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<h3>Synopsis by Arturo Magidin (magidin@math.berkeley.edu)</h3>
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<P>
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In the customs area, a man carrying a large bag has nothing to declare
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except his genius. Inside the bag, a small man holds up a small
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device, which also declares nothing but Rebo's genius. Rebo and Zooty have
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arrived on Babylon 5.
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<P>
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Lochley, Sheridan and Garibaldi are on their way to meet the comedy
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duo. Lochley mentions that the Brakiri have asked to buy a part of
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Babylon 5 for a night, for religious reasons.
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<P>
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Outside his quarters, Londo is accosted by a Brakiri salesman, who is
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offering a skull-shaped candy. On recognizing Londo as the Centauri
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Emperor-to-be, he offers the candy as a gift, and asks Londo whom he
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would like to meet from among the dead. "The first Emperor," replies
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Londo as he accepts the candy. He asks the salesman what sort of
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festival this is. "Tonight is the Day of the Dead," the Brakiri
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replies. "Tonight the dead return."
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<P>
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Delenn is alone in her quarters when Lennier arrives, dressed in a
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Ranger uniform. He is between training cycles, and having read once
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about the Brakiri Day of the Dead, which occurs only once every 200
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years, he decided to visit. Since Babylon 5 is easier to get to than
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Brakir, he came to the station.
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<P>
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Sheridan is hosting a cocktail party for Rebo and Zooty, and confers
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upon them the Freedom of Babylon 5. Rebo gives a speech, interspersed
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with physical comedy. Most in attendance find it hilarious, but
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Lochley is not amused. She leaves for an appointment with the Brakiri
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ambassador. G'Kar overhears about the appointment and looks worried.
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<P>
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In Lochley's office, the Brakiri ambassador explains to the Captain
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that they must own part of the station by nightfall, so it will be
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part of Brakir for the celebration. He assures Lochley it will be
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returned in the morning. Lochley explains the usual operations of
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Babylon 5 do not allow this, but she is ready to make an
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exception. Before the transaction is over, G'Kar bursts into the
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office and warns Lochley that selling the station would be foolish and
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dangerous. But Lochley reminds him that according to the declaration
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of principles of the Alliance, religious beliefs are sacrosanct. Over
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G'Kar's objections, the transaction is completed.
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<P>
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Later, the Brakiri ambassador explains to Garibaldi that part of the
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station is now part of Brakir. Garibaldi's quarters are on the Brakiri
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side, and he goes in just as the Day of the Dead begins.
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<P>
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Sheridan arrives to his quarters with Rebo and Zooty for
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dinner. Delenn welcomes them, and Zooty's machine says something in
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Minbari: a pun, to which Delenn reacts by laughing heartily. Rebo
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explains they have studied Minbari and Narn humor, among other
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forms. When Delenn escorts Zooty to the table, Sheridan mentions to
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Rebo that he was hoping to talk to Zooty without the machine. Rebo
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explains that Zooty never breaks character. After ten years, Rebo has
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only heard Zooty say one word without the machine: "Why?" He doesn't
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undertand it either.
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<P>
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In her quarters, Lochley is reading some reports when night falls. The
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area of the station purchased by the Brakiri is surrounded by a
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shimmering energy field; at the same time, Lennier sits down to
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meditate in his quarters, and Londo drinks some Brevare.
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<P>
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In C&C, Corwin is trying to emulate one of Rebo and Zooty's hat
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tricks, when G'Kar enters, dressed for bed. His quarters are on the
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Brakiri zone, so he would like to sleep in C&C for the night. Corwin
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lets him.
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<P>
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In Lochley's quarters, the power suddenly goes out, replaced by
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emergency lights. Lochley is unable to contact anyone on the link.
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<P>
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Londo is in his quarters, talking to a portrait of the first Emperor,
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but the portrait is silent. His lights go out as well, and behind him
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a figure materializes: Adira Tyree (<a href="../guide/003.html">"Born
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to the Purple"</a>). Londo is overjoyed. He tells her he is to become
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Emperor, but would give it all away just to have Adira by his
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side. She embraces him and they they kiss.
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<P>
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Garibaldi is asleep in his bed, but the shower turns itself on. He
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pulls a PPG from under the pillow and orders whoever is there to come
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out. A woman's voice answers and then steps out: Dodger, the gropo (<a
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href="../guide/032.html">"GROPOS"</a>). Garibaldi is utterly confused;
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without lowering the gun, he wonders if it is a clone, a robot, or
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maybe the latest from Bester's bag of tricks. She assures him it is
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nobody's trick. "Happy Day of the Dead," she says with a smile.
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<P>
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In her quarters, Lochley is trying to communicate with the rest of the
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station, which the link claims is out of range. A small blond teenager
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materializes coughing, and says "Lizzie? Is that you?" Lochley is
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overcome and stands staring dumbly at the girl. "Zoe?" gulps Lochely,
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forcing back tears.
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<P>
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Lochley and Zoe sit on the bed and talk, both of them crying. They
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were runaways together, and did drugs. It's been 20 years since Zoe's
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death. Zoe asks Lochley what happened after her death. Lochley found
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Zoe's body, dead from a drug overdose. She got scared, called her parents,
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and her father arrived
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ten hours later. She later enrolled in OTC. Lochley asks Zoe something
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she's always wondered: "Did you do it on purpose?" but Zoe claims she
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doesn't remember.
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<P>
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Sheridan and Delenn's quarters are outside the Brakiri zone. Dinner is
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almost over when Sheridan gets a call from Corwin, to tell him that a
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piece of the station is missing: the part sold to the
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Brakiri. Sheridan walks over to investigate and finds the shimmering
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wall. He throws a fire extinguisher at the wall, but it bounces
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back. He goes to C&C to talk to Corwin.
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<P>
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Garibaldi finally puts the PPG back under the pillow. Although still
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perplexed, he is taking it all in stride now. Garibaldi and Dodger
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start to talk.
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<P>
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Lennier is meditating when a voice says: "Good evening, Ranger
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Lennier." It is Morden, although Lennier cannot place him
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immediately. He eventually does, however: "You worked for the
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Shadows," accuses Lennier. "I did lots of things, yes," replies
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Morden. "Looking back on it, though," he continues, "I just tried to
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make people happy. Anyway, it is all ancient history now, and I paid
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for all my crimes, huh?" he concludes with a smile.
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<P>
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Lennier asks him why he came, and Morden replies that he is dead,
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and thus it is his job. Then Morden asks Lennier why he came back. "I
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came for wisdom," answers Lennier. "You don't come to the Dead for wisdom,
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Lennier," replies Morden. He says his head is still rotting outside the
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Centauri Royal Palace, but Lennier insists he wants wisdom.
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<P>
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"Wisdom?" muses Morden. "Let's see: Delenn does not love you as you
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love her, and she never will." "I know that," replies Lennier. "No,
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you don't," counters Morden. "Not in your heart." Lennier tells Morden
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to go away, but he does not; now that Morden has been raised, Lennier must
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listen. Lennier tries to leave, only to find the shimmering
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wall outside. He starts to run, but soon collapses.
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<P>
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Sheridan enters C&C to find G'Kar asleep on the deck. Sheridan asks
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Corwin to contact the Brakiri homeworld.
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<P>
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Morden tosses Lennier back into his quarters. He explains that the
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other side of the corridor is 200 million light years away; no way to
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get there by foot. Morden continues to talk, and tells Lennier that he
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is destined to betray the Rangers; Lennier does not believe
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him. Morden then implies Lennier will die soon, and Lennier angrily
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denies him again; finally, Lennier settles down to meditate, saying
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"Our talk is done." "Your loss," sighs Morden, as he sits down to read
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the newspaper.
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<P>
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In Lochley's quarters, Lochley is again trying to contact the rest of
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the station. Zoe points out that they are now in part of the Brakiri
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homeworld, and although Lochley doesn't believe it, she manages to
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contact Garibaldi, who is talking to Dodger. Lochley orders Garibaldi to
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hack into Stellar Com and route a call to C&C.
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<P>
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In Londo's quarters, Adira and Londo are in bed. Lochley appears on
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the screen and says normality will be restored soon. "She is right,"
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says Adira ruefully. "And when this night is done, so am I. And you
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will go on to become Emperor Mollari." "I don't want to become
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Emperor," replies Londo. "I want to stay here, with you." "Londo, I'm
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a dream," says Adira. "In the morning I'll be gone, and you will rule
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40 billion Centauri. But not one of them will ever know you the way I
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know you." She settles down on Londo's chest as they both smile
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contentedly.
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<P>
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In his quarters, Garibaldi is hacking the communications system, much
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to Dodger's frustration; Garibaldi succeeds, and lets Lochley know
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before settling down to talk to Dodger for the remaining hours of the
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Day of the Dead.
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<P>
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In Sheridan's quarters, Rebo is expressing to Delenn his admiration
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for how calm and collected Delenn and Sheridan are in the face of this
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emergency. He confides to Delenn that they both admire the two of them
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a lot, and in fact that Rebo and Zooty plan to give up show business
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for politics. Sheridan comes back, and Delenn tells him of Rebo and
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Zooty's decision. Sheridan tries to talk them out of it, but Rebo says
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that no one takes comedians seriously, and they want to be taken
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seriously. Besides, he says, the real comedy all happens in the Senate.
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<P>
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Lochley's call comes in then, and she tells Sheridan everything is
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fine, and will probably go back to normal in the morning. This is also
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what the people in Brakir told Sheridan.
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<P>
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Morning finds Lennier meditating and Morden reading the paper; shortly
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thereafter, Morden disappears. Dodger and Garibaldi are talking and
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laughing together. Dodger senses that her time is up, and sobers
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up. She kisses Garibaldi on the forehead, stands up and disappears.
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<P>
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Zoe finishes telling Lochley a message she was given for
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Sheridan. Before leaving, she finally tells Lochley that she does
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remember her own death, and she did it on purpose because she couldn't
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stand her life any more. She disappears, and normality returns.
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<P>
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Later that morning, Sheridan and Lochley are talking. Lochley refuses
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to give details of her experience, saying that it was intensely
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personal; the same thing everyone else has told Sheridan. No one
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really knows what happened, though. She does give Sheridan the message
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she got for him. It is from Kosh: "When the long night comes, return
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to the end of the beginning."
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<P>
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Lochley leaves and is later joined by G'Kar. Lochley expects him to
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say I told you so, but instead he points out he was wrong; the people
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who were in the Brakiri territory seem more at peace with
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themselves. G'Kar wonders what he would have seen had he been there.
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<P>
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Then they see Londo, Rebo and Zooty walk by, followed by
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reporters. Londo is quite amused, and promises never to miss their
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show from now on. He also asks them to perform at his inauguration.
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<P>
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Before he leaves, Zooty calls the just arrived Sheridan aside, and
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whispers something in his ear, pointing at his device: "Because it
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tells me to."
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