"It was the middle of the Earth year 2261." "The year between wars and the beginning of a new age." "The Shadow War was over, but there was still a darkness waiting for us at home." "President Santiago had been assassinated, and his successor President Clark... was turning Earth into a prison camp." "We'd broken away from Earth, and in retaliation, they quarantined us... trying to strangle our supply lines." "We were desperate... and we couldn't afford to lose even a single supply ship." "In the midst of all of this, we made contact with Thirdspace... and we almost didn't survive it." "I only hope we never come across it again... because next time, no one's going to survive it." "Delta 7, they're coming in behind you." "Watch your 12." "Form up." "Keep them away from the transport." "We can't let them get it." "Roger that." "Deltas 2 and 9, I'll lay down suppressing fire." " Cover me." " Right behind you." "Stand by." "Break, Fox 2!" "Commander Ivanova to raiding party." "We're too evenly matched." "You can't win." "I suggest that you surrender or withdraw before you're destroyed." "Not a chance." "We know there's Quantium 40 aboard that ship." "It's going for millions of credits, and we're not leaving without it." "Tough." "You're not getting it." "We could make a deal, give you a piece of the action." "Forget it." "There's no way you're coming out of this a winner." "At best, it's a standoff." "You mean, it was a standoff." "Now, about that surrender." "That's funny." "I was just about to say the same thing." "This is the White Star fleet to raiding party." "We've just cut off your means of escape... and the nearest jumpgate is several hours from here." "You've got nowhere to go." "We have locked our weapons onto your ships." "Surrender and prepare to be boarded." "I won't ask again." "We hear you." "Standing down." "A wise move." "Commander Ivanova, since this mousetrap was your idea, you get to go home... while we escort these gentlemen to the penal colony in the Drazi Freehold." "Are you sure I can't go with you?" "I want to see their faces when they get a sniff of Drazi cooking." "Negative, Commander." "Make sure everyone hears about this." "If we can make the raiders worry... that every valuable cargo might be another mousetrap, it'll discourage them... from hitting more ships bound for Babylon 5." "Thank you, sir." "With this embargo against the station, we need every supply ship we can get." "Basically, I should just take my cheese and go home." "Is that it?" "That's affirmative." "You got them to risk exposing that battle wagon... they've been using as a base, so you're entitled to a little rest." "Will do." "See you back at the barn." "Let's go, Delta Squadron, it's a long way to the nearest jumpgate." "Maximum burn." "Sorry I'm late." "That's all right." "It's perfectly all right." "I've waited a long time for this." " I can wait a few more minutes." " So now he's patient." " Twenty years ago you weren't so patient." " Twenty years ago I had twenty years." "Now I got Felmar's Syndrome, I'm 65, I don't know how much time I've got." "I would like to get some satisfaction before I die." "Mr. Rosen..." "Alex." "Please call me Alex." "Him, you can call Mr. Rosen." "A very unfriendly man once you get to know him." "Alex, your brother tells me that you have agreed... to a telepathic scan, but I need you to confirm this." "Fine." "I confirm." "I'm only doing this because he's sick." "Supposedly sick." "You don't look like a very sick man to me." "You, however, don't look so well." "Are you okay?" "I'm fine." "Just a headache." "I sympathize." "Whatever he's paying you, it's not enough." "For your information, this won't be a deep scan." "I'll be looking at surface thoughts only." "Answer yes or no to the questions." "I will determine whether you're telling the truth." "Any questions?" "Questions?" "No, I have no questions." "Leo has all the questions." "Go ahead, ask." "Yes, I've been waiting a long time for this." "Now we'll finally get to the truth." "Waiting, waiting all this time..." "Twenty years ago, I said you were having an affair..." "No, I know you were having an affair with my wife." "He was always crazy jealous, wouldn't listen to reason." "We haven't spoken to each other in two decades, not that it's a bad thing." "He denied the whole thing, so it made me look like a fool... so Sheila left me, the whole family sided with him." "Alex, you and I know the truth." "I haven't got long left." "So let's let everybody know the truth." "I want to get some satisfaction." "Were you having an affair with my wife?" " This won't hurt, will it?" " You won't feel a thing." "Good, because I had this tooth removed, and they said the same thing..." "Were you having an affair with my wife?" "No!" "I was not having an affair with Sheila." "Is he telling the truth?" " Yes, he's telling the truth." " I'm sorry." "What?" "She said I'm telling the truth." "What part of that sentence don't you understand?" "You missed something, maybe." " It's probably dark in there, so..." " It's not necessary..." "You know, I think, maybe Alex is so guilty about what he did to me... he's blanked it all out like it didn't happen." "I am trained to separate false memories from real ones." "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go." " I'm really not feeling well." " That's a good idea." "Have a nice lie-down, a cup of tea, you'll feel better." "I want to thank you for your time... you are a lovely young woman, and if I was 30 years younger... and you were a little blind in one eye... what a wonderful life we could have together." "I'll need the balance of my fee deposited by morning." "Twenty years." "How could I have been so stupid?" "Sorry." "I'm picking something up." "Say again, Delta 7." "You're breaking up." "I'm getting a reading on the long-range scanners." "It's way off the beacon." "Transferring data to your system." "Whatever it is, it's huge." "Delta Squadron to Babylon 5." "Do you copy, Babylon Control?" "Confirm, Delta Squadron." "This is Babylon Control." "Have you had any reports of missing ships in this area?" "Negative, Delta 1." "What have you got?" "I'm not sure." "It's almost as big as an explorer ship." "It's at least half a mile across." "It's well off the jump beacons." "It may have been damaged or lost power... and been pulled off course by the hyperspace tides." "Can you leave a marker?" "We'll send an investigating team." "Negative." "It's moving diagonal to the beacon." "If we leave it now, we'll never find it again." "We'll investigate and get back to you." "Delta Leader out." "Are you there, Delta 7?" "Right here, Delta Leader." "We'll go after it." "We'll determine what it is... and see if it's safe to call in a rescue operation." "We'll form a relay from the homing beacon to avoid getting lost." "Roger that, Delta Leader." "Delta 6, you're the anchor." "Hold here so we can link to your signal... and extend toward the target like a string of pearls." "Don't stray or you'll lose contact and get lost in the gravitational eddies." "Then we'll have two rescue missions to worry about." "Be careful, only a moron would go this far off the beacon on purpose." "There's still a chance it could be a trap." "Distance to target?" "Estimate 3,000 kilometers." "Distance to relay ship: 1,000 kilometers." "Delta 9, take relay position and maintain." "Roger that, Delta Leader." "The bounce-back signal is everywhere." "It doesn't make any sense." "Whatever's out there doesn't match any known silhouette." "Possible first-contact situation?" "Whatever it is, it isn't under power." "It's definitely either dead or abandoned." "Damn, that thing's big." " Delta 4 taking relay position." " Acknowledged, Delta 4." "We're almost to target." "Should have it on visual any time now." "Stay close and go weapons hot... but nobody fires without authorization." "Keep scanning." "Still nothing." "We should be on top of it by now." "Oh, hell." "Delta Leader to Babylon Control." "CC on-line." "We'll launch a salvage operation." "We need five White Stars and some Starfuries." "Make sure they're armed and running weapons hot." "This thing could be dangerous." "Confirmed." "How many Starfuries do you want?" "All of them." " Any word from Ivanova?" " She's about to arrive." " Thought she'd be here." " We're having to move the struts... of the jumpgate far enough to allow the artifact to get through." " It's that big?" " Bigger." "Optimum distance achieved." "You're clear for jump, Commander." "Roger that, CC." "We're coming in." "I hope you understand that this is a bit awkward for me... but with Londo back home, things kind of fall onto me." "With financial matters, the League expects the Centauri... to speak on their behalf." "It's all right, Vir." "What is it?" "The artifact that you brought back from hyperspace... the others would like to know what it is." "Then we have something in common." "We'd like to know that for ourselves." "But it's going to take a while to figure that out." "All we do know is that it's very old." "What it is and what it does, your guess is as good as mine." "In that case, can they take part in examining the artifact?" " Not at this time, no." " Vir, we understand their interest." "The race that created this artifact must have been extremely advanced." "There may be some valuable technology inside." "But if everyone starts pulling at it at once, nothing will get done." "Delenn and I discussed this earlier, and we both agreed... that anything we find will be shared with everyone... in the League of Non-Aligned Worlds." "That's all well and good, because you trust her and she trusts you... and I trust both of you." "That's the sort I am." "I'm the trusting kind, you know, ever since I was..." "Anyway, the others don't trust anyone, especially when it comes to money." " Would you like me to speak to them?" " No." "It's not the speaking that's the problem." "It's the listening." "Still, I'll see what I can do." "Perhaps Vir is right." "No matter how much we reassure them... the other races will always think we're holding something back." "I know." "We can't take that chance." "You know as well as I do... they'll be grabbing stuff as soon as they get there." "And if it looks like someone is going to get a new weapon... before they can, they'll sabotage it." "They'll blow it up." "No." "There's no other way." "They may have resources that could be useful." "Babylon 5 is a diplomatic station, a free port." "Not a research facility." "We have no archeologists, no experts in alien technology." "I know." "So it'll take us a little longer, that's all." "But we'll get there." "May I assume that this has nothing to do with you wanting to be... the first to unlock whatever secrets this thing brings with it?" "Me?" "When have you ever known me to have a personal agenda?" "John, whenever something comes into our proximity... that has to do with the unknown, your eyes light up like two tiny suns." "And you know what words these two tiny lights spell out?" " What?" " "Mine."" "Now, that is a lie." " Minbari do not lie." " Then it is slander." "To be slander, it must be false." "That's two down." " Then it's damned inconvenient." " The truth always is." "Besides... it is mine." "Investigation team, this is Security." "I'm making out signs of weapon fire... on the outside of this..." "Whatever it is." "Suggest you proceed with caution." "Place could be rigged with booby traps, bombs, other defense systems, anything." "Until we know what this is and where it came from... we have to definitely consider it a potential threat to station security." "Team One to Security." "We'll be careful." "It's beautiful, though." "Yeah, it is that." "But so is a cobra." "So be damned careful." "I don't want anybody to get bit." "Understood." "Okay, everybody, move to prescribed safe distance." "Sending in a maint bot to take a surface sample." "Stand by." "We got a problem." "What's the problem?" "Talk to me." "Registering a 15% drop in the bot's power supply." "20%, 50%." " All right, move it away." "Pull it back." " Not responding." "80%, it's dead." "We still don't have a lot to go on, but it looks as if the device... drained every last milliwatt of power." "We can't even recharge it." "We've tried three times, and the charge doesn't stick." "Why didn't it affect our Starfuries when we pulled it out of hyperspace?" "I don't know." "My guess is that it has to do with the proximity of the power source." "You were able to fire grapples from a safe distance... the bot and its power source were within just a few feet." "I'll let you know when we finish the rest of our test." "The power drain seems to be short-range, so if we're lucky... it won't constitute a hazard to navigation." "We'll have to make sure to keep a distance or come up with some kind of shielding." "But that'll make it nearly impossible to do a proper analysis." "Sheridan." "Go." "Captain, we've got a ship from IPX coming in through the gate." "Interplanetary Expeditions?" "That was fast." "I figured they'd hear about it, they got sources everywhere." "Did anyone tell them we're not having anything to do with Earth anymore?" "Confirmed." "But one of the passengers is still asking to speak with you." "All right." "My office, 20 minutes." "If you'll excuse me..." "I think I have some old-fashioned horse-trading to do." "The vultures are starting to circle." "I thought they only circled after you were dead." "Maybe they know something we don't." "There is danger." "Dr. Elizabeth Trent, field coordinator for Interplanetary Expeditions." "It's a pleasure to meet you." "It's certainly a surprise to meet you." "In case you hadn't heard, we're on President Clark's quarantined list." "No ship from Earth is allowed to dock at Babylon 5." "We're aware of the embargo, but IPX is a special case." " May we?" " Sure." "Make yourself at home." " Let me get right to the point, Captain." " I expect nothing less." "We'd like access to the alien artifact parked outside." "I'll certainly take your request under consideration." "That's bureaucratese for "take a hike."" "It is, indeed." "Captain, you're not set up to investigate a find like this." "You don't have the people, the equipment, or the training." "Now, you could poke around like aborigines playing with a Starfury." "And maybe you might find something useful by sheer accident." "But maybe you'll push the wrong button, blow yourself up." "I know." "Exciting, isn't it?" "All right." "What do you want?" "First, some information." "Why aren't you or your people afraid of retribution... for breaking the embargo?" "IPX is a multiplanetary corporation." "We have agreements with over half a dozen alien governments... allowing us movement across borders without restrictions." "We can explore any world... provided we guarantee access to whatever we find." "You see, there's politics, and there's business." "This is business." "Your problems have nothing to do with us." " You can come and go as you want?" " That's correct." "All right." "Then here's the deal." "I'll give you access to the artifact." "You will work with my people at all times." "You will give us full access to your data at every step along the way." "We have first call on anything you find." "If the technology behind that thing... can be used by Earth against the other races... that information never leaves here." " Captain, I..." " You try, we'll destroy it." "You wouldn't." "That's the find of a lifetime." "It's scrap metal, guaranteed." "I will pull the trigger myself if I have to." " Second." " There's more?" "Thanks to the blockade, we are running short of supplies around here." "Spare parts, certain foods we can't grow..." "And you want us to break the blockade and bring you whatever supplies you need." "If you're going to work here, you may as well bring lunch." "I'm just trying to make sure you bring enough for everybody." "All right, Captain." "Let me think about it." "We still have to decide if what's out there is worth all these conditions." "Sheridan." "They finished going over the sample we took from the alien artifact." "The carbon dating indicates that whatever that thing is... it's over a million years old." "Still thinking about it, Doc?" "Have your people stand by, Captain." "We have a deal." "Don't put that there." "Never mind." "Okay." "Forget it." "Excuse me, I would appreciate it if you keep this whole area clear." "There's explosives..." "Thank you." " You should see your face." " This is horrific." "I mean, look at this!" "You know, back home on Earth... along the Amazon in South America, they've got these army ants." "They sweep across the forest in a 5-inch carpet, millions of them." "They're no more than an inch long, but they can devastate a forest... in less than an hour." "I wonder if they know they've got cousins this far out in space." "You think anybody would notice if I just killed a few of them?" " Well, how many?" " I don't know." " Ten?" " Yes, they'd notice it." " Six?" " Go for it." "Commander?" "Dr. Elizabeth Trent, IPX." "I assume Capt. Sheridan's briefed you on our mission." "Yes." "Actually, this is my station, Doctor." "Anything happens around here, I know about it." "This is Dr. Stephen Franklin." "You'll be coordinating with him on any organic findings." " Nice to meet you." " Doctor." "I think we should get together for a few minutes." "Discuss how we want to split up work before things get crazy." ""Before things get crazy." I see." "What exactly would you call this?" "Science." "Dr. Trent, could you take a look at this?" " Excuse me." " Sure." "Maybe if I just killed one of them, that would do me." "In that case, I think I should be elsewhere." "Watch out!" "That's it." "I'm going to go get some sleep." "Lyta." "Long day?" "Seems like they just keep getting longer every day." "Looks like you've had one of those days yourself." "Believe me, I understand." "One damn thing after another." "Listen, Lyta, there's something I wanted to..." " Warning, power failure." " There you go." " Security to CC." " On-line." "We got a power failure in Tube 9." "What's the story?" "We've been having power fluctuations for the last couple of hours." "We'll get it back on ASAP." "It'll just be a minute." ""It'll just be a minute."" "As long as we're not going anywhere..." "I wanted to, you know..." "I wanted to ask you..." "Do you want to go out sometime?" "I don't know, get some dinner, maybe catch a vid?" "Bottom line is..." "I like you." "I've liked you ever since you got here." "I know things have been tough on you lately... and I know I could do right by you." "I'm not the Captain." "I don't bring in big bucks." "I'm nothing to write home about." "I know there's a big gap between us." "The life that you lead... that maybe I could never understand..." "Maybe I could understand." "Maybe I could try." "You're the kind of person makes a guy want to try." "There's something about you... frankly, I'm nuts about." "So I think it would be great... if, you know, maybe I could see you once in a while." "Listen, you don't have to answer now." "Take your time." "Think about it for a while." "Not to imply that you have to answer, because you don't." "You don't owe me one, that's for sure." "I think that I could care for you." "You've been through a lot." "And I guess I just wanna do for you." "I'm sorry." "I shouldn't have said anything." "I didn't mean to offend you." "This was probably the wrong time." "Both had a hard day." "We've gotta work together." "You know how that goes." "It's just... awkward." "So maybe you're right." "Maybe it's best that we don't." "Power restored." "Looks like they fixed it." "I can't remember where I'm going." "My brain jumped the track." "It does that." "Look, tell you what." "Like I said, I'm sorry." "I shouldn't have said anything." "Let's just pretend that this didn't happen." "This way, you won't be embarrassed..." "I won't be embarrassed, and I promise I'll never bring it up again." "Unless you bring it up first." "I guess this is where I get off." "Look, I hope I wasn't too far out of line, Lyta." "I hope..." "Good night, Lyta." "Maybe it was for the best." "Three dates, I probably would have married her." "How's that beam coming?" "Moving into position." "Better check those struts." "Make sure they're ready to hold this thing." " I don't wanna mess with this twice." " Roger that." "Stand by." " Control, what's with the bots?" " What about them?" "You mean, you're not doing that?" "Mayday, CC!" "They're on a collision course!" "I repeat, they're going to ram the artifact!" "CC, we can't override the bots." "You've gotta stop them." "We've got it." "Stay clear." "Take them out!" "Alpha Squadron to CC." "Targets destroyed." "You get someone in Maintenance... to find out what happened." "Miller, Jankowski, hang back, seal off this section." "Rest of you, with me." "Aye, Chief." " I don't believe it!" " Is he alive?" "He's okay." "Jason, get a med team up here just to make sure." "Medlab, we need a med team in Maintenance." "Security override nonfunctional." "Take it down." "Lights." "Lyta?" "We have to stop it." "Where's that med team?" "And you can't remember anything since yesterday afternoon?" "No, nothing." "How did you get into the main bot control room?" " I don't know." " What were you doing there?" "Stephen, what part of "I don't know" is unclear?" "Look, this is me." "If I knew what happened in there, I would tell you." "I don't mean to be short with you." "I'm as confused by this as you are." "It's possible that you were walking in your sleep." "Telepaths are prone to eccentric dream behavior." "But I've never done that before." "Which means it may have needed a trigger event... for your subconscious to get things moving." "Can you think of any reason why you would want to destroy the artifact?" "No, well..." "Not really." "I've just..." "Ever since it got here, I've had the strangest feeling about it." "Like I've seen it before somewhere." "Makes me nervous." "And before you ask, no, I don't know why." "It just does." "Look, I'm really tired." "Can I go, or am I being placed under arrest?" "No, you can go." "Let me give you something to help you sleep." "She knows she's being watched." "The security cameras are carefully hidden." "Yes, but she knows where the camera is, and she knows we're watching her." "Just look at her." "Is there another camera in there?" " Yes, but..." " Humor me." "Switch to the alternate view." "Well, that's a neat trick." "A low-rated commercial telepath can't sense electronics like that." "Only a P-9 or above could do that." " Lyta's a P-5." " So you told me." "But that rating was determined before she went to the Vorlon homeworld... as you very well know." "How do you know about that?" "IPX tracks every long-range ship that approaches quarantined space." "We probably know more about it than you do." "According to our records... two years before the war between the Vorlons and Shadows heated up..." "Lyta was on Mars, on the run from the psi corps." "While there, she arranged to meet a starship captain, David Slayner." "According to information we received from Slayner... she told him she felt drawn to the Vorlon homeworld... the result of a previous encounter with the Vorlon Ambassador, Kosh." "Until this time, anyone who entered Vorlon space never came back." "So the Captain was understandably reluctant." "But the money was right, so they went." "He took her as far as their border." "They sent a continuous signal inviting the Vorlons to appear." "After several days, when the Vorlons didn't show... the Captain decided to head back." "At that point, Lyta commandeered a life pod... and ejected into Vorlon space." "The Captain wisely took off and never saw her again." "We suspect that was what they were waiting for." "Life pods are short-ranged craft." "She was 10 days away from the nearest jumpgate... with only three days of air, food, and water." "There is no way she could have survived if the Vorlons hadn't come for her." "Our records also indicate that while she was there... the Vorlons altered her, increased her ability." "Assuming that you're right..." "I'm surprised that you haven't been keeping an eye on her." "What makes you think we haven't?" "Captain, in the past the Vorlons have done everything in their power... to keep humans from getting their hands on advanced technology." "If she is under their influence, she may have tried... to destroy the artifact to keep us from figuring out what it is." "She may not even know she's doing it." "Nonetheless, she's a danger to the project." "I suggest you keep her under house arrest... until we do a little more groundwork on this thing." "I'll consider your suggestion." "That's it?" "You'll consider it?" "We do have this little thing called due process, Dr. Trent." "We'll keep an eye on her." "There's no proof this was anything other than an isolated incident." "If that changes, we'll take action, but not before." "In the meantime, I suggest you attend to the artifact and leave the station to us." "Suit yourself." "But if she endangers any of my crew, we'll take care of her ourselves... and worry about due process later." "Probe One to Base, we are ready to proceed." "Stand by." " Activate light grid." " Okay." "Activating scanner array." "Let's start with a metallurgical analysis... and continue with a deep-field resonance scan." "Let's see what's inside that thing." "Probe One, we're losing the light a little." "Can you correct?" "Confirmed." "Increasing power of the lighting grid." "Perfect." "Keep it away!" "It knows we're here!" "Don't you hear me?" "Don't you understand?" "Keep it away!" "It's looking at us right now!" "Keep it away!" "Report 17." "A hundred years ago the Centauri gave us jumpgates... and changed the future forever." "The artifact may be even more important." "Preliminary findings have started coming in... and they confirm that the alien artifact is definitely not a ship... but rather a mechanism." "We're picking up readings beyond anything we've seen before." "I think I have an idea what it may be designed for... but as long as it's sitting dead in space, I can't be sure." "We have to probe further, and we have to do it soon... before anyone else starts poking around." "If I'm right, what we're looking at here... could make jumpgates look like nothing in comparison." "This could be the most significant discovery in human history." "It could change... everything." "And so far, we've had 10 outbreaks in the last five hours." "That's just in down below." " What kind of outbreaks?" " Fights, mainly." "We found some people locked in their rooms just... screaming." "Same in the Zocalo, Green Sector, the Casino... we've given the worst cases to medlab to see what they can do." "The rest we've got in lockup, but we're gonna run out of room soon... unless this stops." " All this started after the artifact got here?" " Definitely." " You think there's a connection?" " I don't know." "All right, I want write-ups on every incident... that happens in the next 10 hours." "Anything they say, I want it taken down for analysis." "Maybe there's a connection... or there's just a whole lot of full moons... all lined up, beaming bozo rays into everybody's brains." "But, either way, I want answers." "All right, that's all." "Good work." "Get some sleep." "Beautiful." "God, it's so beautiful." "It's beautiful, isn't it?" "I want to go there." "I want to be there." "What... is it?" "You shouldn't ask questions like that." "I'm sorry, is there something I could do for you?" "Why don't you take a picture?" "It'll last longer." "You're not moving fast enough." "You have to go faster." "You have to make it work." " What have you found so far?" " Nothing I feel confident talking about." " You've had five days." " We have barely scratched the surface." "Look, with all due respect, this is not your area of expertise." "It's not like you can push a button on it... and a manual pops out and tells you what it is and how it works." "I could study that thing for five years, let alone five days... and still not crack it." "Science does not pay attention to a clock." "It'll take however much time it needs to take." "No less." "No more." "You're right." "I'm not a xeno-archeologist." "But my wife was." "She talked about her work, same as I did." "After a while, you pick up a few things." "By this time, you should have... surface reports, magnetic resonance scans... some idea if it's a ship or a mechanism, and a general notion of what it does... whether or not you've figured out the specifics of it yet." "In a conventional dig, that's true." "But this is hardly conventional." "There we agree." "Nothing about this is conventional." "Ever since we brought it here we've had a 30% increase... in violent activity on the station." "Captain, that is your problem." "That has nothing to do with me." "Maybe." "But what if you're wrong?" "Look, Captain, I'm sorry." "I'm working on two hours of sleep out of the last 36." "Right now, I'm running on adrenaline and coffee." "I don't have time for this." "Now, you gave me permission to handle this thing... and I'm doing the best job I know how... with limited resources and not a hell of a lot of cooperation." "If you don't mind, I'm gonna get back to work." "Is that a copy of the hieroglyph you found on the artifact?" "Yes." " That's Vorlon." " You know Vorlon?" "You'd be surprised." "Any good xeno-archaeologist would have recognized it... and any decent one would have mentioned having found it." "I am giving you another 48 hours." "Then I want a report on your findings." "If I don't like what I see, I am pulling the plug." " Is that clear?" " Whatever." "Okay, Deuce, I'm gonna ask you again." "What were you doing in the maintenance area?" "You were trying to open up the airlocks." "Now why?" "I was going to go for a walk." "Do you know what explosive decompression looks like?" "Do you have any idea what it would do to this place?" "I wanted to go outside." " Why?" " Because it's outside." "It's calling me." "It's calling all of us." "They know who we are, they're in the city." " What city?" " You know." "You've been there." "You've seen." "I can tell by looking at you." "We belong to them, you know." "And they're going to come for us soon." "We have to open the door." "We have no choice." "Those of us who hear the call... we belong to them." "The others, who do not hear the call... will not survive it." "That's it." "Get him out of here." "Maybe the doc can figure him out." "I just don't get it." "I mean..." "Deuce is a survivor." "He runs half the rackets down below." " He wouldn't do anything this stupid." " I agree." "What was that about a city?" "Nothing." "He was just getting to me, that's all." " You're sure?" " Yeah, I'm positive." "What else could it be?" "Still, let me hear if anybody else talks about this, all right?" " Engineering, what's your ETA?" " About 15 minutes." "Great." "Yeah, that's an affirmative." "Bill, what's the penalty for killing a captain aboard his own vessel?" "It's death by spacing." " How long does it take?" " About three, four minutes." "A couple of minutes less, it might have been worth it." "Imagine the nerve of this guy blaming us for his problems enforcing discipline." "Well, in all fairness, things have been getting strange since we got here." "Just this morning, while I was having breakfast... there were all these people who..." "You know what?" "I know what he's doing." "He wants this all to himself." "He wants us to do all the hard work, and he'll just come right in... and grab all the credit right out from under us." "No way in hell." "This thing is gonna make my career, Bill." "I won't have it." "We have to accelerate the program." "Elizabeth, I want to show you something." " This grid." "Is this a power relay?" " We think so." "Dr. Mankowitz believes... that an external power source was used to kick-start the internal generators." " They look damaged." " Someone wanted to shut that down." "They shot out the internal relays of the power grid." "After that, whatever original charge it had dissipated while it was drifting... through hyperspace." "I want it reconnected." "Use spit and baling wire if you have to, but I want those relays connected." "Let's use our biggest power cells." "See if that works." "I don't think it's wise, not until we know what it is." "The risks..." "Are insignificant compared to the benefits." "I am sorry." "A radical move like that requires the two of us agree." "I don't." "Bill, we have to do this." "Then convince me." "What I'm about to tell you does not leave this room." " Is that clear?" " Yeah." "For 200 years, after we first went into space... ships from Earth would take months to travel from one planet to another." "And travel between the stars, hundreds of light years apart... just was impossible." "Then we met the Centauri." "They gave us jumpgates, which, of course, gave us hyperspace." "So instead of hundreds of years, it now takes days or weeks... to travel from one star to another." "That's old news." "Fact is, the way I hear it... the Centauris didn't exactly invent jumpgate technology, either." "None of the current races did." "They found them when they got out to space, took them apart... and put them back together again." "No one even knows who built the first gates... but what does any of that have to do with the artifact?" "I think this is an original gate... left behind by whatever ancient race first came up with them." "But this one's different." "Maybe it was an experiment that got away from them, I don't know." "But I do know that it doesn't open into normal space or hyperspace." "I think it leads to a totally different kind of space." "Call it a Thirdspace, for lack of a better term." "And it works under a whole different set of rules." "Now, if I'm right, travel in Thirdspace... is even faster than hyperspace." "Where it took days or weeks to travel from one star to another... in Thirdspace, travel would be almost instantaneous." "My God." "It would completely revolutionize star travel." "It would open up new avenues of commerce." "It would be one hell of a weapon." "No more hyperspace probes giving you a two-day notice... of approaching battle groups." "Whoever has Thirdspace capability... can come in wherever, whenever they want... make the hit and get out before anybody could react." "It is the ultimate form of commerce, it is the ultimate weapon... it's a twofer, Bill, and it's just sitting right there... waiting for us to figure it out." "And once we do figure it out... all we have to do is figure out where to put our Nobel Prizes." "That might explain what happened." "The signs of damage." "Whoever created it originally might have intended... to use it as a weapon against another race." "Only, that race attacked before it could be activated." "But that doesn't explain how it got into hyperspace." "I mean, wouldn't they have wanted to keep it for themselves?" "It doesn't matter." "It's ancient history." "What does matter is that somebody's gonna figure out... what we've got here, and they'll try and take it away from us." "The only thing we can do is get in there, crack this thing... and get out before they do." "And the only way to do that is to turn it on." "Assuming it still works after all this time." "It works." "I can feel it." "Look, Bill, this is the big one." "It's gonna put us in the history books for a thousand years." "Can I count on you?" "Can I?" "Okay." "Good." "Let's get to work, because we don't have a lot of time." "Right." " Good afternoon, Commander." " Hello, Vir." "I should tell you, only because it's a sign of good luck among my people... that I saw you in a dream last night." " Did you?" " Yes." "You and several other women... but I don't think we need to go into the details." " Yeah, I suppose not." " Boy, it was such a vivid dream." "And there was this city, you know, this gorgeous place." " A city?" " Yes." " A big, black city?" " Yes." "With a big, black tower about five miles high?" "Yes, that's amazing." "Vir, do you remember what happened to me?" "Yes." "As a matter of fact, I do." " I wasn't going to mention that part." " What?" "You were killed." "Eaten, actually, by something." "I really didn't get a good look at it." "It was just..." "That's all I remember." " Ivanova to Sheridan." " Sheridan." "Go." "I think we have a problem with the artifact." "Careful." "Five degrees to starboard." "Ease it on in." "CC to work crew, what are you doing out there?" "The others modified an energy cell." "We're seeing if it works in the..." "By whose authority?" "Yours, I thought." "Negative." "We never authorized this." "Break off immediately." "It's too late." "We have contact." "Something's happening out there." "Com system's breaking up." "Get the hell out of there!" "CC, we have no power to the bay doors." "You are all in violation of station ordinance 22B3A!" "That means, get the hell out of here!" "Hands off!" "Engineering reports a 15% drop in power, continuing to fall." "Yeah, the artifact." "They jump-started the thing and now it's draining us dry." " How many squadrons are out there?" " Just Delta." " Get the rest outside." " The power drain has shorted out... the controls for the Cobra Bay doors." "They're working on it." "Tell them to hurry." "At this rate, pretty soon we won't be able... to launch at all." "Use 'em or lose 'em." "Do we have com systems?" "Yes, but I don't know how much longer they'll last." "Warning." "Power loss." "We can't lose power to the tubes." "This place is too big to get around on foot." "Direct power to life support, rotational systems, and transportation." "Sheridan." "Go." "Captain, we got a problem down in Cobra Bay 2." "People are trying to keep the fighters from launching." "You need backup?" "I called in the troops." "We can hold them here." "We got similar problems all over the station." "It's all random violence, they're trying to keep us off balance." "It's organized." "Looks like they're under some kind of telepathic influence." "I told my men to avoid killing anybody, though I'm pretty tempted right now." "It's not their fault." "They're under outside control." "You can't kill them for that!" " At least, not yet!" " All right." "Hang tight." " Just keep them out of the bays." " I'll do the best I can!" "You get to Dr. Trent." "See what she has to do with this." "Maybe she knows what this thing is and what it does." "I have the nasty feeling that this is only a warm-up." "It's shut us down, it's immobilized us, and now it's powering itself back up." "The question is, what is it powering back up for?" "I'm gonna see Lyta." "If that thing is putting out telepathic impulses, she may be able to help." "Besides, it's got Vorlon writing all over it." "Know anyone that got closer to the Vorlon than she did?" "This is Security to all station personnel and guests." "The situation has become critically dangerous." "We are imposing immediate curfew and lockdown." "Do not leave your quarters." "I repeat." "For your own safety, stay inside." "Come on!" "All right, we've got power." "Go for launch." " It's beautiful." " Yes, it is." "Scanners indicate they're moving fighters all around it." " We've got to do something." " Yes, we do." "All right, people, form up." "Weapons hot." "We're to take that thing out without getting close or it'll kill the engines." " How close can we get?" " Just inside weapons range." "That far, and we won't even be able to hurt it." "The diffusion..." "We have to keep hitting it and hope our strikes have a cumulative effect." "Deltas 2 and 6, you'll be my wingmen." "3 and 9, hang back with the rest and hit in the next wave." "Roger that." "Come on." " Looks like you had the same idea." " It seemed the logical choice." "Lyta, it's Delenn and John Sheridan." "We need to talk to you." "Lyta?" "Security override." "Station alert." "Lockdown in progress." "All civilian personnel, please remain in your quarters." " Lyta?" " We tried to stop it." "Tried to warn you." "We failed." "And now it is too late." "The door is opening." " Negative on hit, Delta 7." " Damn." " Okay." "Come around and we'll..." " Delta 7, the artifact..." "Who are you?" "An echo of what was." "A memory." "A warning embedded in the thoughts of each generation... and passed on to the next." "We were exploring memories, when the device was found." "That activated this memory... this message." "Lyta once told me... there might be some leftover programming still inside her... put there by the Vorlons when they took off for the Rim." "This could be part of it." "Yes." "A race memory." "Our great mistake." "Our failing." "And now your failing." "The error is compounded." "What mistake?" "The first one, the one from which all mistakes proceed." "The error of pride." "We had traveled to a thousand worlds." "We brought order, discipline." "We appeared to them as beings of light." "They saw us as emissaries from the universe." "They saw us as gods." "And we, in our pride... began to believe them." "We believed that we were superior to the universe that gave us birth." "We believed we could transcend this dimension... that we belonged to another higher plane." "And in the end, in terms you can understand... we resolved to storm the gates of Heaven itself." "We applied all our wisdom, all our knowledge... to opening a door to another dimension... a place we believed was the well of souls... the foundation for all life." "We would touch the face of God... and in so doing, become gods ourselves." "We forgot that a door may swing in two directions." "We were so concerned with getting out that we never stopped to consider... what we might be letting in until it was too late." "Holy..." "What the hell is that?" "They are a power beyond comprehension." "A hunger beyond understanding." "They are anti-life itself." "Older even than we were." "Telepathic, all of them." "They modified the gate... so that it enhances their telepathic impulses... created an army of our own people willing to die for them." "We fought them back, disabled the device... but those of us controlled by their influence... dropped it into hyperspace before we could stop them." "Hid it from us." " What do they want?" " To destroy all life that is not their own." "They believe only they have the right to exist in the universe... that all other life forms are inferior, and must be exterminated." "In their own universe, they have destroyed thousands of races... and continue to destroy thousands more." "Because of our pride... they know we are here." "They watch us from within their dark cities... waiting for the chance to come here... and destroy." "Why can't they make a gate from their side?" "The door must be open on both sides." "Close this one, and they cannot come through." "We've been searching for it for centuries... hoping to find it and destroy it." "We feared this day would come." "They must be stopped... or hundreds of worlds will die." "How?" "Learn." "What is that?" "Some kind of field?" "Doesn't matter." "We got a job to do, and we'll do it." " Come around for another run." " Roger that." "Break off!" " You sure you're all right?" " I think so." "You know what to do?" " You should take someone with you." " I can't." "I have to go alone." "You heard it..." "Her." "Now go on." "Do what you have to do." "Go on." "Our mistake." "One of many." "So many." "Dr. Trent?" "There's so much going on and everybody's acting so strangely." " I just had to make sure it was you." " What happened to him?" "He saw your Starfuries coming after the artifact... and was going to interfere." "I think the device took control of him somehow... and I stopped him." "He came for me." "I shot him." "There was no other way." "It's happening all over the station." "The device is using some kind of a telepathic signal... to control people, to use them to keep us from shutting it down." "It seems they're doing a good job." "Listen, the Captain needs to know... what you found out about the artifact, anything that can help us." "Doesn't he have any ideas of his own?" " A few, but..." " I can't exactly advise you... if I don't know what it is you want." "Well, I..." "Ivanova." "I'm on my way to Bay 9." "Scramble everybody you can." "Get them out." "Delenn's bringing in the Minbari Cruisers... but I'll need you to command the White Stars." "Me?" "What are you gonna be doing when I'm..." "Susan?" "Stand by." "You said that you shot him when he was coming towards you, right?" "That's right." "Then why is the PPG burn on the back of his jumpsuit... and not the front?" "Ivanova to CC." "Notify Security." "I need an arrest team in Dr. Trent's office ASAP." "Confirmed." "There's something else, Commander." "We estimate two hours until the energy drain leaves us dead in space." "Prepare all fighters for launch and call in all the White Stars in the area." "We're going out there." "Repeat, hold position." "We've got reinforcements on the way." "They'd better get here soon." "I don't know what'll come out next... but I'd bet good money it's a hell of a lot bigger than we are." "Ivanova to Assault Fleet." "We're out." "You're clear to proceed." "Remember, hold position." "Do not fire until ordered." "Don't take too long." "They're tearing the place apart in here." "Watch it!" "Look behind you!" "Access confirmation required." "Sheridan, John J., Captain." "Password:" "Abraxas, 7-9-7-1-3." "Identity confirmed." " Is everyone ready?" " Affirmative, Commander." " Delenn, you set?" " Ready when you are." " We'll wait for the Captain's signal." " We may not have that much time." "Control to Assault Fleet, break and attack." "Target the front of the artifact." "I repeat, target the front of the artifact only." "Hard to starboard!" "Fire!" " Stephen!" " Chief!" "Go on!" "I'll catch up later!" " I thought I told everybody to stay in." " You did, but we have wounded here." " I can't just leave them." " Yeah, I know." "Come on." "Let me give you a hand." " Put your arm around me." " Here we go." "Watch it!" " Franklin to Medlab." " I told you, com systems are down." "We can't move her." "We need a trauma team." " What's going on?" " I don't know what you're saying." " What are you doing outside?" " Don't do anything, all right?" " We need to move this girl to a medlab." " I asked you a question." " What's going on outside the station?" " What the..." "Vir, don't make me do this." " Maybe next time you'll listen!" " Yeah, if there's a next time!" "Alpha 6 to Control, we can barely hurt those things." "We have to hit them four times before they even notice." " You'll have to be four times as accurate." " We have to withdraw." "Negative!" "This is the first wave to soften us up for the main fleet." "If we can't take these guys, we can't take the rest." "You keep at it." "Defend yourselves, continue to target the energy field... surrounding the artifact." "Hit as much as you can and do not stop." "I have got to be out of my mind." "Sheridan to Ivanova, I'm in position." " Go." " Confirmed." "Control to Assault Fleet." "Anybody that has a clear shot of that energy field, take it." "Now." "Entering artifact." "Control to Delenn." " Yes?" " He's in." "Thermonuclear detonation sequence armed." " Delenn to Ivanova." "Can you hear me?" " Yeah, I can hear you." "What is it?" "Look at the artifact, Susan." "Put it on screen." "Give me a break." "Flight system, retrace path." "Automatic navigation." "Top speed." "Confirmed." "Sheridan to Assault Fleet." "I'm clear." "Break off!" "All ships, break off!" "Get the hell out of the way!" "Mission accomplished, Delenn." "We got it." "What are you doing?" "What am I doing here?" "Why are you hitting me?" "I was just in the transport tube with Ivanova." "Delenn to Assault Fleet." "Escort all damaged ships to base, and be careful." "Some of the smaller enemy ships may have survived." "By the way, Delenn..." " while you're making suggestions..." " Yes?" "...it looks like I used up my last navigation pack... getting out of the artifact." "Can you swing by and pick me up on your way in?" "Of course." "In the fullness of time." "And how long is that?" "This isn't funny, Delenn." " Yes, it is." " No, it isn't." "Station lockdown has been lifted... but the following areas are still off-limits due to damage and debris." "Grade 1, Grade 10..." "I'm sorry for what happened, Captain." "It's not your fault." "A lot of people fell under the influence of that thing." "More would've fallen if we hadn't stopped it." "However... that doesn't explain your decision to hold back information... before that thing started broadcasting telepathic signals." "But we won't mention that part, will we?" "Make the conversation so depressing." "Yes, it would." "Bill should be alive right now." "This is everything I have on the artifact." "Maybe it'll be useful someday." "Maybe not." "What about you?" "I'm going to go away for a little while." "After everything that's happened I have to decide if I want this job anymore." "I didn't like the part of me that thing brought out." "Maybe it's a learning experience for you." "If it is, it's a hell of a painful one." "Ain't no other kind, Dr. Trent." "I was sure she didn't give me all the information." "She just wanted out of there." "And if a little lie got her out the door, that was fine with her." "Fine with both of us, really... because, as Mr. Garibaldi has been known to say from time to time:" ""We all lie."" "When the dust settled and people wanted explanations... we gave them one." "We said that the device was a weapon, a mousetrap, which was true." "We told them that it used a telepathic trigger... and caused an outbreak of fighting." "And we told them that it was finally destroyed." "It's all true." "And of course, it's all a lie." "Because there are times we don't need the whole truth." "The Vorlons made an error thousands of years ago... and we paid the price for it today." "Why encourage anyone else to do the same?" "Hell, we've got more than enough trouble of our own." "We don't need to inherit anyone else's mistakes." "We got through it alive, and everyone's okay." "That's the important thing." "And this isn't the kind of problem that's likely to ever happen again." "One mistake." "One mistake out of so many." "So many others."