's mind keeps shifting the location and persons from the station to
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prison. The brainwashing hasn't succeeded though. The Captain hasn't been
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convinced that he is under the control of aliens.
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<p>
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In a busy shipping station on Mars, Garibaldi meets up with his
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contact. Apparently the Resistance doesn't believe that Sheridan's
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kidnapping wasn't Garibaldi's fault. Several men leap out of the shadows and
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beat him senseless. At their headquarters, Number One offers Franklin a gun and
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the chance for revenge. "Steven?" Garibaldi shouts when Franklin refuses.
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Instead Franklin rips the hood off Garibaldi's head and angrily demands an
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explanation.
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<p>
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Garibaldi stammers out how he was used by Bester, but only Lyta seems
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willing to believe it. Garibaldi tells them that he knows where Sheridan
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is being held, and they can get him out. But it's the same story he used
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to lure Sheridan in the first place. Garibaldi pleads, "You can't let
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Bester screw up my entire life and not give me the chance to fix it. I
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can't go out this way!" Franklin is disgusted. Seeing Lyta, Garibaldi
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begs her to scan him. She replies that no one trusts telepaths here.
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Franklin wants to try it, but Number One angrily decides just to shoot
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Garibaldi.
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Franklin grabs her gun as it goes off, and Lyta snatches a rifle, spraying
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the ceiling with fire. In the uneasy pause, Franklin covers Number One
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with the rifle while Lyta goes to work on Garibaldi's head.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=160 height=120 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/lyta.jpeg">
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She immediately finds Psi Cop blocks. Her eyes go full black as she pushes
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harder until she finds the memories Bester concealed. When she announces
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this, Number One scoffs. Furious, Lyta whips around, fixes Number One with
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her eerie eyes, and convinces her with a rapid braindump of Garibaldi's
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hellish experience.
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<p>
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The White Star fleet engages and disables another two destroyers. Ivanova
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orders the backup units to proceed with the evacuation while the main fleet
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heads for the next target. When Marcus questions whether they are advancing
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too slowly, she insists that this is the one chance these crews will receive
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justice for their actions, and besides, defectors will be needed when they
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hit Earth.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/map.jpeg">
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Garibaldi shows Number One where Sheridan is being held. She says that her
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people can get them inside, but they're on their own after that.
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<p>
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On B5, a rather worried Lennier finds Delenn and informs her that Mollari
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has called a full Council meeting without informing the Minbari. The
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Centauri is just calling for a vote on an intolerable situation, when
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Delenn arrives. It's unanimous, and with a representative from Minbar
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present, it's even legitimate.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/vote.jpeg">
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"The humans have become the glue which holds us together," G'Kar explains
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when Delenn objects. The Council feels it is their responsibility to do
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everything in their power to prevent Earth from turning in upon itself, as
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well as to repay the debt they owe Sheridan for his defense of their
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planets during the Shadow War.
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<p>
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In Delenn's stunned silence, G'Kar, Londo and Vir explain that they have
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resolved to unite their forces to aid Ivanova's fleet, but they didn't want
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to tell her until it was fait acompli, lest people say it was based on
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personal interests.
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<p>
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The Resistance fighter leads Garibaldi, Franklin and Lyta through old
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access tunnels to the location where Sheridan is being held, but refuses to
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accompany them further.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/traitors.jpeg">
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Marcus brings the duty officer from one of the disabled ships on the bridge
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with the claim that he has critical intelligence. Apparently some of the
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"allies" they've picked up along the way are not real defectors. Ivanova's
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intention to rendezvous near Mars for the final assault on Earth, has been
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passed back to Clark, who has arranged to ambush them with a fleet of new
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advanced-technology destroyers. Ivanova and Marcus realize that their
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standard Earth Force allies would be annihilated by an advanced destroyer
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fleet. There's no time to change the rendezvous, so Ivanova decides that
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the White Stars must try to take out the force alone.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/knife.jpeg">
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Garibaldi and Franklin jump a patrol in the tunnels. They win, but
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Garbaldi takes a knife in the back. Franklin stitches the wound crudely,
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but can't convince Garibaldi to stay behind.
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<p>
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Captain James of the Agamemnon tries in vain to argue Ivanova out of her
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decision. As soon as they set off, Marcus tries to convince Ivanova to get
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some rest. He only succeeds by threatening to harry her until she gives
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in. She agrees as long as he wakes her later and sleeps as well.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/walk.jpeg">
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Wearing their old Earth Force uniforms, Garibaldi and crew stroll up to the
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prison guard booth. The guard recognizes Garibaldi and commends him for
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turning Sheridan in. He accepts Garibaldi's story about being there to
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interrogate the prisoner and lets them pass.
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<p>
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The two cell guards stop them. Garibaldi casually mentions the lock "code"
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and Lyta grabs it from a guard's mind before attacking the second guard
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with the thought of pain. Garibaldi takes out the other one, but blood is
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now showing through his uniform. They hurry into the cell and Franklin
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sets to work trying to revive Sheridan. Through his drugged fog, Sheridan
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mumbles, "Michael! I was going to kick your butt for ... something. But I
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don't remember."
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<p>
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Before waking Ivanova, Marcus looks at her soulfully and utters, "You'll
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never know." She curses when he tells her they're almost at the target and
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he didn't sleep. Before rushing to the bridge, Susan reminds him of the
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Minbari phrase he told her was a "greeting" the last time they were here.
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"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known." She knows what it
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means now and thanks him.
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<p>
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Trying to get past the guard post with Sheridan, the guards notice the
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blood on Garibaldi's back, and demand that the rescuers step away from the
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prisoner. They quickly shoot all the guards. Clumsily, Sheridan picks a
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gun off the floor and unloads it into one of the guards, shooting until the
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man is pulp. He looks at Garibaldi with very cognizant fury and insists
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he's fine.
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<p>
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The White Star fleet emerges at the rendezvous point. A dozen jump points
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open on all sides and discharge a stream of destroyers. Ivanova is
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horrified when she sees them. Black skins and barbs on semi-organic hulls
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prove them to be based on Shadow technology. The force commands her to
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surrender, and when she refuses, demands to know who she is.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/godsentme.jpeg">
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"Who am I?" she asks. "I am Susan Ivanova. Commander. Daughter of Andre
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and Sophie Ivanov. I am the right hand of vengeance and the boot that is
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going to kick your sorry ass all the way back to Earth, sweetheart. I am
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death incarnate, and the last living thing that you are ever going to see.
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God sent me."
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/hits.jpeg">
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With these words she opens fire and leads the fleet into the toughest
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battle they've faced yet. One by one White Stars drop, but they manage to
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outmaneuver and outgun the enemy until every one is destroyed. With her
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navigational controls damaged, White Star 2 is unable to avoid a huge mass
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of debris hurtling towards the ship. In the aftermath of the crash,
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Marcus picks himself up from the wreckage filling the bridge. He finds
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Ivanova's limp body and carries it away.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=128 height=96 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/085/reunion.jpeg">
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Stumbling through the wide corridors of a Minbari cruiser, Sheridan
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suddenly stops and stares at the sight of Delenn. They embrace and he
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promises to talk about what happened to him later, but now he has to see
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Ivanova, who is being tended by Minbari doctors and Marcus. Her head is
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bolted into a vice-like stabilizer, her face is a mass of cotusions, and
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she is rarely conscious. She rouses when John comes and begs him to tell
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her the truth. Is she going to live? Painfully, he tells her, no. She
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only has about a week. And so she makes one final request.
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<p>
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Sheridan steps onto the bridge of the Agamemnon. With the permission of
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her Captain, he announces that a friend has asked him to lead the final battle
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from here. At this, the multi-planet force sets out.
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