"...part of it goes with us, and part of us remains." "Go anywhere in the station when it is quiet and just listen." "After a while, you will hear the echoes of all our conversations every thought and word we've exchanged." "Long after we have gone, our voices will linger in these walls." "Get out of my head!" "No!" ""Personal log, Colonel Elizabeth" Lochley, commanding officer, Babylon 5." "In the nine years since I took over day-to-day operations on B5 I've requisitioned some pretty odd things." "Strange foods, alien booze, exotic dancers for a Centauri business meeting." "But this..." "This is a new one even for me." "MAN "Begin docking" procedure." "All hands, stand by." "Father Cassidy, Colonel Elizabeth Lochley." " Welcome to Babylon 5." "A pleasure." "I hope your trip in wasn't too bad." "The only ship we could get was a cargo transport and they can be pretty awful." "I've been in far worse places than that." "Though I must say, there was quite a line at the customs area." "We're getting ready for the big celebration party for the anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance." "President Sheridan himself is coming in from Minbar to be here for it so things are a bit crazier than usual, which is saying something." "Well, please, this way." "I hope you don't mind that we're meeting here in my quarters." "I felt it best to keep this away from the crew." "The clergy specializes in private conversations in small, quiet places." "I'm just sorry it took my superiors so long to respond to your request." "I'm afraid there aren't many priests in this sector of space or any sector, to tell the uncomfortable truth." "We're something of a vanishing breed out here." " I'm sorry." " Don't be." "A decline in faith and the influence of the Church was to be expected once humans penetrated heaven and found there no angels no choir eternal, not even a delinquent seraphim left behind by the general evacuation." "Just infinite space." "For 200 years, mankind has walked among the stars on legs of fire and steel, daily encountering profounder wonders than the burning bush." "True, but still, there are a lot of scientists that believe in God." "Oh, sure." "Physicists have tried to soften the blow with quantum-mechanic consolation prizes noting mysteries yet to be resolved in tiny subatomic particles whose actions hint at the presence of intelligence." "But where, in those infinitesimal spaces can be found the God who stopped the sun in the sky over Jericho parted the Red Sea, birthed the universe and shaped molecules of dust until their name was man and woman?" "Once we got into space, the deck was stacked and the clock was ticking." "But that doesn't scare me." "I think the Church still has a few surprises up her sleeve." "Well, if it's surprises you're looking for, you have come to the right place." "L..." "Before you go any further, I have to ask, are you religious yourself?" "Yeah, sometimes I think I'm pretty religious." "Then I realize I haven't been to church in ages and I feel guilty, so then I go but then, am I going because I'm faithful or because I'm guilty?" "Ah." "So you're just like the rest of us, then." "Good." "Go on." "Well, it started with this smell in Brown Sector which isn't surprising because there's always a smell in Brown Sector but this one wouldn't go away." "And the repair crews, they kept hearing voices in the hallways even when we could determine for sure on the monitors that there was nobody there." "And then..." "Then a few days ago there's this guy that works in security, Simon Burke." "He had come back from a vacation on Earth a few weeks earlier seemed fine, and then..." "Suddenly, in the middle of a shift he just started screaming and saying that he wasn't alone and that something was inside him, and then he disappeared." "He'd barricaded himself inside the chapel on Blue 4." "But when we got to him, it really wasn't him anymore." "It was..." "Father Cassidy do you feel qualified to perform an exorcism?" "Is there anything in his file showing a history of mental instability, psychosis, erratic behavior?" "No." "No more so than anybody else around here, myself included." "You understand why I have to be sure." "In situations like this a mundane answer is far more likely than a supernatural one." "The last recorded case of possession was almost a hundred years ago." "Yeah, I know." "We've got a little piece of the 14th century here right in the middle of all this technology." " Hardly seems to fit, does it?" " No, I..." "It's cold." "And dear Lord, that stench." "Knocks you back on your heels, huh?" "Two feet that way, it's 72 degrees." "Drops another 20 right there." "His cell is up here." "Hello, Father." "Please come in." "I could use the company." " Mr. Burke?" " After a fashion." "Are you or are you not?" "I'm sure he's in here somewhere." "Why is he restrained?" "For our protection, and his." "The night we found him, he attacked two of my security guards." "And then last night, we came in and we found him covered in blood." "We checked him for wounds not a cut, not so much as a scratch anyplace on him." "And the blood?" "Well, according to the tests not a single strand of DNA was anyplace in the blood." "Platelets, red cells, white cells, but no DNA." "You wanna explain that one to me, Father?" "The devil is in the details." "Are you saying you are the devil?" "No." "Just a humble servant." "Does the smell offend you?" " Would you like me to change it?" " Can you?" "Roses?" " Impossible." " Of course it's possible." "Are not all things in heaven and Earth possible for those who believe?" "But this is neither heaven nor Earth." "Then this must be hell." "So why then are you surprised to find me here?" "If this is hell, and you hold sway then you shouldn't mind telling me your name." "Names have power." "Yes, they do." "You first." "If you are what you claim, then you should already know my name." "So, what is it?" "Your name is sadness loneliness, uselessness." "Those are descriptions, not names." "That's why they have power." "That's why my name has power." "And that name would be?" "Asmodeus." " You're a long way from home." "Home is where the heart is." "You're very clever, at least in English." "Do you know any other languages or...?" "Do not waste my time or yours, Father Cassidy." "We have more important matters to discuss." " And those matters would be?" " My removal from this flesh." "Get to it or leave." "Let me get this straight." "You want to be exorcised?" "Cast out, yes." "You have the authority to bind me." "Speak the name, abjure and command me and I will be removed from this body." "Look, if you wanna leave, then why not just leave?" "We were bound here among the stars long ago." "Bound to remain, and bound to possess." "Bound by who?" "Oh, we cannot speak the name." "Are you saying that God himself bound you to this part of space?" "Why?" "Why would God do that?" "It was inevitable that, in time, man would cross the sea of stars." "Inevitable that their faith would wane as they gloried in their accomplishments." "And as you reshape distant planets becoming yourselves creators of worlds whence comes the desire to crawl on bended knees for salvation?" "Where can be heard the cry of the terrified and the lost raised in the hope of heaven and the intercession of divine providence?" "Nowhere." "Nowhere." "But before there can be hope, there first must be fear." "Before man can seek salvation, there must be the smell of damnation." "There must be a reason to reawaken the love of God." "But in the absence of humility that reason is the fear of hell the terror of we who fell and walk among you still." "Man sought his God in the stars and found only silence." "But if the hand of darkness can be found does that not imply its opposite?" "Proving the presence of hell also proves the existence of heaven bringing people back to God." " Is that it?" " Yes." "And for this reason the one you worship salted us among the stars to wait the silent centuries for your arrival." "To remind you of your limitations." "To renew the fear you thought you left behind when you stepped beyond your cradle." "To keep you from getting too far off your leash and forgetting your place." "Remarkable." "The most remarkable pathology I've ever seen." "What, you don't think he's really possessed?" "Demonic possession carries with it several very specific signatures none of which were present here." "No demonstration of special powers no ability to speak in more than one language no special knowledge." "He knew your name." "He could have heard it from one of the guards." "What about the smell?" "Interesting, but not conclusive." "There's an element of suggestion that could even be some kind of elaborate hoax." "Before I could bring the Church into this, we'd need a lot more..." " Just a second." "You hear that?" " Hear what?" "Lochley, go." ""Colonel," we're getting an unusual energy spike." " Where is it?" " "Unknown. "" ""We're tracing it now, but" we..." "CC, do you receive?" ""Blue 32."" " That's his cell." "You know, it's funny." "As a member of the clergy, you talk about miracles every day." "Of course, that's the problem." "Everybody talks about miracles, but nobody does anything about them." "Without the proof offered by such signs and wonders as the parting of a Red Sea or the dead raised up after a while, any member of the clergy will have doubts from time to time." "But you keep going because that's what faith is for." "To believe in everything that reason tells you is impossible." "The terrible thing is, he's..." "It's right." "Two minutes of what we just saw in there would be the best recruiting tool the Church ever had." "I always thought the devil was the prince of lies." "Oh, without question, but even the devil will use the truth when it's convenient." "The question is, if there is a lie, then where is the lie?" "And most important of all, why is the lie?" "I have to go back in there." "You don't have to come with me." "In fact, for your own safety, I'd urge against it." "You say you were forced to possess this man that your kind were put here by God himself that this is all part of his strategy to keep mankind at his side." "What if I say I don't believe you?" "Then cast us out." "Those are your only choices." "Cast us out or allow us to remain in this body and let the whole of mankind know that we are here." "Would you not sacrifice a single life if it meant bringing back billions to the Church?" "I think you're saying it's God's will that you remain here because you want to hold on to your foothold here." "You could have told me you wish to be exorcised precisely because you do not wish to be exorcised." "Perhaps." "But if that were the case then why did you tell me anything in the first place?" "Because this way, knowing what you now know your soul is at risk and we take pleasure in such things." "How is my soul at risk?" "If you believe that by leaving us in this body, it will serve your God's intent then you must willingly sacrifice the soul of this innocent man and thus lose your own soul, comforted only in the knowledge that the result will be a return to the Church." "Expel us in secret and you defeat your God's plans and again doom your immortal soul." "But what if I allow you to stay, and none of this was God's plan?" "It does not matter." "Whether this be God's will or not, the news of our existence the fear of us, will lead to a Church restored." "To pews filled to overflowing." "To believers by the planet-full." "The result is the same, Father." "The result is the same." "But if you simply cast us out, here and now you will have no proof that any of this is real." "Nothing to show for your faith." "Without that, you and your Church will continue to become more irrelevant with every passing day." "But if you leave us here and allow the world outside to know that we are here you and your order will again be needed necessary, important." "You will no longer wake in the middle of the night and wonder:" ""Why am I here?"" "You will know because we will be here to define you." "So, what are you gonna do?" "I don't know." "I mean, this is so far outside my usual experience." "What, you're not thinking of leaving that thing inside him, are you?" "No, no, of course not, but there is the question of timing." "Do I attempt this on my own or bring in others of my order to assist?" " But once I do that..." " Word will get out." "A phalanx of priests converging on Babylon 5?" "Oh, I should think so." "Putting together a group of that size and level of expertise would require weeks." "They'd want to study him, examine him, during which time even more people would find out about this leading to precisely the result it described." "And that's the larger question." "What if these creatures really were seeded here among the stars for some divine reason we cannot ourselves determine?" "But why would God do that?" "Why did God create Lucifer and all the others who went with him, knowing they would fall?" "Why allow plague, pox, fires and earthquakes?" "Why allow possession in the first place?" "Amos 3:6:" "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be afraid?" "Shall there be evil in a city and the Lord has not done it?" "Sometimes God uses what we, in our narrow frame of reference may think is evil, only to achieve a greater good." "Either we do it now or we wait." "Those are the only options." "Which of those is God's will?" "I don't know." "If there's a plan here, I can't see it." "There's a piece missing." "Well, we're not gonna find it tonight." "We're both exhausted." "Get some sleep, Father." "We'll pick it up in the morning." "Screw it." "I can't sleep." "Computer, access status of prisoner in Blue 32." ""Prisoner, Simon Burke. " Maintenance." "Status, unchanged." "Simon, you poor bastard." "What did you ever do to deserve this?" "You're here at this place for four years hard worker, mind your own business, no trouble, then this..." "No." "No, no, no, wait a minute." "Simon, you weren't here the whole time." "You were..." "Computer, access personnel files." "Burke, Simon." "Subject took leave approximately two months ago, correct?" "Confirmed." "One round-trip ticket to Earth via lo jumpgate." "And he returned about two weeks ago on..." ""Commercial Starliner" Asimov." "Purchased one coach, seat number..." "Not important." "Can you access the ship's logs?" "Confirmed." "Search out any unusual entries on the return flight to Babylon 5." "Stand by." "A decline in faith and the influence of the Church was to be expected once humans penetrated heaven and found there no angels no choir eternal, not even a delinquent seraphim left behind by the general evacuation." "No seraphim, no choir eternal." "But none of those things either." "Entry found." "Playing." "It was there again today, that smell." "We just can't seem to get rid of it." "We've checked the galley, the recycling systems, everything." "Just can't figure out where it's coming from and it's cold all the time." "We've considered diverting for repairs but there's nothing to indicate trouble with navigation so we'll stay on course "for Babylon" 5..." "End record." "That's it." "That son of a bitch." "That's the missing piece." "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" "No, but it's never stopped me before." "You sure if we sedate the body, that thing will go under too?" " That's what the literature says, but..." " Did you give him the sedative?" "Doc and I loaded him up with tranquilizers to knock out five guys, but he's strong." "You got 10 minutes before he's out like a light." "Good." "On the way here, Father Cassidy told me that he's decided to go ahead and perform the exorcism now even if it means putting his soul at risk." "That would amuse you, wouldn't it?" "Making him live with that fear?" "Too bad it's not gonna happen." "You almost had us convinced that we only had two choices." "Perform the exorcism here and now or wait." "But there's a third option sending you somewhere else." "After all, you didn't possess Simon when he was here, did you?" "No, no, you moved in while he was back on Earth." "A fantasy." "I saw the ship's records." "You were there." "Your presence was felt by her crew." "But you kept a low profile." "Why?" "And how could you possess him on Earth if you were bound out here among the stars waiting for us?" "Know what I think?" "I think you can't leave Earth on your own." "I think you're trapped there, not here." "The only way you could slip out was by hitchhiking inside Simon." "You're gonna be exorcised, all right, but not here." "We're sending you back to Earth." "Back to your cage." "You know, when I was a little girl I remember reading how heaven was above and hell below." "And it never made much sense to me because if hell was underground, then where was it?" "The truth is much simpler, isn't it?" "When you fell, when you got cast down, you got cast down to Earth." "Bound to Earth." "Trapped on Earth." "Denied heaven, denied the heavens." "Denied the sky." "Denied the stars." "Earthbound." "Yours was no divine mission." "It was an ecclesiastical jailbreak." "The only way that you could escape Earth was to crawl inside the skin and hitchhike out here among the stars and then do everything you could to make sure that you got cast out by a servant of God, here in the stars." "It was the only way you could slip your bonds, escape the inevitable." "You see the day will come when the last of us leave Earth behind for other worlds because we know that another day will come." "A far-off, distant day when the sun will burn out in a final blaze." "The sky will go black, the seas will boil, the ground will turn to ash consumed by a brilliant light." "Any of this sounding familiar to you?" "And on that day, trapped on Earth with no escape you and your kind will at last come to an end." "But the heavens will remain, and so will we." "A new start." "A new universe." "A new dream." "And you..." "You don't belong in that dream." "We will remember you." "I'll be here." "He may have been the first to try to slip out, but he won't be the last." "I'll be sure to brief the Holy Father on my return to Earth." "I've always wanted to meet him in person." "Now I have a story he'll want to hear." "I'll put out the word to some others on Earthforce that I can trust, quietly and if this ever happens again, they'll call me, and I'll call you." "President Sheridan once said that with Babylon 5 he would draw a line against the darkness." "He was righter than he knew." "Oh, crap." "Oh, sorry." "Um, I'm sorry, it's just that Sheridan's supposed to call me any minute and I've gotta go take it." " You can take it from here, right?" " I can." "Colonel, if you ever decide to look for another line of work, give me a call." "We could use someone like you." "Yeah?" "What, you think I'm religious enough?" "You'll do." ""Personal log," Colonel Elizabeth Lochley." "Every few days, a new Starliner arrives from Earth, Mars or some damn place." "Among the passengers are always some who have never been in space before and they'll stand at a porthole, looking out at the infinite horizon at the intersection of what's known and what's not and comment on how cold and dark it is in space." "They're wrong." "When I look out into space, into the sea of stars I see a billion times a billion lights, each calling out to someone:" ""Remember me, my child. "" "Each of them whispering to someone, "Come home. "" "My friends back on Earth don't understand why I'm still here when I could be at a comfy desk job or commanding a warship." "I'm here because this is my home now and because when the darkness comes it's good to know you're standing in the one place where the lights are always on." "Mr. President, your ship is here." "Be right there." "Ten years." "Ten years since the world changed." "Ten years since I changed." "Ten years of press conferences, bureaucracy, politics and arm-twisting." "Every day, somebody points me to the big picture." "Every day, I wonder if I'm missing the small picture, the details." "Yes." "Mr. President the ISN reporter is asking to see you again." "Tell her I'm dead and throw her down the stairs." "Sir?" "All right, all right." "Let her in." ""Because sometimes" it's the details, the small picture that can change the future." "Mr. President?" "Is there a problem, Miss Chambers?" "No, sir." "It's just rather stark in here." "Oh." "The Minbari are minimalists." "For the last 400 years their viewing rooms didn't even have chairs." "They stood the whole time." "Yeah, a group of nine standing out in the void." "When I suggested we put in some chairs, I almost triggered a full-scale revolution." "I'd go for some throw pillows next, but I'm afraid of being assassinated." " Well, speaking of chairs, please, sit." " Thank you, sir." "So gearing up for the big party at Babylon 5?" "Just meditating on the familiar." "I spent four years of my life in that place." "The best years of my life." "And also the hardest years of my life." " It's a place of beginnings." " And endings?" "Some day." "This might not be the best time for an interview." " Maybe later." " I've seen your schedule, sir." "You don't have a later." "Life's full of disappointments." "You don't like reporters, do you?" "Of course I do, properly cooked." "It's pak'ma'ra humor." "I just got back from a state visit to their homeworld." "Now, if I'd have said that there, they would be laughing for days." "Mr. President..." "Actually, all their jokes end with "properly cooked. "" "They just scream." "Even their cat jokes." "I don't understand it, but it seems to make them happy." "Who am I to...?" "So how does it feel coming back to Babylon 5 after all this time, Mr. President?" " I didn't realize the interview had started." " Mm-hm." "And where's your camera?" "Right here." "My director said it would help make sure that people look at the camera a lot." "So Babylon 5..." "Point of demarcation from starship captain to station commander, renegade and now here you are returning in triumph as president of the Interstellar Alliance." "How does that feel?" "Well, speaking on behalf of the Alliance we appreciate Babylon 5 making itself available to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the I.A." "Its position in neutral space makes it ideal for everyone involved." "I understand there will be ambassadors and diplomats from a hundred different worlds." "And there's also a rumor that Emperor Mollari from the Centauri Republic might show up." " No." "No, he won't be coming." "Londo's been in a very strange, dark place for the last few years." "When people laugh, sometimes they laugh from a little back in the mouth, you know, that kind of fake laugh?" "Well, Londo he would laugh from the bottom of his shoes up." "Yeah, I hear he doesn't laugh much anymore." "So, no, he won't be attending." "We will be picking up Prince Vintari on the way." "He's third in line for the throne, so there will be a Centauri presence." "And Citizen G'Kar?" "He's out there somewhere." "Beyond the Rim." "Also, um Delenn won't be attending." "She has responsibilities of her own." "Which brings us back to my question." " I already answered your question." " Mm-mm." "You gave me the press release as to why you're going and where." "The question was how does it feel coming back to Babylon 5 after 10 years?" "You only give two interviews a year, Mr. President." "I'm not letting you off the hook that easily." "It feels good." "I'll confess, I've missed the place." "It'll be strange but good." "Well, that is the signal to let everyone know we're about to jump into quantumspace." "Quantumspace, sir?" "Yeah, it's a new technology we acquired from what the Vorlons left behind." "It's a step up from hyperspace, twice as fast twice as, um, disorienting, shall we say?" "Makes you feel like you're being turned inside out." "It messes with your inner ear, your balance, your sense of reality." "It takes some getting used to." "Wouldn't normal hyperspace be good enough to...?" "No, no, no." "We'd never make it in time." "And as I was saying, the first time some folks make the jump to quantumspace they just puke their guts out fouling themselves in the most awful ways you can imagine." "Mr. President, I..." "Here we go." "The problem isn't that I only give two interviews a year, Miss Chambers." "The problem is that so few reporters ever seem to come back for seconds." "Was that a new dress?" "Look familiar?" "No?" "Of course, my mistake." "The black dust, you see." "It hides stars and the moon, clouds and sky hope and pity, despair and..." "Here, I'll fix it." "As the saying goes, let there be light." "New York." "The city that never weeps." "Get out of the road!" "What do you think you are doing?" "Learn to fly." "Up yours." "This is what was and for this one moment out of time still is." "And this is what will be." "Up there somewhere far above us, above the clouds a thousand vast war machines are warping into normal space." "Each of them armed with terrible engines of destruction capable of devastation on a scale never seen before until right now." "No." "This was not a dream." "Do you understand me?" " Do you hear me?" "This was not..." " I hear you." "I hear you." "You're not the only techno-mage I've dealt with over the years, Galen." "I've had enough experience to know the difference between dream-real, magic-real and real-real." "You're wiser than I thought." "Yeah, wiser older and I'm tired of you guys crawling inside my head and showing me this kind of crap every time I think that my life might be going good for a change." "What is wrong with you people?" "Don't you have any other hobbies?" "Well, that's hardly what I'd call a warm welcome." "Not a "good to see you again, old friend. "" "Maybe a hug or a peck on the cheek, in a manly sort of way." "Why show me this kind of stuff, huh?" "Why me?" "Because for those of us who dwell in the infinite space between science and magic between illusion and ultimate truth who are sworn by our order not to interfere you are known to us all as a nexus." "Where others doubt you believe what you see when we speak to you." "That belief has saved lives." "It may yet again." "Or I can simply go, if that's what you prefer." "What I just saw, is that what is going to happen or what may happen?" "There are ways to prevent this." "There is hope but it is at best a slim hope." "Yeah, well, I've never known hope when it wasn't on a diet." "All right, go on." "In one day you will pick up Prince Vintari to convey him to Babylon 5." "In two days, you will arrive for the celebrations." "In 20 years he will ascend to the throne of emperor of the Centauri Republic." "In 30 years he will decide that his plan to bring the republic back to its former glory requires the elimination of the one power that could stop him." "The one power that has stopped the Centauri in the past." "Earth." "It is he who will cause the horrors that you have seen." "But this can be stopped." "No, I came all this way to show you this because nothing can be done." "Because I like the way your pupils dilate in the presence of total planetary Armageddon." "Yes, it can be stopped." "How?" "Oh, President Sheridan I would have thought that that would be eminently obvious." "All you have to do is kill Prince Vintari." "They call it spoo." "Now, it's supposed to be their favorite food." "I've only tasted it, but I call it the other gray meat." "President Sheridan?" "Prince Dius Vintari." "It is an honor to meet you." "And you." "This is the new Valen-class cruiser, isn't it?" "Yeah." "You know your ships." "A hobby of mine." "I take special interest in the technology of other races." "The starfuries used by Earth are a particular favorite of mine." "So simple, so elegant, and so deadly." "I was surprised when I got the request to transfer you aboard my cruiser." "The ship you were on could've easily taken you all the way to Babylon 5." "Emperor Mollari was concerned I might not be safe among my own people." "As third from the throne I am something of a target in a small, confined space." "A target?" "For whom?" "Numbers four, five, six and seven, I'd imagine." "The only one I don't have to worry about is that idiot Vir Cotto who wouldn't be in line except the Centarum wanted to punish me for what my father did." "I've known Vir for a very long time." "He's a good man." "He murdered my father." "At least, that's the rumor." "So he got what he wanted second in line." "No threat to me but in time, maybe I might just be a threat to him." "Anyway, Emperor Mollari thought I'd be safer with you." "He said, "I would trust Sheridan with my life. "" "Well, that's..." "Then he corrected himself and said he would trust you with my life because he had plans for next week." "Then he left the room, laughing." "Oh, he always did have a sense of humor." "My father made many enemies and it seems I have inherited them." "There are many in the Royal Court who would see me dead before they'd see me on the throne." "Now that I'm of age, I may have to leave Centauri Prime for some time before it is safe for me to return and claim the throne." "But I give you my word when that day comes, there will be a reckoning the likes of which has not been seen since the early days of the republic." "And that will be just the beginning, I..." "So I appreciate your gesture." "I'm sure my presence here must be an inconvenience for you but it will be nice to sleep without a knife beside my bed for a change to know that I am safe here with you." "So how are the preparations going at your end, colonel?" "As well as can be expected." "Meaning not at all." "It's Babylon 5." "Nothing's ever easy." "Speaking of which I know how you hate publicity stunts..." " Elizabeth..." "... but ISN has asked if you'd mind riding back to Babylon 5 in a starfury instead of a shuttle." "You know, the conquering hero coming home on the airborne stallion on which he won the Shadow War." "Congratulations." "I think I'm about to be ill." "Come on, it would really mean a lot to the people who've shown up." "And you know the power of symbolism." "All right, all right." "I haven't been in a starfury in ages." "Well, who knows, it might be fun." "So any of the old gang coming in for this shindig?" "Some." "Talked to Garibaldi." "He's gonna try to come." "But he's dealing with some situation on Mars." " And Stephen?" ""Oh, I thought you heard. "" "Dr. Franklin went with G'Kar, exploring beyond the Rim." "You know how he is." "He'll take any chance to explore new territory before anyone can get there." "That's too bad." "I'll miss him." "You're looking tired, Elizabeth." "Is everything okay?" "It's been crazy." ""I always knew Babylon 5 was neutral territory, but until today I never knew it was on the crossroads between heaven and hell." "Hey, it's a long story." "I'll tell you all about it when you get here." "Travel safe." "Interesting how the universe always provides, isn't it?" "Now what?" "Your return to Babylon 5 on a starfury and Vintari's interest in these primitive vehicles..." "Don't you see?" "All you have to do is offer him the chance to ride alongside you in a second starfury." "And that accomplishes what exactly?" "My agents aboard Babylon 5 will ensure a slight technical malfunction in your ship's weapons systems." "The moment your ship achieves a speed of, say, 5000 kilometers an hour the system will short-circuit and fire." "In the course of this terrible accident, his ship will be struck and..." "Well, as I said, it will be a terrible accident, much to be regretted followed by some posturing and harsh words from Centauri Prime." "But in the end they'll be as glad to be rid of him as we are." "You mean as glad as you are." "Christ, he's only a kid." "Once upon a time, back on Earth Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan were just small boys playing with toys and growing slowly slowly into monsters." "If either of those candles had been extinguished at an early age how many millions of lives might have been spared?" "But no one took that opportunity because no one knew." "But you do." "The fate of billions of lives is in your hands." "In 30 years he will decide that his plan to bring the republic back to its former glory requires the elimination of the one power that could stop him." " Yes?" ""The president's cruiser... "" "...has jumped out of quantumspace." "Well, fire up a starfury and get it out there ASAP." "And I want an honor guard at Docking Bay 6 as soon as he docks." "Confirmed." "Uh, just one thing." "President Sheridan has asked for two starfuries." " Two?" "Why two?" " "He didn't say. "" "Maybe he wants a backup." "We do have another starfury on standby..." "Well, he is the president." "If he wants two starfuries, then give him two starfuries." " "Roger that. "" " I wonder if Custer had staff like this." "Vintari." " Just the prince regent I was looking for." " Is it time to go?" "Yes, and I've arranged a little treat for you." "How would you like to ride fire alongside me in a starfury?" " You're serious?" " Always." "Unfortunately, we don't have a EVA suit that'll fit you but I'm not wearing one, since we're not going into combat." "It'll just be a little drive around the block." " Do you have a problem with that?" " No, no, please." "To do even this would be..." "You see, they keep me so controlled." "There's so little chance for..." "Fun?" "You must understand." "Where I am from, no one does anything except for to get something in exchange." "I know all about how to use people, to exploit and manipulate but very little about real kindness." "Thank you." "I assume you're up-to-date on how to pilot one of these things." "I could fly it in my sleep." "Well, you wouldn't be the first." "Pull back on your thrusters." "Maintain your XYZ axis." "Now, ease off." " How does she feel?" " Magnificent." "So this is what it's like to ride a ship into battle." "Minus the part where they're shooting at you." "We'll increase our speed slowly to 5000 kph." "Slow but steady." "Right." "You have done your homework." "You handle that fighter like you've done it before." "VINTARI I have." "In a dream." "For the last seven days, I have seen myself in this very ship in front of a great fleet." "Dreams are very powerful to my people, you know." "Mm." "They carry some weight with mine as well." ""In the past," I have had similar dreams." "Commanding a fleet against our enemies raining fire from the skies, whole cities burning." "A dream, nothing more." "But this dream was prophetic for I have seen myself in this very ship just last night." "I get in I ride before you in triumph, and then..." "What happens?" "What?" "Something wonderful." "That's all I remember." "Computer, cut outgoing transmissions." "Shutting down transmissions." "Assess weapons system." "Four Omega-grade torpedoes online." "System confirms pulse cannons at full power, ready to be armed." "Countdown velocity on approach." ""Four thousand five hundred" kilometers per hour." "Four-K-six." "Detecting power surge in primary weapons control system." " "Should I take weapons off-line?"" " Negative." "Keep weapons online." "Confirmed." "Four-K-seven." "It was an accident." "I tell you, it was an accident." "I didn't know the weapons system was live." "I didn't know." "Four-K-eight." ""I'm sure my presence here" must be an inconvenience for you but it will be nice to sleep without a knife beside my bed for a change to know that I am safe here with you." "You must understand, where I am from nobody does anything for any reason other than to get something in exchange." "I know all about how to use people, to exploit them and manipulate but very little about real kindness." ""What I just saw," was that what is going to happen or what may happen?" ""There are ways to prevent this. "" " Ways." "He said "ways. "" "Four-K-nine." "Reduce speed." "VINTARI "You have fired" your forward thrusters." "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "Fine." "Just wanted to slow down a bit, enjoy the trip." "And besides, I'm not a kid anymore." "I don't need to be hot-dogging around the galaxy." "Do you mind if I?" "By all means." "Indulge yourself." "That was amazing." "We must do it again." "I haven't had that much fun since..." " Since I don't even remember." " Yeah, well, I'm glad you enjoyed it." "Are you all right?" "You seem rather thoughtful." "I was just thinking about what you said." "About having to leave Centauri Prime to avoid being killed." "You've had a very difficult life." "One that can harden a person." "Make them into something even they wouldn't like." "Your point being, you do not desire or appreciate my company." "Is that it?" "Not exactly." "When we're finished with this party, I'm inviting you to come back to Minbar." "You can stay at the Royal Palace with Delenn and myself." "I just checked in with her on the way and, well, she said she thought it was a great idea." "I guarantee you, you'll be safe from your enemies there." " Why?" " Why not?" "I mean, there's plenty of room." "We have a son, David." "He's 9." "He could use an older brother to learn from." "Or at least someone who could be that for him." "You would have me come to live with your family on Minbar?" "That pretty much covers it, yeah." "If I were a cynic I might believe you were doing this for your own reasons." "To try and gain a foothold in the Centauri Royal Court." "I'd think the same thing." "You're not going to try to convince me otherwise?" "I'll let life do that for me." "Trust doesn't come overnight." "I'll teach you, if you'll let me." "President Sheridan welcome to Babylon 5." "Colonel, it is good to see you again." "So after all this time, this by you is a hello?" "Come here." " You look great." " You too." "Colonel Lochley, Prince Regent Vintari of the Centauri Republic." " An honor." " Thank you." "So everyone's waiting for you." "You ready to go over to the party?" "Absolutely." "But, um..." "Why don't you go ahead?" "I'll be right there." "I just want to, you know, savor the moment." "Of course." "Please." "You violated our agreement." "Yes, I did." "Why?" "You said there were ways to avoid that future." "Ways, plural." "They are harder." "This was simpler." " But just as valid." " Possibly, but we can't be sure." "Only with his death can we be sure." "Then I will take my chances." "Delenn and I will show him another way of looking at things." "Maybe we can help him, change him and avoid that future that you showed me." "And if you can't?" "Then I'll take care of it." "When and if I decide there's no other way." "One other thing, Vintari said that he had a dream that he was in that starfury and that something wonderful was going to happen." "That was your work, wasn't it?" "I get around." "Because, see, I was thinking." "Maybe..." "Maybe you wanted me to kill him all along, just like you say." "And maybe you were hoping that things would turn out the way they did and I'd take him under my wing." "And maybe you boxed me in precisely so I'd make this decision." "And that was the something wonderful that he saw in his dream." "What do you say to that?" "I say that we are surrounded on all sides by mysteries, President Sheridan." "And mysteries, once solved, are never quite as interesting are they?" "Good evening, everyone, and welcome." "We are honored to have President Sheridan with us tonight." "He will be up here shortly to say a few words." "And among our other distinguished guests we are fortunate enough to have Prince Vintari joining us." "Well here we go again." "Ten years." "Ten years since the world changed." "Ten years since I changed." "But it feels like I never left the place." "Babylon 5 is a place of beginnings and endings." "I wonder which this will be."