"Good morning, captain." "Top of the morning, captain." "Captain." "Morning." "So, captain, Ivanova tells me you convinced Londo and G'Kar to go along with your idea about putting White Star ships along their borders as a peacekeeping force." " Maybe we shouldn't." " I agree." "Anyway, it's good news." "Though it's gonna be tough to get the other Aligned Worlds to go along with it." " Got any salt over there?" " Yeah, here." "Every time you try to get them to do something for their own good they figure you've got some sort of hidden agenda." "And getting legal authority from each of them to make arrests?" " Not a chance." " Such a pain in the ass." "It's like every four months, we've got to start all over again." "Oh, sorry." "Nothing." "No, you're right, Zack." "Getting them all onboard is gonna be hard." "For most of them, the Raiders and Drakh are just potential problems." "They really haven't hit that many places so far." "They don't see the trouble until it's on top of them." "Then they run around like they're crazy." "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the group?" "No." "No, no, no." "Anyway, I hate to have to go through this again, but I think we're stuck with it." "That's it!" "I got it!" "Lt'll work." "If we try to talk the other races into letting our ships operate along their borders it'll be nothing but grief." "It took months to pull them together last time and that was with the Shadows on them." "I don't want to go through that again any more than you." "I am tired of doing things the hard way." "There's an easier way to convince them." " And how do we do that?" " By not convincing them!" "Listen, Marcus, after you've finished your breakfast I want you to take three White Stars out to Sector 87 and wait for orders." "What do you want me to do?" "I don't know yet." "But trust me, this is gonna be great!" "Just checking." "If this is the way he is after Delenn's been gone for three days I don't even wanna know what he's gonna be like after another week." "Lennier, have you been able to get through to home yet?" "It's been difficult." "It seems the primary beacon is no longer transmitting." "I've had to use the orbital relay station to pick up on local broadcasts." "Delenn, fighting has broken out in the capital." "They fear it may spread to the outer cities." "Civil war." "Yes." "It's started." "It was the year of fire." "The year of destruction." "The year we took back what was ours." "It was the year of rebirth." "The year of great sadness." "The year of pain." " And the year of joy." " It was a new age." "It was the end of history." "It was the year everything changed." "The year is 2261." "The place, Babylon 5." "When I was a child my father used to carry me through the city on his shoulders." "I'd never seen such beauty." "The city was eternal." "Its beauty is eternal." "We heard of the Grey Council the name was always spoken with awe and reverence." "They held our world together." "They were the peace promised by Valen." "Thousand years of peace among the three castes." "I think of my beautiful city in flames, Lennier." "The streets where I walked the temples." "The great crystal spires that sighed music whenever the wind touched them." "I think of it and I cry, Lennier." "And I wonder did I do this when I broke the Grey Council?" "Valen always said the council would be broken in the great Shadow War." "Lennier you know the truth as well as I do." "Valen only knew what Sinclair knew." "He couldn't see beyond that." "Once he left us, the future became fluid." "I had assumed that things would continue on like some great clockwork mechanism." "As long as the war was won we would be all right." "I was wrong." "Delenn it was inevitable." "The council imposed balance between the castes by suppressing the old resentments, the fears, the imagined slights." "But it could not erase them." "Take that away, and all the old problems come right back to the surface again." "Perhaps." "We have to stop this, Lennier." "If the fighting spreads beyond the capital 1000 years of peace will become 1000 years of war." "I came here to tell you the Takari has received our signal." "They're waiting for us at the rendezvous point." "We'll be there within the hour." "Did you contact Neroon?" "Yes, I did." "Whether or not he will be there when we arrive, I do not know." "It was a beautiful city wasn't it?" "Captain, I'm not entirely sure I understand." "When you asked me to allow your ships to operate on the border of Centauri space, you said you were going to use it to inspire the rest of the League to do the same." " That's right." " And now you don't want me to even talk about it?" "That's right." "And if anyone brings it up, I want you to deny it." " Deny it?" " That's right." "But you want to keep the patrols in place, yes?" "Absolutely." "And I've told G'Kar the same thing." "Well, captain, you will forgive me if I appear a bit slow." "I have studied your race quite a bit, and there are still aspects of your psychology I don't understand." "A place called Winchester Mansion with stairs that go nowhere?" "Something called "country and western"?" "And the less said about the comedy team of Rebo and Zooty the better." "However..." "You don't like Rebo and Zooty?" " They're hysterical." " Are they?" "I'm sorry." "I apparently mistook you for a human with some taste and sensibility." "After their last broadcast, everywhere I went on the station someone was going:" " "Zooty, Zoot, Zoot."" " That was a great routine." " I didn't get it." " Not my problem." "My point, if you will allow me to make it is that there's much about the human mind that I don't understand." "So perhaps you will explain to me how allowing your ships to patrol the border of Centauri space will inspire the rest of the League to do the same if I can't even tell them that we are doing it?" "Londo!" "Trust me." ""Zooty, Zoot, Zoot."" "I loved that." " Hello, Neroon." " Delenn." "I was surprised to receive your message." "I considered not responding, but then I enjoy a mystery as much as anyone." "I am, however, very disappointed in the welcome I received from your fellow religious caste." "For a moment, I thought they might actually fire on our ship." "You are under my protection." "They will not harm you, except in their own defense." "I need to speak with you." "Alone." "Given the fighting that's going on back home I should think you would be very worried to be alone with one of the warrior caste." "I would if it were anyone else but you." "And why is that?" "Come with me and find out." "Treating them like honored guests after all they've done to us." "What are they doing here?" "Why were they invited?" " It is not for me to say." " There are rumors all over Homeworld that the religious caste will give in to the demands of the warriors that they will rule, and we will follow." " Delenn..." " Will speak for herself when she feels it is correct to speak." "All right, Delenn." "What is it?" " I need your help, Neroon." " My help?" "I remind you that not long ago I fought to keep you from taking control of the Rangers." "We have not exactly been friends." "No." "But your actions have always been motivated by one desire:" "To do what is right for our people." "The warrior caste cannot be allowed to win this war." "The religious caste cannot be allowed to win." "You know as well as I that if either side achieves dominance the delicate balance of our civilization will be destroyed." "You should have thought of that before you broke the Grey Council." "What is done is done, Neroon." "What matters now is the future." "Yes, we've disagreed, even fought, but I would rather have someone who opposed me out of an honest belief in the rightness of his cause than someone who was always on my side because it was expected, required." "I've questioned your judgment, your wisdom, your temperament but never your loyalty." "Was that a compliment?" "After a fashion." "Then you trust me?" "After a fashion." "Well it's a beginning." "I only wish it could have happened months ago." "We might have avoided all this grief." "Now it's too late." " No, it's not." " This has been building ever since the war." "The fire cannot be stopped." "It will have to burn itself out before the two sides will listen to reason." "And how many cities will be burned to the ground by then?" " How many lives will be lost?" " Delenn, I am as horrified by what is happening back home as you are." "But we are two against a world gone mad." " What can we do against that?" " Nothing until we get their attention." "For that I need your help." "Will you give it?" "If I do, I risk alienating my entire caste." "They may turn against me." "That is true." "And I risk the same by working with you." "Well it's a challenge, and I have always liked challenges." "You have my support for now." " Captain, I must speak to you." " I'm in kind of a hurry, ambassador." "Some of our ships returning from a training expedition to Centauri Prime have reported seeing several of your White Star ships patrolling the borders of Centauri space." " Have they?" "Did you put them there or did the Centauri ask for them?" " I don't think it's my place to comment." " Captain!" "All I can say is, we certainly wouldn't be there if we weren't wanted." "Then they asked for the ships?" " I can't confirm that." " But you're not denying it either." "But not denying it doesn't make it true any more than not confirming it makes it false." " Are you with me so far?" " I'm not sure." "Ambassador, there are so many things in the universe that are and so many things that aren't." "If I were to take the time to deny all the things that aren't we'd be here for centuries, wouldn't we?" "Well, I gotta go." "Captain, the Centauri are a prideful people." "They wouldn't ask for help unless they were afraid of something." "If that's true, we deserve to know what it is." "I'm sorry." "I can't say any more." "Now if you would please excuse me." "Captain, Marcus is standing by on Channel 4." "Put it through." "Marcus, you're in position." "Got here a little while ago." "We scanned the area, but there's nothing here." "Just a bunch of asteroids." "Good." "I want you to target several of the asteroids and destroy them." " I see." "And then?" " Then come back." " That's it?" " Yes." " Shoot a bunch of rocks and then leave." " Correct." " Captain, may I ask...?" " You may not." "You have your orders." "I have neither the desire nor the inclination to explain them to you." "Now if you're incapable of carrying them out, let me know." "Otherwise, I'll see you when you've completed your mission." "Understood." "Captain, is everything all right?" "Fine." "Excellent." "Couldn't be finer." "Why?" "Well, that was just kind of an unusual order." "Yes." "Yes, it is, isn't it?" "Which reminds me, when does the Voice of Resistance make her next broadcast?" "8:00." "Why?" "Oh, nothing." "Nothing." "I was just planning on coming by to see how things were going." " Everything else here all right?" " Fine." "Fine." "Good." "Well, I'll leave you to it." "I have to stop by Medlab, talk to Stephen." "There's something I have for him to do as well." " Good day, commander." " Captain." "I told you, I have no idea what you are talking about." "These White Star ships were seen on your borders, ambassador." " Our pilots..." " Your pilots." "Your pilots should have their eyes examined." "I don't know how they see out of them anyway." "Tiny, beady, squinty little things, aren't they?" " Ambassador!" " No, the Maker has not been kind to you." "Must be terrible trying to fly at night without running into entire planets." "Are you saying the Centauri do not know what ships are patrolling their borders?" "Of course we know." "The Maker has gifted us with great big eyes and great big scanners and great big..." "Well, that is no concern of yours." "Look, isn't there someone else you can go and harass?" "My life is already so full of joy as it is." "Then you flatly deny that you asked Sheridan to use the White Star fleet to support your government and protect Centauri space?" "Absolutely." "Anything else?" "No." "That will do." " Thank you." " Open!" "This may be more serious than we thought." "There's no question they're hiding something from us." "Oh, there you are." "I was gonna track you down one at a time but since you're all in one place..." " I'm sorry, doctor." "We're in the middle of something." "I can see that." "This will just take a moment." "I was wondering if your governments can send us some additional blood supplies for each of your races." " Blood supplies?" " Yes." "How much?" " As much as you can spare." " Why?" "Oh, no particular reason." "I just thought it would be a good idea in case we needed it for..." "Well, in the event of a crisis or an attack." "What kind of attack?" "I'm in a hurry." "I'm in the middle of something." "I will send your governments a formal request later on today." "I just wanted to let you know that it was coming." "I'll see you later." "Probably." "This is very bad." "Come!" "I cannot believe that Delenn would allow this." "It confirms everything we have been hearing." "Why else would Delenn come this far and want Neroon to be here?" "Why else would she return to Minbar with a warrior at her side?" "You saw how she deferred to him, spoke gently to him." "So many of our caste have suffered at the hands of the warrior caste." "Why else would she behave this way unless she intended for us to surrender?" "I saw Delenn when Dukhat was alive." "I know her heart." "She would never do what you describe." "That was a long time ago." "Many things have changed since then." "I heard her say it as I passed by her quarters." ""The religious caste cannot be allowed to win this war."" "We must do something." "Ever since the war, the warrior caste have had nothing but disdain for us." ""If you need to surrender something, ask the religious caste to do it for you." "That's their area of expertise."" "And now this." "Only Delenn can authorize a surrender." "She's the only one whom all the clans will honor." "But we cannot move against her." "To fight against the warrior caste is one thing." "But to strike down one of our own one who led the Grey Council, the chosen of Dukhat it would tear our caste apart and guarantee our loss to the warriors." "There is another way." "But it will mean sacrificing all we have and all we will ever be." "We will lay down our lives for our caste." "History won't remember us." "They'll only wonder what happened to this ship and why it never reached home." "But it must be done." "For the good of everyone, this ship cannot be allowed to reach home." " Did you get it?" " Yes." " Is this enough?" " Enough for two ships of this size." "I siphoned it directly from the fuel system." "Once released into the air-processing system it will poison the atmosphere within minutes." "After we are no more the ship will continue to drift further into hyperspace until we cannot be found." "The ship will become a monument to our caste and to our willingness to do all that we can to protect our people." "I will put this into position and await your signal." "To think that one of our own should turn against us." "I think I will welcome the great sleep that I might never again have such thoughts." "Roger that." "Accepting two." "Locking into number-three band for signal lock." "Checked on three band." "All batteries except number..." "Captain." " I see you're about to go on." " I'm just checking over some reports." " We go live in two minutes." " What's that about?" "Ever since we started broadcasting we've gotten reports back from half of the outer colonies still aligned with Earth." "We've got great stuff on President Clark." "Did you know that three-quarters of his cabinet resigned in protest over his martial-law decree?" "You don't hear that on ISN." " That's great." " One minute, 30 seconds, commander." "Sir, are you going to stay or...?" "No, no, no, no." "I just stopped by to ask you to plant a story for me." "Excuse me?" "Plant a story for me." "Something I just want you to drop into the broadcast." "Captain, with all due respect, we just can't start planting stories now." "We've made a big deal out of the fact that, unlike ISN, we put out the truth." " Lf we become a propaganda machine..." " That's the last thing I want." "I just want you to mention that nothing happened today in Sector 83 by 9 by 12." " 8-3-9-1-2?" " That's the one." "30 seconds." "But, sir, I just got a status report from C  C a little while ago and that sector's been absolutely quiet." " Exactly." "So just relax, because what you're saying is absolutely true." " That nothing happened there today?" " Yes." "Just casually mention that nothing's going on." "That's right." "Make a big deal out of it as much as you can, given nothing happened." " Sir, I..." " 10 seconds." "I better get out of the way." "You're about to go on." "I'll talk to you later." " But..." " Go!" "This is Commander Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5 bringing you the Voice of the Resistance." "In the next 20 minutes, we'll have updates about President Clark's continued illegal attacks against civilian targets on Mars and more information about the struggle for Proxima 3." "Our best wishes to our brothers and sisters who are fighting for their freedom against overwhelming odds." "We'll also have news about the mass resignations of cabinet-level advisers and the joint chiefs over his campaign of terror." "Our regards to those onboard Earth Alliance Starships who risk being arrested and court-martialed for watching these telecasts." "Your loyalty to Earth and to freedom is appreciated and we hope to have some news for you soon." "First, one brief announcement." "I just wanted to mention, for those who have asked that absolutely nothing whatsoever happened today in Sector 83 by 9 by 12." "I repeat, nothing happened." "Please remain calm." " Did you hear?" " Yes." "And I just learned of an attack by three White Star ships." " What did they attack?" " We do not know." "Our scanners could not pick up anything in the area, only asteroids and debris." " White Stars do not attack asteroids." " I know." "But we saw nothing." "Then the enemy must be invisible." " Some new cloaking system." " Yes." "No wonder the Centauri asked for help." "The White Star fleet is partly based on Vorlon technology." "Perhaps they are advanced enough to see this invisible enemy." "They're keeping this technology to themselves." "With the Vorlon gone they're the only ones who have it." " To leave us unprotected left to fend for ourselves." "But we have a right to the same protection as the Centauri." "We cannot tolerate this kind of discrimination in the face of grave danger." "Invisible enemies." "Strange things happening in Sector 83." "They could be anywhere." "They could be all around us." "Good, there you are." "We're almost home." "Just a little longer and we will see if Delenn knows what she is doing." "End." "Bring her to me." "I have questions which require answers." " The alarm." "Do they know?" " No." "Is everything in place?" "I set the timer as soon as the alarm sounded." "In moments, it will all be over." "Neroon." " You sure you're all right?" " I'm fine, Delenn." "It was a glancing blow." "Take him below and have his wounds treated." "Then he should rest." "If he doesn't choose to rest, make him." " Delenn." " Go." "This one will go into the cells." "Leave him a copy of the Sacred Scrolls to read." "Perhaps he will understand there are other ways to solve disagreements than violence." "I'm glad you're here." "I need you to keep an eye on the other warriors that are aboard." "Neroon was attacked because some of them believe the warrior caste will surrender to us." "They would do anything necessary to prevent that." "Then we're...?" "They're not going to surrender?" "No." "Don't be foolish." "If either side surrenders, there will be chaos." "Our entire culture would fall apart." "There are other ways, more reasonable ways." "But the extremists among us never see that." "They would rather be martyrs to misinformation and old ways." " But we thought..." " Thought what?" "Nothing." "Nothing." "Well, again, keep an eye on them." "If you suspect anything, do not act directly." "Tell me and I'll tell Neroon." "Incredible." "Only the warrior caste could actually turn on one of their own." "They have always been erratic." "But you..." "You are the steady rock beneath my feet." "Thank you." " The poison." " It's too late." "It's starting right now." "Have we fallen so far that we cannot even trust ourselves?" " How is he?" " Not well." "I've asked my personal physician to tend to Lennier." "They are both in isolation to protect Lennier from contamination until the doctor is finished." " Do you know what happened?" "He appears to have been exposed to some residue from the fuel system." "How he came upon it, I do not know." "Only he can tell us, should he survive." "He means a great deal to you, doesn't he?" "I have been training him as Dukhat trained me." "He's been a light for my footsteps never asking, only giving." "Without him I would stumble and fall and never get up again." "Thank you for looking after him, Neroon." "I fear we may be healing him only to see him and the rest of us killed before we are finished." "But it was the least I could do in return for your gracious hospitality." "I know the others are not happy with my presence here." "They will understand eventually." "But only because you will teach them." "In the time that we have known each other, I have not always spoken well of you." "I assumed your behavior was prompted by a sense of your own superiority, your ego." "The usual fanaticism we have come to expect from the religious caste." "In the last year, I've begun to realize that I was wrong." "Dukhat chose you above all to follow him." "Slowly, dimly, I begin to understand why." "I do not know what lies ahead of us, Delenn." "But I do know it is right that we are here together." "Was that a compliment, Neroon?" "After a fashion." "Where is Sheridan?" " He's late." " He will be here soon." "Then we will confront him with what we know." "No." "There is wisdom in silence." "Wisdom in knowing more than they believe we know." "The Gaim is right." "By showing them what we know we may put ourselves at a disadvantage." "If we reveal our sources of information, he may shut them down." "Prevent us from finding out what is really going on." "Let Sheridan think we do not know about this invisible enemy." "Let him continue to underestimate us as long as we get what we want." "What pretext do we use to get these ships?" " How...?" " Sorry to be late, gentlemen." "It's been a hectic day." "Anything in particular, captain?" " No, just the usual." " Of course." "Now, what is it you wanted to see me about?" "Lately we've been hearing about attacks by..." " Raiding parties." " And Drakh." "Yes, raiding parties against some of the smaller League worlds." "We feel it is only a matter of time before they turn their attention to our civilizations." "Well, I wouldn't put too much stock in rumors." "I'm sure you can handle whatever comes your way." "We lost many of our ships fighting the Shadows." "You have an obligation to help us protect our borders until we can rebuild our fleets." " You're talking about the White Star fleet?" " We are." "There's nothing I can do." "They're busy." "Doing what?" "I can't tell you." "If you cannot tell us, then it must not be very important." "Captain, we insist." "You must put as many of the White Star fleet as you can around our borders." " Just hold on a minute." " We speak for the entire League." "Doesn't matter." "I can't put them on your borders without the proper authorization to intercept Raiders and other ships entering or leaving the area." "And since you're not likely to give me the authorization that, as they say, gentlemen, is that." "Incorrect." "We will provide them with full authority." "You cannot hide behind that, captain." "I see." "But what if I need them for a larger mission?" "Then we will accompany them so that we may show our own support for whatever it is you choose to do." "You have no choice in this, Sheridan." "The League has spoken." "You will bring the White Star fleet into the League of Non-Aligned Worlds." "In return, the League will support any action taken by the fleet." "I can't possibly talk you out of this?" "We're afraid not." "All right." "I guess you're right." "I don't have a whole lot of choice in this." "I'll have the diplomatic papers and treaties drawn up this afternoon and delivered to each of you by the end of the day." "Good." "Thank you, captain." "You may go now." "Yes!" "Lennier." "This is the second time I have seen you near death." "You're starting to acquire bad habits." "It was much safer in temple." "Also far less interesting." "The doctor tells me that they had to remove part of your lung." "I'm sorry." "Can you tell me what happened?" "I was passing a maintenance tube on my way to see you when I smelled a discharge from the fuel system." "There was no time to call for help so I crawled into the tube and I shut the valve." "There was no other choice." "If I waited, it would have been drawn into the air recycling system." "You sure it wasn't sabotage?" "I've been wondering if some of the warrior caste might have been involved." "No, I think we can be fairly certain the warrior caste was not involved." "Well there is at least that much good news." "You did a very brave thing, Lennier." "Everyone here is in your debt." "Now rest." "We'll be at Minbar by this time tomorrow." "See to it that he is made comfortable." "His actions have honored all of us." "Why?" "I should sleep now." " I'm very tired." " Please, we need to know." "You could've told her the whole truth." "No one here would have blamed you." "But you didn't." "Why?" "If I had told her the whole truth it would have destroyed her belief in the strength and the wisdom of our caste." "Delenn does not walk in the same world that you and I walk in." "She does not see the same world that you and I see." "In her world, we are better than we are." "We care more than we care." "We act towards each other with compassion." "I much prefer her world to that of my own and I will not allow anything to threaten that." "I understand." "Thank you, Lennier." "Do not thank me." "I did it for her." "I did not do it for you." "In future, I would suggest you try to see the world through her eyes sometime." "It might lead you to make fewer fatal mistakes." "Now go away." "We'll be home soon, and I'll need all my strength to deal with the new problems without dwelling on the old ones." "This is Commander Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5 bringing you the Voice of the Resistance." "In a show of solidarity, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds announced the formation of an authorized patrol force to curb the activities of Raiders and others who have preyed on civilian transports." "Later, we'll have news from the resistance at Proxima 3 and other safe havens." "Rumors have reached us concerning fighting going on in the capital of Minbar." "We ask that anyone with news of events going on there please contact us with that information." "On the chance that anyone on Minbar might be monitoring this Stellarcast we send them our best wishes and hope they come through this safely." "Delenn?" " Lennier." "What is it?" " Neroon." "He's gone." "Message from Alit Neroon to Shakiri, Shai Alit of the warrior caste." "The mission has been successful." "I have access to their plans to counterattack our forces in the capital city." "They can be stopped and stopped easily." "The religious caste is divided, and their support is weak." "It is as you said, Shakiri." "They do not have the stomach for a prolonged conflict." "Tell our ships to stand by." "Victory will be ours within the week."