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lurkers-guide


								<h3>Synopsis by Arturo Magidin (magidin@matem.unam.mx)</h3>


								<i>ISN News Broadcast:

								<P>

								"Meanwhile, on Earth and Minbar preparations continue for next month's

								celebration marking the fifth anniversary of the Interstellar

								Alliance. Aside from one brief conflict with the Centauri Republic

								early in its first year, ISA President John Sheridan has delivered on

								his promise to maintain peace among all its member worlds. Although

								ISA Vice-President Delenn continues to make appearances during these

								preparations, Sheridan himself has not been seen for several

								days. Speculations on his absence range from the flu to a good will

								mission to Narn.


								<P>

								"In other news, ground was broken today in Earthdome for a monument

								dedicated to the many who died in the recent telepath crisis,

								including..."

								</i>


								<P>

								Sheridan has not been seen because he has joined Garibaldi on a secret

								trip to oversee the final stages of the construction of the prototypes

								for the destroyer class White Star ships (<a

								href="../guide/105.html">"Movement of Fire and Shadow"</a>). Garibaldi

								is taking a bit of time away from managing Edgars Industries on Mars

								(<a href="../guide/108.html">"Objects in Motion"</a>) at Sheridan's

								request.


								<P>

								The head of the construction project, Drake, is being too

								cautious for Garibaldi's taste. But Sheridan points out that reverse

								engineering Vorlon and Minbari technology to fit human technology is

								uncharted waters, and caution is necessary. The construction is top

								secret, not the least because the other races are likely to object to

								Earth, Minbar, and Sheridan being the sole beneficiaries of the

								project. Sheridan is sure no one can follow them to the construction site,

								as they are aboard a

								White Star, the fastest known ship. But he is wrong. A small probe

								follows them into and through hyperspace, projecting the image to a

								small crystal globe.


								<P>

								The globe is held by a man called Galen. He is interrupted and told he

								must explain his behavior and account for his activities to something

								called "the circle," and everyone involved. Although annoyed, he agrees

								to do so.


								<P>

								Sheridan and Garibaldi arrive at the construction dock. Two prototypes

								are there, the <i>Victory</i> and the <i>Excalibur</i>. Sheridan is

								welcomed by Drake, who gives him the tour. They are still battling some

								minor problems, haven't fully figured out the artificial gravity for

								example. But the ships are mostly ready, and the controls are intuitive and

								easy to master for Earthforce personnel.


								<P>

								"How does she handle?" asks Sheridan, excited; but they haven't

								actually tested it yet. And when they try, the propulsion system

								fails, despite Drake's assurances that there would be no problems.


								<P>

								Sheridan is told a message from Delenn has arrived. He takes it by

								himself in the conference room, but the message is all

								garbled. Sheridan is transfixed, seemingly for a few seconds. But

								Garibaldi enters, breaks the spell, and claims Sheridan has been there

								for almost half an hour. Garibaldi suggests he get some rest while

								Drake works out the bugs. Sheridan agrees.


								<P>

								"Things were so much easier on Babylon 5," muses Garibaldi.


								<P>

								On Babylon 5, a female alien arrives, and a weapons violation is

								detected. Zack Allan demands she turn over her weapons, and she does

								so silently: about a dozen or more blades and other low-tech

								weapons. Before leaving, she asks where the lost people, the neglected

								and forgotten, go. Zack directs her to Downbelow, Brown sector.


								<P>

								Aboard the <i>Excalibur</i>, Sheridan dreams. He finds himself on a

								desolate, burning world, ruins aflame all around him. A voice calls

								out to him: Galen. The world is dead, Galen says, murdered. Not an

								attack, but a test. Galen says he is the one who sent the message

								Sheridan received earlier; he needed a connection for the electron

								incantation.


								<P>

								A ship arrives. Galen claims it is the killers, come back to check on

								their work. He and Sheridan must leave, to ensure his probe goes

								undetected. Before leaving, he shows Sheridan the name of the

								world: Daltron 7.


								<P>

								Sheridan awakes as the ship begins to move. It is being towed to the

								firing range.


								<P>

								On Babylon 5, the alien female works her way through Brown sector,

								following hidden signs painted on the walls and ceilings. And she is

								being followed. Finally, she makes her way to an opening in the

								ceiling, where she is hit on the head. She falls unconscious to the

								ground...


								<P>

								... and dreams. She is on the dead planet Sheridan was on. "No. I

								can't be back," she says to herself. Sheridan suddenly appears, and

								she throws herself at him in rage. But she passes right through the

								image, and as she does, Sheridan changes, becoming a Drakh. The Drakh

								holds in his hand a miniature galaxy. He closes his fist over it, and

								disappears.


								<P>

								And then Galen appears. "This is not your world, Dureena Nafeel," he

								booms at her. "But it shares the same fate as your world. When the

								time comes to choose your target, be sure to pick the right

								one. Because you will only get one shot." An earthquake hits, and

								Dureena falls; she awakes back on Babylon 5.


								<P>

								She is chained, lying on a small platform, surrounded by many beings,

								both human and alien. She is asked her name, and to show a mark: a

								tattoo bearing the same designs as the markers she followed to get

								there. It marks her as a member of the Thieves' Guild. She is asked

								the name of her teacher, and his teacher before him. She answers, and

								says she has been a thief long enough to be good at it. But

								apparently, she is challenged, not good enough to avoid being followed

								and chained up.


								<P>

								"What chains?" she asks simply, and the manacles fall in pieces to the

								ground. Dureena attacks the man who followed her, knocking him

								out. She was captured only because she chose to be captured, to meet

								the Guild. The leader of the Guild welcomes her and gives her the

								local rules: no inteference with other members, nothing violent,

								nothing to draw attention to them. They'll protect her and give her a

								place to stay in exchange for ten percent of her take; but if

								captured, she is on her own. The Guild must remain a secret

								organization.


								<P>

								The leader has one more question: they have never seen an alien like

								her before. She is far from home; why did she come to Babylon 5? "I

								don't know," she replies, and leaves.


								<P>

								On board the <i>Excalibur</i>, Sheridan is shown the weapons. He is

								not impressed with Level One, though; it isn't much more firepower

								than an average White Star. As destroyers, these ships should pack

								more punch. Garibaldi orders Drake to go to Level Two. But Drake lets

								them know there is a problem. The main guns are based on Vorlon

								design, and were intended for far more advanced ships.

								They use up almost all available power, and should be used only

								as a last resort. Sheridan orders a demonstration anyway.


								<P>

								Before he can give the order to fire, the view changes: the

								<i>Excalibur</i> is aiming straight at Earth. Sheridan is confused,

								gives orders to stop. Sheridan looks again, but the Earth is

								gone. Sheridan sits back down and orders the main guns to fire. They

								do so with impressive results, but all lights dim inside. According

								the Drake, there's barely enough energy left for life support and

								gravity. After firing, the ship cannot maneuver or fire again for at

								least one minute.


								<P>

								Sheridan starts to reply, but finds himself elsewhere again. Several

								robed men are around a campfire. "It's a mistake! You shouldn't have

								brought him here!" one of them says. They are chastising Galen for

								breaking the isolation without proof. But Galen claims that they need

								to break it to get the proof. And Sheridan is the only one who can get

								it. The others relent, but warn Galen he will be the first to die if

								their security has been compromised through his actions. They

								disappear, leaving Galen and Sheridan along. Sheridan can now piece

								together the clues: Galen and the others are technomages (<a

								href="../guide/025.html">"The Geometry of Shadows"</a>). Galen

								explains they are not hurrying to return from hiding. They have,

								however, been watching the Drakh. They think the Drakh are preparing

								to move. Sheridan points out that the Drakh have no homeworld and the Shadows

								are gone; how much power can they possibly have?


								<P>

								Galen replies that Sheridan himself must find the answer to that

								question, because Galen believes the Drakh will start by

								attacking Earth. Sheridan begins to ask more questions, but Galen has

								said everything he is allowed. Sheridan and his companions must

								discover the rest. However, he is not to tell anyone about what he is

								doing or why. The Drakh have spies everywhere. Before leaving, Galen

								shows Sheridan four faces: a Drazi, a human, Sheridan himself, and an

								alien, a good match for Dureena Nafeel; and an image of Babylon 5 high

								overhead.


								<P>

								And then, Sheridan finds himself back aboard the Excalibur. Drake is

								explaining that the hull can reflect 80% of any energy weapon. "We

								have to go right now," Sheridan interrupts. Garibaldi wants to know

								where. "It was above the faces," replies Sheridan, "above them

								all. Babylon 5."


								<P>

								While enroute, he refuses to tell Garibaldi why they are going; and

								he makes a sketch of the three faces he saw in the vision. Garibaldi

								is worried; he offers to stop by Minbar and talk to Delenn, but

								Sheridan insists he is fine. He also asks Garibaldi to find out

								everything he can about Daltron 7. "Never heard of it," says

								Garibaldi. "Me either," replies Sheridan, a response that adds to

								Garibaldi's doubts and misgivings about Sheridan's rationality. On his

								way out, he asks for a connection to Capt. Lochley.


								<P>

								The <i>Charon</i>, and Earth Alliance destroyer, is in hyperspace

								also on her way to Babylon 5. The first officer is questioning the

								Captain on the new destination. They are disobeying orders and not

								informing Earthdome. "I know what I'm doing," answers Captain

								Anderson enigmatically, and adds to himself: "I hope."


								<P>

								Lochley welcomes Sheridan aboard. He gives her the drawings, and asks

								her to find out where they are. "Are you sure they are here?" she

								asks. "No," replies Sheridan. "But if they aren't here yet, they soon

								will be... I think." With that, he leaves Lochley and Garibaldi, both

								utterly confused.


								<P>

								In the Zocalo, Dureena is stealing wallets and money belts when

								security arrives with the drawing. She tries to flee, but is stopped

								and captured. Lochley informs Sheridan. "Who is she?" he asks. Lochley

								doesn't understand; after all, he drew her. Since she was caught with

								stolen wallets, she is being deported. Sheridan asks where she is

								from, and is told she is from Zander Prime. Lochley thought it was a

								dead world, however. It is now, replies Sheridan. It was one of the

								last planets destroyed by the Shadow planetkiller (<a

								href="../guide/071.html">"The Long Night"</a>) during the Shadow War.


								<P>

								Sheridan then gets a message from Captain Anderson. He doesn't know

								him. "Hello, Mr. President," says Anderson. "By any chance, have you

								been looking for me?" Lochley looks at Sheridan's drawing: Anderson is

								the human drawn there. "So it would appear," replies Sheridan with a

								faint smile.


								<P>

								They meet in Babylon 5's conference room, and Captain Anderson

								explains the man in his dreams told him to find Sheridan. Dureena is

								then brought in, and when she sees Sheridan, she attacks him like she

								did in her dream.


								<P>

								Dureena blames Sheridan for the destruction of Zander Prime. For

								attracting the Shadows, and not being there to help despite

								requests. But Sheridan explains they didn't know about the attack

								until it was too late; and even if they had heard, they didn't have

								anything to stand up to the Shadow's planetkiller. He's asked himself

								over and over, since the war, if there was anything he could do to

								save more people. But there wasn't. He also points out it was the

								Drakh and the Shadows who destroyed her planet, and the Drakh are

								still around. She then recalls Sheridan's transformation in her

								dream. Sheridan offers her the chance to strike at them. Dureena

								relents. Perhaps this is what the dream meant.


								<P>

								Meanwhile, Garibaldi is in Lochley's office. "You think he's lost it?"

								he asks. Lochley isn't sure. Finding Dureena and Capt. Anderson, dead

								matches for Sheridan's drawing, has given her pause. "All I know is he

								isn't behaving rationally," she adds. "It's almost as if he's acting

								under some sort of outside influence."


								<P>

								Sheridan is worried the Drazi hasn't arrived yet, but they cannot wait

								any longer. Why us? asks Dureena. Sheridan thinks each of them brings

								something to the mission to increase the odds of success. Captain

								Anderson points out the <i>Charon</i> isn't powerful enough for the

								sort of thing they are contemplating. They need something bigger, and

								nastier. "I think I may just have the thing..." replies Sheridan.


								<P>

								In the morning, Garibaldi arrives in Lochley's office for a meeting

								with her and Sheridan. But Sheridan isn't there. He skipped out and is

								well on his way to the construction yard. Garibaldi asks for a line to

								Drake, anticipating him.


								<P>

								But Sheridan is a step ahead. He contacts Drake and tells him there's

								been a breach in security. All messages should now come through a new

								frequency, and no other messages should be replied to or acknowledged.

								Garibaldi won't be able to delay him.


								<P>

								Sheridan, sitting on the captain's chair, asks Capt. Anderson if he

								really wants to go through with this: going AWOL and risking his

								career. Anderson explains that during the civil war, they had a chance

								to join Sheridan but didn't; and they were wrong not to. Earth is in

								danger now, and this time he intends to be on the winning side. The

								crew feels the same way. "We let you down once," says Anderson. "We

								won't do it again."


								<P>

								They arrive at the dockyard, and over Drake's objections they

								commandeer the <i>Excalibur</i> and the <i>Victory</i>, leaving him

								behind. Sheridan takes command of the <i>Excalibur</i>, and Anderson

								of the <i>Victory</i>. Dureena joins Sheridan, and they head out to

								Daltron 7.


								<P>

								Once there, they find the dead world of Sheridan's dream; but Daltron

								7 is supposed to be the next best thing to paradise. A pattern of

								craters seen from orbit is the same as that produced by the Shadow

								planetkiller.


								<P>

								There are no life forms, but they do pick up a Drazi distress

								signal. When they go down to investigate, they find the Drazi of

								Sheridan's dream dead, a data crystal hidden inside his body.


								<P>

								Meanwhile, Capt. Anderson's people have been doing an analysis of the

								planet and records. He asks Sheridan if he is sure this is the work of

								a Shadow planetkiller. Sheridan is. "We have a serious problem then,"

								replies Anderson. "Because if what I'm reading is correct, this just

								happened over a week ago." The Shadows left a planetkiller behind. And

								everytime Sheridan and the Alliance have ran into leftover Shadow

								technology, they've gotten their butts kicked.


								<P>

								Garibaldi has by now reached the dock, and Drake explains that

								Sheridan stole the prototypes, and seemed crazed. Garibaldi heads out

								to Daltron 7, taking Drake with him.


								<P>

								Meanwhile, Capt. Anderson calls his wife and daughter on Earth, to

								reassure her everything is fine and he hasn't deserted, merely been

								"transferred by a  higher force." He also reassures his daughter, who is

								afraid of going to sleep because of nightmares, that he will protect

								her from the monsters.


								<P>

								Later, Anderson and Sheridan look at the contents of the data crystal

								they found on the Drazi. He too had dreams, which led him to Daltron

								7. There, he saw and recorded the Shadow planetkiller in action. Then

								he followed the deathcloud to where the fleet was

								concentrating. Finally, he returned to Daltron 7 to see if anybody was

								left and to wait for the others, hoping the dark ones would not find

								him first.


								<P>

								And then, five small ships arrive: Drakh fighters. The Drakh send a

								message, trying to figure out who the two ships are; they don't

								recognize the design. On Dureena's suggestion, they try to bluff their

								way into the Drakh's good graces, pretending to be allies. But the

								Drakh receive an extremely powerful tachyon-enhanced transmission and

								start attacking.


								<P>

								Sheridan and Anderson fight back, destroying several of the fighters. A

								few more try to escape, and head for a strange, black, null-area in

								space. Sheridan orders the main guns to fire, and destroys the

								fighters. But inertia carries him through the null field, unable

								to maneuver for a full minute after firing. On the other side, which

								matches the coordinates the Drazi gave for the Drakh fleet, the Drakh

								wait. As soon as he can, Sheridan turns around and heads out through

								the null field, a few small fighters in pursuit. The rest of the fleet

								is already on its way.


								<P>

								Sheridan and Anderson move ahead, and jump to hyperspace before the

								Drakh can catch up; the fighters are caught in the collapsing jump

								point and are destroyed. Then, the <i>Victory</i> and <i>Excalibur</i>

								slip past the main fleet in hyperspace, and head for Earth at top

								speed.


								<P>

								Sheridan calls Lochley. He tells her of the Drakh fleet and the Shadow

								deathcloud. Lochley is skeptical; she thinks Sheridan may have indeed

								flipped. But Sheridan insists, and asks her vehemently for her trust

								and help. Delenn is already scrambling as many Alliance ships as she

								can together. Sheridan wants Lochley to call Earth and tell President

								Luchenko (<a href="../guide/087.html">"Rising Star"</a>) to do the

								same. Sheridan isn't much liked or trusted on Earth, so he needs her

								to make the call. Lochley can hardly believe she is doing this, but

								she does as he asks.


								<P>

								Meanwhile, Garibaldi is told someone aboard the White Star tapped into

								communications a while ago. Before he can investigate further, they

								receive a call from Sheridan. Sheridan tells Garibaldi about the

								planetkiller. Garibaldi is also skeptical. Sheridan wants to warn him

								the Drakh are onto them, and know about the new ships.


								<P>

								Garibaldi mentions that he has found out about Dureena's membership in

								the Thieves' Guild. She is  not to be trusted, he says. Maybe it is

								her fault. Sheridan is partly taken aback, but Dureena points out that

								if she is the leak, she is stupid, as she could have gotten killed with

								him.


								<P>

								"Killed how?" asks Garibaldi, and Sheridan recounts their brief

								encounter with the Drakh, and the tachyon signal they received. The

								signal told the Drakh who they were. Garibaldi makes the connection

								with the anomaly in the communication system of his ship...


								<P>

								... and hears a PPG powering up next to his head: Drake. Mars born, he

								owes no loyalty to Earth, and the Drakh made him a great offer. He is

								the leak. Garibaldi cuts the communication. Then he points out to

								Drake that if he shoots Garibaldi, the Rangers around him will take

								him down. One of them activates a fighting pike, distracting

								Drake. Garibaldi then quickly disarms him and puts him in a headlock.


								<P>

								"Now, you are going to tell me everything you know," says

								Garibaldi. Drake, frightened, nods slowly. Garibaldi later contacts

								Sheridan, and confirms everything. The Drakh are headed for Earth,

								want to make a statement to the Alliance by wiping out Earth in a big

								show of force. The only silver lining is that they only have one

								planetkiller. If Sheridan can destroy it, they won't have another one

								to worry about.


								<P>

								Sheridan arrives in Earth space. Lochley has apparently convinced

								Luchenko, and Earthforce has mobilized its ships. Aboard the Earth

								Destroyer <i>Hermes</i>, General Yuri Mikhailovich Denisov, in command

								of the EarthForce ships, is annoyed and thinks this is all some sort

								of exercise. Sheridan's assurances that this is for real are soon

								confirmed, as the Drakh fleet jumps into normal space.


								<P>

								Sheridan tells Gen. Denisov to leave the fleet to the defense grid (<a

								href="../guide/086.html">"Endgame"</a>). He wants the destroyers and

								Alliance heavy ships to form a wedge around the <i>Excalibur</i> and

								the <i>Victory</i> and lead them into the planetkiller itself. "Then

								what?" asks Gen. Denisov. "Then we kill it," replies

								Sheridan. "Somehow."


								<P>

								The General agrees and leads them in. While enroute, Sheridan uses

								the <i>Excalibur's</i> advanced sensors, more advanced than anything

								they've had previously, to analyze the deathcloud. It has a

								superstructure inside, a lattice of some kind, which is what they must

								destroy.


								<P>

								Sheridan notices the center of the lattice is bigger and reinforced:

								probably the command center. That's their target.


								<P>

								<i>"When the time comes to choose your target, be sure to pick the

								right one. Because you will only get one shot."</i> Galen's words echo

								in Dureena's head.


								<P>

								"No," she tells Sheridan simply. "If you hit that part you'll fail and

								your planet will be destroyed." She explains that a thief learns to

								look where you aren't supposed to look; that the most valuable items

								are never inside the safe, but next to it. Next to the central point

								of the lattice is a joint, seemingly the same as others in the

								structure. "There's nothing special about it," Dureena explains. "Then

								why is it surrounded by short range weapons? Why are they so

								determined to protect it?"


								<P>

								Capt. Anderson has been monitoring the situation. Enemy ships are

								closing in, and the deathcloud is approaching Earth. They are running

								out of time. They can hit one target but not both. Which one? Sheridan has

								to choose quickly.


								<P>

								"Hers," Sheridan replies. The <i>Victory</i> and the <i>Excalibur</i>

								accelerate towards the deathcloud.


								<P>

								But the deathcloud's defenses are formidable, and more Drakh ships

								join the defense as they figure out what is happening. The fire isn't

								getting through to the target. The <i>Victory</i> is hit severely, and

								its main weapons array destroyed. The planetkiller is minutes away

								from Earth.


								<P>

								"My daughter is out there, Phil," Capt. Anderson tells his first

								officer. "I made a promise to her that I'd protect her from the

								monsters. What kind of father am I if I can't keep my promise?"


								<P>

								Anderson contacts Sheridan. He suggests that Sheridan fire his main

								gun; although it will probably miss at that range, and leave the

								<i>Excalibur</i> vulnerable for one minute, it will clear away the

								defending ships. The <i>Victory</i> can cover her for a minute and

								get within range. Then the <i>Victory</i> will fire her main guns

								while the <i>Excalibur</i> covers her. It's a long shot, but it is

								their only one. Sheridan agrees and fires.


								<P>

								The <i>Excalibur</i> misses the joint barely, but destroys the enemy

								ships in the way. Captain Anderson then issues the order: "Ramming

								speed." Sheridan can't do anything, his ship out of power. The

								<i>Victory</i> heads in, taking hit after hit. Despite extensive

								damage, the ship makes it all the way to the joint, and destroys it in

								a fiery crash. But the <i>Victory</i> doesn't survive.


								<P>

								Anderson's sacrifice isn't in vain. The planetkiller begins to

								collapse. The missiles fire prematurely, hitting the superstructure

								itself. With the <i>Excalibur</i> back on line, Sheridan heads out. He

								escapes as the deathcloud collapses into itself and is destroyed.


								<P>

								Before they can even take stock, they see the remains of the Drakh

								fleet heading towards Earth. They watch in horrified silence as the

								ships descend into the atmosphere, and start releasing some

								sort of dust. The defense grid hits many of them, but they only fall

								towards the surface, releasing more dust on their way down.


								<P>

								Sheridan looks down in silence. "What is it?" asks Dureena, who does

								not understand what is going on. "What happened?"


								<P>

								Galen is looking over the results of the battle in his crystal globe

								when a voice calls out to him. "The circle requires your presence."


								<P>

								Sheridan is back on Babylon 5, explaining to Lochley and

								Garibaldi. "So, they finished analysing whatever it was the Drakh

								sprayed into Earth's atmosphere?" asks Lochley.


								<P>

								"It's a biogenetic plague," replies Sheridan. "Earth has been

								completely quarantined, nobody allowed in or out. The death cloud was

								the only one the Drakh had left, but it wasn't the last weapon in

								their arsenal. From the complexity of its structure, the bioweapons

								division back home thinks the plague was probably engineered by the

								Shadows."


								<P>

								"How much time do they have?" asks Garibaldi. "Looks like that's the

								only bright spot in this," replies Sheridan. "The Drakh didn't have

								time to finish adjusting it our biology, or they just didn't know

								how. But either way, its going to take time for the plague to adjust

								to a new host. They're saying 5 years. Could be less. But probably

								five years is the best guess for now."


								<P>

								"And... at the end of five years?" asks Lochley.


								<P>

								"Every man, woman, and child on Earth will be dead. Unless we can

								find a cure."


								<p>

								Since the plague is Shadow technology, they won't be able to solve it

								on Earth in five years. "But since this came to us from outside," adds

								Sheridan, "maybe we can find a cure out there." There are other races,

								as old as the Shadows; one of them must have a cure. "We'll find

								them. We have to."


								<P>

								Sheridan adds: "I've told president Luchenko we'll put all the resources

								of the Alliance and the White Star fleet at their disposal. We'll turn

								the <i>Excalibur</i> into a traveling research vessel, manned by the

								best crew we can find. The Rangers will search every corner of space,

								looking for clues to a cure. Then the <i>Excalibur</i> and her crew

								will go in to follow it up."


								<P>

								On their way out, Sheridan says, the Drakh hit the construction dock, destroying

								years of work. It will take time to make up for it, and so, for now,

								the <i>Excalibur</i> is the only of one of her kind.


								<P>

								Meanwhile, Galen arrives on Babylon 5, and joins Dureena.


								<P>

								Sheridan finishes: "Those who command the <i>Excalibur</i> will never stop,

								never give up, and never slow down until a cure is found. And we'll

								take any help we can get, wherever and whoever it comes from. Because

								this is a cause that surpasses borders, and differences, and

								distrusts. This is a mission about the survival of Earth itself. What

								we do over the next five years here, at home, and across the darkness

								between the stars, will determine whether an entire world will

								live... or die. It's a fight we can't afford to lose.


								<P>

								"And we won't. We won't."