"23.976" "We'll swing back this way in a month, make sure everything's okay." "If those hijackers so much as blink in your direction, yell." "We'll be here." "Roger, see you then." ""Agamemnon" out." "Initiate jump into hyperspace." "Jump point, aye." "Captain, we're getting a coded signal from Earth Dome on Gold Channel 1 ." "It's Gen. Hague, Joint Chiefs of Staff." "Patch it through to my office." "Yes, sir." "Receive." "General, this is a surprise." "What can I do for you?" "In the last few days, a Minbari warship "has been seen in Earth"-"controlled space."" "Sector 423 by 27." "That would put it about two jumps from Babylon 5." "Exactly." "We have reason to believe it may have hostile intent." "I don't understand." "The war's been over for more than 10 years." "Why would the Minbari government launch an attack?" "They wouldn't." "We have a renegade warship on our hands." "The "Trigati."" "Looks like it." "We've had three separate reports of sightings by ships in that area." "Has it attacked any of them?" "Strangely enough, no, it hasn't." "Not yet anyway." "But that may change at any moment." "The Minbari government dispatched a second cruiser..." ""...in hopes of finding the" Trigati before it does any damage." "But it may be a while before that cruiser arrives." "When it does I want you to make personal contact with it and coordinate the search." "General, with all due respect the last time I made personal contact with a Minbari warship I sent it straight to hell." "That's why I want you in that part of space, captain." "You've beaten them once, and, if necessary, you can do so again." "Tell no one about this." "Understood." "So I'm to take the "Agamemnon" to Babylon 5 and coordinate with them." "Is that correct?" "Not exactly." "I need you to do one other job." "And this comes straight from the president." "Status report." "Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova recording." "It is now eight days since the death of Earth Alliance President Luis Santiago and five days since Cmdr. Sinclair was recalled to Earth without explanation." "And the whole place has gone straight to hell." "If the seating arrangement is changed, my government will withdraw from the League!" "And as far as I'm concerned, the transports can wait until the sun explodes!" "If you're not happy with the seating arrangements, your seats will be moved outside, down the hall, across the station and into the fusion reactor." "Am I absolutely, perfectly clear on this?" "I can only conclude that I'm paying off karma at a vastly accelerated rate." "Security Chief Michael Garibaldi remains in critical condition in Medlab." "Dr. Franklin's done all he can, but we still don't know if he'll recover." "As for Ambassador Delenn well, something's going on in her quarters." "That's for sure." "Ivanova." "We've got a Gold Channel message for you." "It's Gen. Hague." "I'll take it in the briefing room." "Computer, accept and decode Gold Channel signal." "General." "Lieutenant commander." "This may break the chain of command, but I felt I should deliver this news myself." "Your commanding officer, Cmdr. Sinclair will not be returning to Babylon 5." "He's being reassigned, permanently." "The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace." ""A self"-"contained world, five miles long," located in neutral territory." "A place of commerce and diplomacy for a quarter of a million humans and aliens." "A shining beacon in space, all alone in the night." "It was the dawn of the Third Age of mankind." "The year the Great War came upon us all." "This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations." "The year is 2259." "The name of the place is Babylon 5." "What do you mean you're reassigning Cmdr. Sinclair?" "Reassigning him where?" "To the Minbari Homeworld." "He'll be the first Earth ambassador allowed permanent residence there." "The president's been trying to find someone suitable and the Minbari specifically requested Sinclair." "But why him?" "That information is "on a need"-"to"-"know basis."" "I've briefed Capt. Sheridan on the situation." "Capt." "Sheridan." "John Sheridan?" ""I believe you know him."" "Yes, I served under him at the transfer point off lo." "He's a good man and a fine officer but it will be a controversial choice." "If I may ask" "You may not." "Any further questions will have to go through your new CO." "Good day, lieutenant commander." "So she's done it, hasn't she?" "She's in there." "We told her to wait." ""Prophecy will attend to itself," we told her." "Now we are committed to the path." "I have spoken with the other members of the Council." "The "Trigati" has been seen in this sector." "If it appears, you must go to the humans and tell them what we've told you." "It's time they knew the truth." "About the new captain" "I want an honor guard present when his ship docks." "We've barely got time" "He's here." "What?" "His Earthforce transport just docked." "There was a miscommunication about the time." "Hello, sir." "Hi." "Welcome aboard, sir." "I'm authorized to surrender command of Babylon 5 to you." "Thank you, lieutenant commander." "I accept command." "There seems to be a problem with the unloaders." "Could my bags be delivered to my quarters?" "Of course." "Thank you." "Would you like a quick tour of the facilities?" "Yes, absolutely." "Great." "Right this way." "It's good to see you again." "How was your flight?" "Fine." "They actually had fresh oranges on the transport." "I haven't had an orange in almost two years." "I used to dream about them." "Grapes, nectarines, plums, the black ones, not the red ones." "I mean, it's amazing what two years on the Rim can do to you." "I have a hunch I'll be spending a lot of time in Hydroponics." "On the way in, I read the station reports, trying to catch up on everything." "What's our status?" "Chief of security is in critical condition in Medlab." "He thinks there's a conspiracy concerning the president's death." "Ambassador G'Kar has mysteriously vanished." "We still don't know what Ambassador Kosh looks like inside his encounter suit." "And Ambassador Delenn is in a cocoon." "A cocoon?" "As in a moth or a butterfly?" "Yes, sir." "About yea high." "Interesting place you have here." "Yes, sir." "Show me this place." "Babylon 5 is divided into several different sections." "Green Sector is for diplomatic personnel and is closed to unauthorized personnel." "Red Sector is for commerce...." "And this will be your quarters." "I hope it's satisfactory?" "It's fine." "Fine." "It's certainly a lot bigger than what I'm used to." "Does this place come with a shower?" "I mean a real, live, honest-to-God shower with running water?" "Executive suites and command quarters have showers with honest-to-God water." "The rest get vibe showers." "Our water reclamation system can't handle much more than that." "A shower." "I may come to like it here." "Which brings me to something I've been wanting to ask you." "It's kind of awkward." "You haven't worried about being diplomatic before." "Don't disappoint me by starting now." "When I heard about the change in command, I figured we'd get a high-level bureaucrat or an admiral or an ambassador, and" "And why me?" "Yeah, I wondered the same thing." "I was the late president's first choice to replace Sinclair in case anything happened." "While commanding the "Agamemnon," I worked with many Non-Aligned Worlds:" "Centauri, Narns, even a few Minbari." "That's what I was concerned about." "The Minbari aren't going to be thrilled to find out you're running Babylon 5." "I hear they still call you "StarKiller."" "It was a long time ago, 12 years." "Maybe they've forgotten about it by now." "Yeah, I know." "I don't believe it either." "Well, one thing for sure." "I'll be relying on you pretty heavily these next few weeks until I'm up to speed." "It certainly couldn't be worse than the last week." "With President Santiago's death and everything." "How's the crew handling it?" "They're still pretty shocked." "I don't think the reality of it has sunken in yet." "And you?" "I don't know." "I just...." "I just keep seeing Earthforce One blowing up over and over again in my dreams." "You know, all my life I thought that I could handle everything and fix any problem." "But when I saw that, I just realized I couldn't do anything to stop it." "I don't think I've ever felt so helpless." "I know." "I felt the same way." "And ever since then, the crew's needed me to be strong for them, and I've tried." "I don't like to show weakness." "I guess I get it from my father." "With the madness of trying to run this place and the commander being called back to Earth and the ambassadors yelling...." "I don't know, I just...." "I just hope I've done okay by them." "Let's just say, I'm very happy to see you." "I appreciate that." "And coming from you, it means a lot." "Also, the crew is really looking forward to meeting you." "They've heard all about you and right about now, they could use something to smile about." "Then we won't keep them waiting." "I'll take a shower, we'll head to Command and Control and I'll give my good-luck speech." "Sir?" "It's the same speech I gave when I took command on lo on the "Agamemnon."" "It's sort of my good-luck charm." "I always give it within 24 hours of taking on a new assignment." "I look forward to hearing it." "Can I meet you in C  C?" "I have to do something." "Of course." "See you there in 20 minutes." "In Valen's name, Kalain." "Kalain, wait!" "Kalain!" "We do not harm our own kind, Kalain." "We never have." "Perhaps it is time to start." "The Grey Council has betrayed us." "What does a little blood matter now?" "No one has been betrayed." "No!" "No lies." "We have intercepted a message from the humans to Minbar." "We know they have chosen Sheridan the StarKiller to lead this place." "It is an obscenity!" "We protested." "They ignored us." "Satai Delenn, did she also ignore you?" "How do you know?" "We have supporters even among the Council." "They tell us that Sinclair is now on our world." "He is an ambassador." "So you say." "But the Grey Council never tells anyone the whole truth, does it?" "If you value your life, leave now, while you still can." "Good afternoon, lieutenant commander." "How'd you know it was me?" "Well, it's 2:45." "You always come by at 2:45, see how he's doing." "So how's he doing?" "Still no change." "Managed to stabilize his condition." "Dropped in as many regen packs as his body can handle." "Now all we can do is wait and see if he comes out of the coma." "Could be hours, days, weeks." "Years?" "Never?" "Yeah." "So all we can do is keep him hooked up like this forever?" "Well, the human body is an amazing thing." "It can cure itself or it can simply decide that the world is too painful to deal with and won't cooperate no matter how hard you try to heal it." "That debate is going on somewhere in Garibaldi's body right now." "Just gonna have to wait and see who wins." "Well, then, I'll say a prayer for him tonight." "He's agnostic." "Then I'll say half a prayer." "It was an early Earth president, Abraham Lincoln, who best described our current" "Captain, they're ready for you." "Good." "Captain on deck." "As you were." "When I was 21, I visited Tibet." "I went to see the new Dalai Lama." "You do that sort of thing when you're 21 and the son of a diplomatic envoy." "We had a simple dinner:" "Rice, raisins, carrots, steamed, not boiled and green tea." "When it was over he looked at me and said:" ""Do you understand?"" "I said, "No." I didn't." ""A good beginning," he said." ""You'll be even better when you begin to understand what you do not understand."" "After reading some of your reports I begin to understand what I don't understand about Babylon 5." "But I couldn't wish for a more capable and skilled group of people to learn from." "It was an early Earth president, Abraham Lincoln who best described our current situation." "He said" ""C  C, this is Security." "We have a"" "Is there a problem?" "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I've got Security on the link." "They've got a Minbari demanding to speak to you." "He won't say what it's about, only that it involves the safety of this station." "He says it's absolutely urgent." "Well, we'll get back to this later." "There's plenty of time for speeches." "Carry on." "Lieutenant commander." "Hey!" "Hey, hold it right there!" "That section's off-limits to everyone but station personnel and diplomatic staff." "I'm sorry." "I seem to be lost." "I'm looking for Brown 2." "You're way off." "You want the core shuttle." "It's that way." "I see." "Thank you." "I'll be on my way." "After I see your Identicard." "Hey, wait a minute." "This card" "His name is Kalain." "He was second-in-command on a flagship cruiser during the war with your people." "He has not been seen since the end of the war." "Why do you think he's here to cause us a problem?" "I have my reasons." "I would not be bringing this to you otherwise." "If you arrange to have him apprehended I will have him picked up by others and conveyed to Minbar." "You said he was second-in-command of a Minbari cruiser." "Which one?" "I don't see what that has to do with this." "Was it the "Trigati"?" "What's the "Trigati"?" "It is not something we like to talk about." "At the end of the war when our ships were ordered to surrender one of our war leaders, Sineval, took his own life rather than obey and became a martyr to his own crew." "Kalain assumed command." "And as a final act of protest, they and the cruiser disappeared into self-imposed exile." "Over the years, we've heard rumors of a Minbari cruiser sighted where it shouldn't have been." "We always figured it was the "Trigati" but we could never prove it." "They believe that they have been betrayed by their own world and yours." "Kalain's presence here could indicate that they mean to come out of retirement." "Something I don't understand." "You said you're with the Minbari government, the Ministry of Culture." "Yes, that's right." "So how does someone in the Ministry of Culture know a high-ranking member of the warrior caste well enough to recognize him 12 years later?" "I would answer your question if I recognized your authority." "Unlike your predecessor, my government was not consulted on your appointment." "The president feels the Minbari had too much influence over an Earth outpost." "Times change." "The day a man such as yourself is given a position of this importance is a dark day indeed." "We lost many of our best warriors because of you." "And we do not soon forget such things." "If there is a doom on this station, it is because you brought it here!" "Oh, he's Grey Council." "He's gotta be." "Only someone in the Grey Council would've known someone that high in the Minbari warrior caste." "I mean, they do not normally mix." "And you are right." "They're not happy to see me here." "They're a prideful people, and the "Black Star" was their flagship." "That's why it made a good target." "How did you take her out?" "I've heard it was a new maneuver, but I've never heard the specifics." "There wasn't much style or finesse involved." "She was huge, monstrous." "We tried everything, but none of our weapons would lock on to their ships." "Some kind of stealth technology." "So I hit on the idea of mining the asteroid field between Jupiter and Mars." "A fusion bomb doesn't have to lock on to anything if it's close enough." "It took out the "Black Star" and three heavy cruisers before they could escape." "It was the only real victory we had in the war, and I am not about to apologize for it." "He said Kalain feels his world has betrayed him." "If that's true wouldn't your first target be the representative of that world?" "Delenn." "Get up." "She's in there, isn't she?" "Move aside." "Move aside!" "Freeze!" "And put the gun down." "Put the gun down." "We won't hurt you." "If you are going to kill me, then do so." "Otherwise, I have considerable work to do." "You are the new commanding officer?" "Capt. John Sheridan, Earthforce." "Lennier, of the Third Fane of Chudomo." "Ambassador Delenn is indisposed at the moment." "Perhaps you would come back later." "Much later." "Of course." "Let me get this straight." "A high-ranking member of the Minbari warrior caste who no one has seen in nearly 12 years suddenly appears and, for no apparent reason, breaks into Ambassador Delenn's quarters with a gun." "Now, if you were looking for the Minbari tourist bureau you were just a little off-course, wouldn't you say?" "The curious thing is you don't finish the job." "You could've killed both of them and gotten out of there." "But instead, we find you standing there, practically waiting for us." "Everyone knows Minbari do not kill Minbari." "Then why are you here?" "Perhaps everyone is wrong." "Maybe you never intended to kill them at all." "Perhaps something else is going on." "Perhaps you are the problem." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Captain, we're not getting anywhere." "Let's wrap it up and try again tomorrow." "One last thing." "I'm told that after the death of your commanding officer you took command of a Minbari war cruiser." "But if you're here where's your ship?" "Captain!" "I apologize." "I was rude earlier." "There is something we need to discuss." "Especially in light of Kalain's presence." "It concerns the reason you were sent here the relocation of Cmdr. Sinclair and the reason we surrendered at the Battle of the Line." "After three years, the holy war that began when our leader was killed by an Earth explorer division was almost over." "To avenge Dukhat's death, we had pursued your forces all the way back to your Homeworld." "The few surviving Earth ships that were ordered to defend your world at any cost were not an obstacle." "The Grey Council had come to oversee the final victory of our forces." "They fight bravely." "They cannot harm our ships, but they continue to try." "Whether they fight or not, they know they will die anyway." "So really, is this bravery or simple desperation?" "Perhaps they are the same thing." "We should bring one of them aboard for questioning." "If our next step is the final assault on their world we must know their defenses." "Very well, Delenn." "Choose." "But quickly." "We are fast running out of candidates." "That one." "This was the first time the Grey Council would have direct contact with a human." "In this case, Sinclair." "He was tortured, interrogated, scanned." "During the course of the scan, the Council discovered something terrible." "At first they refused to believe it, so they took in other humans and had them scanned as well." "But it was true." "What was true?" "It is our belief that every generation of Minbari is reborn in each following generation." "Remove those souls and the whole suffers." "We are diminished." "Over the last 2000 years there have been fewer Minbari born into each generation." "And those who are born do not seem equal to those who came before." "It is almost as if our greater souls have been disappearing." "At the Battle of the Line, we discovered where our souls were going." "They were going to you." "Minbari souls are being reborn in part or in full in human bodies." "So you stopped the war in order to avoid harming your own souls?" "Yes." "But the Council knew that our people and yours were not ready for this information." "It could unravel our entire society." "So we could not tell our generals the reason for the surrender." "We had all memory of the examination erased from Sinclair's mind and we let him go." "It has been our secret." "Now it is yours." "It must be kept." "Then why break the silence now?" "I mean, why tell us?" "Because changes are coming." "Cmdr. Sinclair was the first." "There will be more." "Yes." ""Captain..."" "...something's coming through the jumpgate." "It's a Minbari cruiser." "Her gun ports are open, and target systems are operational." "She's on an attack vector." "Repeat, she's on attack vector." "I had this wonderful dream the other night." "We were in bed in this beautiful hotel, rose and mint wallpaper." "Hey, Warren." "It was sunny, and" "Check this out." "Hold on just a sec." "It's getting so a man can't even enjoy a letter from home anymore." "What?" "What the hell?" "Red alert, all quarters." "Have they hailed us yet?" "Yes, sir." "Waiting your arrival." "Activate defense grid, put all squadrons on standby." "I don't want actions that might be considered provocative." "Scrambling fighters." "Move it, everybody!" "Move it!" "Move it!" "This is a red alert." "All stations, this is a red alert." "This is a red alert." "All stations, this is a red alert." "This is Capt. John Sheridan, Earth Alliance Station Babylon 5." "What can I do for you?" "This is Alit Deeron of the Minbari "war cruiser" Trigati." "You have illegally arrested and detained the captain of this vessel." "Your captain assaulted one of my crew and was caught in an attempted murder." "None of your people were killed." "No Minbari was killed." "You have not been harmed." "You will release our captain." "And if we refuse?" "Captain, she's launching fighters." "Zeta Wing", prepare to launch."" "We're clear." ""Godspeed," Zeta Wing." "Deeron, recall your fighters." "Any attack on this station will be considered an act of war." "The war has already begun, captain." "All that remains now is honor and death." "And I thought I was a pessimist." "It's odd she would say that." "So far, no one's been killed, so there is no reason for this to escalate, unless...." "Oh, hell!" "Get me Security, fast!" "On it." "They're trying to do anything they can to start a shooting war." "But Kalain didn't kill the security guard or any of us." "And the "Trigati" didn't attack any of the ships that have seen it the last few days." "What ships?" "Sorry, I was under orders not to tell anyone." "I will explain everything later." "Captain, Security just linked in." "Kalain is dead." "They say it looks like suicide." "That's what I was afraid of." "They want it to look like we're provoking them into a war." "But why?" "This whole bit about us sharing Minbari souls?" "They weren't told." "They don't know they're not supposed to attack." "Think they'd believe us if we told them?" "Minbari fighters coming at us." "That answer your question?" "They're on attack vector." "Closing fast." "We don't have any choice." "All fighters, intercept enemy craft and engage." "Confirmed, Babylon Control." "Those are our fighters?" "Yes, sir." "And those are the Minbari fighters." "The Minbari." "What kind of tracking systems are we using?" "Standard XB7 units." "Why?" "That's the same kind we used during the war, but that doesn't make sense." "We shouldn't be able to track them at all." "What was that she said?" ""All that remains now is honor and death."" "All fighters, hold position." "What?" "If they hold position, they're perfect targets." "Zeta Squadron requesting confirmation of standby order." "Confirm the order." "Confirm it, damn it!" "I know what I'm doing." "All fighters, confirmed." "Maintain position." "Do not advance." "Repeat, do not advance." "Can you deliver a narrow-band transmission without the "Trigati" intercepting it?" "We can adjust the laser delivery system" "Do it." "Open the jumpgate." "Send this message in a tight-beam transmission into hyperspace." "Frequency and address." "Enemy fighters at 30 kilometers and closing." "Activate jumpgate sequence." "Jumpgate sequence, aye." "A distress signal won't do any good." "No one can get to us in time." "Come on, Babylon Control, give us a break here." "If we're not allowed to fire, we're dead." "Enemy at 10 kilometers." "Eight." "Captain." "Hold your fire." "Continue to hold." "What the hell?" "I don't understand." "They didn't fire." "They're looping back, heading for the "Trigati."" "Exactly." "But how did you know they'd--?" "We've got something coming through the jumpgate." "That's why." "They were waiting for reinforcements." "Negative." "They're here because I called them." "I knew the Minbari government had sent another cruiser to look for the "Trigati."" "But since no one's seen it I figured they were waiting in hyperspace until they heard about another sighting." "Looks like I was right." "That doesn't explain how you knew they wouldn't attack." "We're monitoring a signal from the cruiser." ""They're ordering the" Trigati to surrender." "It's like I said." "One problem during the war was that none of our weapon systems could lock on to the Minbari vessels." "They use some kind of stealth technology we were never able to break." "So how come all of a sudden we can track them?" "They want to be destroyed?" ""All that remains is honor and death."" "They have been in exile for 12 years." "They can't go home." "They can't surrender without being dishonored and can't fight without a war." "So by forcing us to attack by dying by human hands they become martyrs." "And because you're known for having fought them, you're the perfect target." ""Trigati" is breaking away." "Starting to open a jump point." "Shall we open fire?" "No, the Minbari will have to do this." "They're targeting the "Trigati"'s aft engines." ""Trigati"'s engines have been hit." "Unable to make jump." "No change in life signs, a clean hit." "The war cruiser is ordering the "Trigati" to prepare to be boarded." "Their response?" "Just one word: honor." "We're picking up a change in the "Trigati"'s fusion reactors, moving towards critical." "They're...." "Oh, my God." "Signal coming in from the war cruiser." "Put it through." "This is Capt. John Sheridan, Babylon 5." "Appreciate the help." "Perhaps to you, this was a tactical problem to be solved." "For us, this has been a great sorrow." ""The crew of the" Trigati "were heroes" to many of our people." "Their death will be mourned." "And your name will be remembered." "Yes?" "Thought I'd stop by, see if all your things arrived." "Yes, yes." "Everything's present and accounted for." "Something wrong?" "When I got my orders I figured this place was a great opportunity." "And now I wonder if coming here was irresponsible." "This whole mess with the "Trigati" might not have happened if I hadn't been here." "My presence, my actions in the war." "I'm to blame for bringing this trouble to Babylon 5." "What was it our friend in the Grey Council said?" ""If there's a doom on this station, it was you who brought it here."" "Well, maybe he was right." "I spoke with the president." "He is the only other human who knows why the Minbari surrendered." "He doesn't believe this stuff about us sharing Minbari souls." "And I can't say that I do either." "But they believe it." "That's why they chose Sinclair to run this place." "That's why they picked him to live on their world." "He was their first human contact." "Him they trust." "But me?" "I don't know." "If Sinclair had been here instead, maybe they might not have attacked." "Maybe they would have." "There's enough guilt in the world to go around without grabbing for more." "Give yourself the benefit of the doubt." "Anyway, if you ever want to talk about this some more you know where to find me." "Anytime." "I told them, Delenn, as I was ordered." "I only wish I could have told them the rest." "About the great enemy that is returning and the prophecy that the two sides of our spirit must unite against the Darkness or be destroyed." "They say it will take both of our races to stop the Darkness." "I'm told that the Earthers will discover all of this soon enough on their own." "I hope they are right." "Because if we are wrong no one will survive our mistake." "Good night, Delenn." "I'm not saying I mind looking a squadron of Minbari fighters right in the eye." "I'm not saying I mind sitting with my weapons off, waiting to be splashed." "I'm just saying, next time this happens" "If there's a next time." "If someone could, I don't know, maybe explain it to me this would be a good thing for my limited and admittedly subjective point of view." "Did you catch that?" "He wants explanations." "He wants logic." "Logic is a good thing." "What it has to do with the Earthforce is anybody's guess." "Yeah, I suppose." "So, what does everybody think of our new captain?" "Well, I haven't seen too much of him, but what I have seen, I like." "I think he's gonna be okay." "Susan?" "I agree." "He's supposed to meet us here for drinks." "I wonder what's hanging him up?" "Last time I saw him, he said something about having a half-hour to give some good-luck speech or it wouldn't count." "When was that?" "About 20 minutes ago." "Oh, no." "Of all the times he could have picked." "It was an early Earth president, Abraham Lincoln who best described our situation." ""The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present." "The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise to the occasion." "We cannot escape history." "We will be remembered in spite of ourselves." "The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or dishonor to the last generation." "We shall nobly save or meanly lose our last, best hope of Earth."" "Five minutes to spare." "(ENGLISH)" "Babylon 5 "is produced" by Babylonian Productions, Inc and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution."