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242 lines
9.9 KiB
<html>
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<head>
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<title>Babylon 5 Universe: Setting (season four)</title>
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<map name="toplevel">
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<area shape="RECT" coords="0,0,99,23" href="/lurk/universe/intro.html" alt="Universe">
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<link rev=made href="mailto:koreth@midwinter.com">
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</head>
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<body>
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<p align=center nowrap><nobr><img
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align=middle border=0 usemap="#titlebar"
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alt="">
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<br><a href="intro.html"><img
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align=top border=0
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src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-intro.gif" width=100 height=24
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alt=" [Introduction]"></a><img
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align=top border=0
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src="/lurk/nav/lit/un-setting.gif" width=100 height=24
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alt=" ### SETTING ###"></a><a
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href="cast-4.html"><img
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align=top border=0
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src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-maincast.gif" width=100 height=24
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alt=" [Main Cast]"></a><a
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href="supporting-4.html"><img
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align=top border=0
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src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-supporting.gif" width=100 height=24
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alt=" [Supporting Cast]"></a><a
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href="station-4.html"><img
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align=top border=0
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src="/lurk/nav/dark/un-station.gif" width=100 height=24
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alt=" [Station]"></a>
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</nobr>
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<p>
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<a href="setting-1.html">Season 1: "Signs and Portents"</a><br>
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<a href="setting-2.html">Season 2: "The Coming of Shadows"</a><br>
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<a href="setting-3.html">Season 3: "Point of No Return"</a><br>
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<strong>Season 4: "No Surrender, No Retreat"</strong>
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<p>
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<blockquote>
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<cite>It was the year of fire...
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the year of destruction...
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the year we took back what was ours.
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It was the year of rebirth...
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the year of great sadness...
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the year of pain...
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and the year of joy.
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It was a new age.
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It was the end of history.
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It was the year everything changed.
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The year is 2261.
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The place: Babylon 5.</cite>
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- Lennier, Zack, G'Kar, Lyta, Vir, Marcus, Delenn, Londo, Franklin,
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Ivanova, Garibaldi, Sheridan
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</blockquote>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/shadow.gif">
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The Shadow War is at a standstill as 2261 begins. Ancient, implacable
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enemies, held at bay by races long dead or departed, the
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<strong>Shadows</strong> were
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no more than legends to most of the younger races.
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<p>
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All that changed in 2260. The Shadows, awakened years earlier from a
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millenium-long slumber on their ancestral home of Z'ha'dum, gradually made
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their presence known, and their purpose became clear: weeding out the weak and
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defenseless among the younger races to promote rapid evolution. Moving
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largely behind the scenes, they set the younger races upon one another,
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causing wars and inciting genocide. The Shadows are the embodiment of
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the question, "What do you want?" They seek not military victory, but
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philosophical dominance, a universe in which younger races scramble madly
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to attain their goals without regard for the consequences. Such an
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environment demands chaos, and it's chaos the Shadows have so effectively
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brought upon the major races.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/vorlon-angel.gif">
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When the other First Ones departed for reasons of their own, the
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<strong>Vorlons</strong>
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were left behind to oppose the Shadow philosophy. If the Shadows represent
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chaos, the Vorlons are lords of order: they seek the same outcome, the
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advancement of younger races, but on their terms, whether their charges
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like it or not. The Vorlons prefer to ask the question, "Who are you?" It
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is a question that leads to introspection and spiritual growth, but not to
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expansion or scientific advancement.
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<p>
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Unfortunately, the struggle between the two philosophies is played out not
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among the ancients, but among the younger races, unwitting pawns in a game
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few yet realize is being played.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/clark.gif">
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The <strong>Earth Alliance,</strong> headquartered in Geneva, is led
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by President Clark. Clark came to power with the help of
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the Shadows and the Psi Corps, a Shadow-dominated agency created to control the
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telepathic talents planted furtively in the human gene pool by the Vorlons.
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ISN, a blatant propaganda machine, controls the flow of information to the
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citizenry and the outside world. Political dissent is stifled
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by an Orwellian agency called the Night Watch. Passage to and from the
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Earth Alliance is difficult thanks to the imposition of strict martial law,
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ostensibly to protect humans from alien influences that might spark another
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devastating war. So far, Earth has largely stayed out of the Shadow War;
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Clark's extreme xenophobia hasn't led him to strike out against the
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other races. Rumors of a resistance movement persist, but so far they're
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nothing more than rumors.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=100 height=80 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/b5port.gif">
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Until recently,
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<strong>Babylon 5</strong> was an outpost operated by the Earth Allance, built
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with the aid of a few alien governments. Captain Sheridan declared
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independence in mid-2260 in opposition to Clark's totalitarian policies.
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By continuing its function as a remote outpost used by a multitude of species,
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B5 has been able to maintain its autonomy from Earth, though with autonomy has
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come the isolation of most of B5's crew from their families and friends
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back home. With the war against the Shadows out in the open, the station has
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served as a base of operations, a gathering point for those who oppose the
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Shadows: the Vorlon-inspired Army of Light.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=100 height=80 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/wsport.gif">
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The <strong>Rangers</strong> are the core of the Army of Light. Made up
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primarily of humans and Minbari, the Rangers were formed to gather information
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and perform covert operations to undermine the work of the Shadows. The
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Army of Light as a whole is composed of the Narn, the Minbari, and various
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minor races,
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all of whom feel that the Shadows must be opposed at any cost. By
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implication, they side with the Vorlons, and in fact the Vorlons have
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encouraged the Army's formation, contributing tidbits of advanced technology
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toward the construction of the White Star Fleet of warships.
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/lennier4.gif">
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An old, highly spiritual race, the <strong>Minbari</strong> are humanoid with
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exterior bone crests on their heads. A thousand years ago, the Minbari fought
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the Shadows alongside the Vorlons, and came to trust the Vorlons implicitly.
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Minbari society is divided into three castes: Warrior, Religious, and
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Worker. After a recent splintering of their political leadership, Minbari
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society is at an impasse. The Religious and Worker Castes have given their
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support to the Army of Light, but the Warrior Caste, arrogant and
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isolationist, resents such involvement with inferior races.
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<p>
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Only a few know that Minbar and Earth have linked histories: a human, Sinclair,
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the first commander of Babylon 5, traveled back in time to the previous war
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against the Shadows and delivered a new base of operations, Babylon 4, to the
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Minbari. Sinclair became a great spiritual leader, the founder of Minbari
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society and a prophet thanks to his knowledge of future events. Sinclair's
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journey opened a doorway between Minbari and humans, and since the last war
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a thousand years ago, Minbari souls have been slowly reincarnating in human
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bodies. Upon discovering that, the Religious Caste halted the Earth-Minbari
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War, a decision still resented by the Warrior Caste.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/londo.gif">
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The <strong>Centauri Republic,</strong> until recently a declining empire, has
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allied itself with the Shadows and is enjoying a renaissance of military and
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political might. The Centauri are even allowing the Shadows to house ships
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and personnel on their homeworld. The insane Centauri Emperor, Cartagia,
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believes the Shadows will elevate him to godhood if he cooperates with them.
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Instead, the pact is likely to leave Cartagia dead and Centauri Prime in
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ruins. Centauri are mostly human in appearance; men wear their hair in fans
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whose height indicate social standing, and women have shaved heads.
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<br clear=all>
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<p>
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<img align=right width=80 height=100 alt="" src="/lurk/gif/chars/gkar.gif">
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Once a major power, the <strong>Narn Regime</strong> was one of the victims of
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Centauri expansionism, especially humiliating since they were unwilling subjects
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of the Centauri Republic a hundred years ago.
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Under the leadership of former ambassador G'Kar, now living in
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sanctuary on Babylon 5, the Narn are assisting with Babylon 5 security and
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acting as footsoldiers for the Army of Light. Narns have a
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reptilian appearance and are easily provoked.
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<p>
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<strong>Next:</strong> <a href="cast-4.html">The Main Cast</a>
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<pre>
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</pre>
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<p nowrap>
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<nobr><a href="/lurk/lurker.html"><img
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</nobr>
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<h5>
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Last update:
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January 7, 1997
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</h5>
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</body>
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