1. In Darkness Find Me

2. Treason
3. In Harm's Way
4. The Price of Peace

A few days after being recalled from Babylon 5 Commander Sinclair is languishing in Earthdome, Geneva, waiting for someone to tell him why he was called back. His nights, as always, are filled with horrible dreams, replays of the Battle of the Line. He tries to prevail on a senator to tell him what's going on, but is rebuffed, with an additional admonition to stop spreading rumors about President Santiago being assassinated.  Then, in the middle of the night on January 6, 2259, some heavily-armed men escort Sinclair to see President Clark. Clark introduces him to Rathenn, of the Minbari Grey Council. Rathenn introduces himself and says he's come to take Sinclair back to his home. Not Mars Colony, where his body was born -- but to his soul's home.  Rathenn uses a triluminary on Sinclair, who is suddenly able to recall in full what happened after he was taken aboard the Grey Council's cruiser at the Battle of the Line (cf. episode "And the Sky Full of Stars.") He was drugged, interrogated about Earth targets, and tortured after he tried to escape. He recalls the whispers of the Grey Council as Delenn confirms that he has a Minbari soul.  Rathenn explains that every human pilot the Grey Council examined had a Minbari soul, or part of a Minbari soul, and that the Minbari population has been declining for the past six thousand years. At first the Grey Council blamed the soul hunters (cf. episode "Soul Hunter") but the decline was too great to be accounted for that way. That day, they discovered why the Minbari race was dying, where all the souls were going. Since no Minbari had killed another in thousands of years, the Grey Council surrendered.  Clark says that the Grey Council told the Earth government of their findings, and that both the government and the Council agreed the information would not be taken well by the public. Earth officials gave the Council permission to wipe Sinclair's memory; they were on the verge of defeat and weren't about to object to such a small demand by the Minbari. "We were dying," Clark explains later, after Rathenn has left. "It didn't matter that it was insane... Everything was insane. If it made them stop killing us... well, that was fine by us."  Clark tells Sinclair he's free to resign his commission with full retirement pay. Or he can accept a new assignment, his most important one to date: accept the Minbari government's invitation to come to their world as ambassador. Clark promises to keep Sinclair informed about Garibaldi's condition. As for why the Minbari wanted Sinclair, Clark speculates: "Maybe they feel guilty about what they did to you. Maybe they're comfortable with you. And maybe they need you. We've heard about trouble between the Minbari religious caste and the military caste. It's possible that... well, the religious caste might just need an experienced soldier to talk to."  Sinclair's shuttle arrives at the Grey Council's cruiser. As he waits to be greeted, he pulls out a small slip of paper and reads. He's shortly greeted by several hooded Councilmembers and a few members of the military caste, and explains that he was reading a poem by a long-departed writer, something he wants to share with the Council in the hopes that it will help them understand. He is escorted away by the Councilmembers, as one of the military looks on, expression twisted in hatred.  In a docking bay on the station, an armed man in dockworker clothes loads a small package onto a Minbari flyer, which departs the station three hours later.  Three days later, Babylon 5 receives a distress call from a ship in Grid Epsilon. Keffer takes Zeta Squad to respond. In C&C, Ivanova arrives in time to see the final distress call, which turns out to be from the Starliner Chiyoda-Ku. The person making the call is killed by an unseen person as Ivanova watches. Ivanova begins calling up the registration and manifest of the Chiyoda-Ku. "These are the times I wish Garibaldi was back on duty," she says, "but..."  Garibaldi, meanwhile, is in his quarters, showing Talia his second-favorite thing in the universe.  Parsecs away, the Minbari cruiser carrying Ambassador Sinclair stops to take on a transfer, arriving on the flyer from Babylon 5. Racine, a Grey Council member, tells Sinclair that the period of mourning for Dukhat is over, that the Grey Council, which has ruled Minbar since Dukhat's death, is gathering on Minbar to install a new leader, and that the flyer is carrying a member of the Council who was away but has returned for the Shi-Ki, the installation ceremony. Sinclair tries to talk to the newly arrived Satai, but is rebuffed by one of the Satai's guards, a member of the militant Star Rider caste.  Garibaldi and Talia are interrupted by a call from Sinclair, who apologizes for not being able to say goodbye. He asks Garibaldi to forward his regards to Delenn, who he's glad isn't going to be at the ceremony. "There's some kind of undercurrent running through the Minbari castes -- tension. It seems dangerous with the Grey Council and the new leader all in one place." Garibaldi tells Sinclair that Delenn has come out of her chrysalis, and is in fact on her way to Minbar.  Keffer's squad finds the Chiyoda-Ku, a top-notch starliner. Flying close, they can see through the windows: dead bodies, bleeding, floating in the air inside the zero-G passenger areas. Ivanova tells Keffer to attach tow cables to the ship and bring her back to the station. As Keffer and his squad tow the ship back, Ivanova finally finds the ship listed in a registry... and the file is classified. She tells Dr. Franklin to meet her in the docking bay, and tells the C&C staff to keep everything under wraps.  Elsewhere on the station, the man who loaded the package onto the Minbari flyer, Jason Colby (apparently a Homeguard sympathizer) manages to bypass the station's computer security and finds out that the Chiyoda-Ku is being brought aboard. He quickly changes into a station security uniform.  The bodies are counted -- twenty-five aboard, all but one dead, some with PPG wounds, and none with any identification. The ship's life support didn't malfunction; it was turned off. One of the security men says he's seen the Chiyoda-Ku somewhere before, but can't place it. As the survivor is taken away, Colby watches.  Franklin stabilizes the survivor; Ivanova has him placed under guard. Later that night, Colby enters Medlab and discovers the survivor, conscious. Colby tries to kill the man, but is hit by a powerful mental force. The survivor stumbles out of Medlab, taking the dead guard's gun on the way out. Colby recovers shortly thereafter and goes looking for the man.  Ivanova discovers that the Chiyoda-Ku was confiscated by Earth Force in an arms-smuggling bust two years earlier. Just then, Franklin calls in from Medlab, reporting the escape of his patient and the death of the guard. Ivanova issues a lookout for the patient; he is to be taken alive if possible, but is armed and dangerous.  Sinclair stands near a large window of the Earth Alliance embassy in Yedor, the Minbari capital, and looks out over a gathering area in the midst of the crystalline city. He is joined by Ambassador Delenn, whose new appearance shocks Sinclair. She tells him he didn't see her in time, that it's too late now. Of her transformation, she says, "I reached a time when I could go no further... as I was. I cannot explain more yet. I am the first of my kind ever to... become this. I am now only half-Minbari. I am also half-human."  The search for the escaped patient is going poorly. Ivanova is coordinating search teams when Talia calls and says the man everyone's looking for is in her quarters. Ivanova tells all the search teams to converge on Talia's quarters... an order Colby hears, too.  When Ivanova and her men burst in, Talia says the man's name is Dexter Hall, that he's a psi-cop, and that he didn't kill the guard. He came to her because she was a fellow Psi-Corps member. He had been working undercover, infiltrating a pro-Earth group on the Chiyoda-Ku who blamed Santiago's death on alien groups. He found out the group was supplying weapons for an assassination of a head of state: the new Minbari leader.  Delenn and Sinclair are talking when Kozorr, military caste, barges into the room, two subordinates pushing a pile of boxes of Sinclair's belongings from Babylon 5. Kozorr opens one of the boxes, revealing an Earth-made rifle, along with a map of the new leader's coronation route -- with a marker drawn at the point when the leader will pass closest to Sinclair's window. He places Sinclair under arrest for conspiring to assassinate the new leader. "When you are convicted," Kozorr continues, "be assured we will declare war against Earth for your treason."  On Minbar, Delenn visits Sinclair after the inauguration of the "Chosen One" as leader. Sinclair is sure someone was out to frame him. He's further puzzled when Delenn mentions that the message that told the Minbari there was an assassin on their world came from Babylon 5.  On Babylon 5, Sheridan is talking to Senator Hidoshi, who seems to believe that Sinclair might be guilty; he mentions Sinclair's suspicions about a plot to assassinate the president, and conjectures that maybe Sinclair thought the Minbari were behind the plot. Hidoshi passes along a message from Psi-Corps: Dexter Hall is to be kept isolated, under guard. An Earthforce internal affairs officer, Colonel Rabock, is being sent to take control of the situation.  In his quarters, Jason Colby listens in on the conversation as Sheridan objects to an outsider taking over an ongoing investigation. Hidoshi dismisses Sheridan's claim that what Talia saw in Hall's mind indicates that someone else nearby is involved. Hearing that, Colby prepares to get rid of Talia. Sheridan says he intends to continue the investigation until Rabock arrives; Hidoshi begins to tell him that Hall is a rogue telepath known as "Cypher."  Talia walks through the Zocalo, Colby close behind. She senses powerful anger, but when she turns, Colby is gone. He has stepped into a comm booth and is talking to a bearded man called "Webster," who tells him to get rid of Hall, but leave Talia alone. Colby asks Webster to get him off Babylon 5; he thinks he's fulfilled his end of the bargain and wants to go home. Webster agrees and says he'll use G'Kar to get Colby out.  Meanwhile, Garibaldi doesn't believe Hall is Cypher; he thinks Cypher isn't even a real rogue, just "plausible deniability for deep cover ops." He also tells Sheridan there's no way Sinclair is guilty.  On Minbar, Sinclair is led to trial. Delenn meets the head prosecutor: Alit Neroon.  G'Kar has called a council meeting, outraged that the council wasn't informed of the accusation against Sinclair. "Are our leaders in danger, also?" he asks. Sheridan smooths things over just in time to be called to medlab.  Colby grabs Talia and pulls her into a transport tube car. She knows instantly that he's Hall's attacker. Garibaldi appears; Colby makes a run for it, leaving Talia behind. She and Garibaldi arrive in medlab, where they find Sheridan. Talia agrees to do a deep scan of Hall. Ivanova reports that Colonel Rabock's ship has arrived early; Sheridan tells her to stall him.  Talia begins her scan. She sees Hall undercover, infiltrating a group called the Homers. They're on the Chiyoda-Ku, celebrating the death of "that 'Minbari stooge' -- President Santiago." One of the celebrants claims there's an even bigger event coming up, that he delivered a weapon to someone on Babylon 5 to use in the assassination of the new Minbari leader. Hall slips away to send a warning to the Minbari, but someone notices him, and a firefight ensues. He's hit, but reaches the cockpit and locks the door. He orders the pilot to call for help. Before the pilot can finish, the others break in and start shooting, hitting the pilot and the communications console. In desperation, Hall grabs for a breather and opens the ship's exhaust vents. The others perish in the near-vacuum, and Hall himself is half-conscious, on the verge of death, when Babylon 5's Starfuries arrive. Much later, he awakens in medlab to find a gun pointed at his head; he reacts reflexively, blasting his assailant with pain, and forces himself to seek out another telepath.  As Talia reaches the end of his memories, Hall dies. Colonel Rabock barges into medlab -- he's "Webster," the man who was talking to Colby.  On Minbar, Sinclair stands before an imposing panel of Minbari. "Ambassador Sinclair," one of them says. "You stand accused of plotting to assassinate the Chosen One, our leader. How do you plead...?"  As Jason Colby gathers his belongings -- including a picture of his dead wife -- his video tap shows Col. Rabock talking to Ivanova, demanding permission to board the station. Colby recognizes Rabock as Webster.  In Medlab, Rabock upbraids Sheridan for allowing Talia to scan Hall. Sheridan retorts that Hall was about to die, that the scan has given them a lead in the Minbari assassination plot, and that they're trying to track down the man who attacked Hall. Rabock storms away, which strikes Sheridan as odd. "I would've thought an internal affairs investigator would be interested in any information we uncovered," he says.  Sinclair's trial is interrupted when Delenn charges into the chambers, claiming to have new information that might exonerate him. Neroon objects to her presence -- her association with Sinclair invalidates anything she might say. Delenn begins to describe what Garibaldi and Sheridan have learned; the tribunal decides to hear her evidence privately.  Rabock speaks privately with a superior over a comm channel. He tells the mysterious man that Colby will take the fall for smuggling the weapons into Sinclair's luggage. His superior points out that if Colby is blamed, the cover story about Cypher being responsible will fall apart. Colby must be killed. Rabock's superior mentions that Rabock killed Colby's wife to help recruit Colby into the Homeguard -- an unfortunate revelation, since Colby is listening in on the conversation from his quarters.  Delenn finishes her report on the situation on Babylon 5. Neroon dismisses it out of hand as a delaying tactic, and says that once it becomes clear that Sinclair's friends are fabricating evidence to set him free, the warrior caste will demand a renewed war against Earth. Delenn counters that the war was ended the first time because some humans, including Sinclair, carry Minbari souls, a situation which hasn't changed. Neroon scoffs at that.  Rabock checks in with Garibaldi to find out how the manhunt is proceeding. It's proceeding as planned, though as yet there's no trace of the man Talia described. While Rabock watches, Garibaldi discovers a visual log of the docking bay that shows Colby loading weapons onto Delenn's flyer. That's enough for the computer to search the personnel files and determine who Colby is.  Rabock, who slipped away the moment he saw the video, arrives at Colby's quarters as Garibaldi and Sheridan rush to the scene. As he enters, Colby ambushes him and takes him hostage. Sheridan and Garibaldi arrive; Sheridan agrees to let Colby get to Rabock's shuttle unhindered. As soon as Colby is out of earshot, Sheridan orders a wing of Starfuries to take out the ship's engine when it emerges.  The shuttle leaves the station. Rabock tells Colby to put down his gun -- and hits Colby with an intense burst of telepathic pain when Colby doesn't comply. Colby figures it out: Webster isn't Rabock at all. He's Cypher. Colby grabs his gun and begins firing. Unfortunately, he hits the shuttle's systems several times; it explodes before the waiting Starfuries can fire a shot.  Neroon cites the video as evidence that Sinclair is simply part of a larger conspiracy to assassinate the Minbari leader, and demands that such an act of war be responded to in kind. The tribunal agrees. As its head is pronouncing sentence, Sinclair invokes an ancient law, offering his life in exchange for war. This infuriates Neroon, who accuses Sinclair of mocking Minbari customs... but the tribunal rules that Sinclair's request is valid.  The Minbari leader enters the court chamber, flanked by robed acolytes, and demands to be heard. He has been watching the trial, and the fact that Sinclair was willing to pay the steepest possible price for peace has convinced him that Sinclair is "a good and just man." He pardons Sinclair.  Later, Delenn congratulates Sinclair on the ploy. He knew that the leader, as head of the Grey Council, would never allow the execution because of Sinclair's Minbari soul. As Delenn bids Sinclair farewell, he surprises her by kissing her on the cheek.  Sheridan, Ivanova, and Garibaldi discuss the situation. All the principals are gone -- even Hall's body, which had been loaded onto Rabock's ship. Garibaldi says he still doesn't believe Hall was Cypher, doesn't think Cypher even exists.  They're interrupted by the arrival of an Earthforce officer: Colonel Tiffany Rabock. Garibaldi is stunned -- maybe Cypher did exist after all.  On Earth, in an office with a stylized, militaristic psi symbol on the floor, a man deletes the files for Colby and Webster and asks the computer to search Psi-Corps records for a person matching the "Cypher" program's criteria. "Somewhere out there," he says, "a new Cypher is waiting to be found..."

 

1. Shadows Past and Present
2. Against the Odds
3. Survival the Hard Way
4. Silent Enemies

Garibaldi finds Londo and Vir in the Zocalo and tells Londo he knows that the Narn outpost in Quadrant 37 (destroyed in "Chrysalis") has been the subject of many of Londo's transmissions. Londo, taken aback that Garibaldi has been listening in on him, says he's just staying informed. G'Kar, arriving on the scene, notes, "It seems every time you are informed of something, others pay with their lives," pointing to the destruction of the Narn cruiser in "Revelations." Londo and G'Kar nearly come to blows before Vir drags Londo away for a scheduled meeting with Delenn.  But it's not Delenn waiting for Londo; it's Morden, who tells Londo to be more careful in his off-station communications, and asks that Londo tell him if Garibaldi should decide to investigate further.  Garibaldi is in a security office. He's sifting through ambassadorial communications, looking for something suspicious, something he's apparently authorized to do randomly. Shortly after Ivanova arrives, Garibaldi finds Londo using a comm channel, though without tipping Londo off to the tap, Garibaldi can't see who's on the other side. It turns out to be Refa; the two discuss the Emperor's health (poor.) Londo wants to meet with Refa in person to discuss misgivings about the "source" who helped him with Quadrant 37; they agree to meet in two hours at some predetermined place.  Garibaldi decides that Londo's source is definitely something Earth needs to know more about. He rushes off to beat Londo to the meeting place, whose location he learned from previous transmissions. As he's trying to sneak out with a flyer, Keffer catches up to him and invites himself along. "Somebody has to bring you back alive," he says. Garibaldi reluctantly agrees.  Londo is on his way to his ship when he runs into Morden. Morden tells Londo to cancel his meeting with Refa and instead pay a routine diplomatic visit to a Centauri colony. He demands that Londo tell him where the meeting was going to take place.  Keffer and Garibaldi emerge from a jumpgate near a planet. Asked why he went along, Keffer says, "You needed help. You don't have many friends on the station." Garibaldi agrees that Sinclair was the only one he knew he could trust.  While they wait for Londo and Refa to arrive, Garibaldi explains why he trusts Sinclair in a way that he can never trust Sheridan. It was years earlier, back on Mars Colony. Garibaldi had started a shuttle transport service, mostly transporting people who didn't like being asked questions. He was sitting in his office, nursing a bottle, when Lieutenant Commander Sinclair came in with two junior officers and enlists Garibaldi's services for a flight. He's a little apprehensive about Garibaldi's drunkenness, but Garibaldi accepts the job.  The story is interrupted by the abrupt appearance of a Shadow fighter. Keffer heads at breakneck speed for the planet, dodging shots left and right, but their ship is hit and goes spinning half out of control. Keffer manages to stabilize the ship somewhat, but it's still headed for the ground. "Hope the foam-protect still works," says Garibaldi, as the ship disappears behind a small mountain range...  Garibaldi and Keffer climb out of the crashed ship and leave quickly, in case their attacker comes looking for them. Garibaldi makes certain to set the ship to self-destruct. As they walk away, Garibaldi mentions that he's seen a ship like the attacker's before. Years ago, on Mars...  Two young officers, Foster and Sanchez, waited for Lt. Commander Sinclair and Garibaldi in the Mars spaceport. Garibaldi turned out to be unconscious in the passenger compartment of his ship; Sinclair woke him and tossed him to Foster and Sanchez to sober up. "Earthforce may have given me this make-work mission to keep me out of the way," Sinclair said, "but by God, I will accomplish it."  Much later, Garibaldi flew Sinclair and the two others over the surface of Mars, searching for something. Garibaldi notes that Sinclair wasn't what he expected -- after what he'd heard about Sinclair being a hero of the Battle of the Line, he hadn't expected someone stiffer than a corpse. Sinclair refused to tell Garibaldi what they were looking for, and even filed fake flight plans so nobody else would know where they were.  On the fifth day of searching, the ship's navigational systems and inertial dampers suddenly went offline. Garibaldi managed to crashland the ship, wrecking it, without killing everyone -- but Sanchez' leg was broken, and Foster didn't survive. Sanchez clearly blamed Garibaldi.  Sinclair and Garibaldi went to get help, a fifty-mile trek across the surface. They weren't far when Sanchez linked in to report that all the ship's systems had suddenly started working again -- evidence that Garibaldi wasn't at fault after all. Sanchez picked up a dust storm on the ship's scanners; Sinclair and Garibaldi sought cover.  Keffer and Garibaldi reach the top of a large rock formation overlooking the crash site. From that high vantage point, Keffer can see what looks like a small Centauri settlement in the distance. But Garibaldi's attention is elsewhere: the Shadow ship has landed next to the crash site, and humanoid figures have emerged, examining what little remains of the wreckage. "Did you see something like that on Mars?" Keffer asks, staring down at the Shadow ship. "That and more," Garibaldi answers, face full of fear. He says there's no hope of a rescue, because he didn't tell anyone where he was going.  On the ground, the remains of the crashed ship suddenly vanish without a trace, as does the impact ditch. "They're getting rid of the evidence," Garibaldi says. "They don't want anyone to know they were here."  The figures seem to decide that someone survived the crash, and head purposefully toward the rock formation. "Let's get the hell out of here!" says Garibaldi as he and Keffer scramble down the other side of the formation.  Garibaldi and Keffer are walking across a valley, two hours away from the Centauri city they spotted from the summit. Garibaldi reassures Keffer that they got enough of a head-start on the aliens that they should reach the city before their pursuers are able to catch up. As they press forward, Garibaldi continues the story of his first mission with Sinclair.  Sinclair and Garibaldi had taken shelter in a cave to wait out the dust storm. With only five days of air and food, it wasn't easy to just wait, but at least they were in radio contact with Lt. Sanchez aboard Garibaldi's shuttle. Sinclair believed the worst of the storm was over.  Garibaldi tired of the conversation between Sinclair and Sanchez and moved closer to the mouth of the cave, where he started drinking. He recalled a previous assignment, as head of security on Io, and the death of his friend Frank Kemmer -- a death Garibaldi felt responsible for.  Garibaldi found himself out on the surface, apparently after wandering off in his stupor. He reactivated his commlink to find Sanchez urgently trying to contact him. Sinclair, it seems, had noticed Garibaldi's absence, and started to go out looking for him -- but the mouth of the cave had collapsed, and Sinclair was pinned down just outside the cave, almost out of air. Sanchez hadn't heard from Sinclair for five minutes, possibly because he'd blacked out.  Sanchez told Garibaldi that if Sinclair died, it would be on Garibaldi's head. That struck home; Garibaldi immediately went looking for Sinclair, aided by a flare fired from the ship by Sanchez. Following the flare's lead, Garibaldi found a collapsed cliffside, and soon came across Sinclair. He was almost too late, but eventually Sinclair regained consciousness after Garibaldi switched air cylinders. As soon as Sinclair came to, he wrestled Garibaldi to the ground and threatened to kill him if Garibaldi ever did something as stupid as wandering off again.  Keffer notes that in fact, Garibaldi's wandering saved Sinclair's life; Sinclair would never have survived if he'd been at the back of the cave when it collapsed.  Meanwhile, the aliens -- humanoid, fanged creatures with feline eyes -- have not only caught up with Garibaldi and Keffer, but overtaken them, and enter a small forest, where they somehow meld with the trees. Keffer and Garibaldi arrive shortly thereafter, and Keffer begins acting paranoid, accusing Garibaldi of keeping them out in the open so they can be picked off by the alien ship. He pulls a gun on Garibaldi and takes Garibaldi's weapon.  As Garibaldi tries to argue, he feels something try to control him, too, get him angry at Keffer. He ducks out of the way as Keffer fires, manages to zigzag out of the line of fire a couple more times. One of Keffer's shots hits a tree and sends an alien flying off to the side. That breaks the aliens' grip, and as they close in to attack, Keffer tosses Garibaldi his gun. The two manage to kill all the aliens, but the creatures self-destruct before the bodies can be examined.  "Did you see those things?" asks Keffer. "They could have torn us apart... but they tried to mind-warp us into killing each other instead."  "Yeah," says Garibaldi. "Always work from behind the scenes... leave no traces... leave no witnesses..." If this has anything to do with what he saw on Mars, Garibaldi says, they're in big trouble.  Because what he saw on Mars, looking on with Sinclair from the top of a canyon, was a large Shadow cruiser, apparently excavating another Shadow ship from beneath the surface -- while figures from a nearby building stood and watched.  Garibaldi and Keffer make their way toward the Centauri city. As they walk, Garibaldi continues his story.  He and Sinclair were low on air and their comlinks had stopped working suddenly. A hunch led Garibaldi toward a canyon, where to his great surprise -- and apparently Sinclair's as well -- they found a gigantic spidery ship apparently excavating another just like it as people from a nearby building watched. Was this what Sinclair was sent to look for, Garibaldi wondered?  A land vehicle approached them. Garibaldi pulled a gun on Sinclair and shot him. "Our coms were being jammed," he thought, "which, to my knowledge, meant all communications were jammed. That meant the other guys had to use an alternative way to communicate... and the possibilities made my skin crawl."  The vehicle came across Sinclair's body. Its armed occupants got out to investigate. They returned to the rover to find Garibaldi waiting for them; they were down before they could react. Garibaldi roused Sinclair from his stungun-induced slumber. The two had suspected they might be dealing with telepaths. Sinclair had asked Garibaldi to stun him so his thoughts couldn't be read.  Garibaldi and Sinclair quickly donned the telepaths' suits. Sinclair explained that he was investigating possible covert human-alien activities. Previous missions sent to investigate had found only the tip of one human ear, nothing else. Perhaps suspecting that the earlier missions had been sabotaged, Sinclair elected to go with Garibaldi's privately-run shuttle service rather than through official channels. "Right now, Garibaldi, you may be the only one I can trust," he said.  Their planned escape was cut short when they discovered that the only way back was the roadway the vehicle had come from -- straight toward the buildings and the mysterious alien ship, still performing its excavation. They decided to play along until they could escape, and followed the hand signals of the people on the ground. Unfortunately, that strategy led them straight toward the largest of the buildings. Garibaldi got out and tried to blend in with the other people; he was directed to load boxes onto a cargo platform attached to his vehicle. Then he was motioned to drive into the building -- straight into the belly of the whale, he imagined.  Inside the building was a horrific sight: a huge transparent dome containing a large alien biomechanical construct, veins and skin and bone intermingling with tubes and panels. Passing through the organism were scores of human bodies on a conveyer belt. The whole operation was being monitored by technicians in a small isolation area jutting out the side of the dome, as workers milled about the rest of the building with heavy weaponry. Suddenly, Garibaldi could feel darkness closing in around him, self-pity and fear building in his head. It subsided somewhat when he remembered what Sinclair said about trusting him; he gathered enough courage to get out of the vehicle and unload the boxes, one of which had contained something he wanted, something with which to cause a diversion later.  He walked closer to the dome and looked inside. The bodies on the conveyer belt appeared to have energy fields surrounding their heads. It was clearly some kind of medical experiment, but Garibaldi couldn't figure out what it was for.  His pause at the dome gave him away, or perhaps one of the telepaths happened to read his thoughts. Whatever the cause, a large group of people started heading his way. Luckily, he was carrying the box he wanted -- it was full of grenades. He tossed one into the crowd, but quickly found himself pinned down. Sinclair came to the rescue, bursting through a stack of boxes with the vehicle and confusing the situation long enough for Garibaldi to climb aboard. As the vehicle raced out of the building, Garibaldi tossed out the entire box of grenades; the resulting explosion ripped the roof off the building. They were pursued, but not for long. Whatever was inside the building, Garibaldi guessed, the telepaths wanted very badly to try to save.  As Garibaldi finishes his story, he and Keffer are discovered by two Centauri sentries, who lead them at gunpoint into the city. Later, the city magistrate tells them that his investigators found no trace of a crashed ship, or a fight in a clearing, as Garibaldi and Keffer described. But he remembers that Babylon 5 is where Londo Mollari -- the man responsible, Garibaldi learns, for saving Quadrant 37 from the Narn -- is stationed. He says he'll call Londo and try to verify Garibaldi's story.  Back on Babylon 5, Vir answers the call and tries to cover for Garibaldi and Keffer, but the magistrate insists on talking to Londo. Londo also covers for Garibaldi, but clearly isn't happy about it. He tells the magistrate to arrange for their transport back to Babylon 5. The problem resolved, he goes back to what he was doing: discussing something with Morden.  Garibaldi tells Sheridan what happened and explains that he thinks the erasure of his crashed ship links it to what he and Sinclair found on Mars. After they had escaped the telepaths, Garibaldi says, and gotten out of range of the comm jamming, they'd returned to the area with an Earthforce shuttle and found no trace of ships, explosions, buildings, or anything. Earthforce conducted a thorough search, but it was Sinclair and Garibaldi who found the one piece of evidence at the site. It wasn't enough to convince anyone, though, so they kept it to themselves.  "The alien ship we saw on Mars looks exactly like the ship Keffer saw in hyperspace when he helped rescue the Cortez," Garibaldi says. "Something's out there, Captain, something big and dangerous. And it doesn't want us to know it's out there. And Londo's involved. I don't know how, but I intend to find out." Sheridan believes Garibaldi, but for appearance's sake has to give him an official reprimand.  Keffer and Garibaldi talk about the outcome of their adventure. Keffer wonders if anyone survived the explosions on Mars. Garibaldi isn't sure; it's hard to see how anyone could have. Sooner or later, though, he's going to find out who owns the item he found on Mars: a Psi-Corps badge.

 

Laser-Mirror-Starweb (2 Parts)

1. Duet for Human and Narn in C Sharp
2. Coda for Human and Narn in B Flat

Ivanova clears a Narn ship, the D'Vordo, for docking. An urgent call from G'Kar comes in; he demands immediate clearance to depart the station from bay four. When she refuses, he sets his ship to launch anyway; Ivanova warns the D'Vordo to abort its approach. Garibaldi rushes to bay four to try to stop G'Kar, but when he arrives, G'Kar stuns him.  G'Kar takes Garibaldi with him, but Garibaldi wakes up and fires a starweb, a sort of net made of energy, at G'Kar, entangling him.  G'Kar's ship nearly collides with the D'Vordo as it rockets full speed away from the station.  Ivanova tells Sheridan that Garibaldi is nowhere to be found; she believes G'Kar has taken him off the station. Sheridan heads for a shuttle to pursue G'Kar.  Garibaldi and G'Kar float in a cylindrical area. G'Kar is still caught in the starweb, and Garibaldi sings annoying songs to him, threatening to continue until G'Kar reveals what's going on.  On his way to the shuttle, Sheridan is intercepted by Greegil, a Narn who claims to be a relative of G'Kar's, newly arrived on the D'Vordo. He says he can help Sheridan catch G'Kar. Sheridan reluctantly brings him along. As they fly in pursuit, Sheridan tries to find out exactly how Greegil is related to G'Kar. Greegil won't offer any information unless Sheridan offers something in exchange.  Garibaldi continues to sing. Eventually, G'Kar falls asleep. Garibaldi wakes him up and asks where the food is; G'Kar answers that he doesn't need to eat, as Narns can hibernate six days at a time. "I'll be happy to watch you starve to death," G'Kar says. "At least it'll be quieter." When Garibaldi points out that G'Kar will die, too, trapped in the starweb, G'Kar answers, "There are worse things than death. Dishonor is one."  Garibaldi continues to search for food, but he's never seen a ship like the one he's in: no food, no controls, just solid walls encircling them. He begins to sing "It's a Small World," which causes G'Kar to surrender.  Sheridan and Greegil haggle over the value of information. Finally, Greegil tells Sheridan how he's related to G'Kar, but the Narn familial ties he describes are meaningless to Sheridan.  G'Kar shows Garibaldi where his food, a Narn delicacy called phroomis, is stashed. He notes that Garibaldi does seem to have some negotiating skills. On Narn, he says, negotiation is an art. Garibaldi asks G'Kar about the ship, but G'Kar says it's better he doesn't know. Garibaldi convinces him to play a game of "laser-mirror-starweb," loser tells all.  Sheridan and Greegil catch up with G'Kar's ship, which doesn't respond to Sheridan's signals. Greegil tells Sheridan that G'Kar is possessed by a Lokvar, a seizure of the mind, that may cause G'Kar to be violent. Greegil predicts that Sheridan will have to shoot G'Kar.  Garibaldi wins two games of laser-mirror-starweb, but G'Kar still refuses to talk about the ship.  Sheridan grapples G'Kar's ship while Greegil tries to get him to put up the shuttle's shields in case G'Kar fires at them.  G'Kar and Garibaldi hear a loud clanking sound from one end of their chamber.  Sheridan and Greegil approach the airlock through a docking tube they've extended from Sheridan's shuttle. They open the door.  The end of the cylinder swings open as G'Kar and Garibaldi watch apprehensively.  Sheridan and Greegil enter G'Kar's ship... and find it empty. Greegil concludes that G'Kar never left the station.  A cleaning robot enters the cylinder. G'Kar set his ship on autopilot; they are actually in Babylon 5's core. G'Kar shouts that it's Garibaldi's fault -- with just G'Kar's mass in the axis tube, the cleaning robot wouldn't have come ahead of schedule. The two of them flee through the other end of the cylinder, but the axis tube runs the length of the station, five miles, and there are apparently no exits along the way.  G'Kar's ship begins to self-destruct. He and Greegil flee. Greegil gets to Sheridan's ship first, and promptly turns around and pushes the airlock door shut as Sheridan floats toward it. G'Kar's ship explodes before Sheridan's shuttle can escape; the shuttle's occupant screams...Sheridan breathes a sigh of relief as he barely makes it onto the shuttle. He accuses Greegil of trying to kill him; Greegil denies it.  The cleaning robot chases Garibaldi and G'Kar through the station axis. As they somehow propel themselves forward, the robot grabs Garibaldi's boot and pulls it off, slowing down to process it. G'Kar suggests that Garibaldi feed it more; Garibaldi volunteers G'Kar's boots. G'Kar refuses and suggests they play another game of laser-mirror-starweb to decide whose boot will be next. G'Kar cheats. Garibaldi tosses a boot to the robot and grabs G'Kar, demanding to know what's going on. G'Kar reveals that he received a message telling him an assassin by the name of Greegil D'Farkin was coming to Babylon 5 to kill him.  Sheridan manages to stabilize the shuttle, but its diagnostics show "massive decalibration in the external transfibulator phase controllers" as well as damage to the oxygen recyclers. Sheridan dons a suit to go out and fix the transfibulator antennas, and advises Greegil not to waste their air complaining about the situation.  Garibaldi and G'Kar continue to flee the robot. G'Kar notes that he promised his clan he would die honorably; Garibaldi says he intends to die in bed, on his 92nd birthday, in the arms of a beautiful redhead, shot by her jealous husband. G'Kar is puzzled; Garibaldi would be doing the husband a great service. As the robot nears, they play another laser-mirror-starweb game. This time, Garibaldi cheats more outrageously than G'Kar does, and G'Kar tosses a boot to the robot.  Sheridan fixes the problem and finds that Greegil has locked him outside in space. He reminds Greegil that he has the code key to operate the ship, and uses that to bargain for information: why G'Kar fled. Greegil says his job is to stop G'Kar from sabotaging Babylon 5. Abruptly, Sheridan is back inside the ship. He proposes using electrolysis to produce oxygen from the ship's water supply.  G'Kar and Garibaldi float away from the robot in their undershorts; it's still gaining. Garibaldi spots a maintenance hatch and pops it open; the two of them leave the inside of the axis tube and hang by handrails high above the Garden while the robot passes. Garibaldi doesn't let G'Kar back inside until he has the truth about Greegil: he's chasing G'Kar because of a woman, Greegil's wife, in fact. G'Kar refused to have sex with her to seal an alliance between two clans, even though it was his obligation as a high-ranking clansman; that was a grave insult to Greegil, who vowed revenge.  Sheridan's shuttle returns to Babylon 5; Sheridan places Greegil under arrest. Ivanova reports that G'Kar and Garibaldi are still missing.  Garibaldi somehow displays a message on the outside of the axis tube, indicating their location to the security staff and Sheridan. When the two of them emerge from the tube, Sheridan, Greegil, and a security team are waiting. Garibaldi arrests G'Kar for kidnapping him.  In a security station, G'Kar, Greegil, Garibaldi, and Sheridan argue about whether Greegil should be allowed to kill G'Kar. Greegil even presents a license, signed by the council of clans. Sheridan dismisses it as invalid on his station. Greegil pulls out a laser pistol. Garibaldi and G'Kar duck behind a nearby mirrored table, reflecting the laser beam. Sheridan calls out for a starweb, which one of the security staff gladly fires at Greegil.  G'Kar and Garibaldi walk away together. G'Kar explains that sleeping with Greegil's wife would have shifted the balance of power among the five clans... "And besides, she wasn't attractive enough to justify a war."  Elsewhere, Sheridan admits to Ivanova that they can't really press charges against G'Kar... but keeping him busy with lawyers for a while will be punishment enough.

 

Diane Matthews, introduces herself as one of the commercial telepaths working on Babylon 5. She demonstrates how commercial telepaths aid in business dealings, sitting in on a deal between a human and a Markab. She points out that Markab is lying about the quantity of merchanside he has available; the human reduces his order. Next, Matthews visits Medlab, where she assists Garibaldi by scanning an assault victim and descibing the assailant. She points out to the viewers that she won't be allowed to scan any suspects; she can only produce information to help point Garibaldi toward admissible evidence.  A Psi-Corps training center is the next stop, where a few psi training exercises are shown. "Psi Corps knows how to help you achieve your innermost desires," claims Matthews.  "These days," she says later, "people have learned to trust and accept telepaths, like this Psi-Cop." That wasn't always the case, she says, and launches into a narrative about the founding of Psi Corps. The Corps was founded on the basis of a single, heroic act by her great-grandfather, William Karges.  Karges discovered his talents at age thirteen. He didn't know what to make of them, so he sought out activities that would teach him self-disciplined and isolated. Later, he joined Earthforce; during his training he trained himself to control his skills and use them to be a better soldier. Eventually he was promoted and transferred to Earthforce Security. But even then, he kept his secret, afraid he'd be locked up by the government.  After distinguishing himself by stopping three terrorist plots, Karges was placed in charge of Earth Alliance President Robinson's personal security staff. One day, Karges and his forces were escorting President Robinson to a campaign rally. Karges sensed a strong thought from the surrounding crowd: "The bomb is ready!" Concentrating, he zeroed in on the man responsible and cornered him. The man claimed to know nothing about a bomb, so Karges forcibly scanned him. As Karges rushed off, shouting into his link to tell his team about the man's accomplice, he was shot in the back. With the last of his strength, Karges sent a command into the mind of the bomber, forcing him to drop the detonator. The President was safe.  In the hospital, dying, Karges admitted to President Robinson that he found out about the bomb by reading the perpetrator's thoughs. Some time later, President Robinson passed laws ensuring opportunities for telepaths. A special agency already existed to monitor the recent sudden increase in telepaths; Robinson changed its mission, to help telepaths function in society, and the Psi Corps was born.  "Nowadays, all telepaths are asked to register with Psi Corps, for their own good," Matthews says. "That way, the Earth Alliance and Psi Corps can help them achieve their full potential!"  Some telepaths don't want to join the Corps, Matthews admits. She visits Lisa, a lawyer, as a doctor administers telepathy-inhibiting drugs. Lisa is delighted to receive the injection, as numbing her psi abilities allows her to continue working in the legal profession. "Sometimes it makes me tired, and I have to rest," Lisa says. "But that's okay, because I can still be a successful lawyer."  Matthews describes the Psi Corps' work placement programs, designed to help telepaths who don't want to join the Corps and are allergic to the medicine. She says she started out there, but eventually realized she wanted to be a commercial telepath, having the adventure of a lifetime on Babylon 5.  "Even far from Earth, Psi Corps has influenced all our lives," she says. She describes a little-known aspect of the Battle of the Line: a telepathic pilot in Sinclair's squadron, Lt. Andrew Denmark of Psi Corps, used his powers to steady the nerves of other pilots. Without his help, Matthews claims, Sinclair would never have lived long enough to make his legendary attack on the Minbari cruiser.  The Psi Corps helps on Mars, too, Matthews continues. When there was a food shortage, Psi Corps rushed to get food supplies to all the hungry colonists. Recently, a small group of terrorists began an uprising, and Psi Corps stepped in to protect the colonists. "You could say Psi Corps' mission is to protect," Matthews says. "Protect the future -- for those who want to make it better and safer."  "On Earth, on Mars, or on Babylon 5, you don't have to be alone. Psi Corps is here for you! And if you or a friend discovers they're telepathic, Psi Corps will always help." As an example, she introduces the case of Alfred. On Earth, as a ten-year-old boy, he was a bright student at the top of his class. But when a teacher claimed he was copying parts of a test from someone across the room, Alfred and his friends discovered he might be a telepath. One friend offered to take him to Psi Corps -- he had an uncle there, and knew the Corps took good care of its members.  Alfred went to the Corps and chose to stay there. Today he's one of its most valued members: Bester.  "So, if you ever feel you might be a telepath, too -- remember, kids, you've got friends, here on Babylon 5! One of us is always stationed here to help you. Come talk to us any time! With Psi Corps as your friend, you never have to feel... all alone in the night."

 

Ivanova is in C&C, telling the crew about the final encounter with the Shadows and Vorlons ("Into the Fire") when a distress signal from Babylon 4 arrives.  The senior staff meets to discuss the situation. It's definitely Babylon 4, Ivanova says; the ID codes match. However, the signal is coming from a different location than the last place Babylon 4 was seen. Sheridan notes that since B4 was built on a much bigger budget than B5, there were a number of differences. "It was equipped with the biggest ion engines ever made," he says. "They didn't want it to be a sitting duck, like the previous three that were destroyed during construction."  Delenn reveals that after the last Shadow War, Babylon 4 was taken to a place of rest, its final location a secret. The crew who took it there never returned. Its fate was a mystery for nine hundred years -- until now. She urges Sheridan to investigate, since the station might contain priceless information about Minbari history. Sheridan agrees.  When they arrive at the source of the signal in a White Star, the crew is horrified to see Babylon 4 floating dead in orbit around a planet, battered and barely recognizable. Scanners pick up a weak power source and the distress signal, no signs of life or activity.  Wearing EVA suits, Delenn, Ivanova, Sheridan and Garibaldi leave the White Star and enter Babylon 4. The docking bay is full of debris, but they work their way through it and find an entrance. Soon they're in the station's Garden area, an empty metallic space.  Or almost empty -- the crew scatters as shots are fired in their direction. They take cover near a core shuttle, the aliens out of range of their PPGs. Thinking quickly, Garibaldi fires at some fuel tanks in the shuttle, sending the car flying toward the aliens and smashing them with flaming debris.  Garibaldi suggests heading toward C&C -- there was no ship outside, so whoever dropped the aliens off might be coming back to pick them up.  As the crew floats away, a hand reaches up out of the remains of the core shuttle.  Arriving in C&C, the crew finds that the solar panels have been brought online, most likely by the aliens. Sheridan speculates that they were scavengers raiding the station, something Delenn considers sacrilege -- the station belongs to history. "Not for long, I'm afraid," Ivanova says; it seems the arrival of the aliens disturbed B4's orbit, and the station will fall into the atmosphere in about 72 hours.  The surviving alien, meanwhile, has slipped unnoticed out of the station. It places an explosive charge on the White Star, which moments later is destroyed in a spectacular burst of light.  As Ivanova and Garibaldi struggle to adjust the distress signal to ask B5 to send help -- a daunting task, since the station's controls are now a melange of English, Minbari, and another language nobody recognizes -- Delenn accesses the station's records. What she finds fascinates her: the testaments of two Minbari of a thousand years ago, Nukenn of the religious caste and Rashok of the warrior caste, both describing the arrival and work of Valen.  "Valen was of us, and not of us," intones Nukenn. "He was the spirit, and we are his voice, his hands, his fire. He was the greatest of us because he was more than us."  "Valen was every hand that struck for freedom's purpose," declares Rashok. "He was the eye that saw for us, the strength that fought for us, the wisdom that conquered the unconquerable."  Nukenn recalls that the Shadows had destroyed the Minbari's last starbase. Minbari ships fled, finding no friendly ports. The Minbari were desperate, without hope. But hope appeared out of nowhere, in the form of Babylon 4.  "He gave us a weapon, a vessel into which we could pour our resources, and from which we could launch our counteroffensives," recalls Rashok. Valen never revealed where he or the station -- or his curious companion Zathras -- came from. Valen had no family name, no lineage that anyone could discover: a Minbari not born of Minbari.  Nukenn describes Valen's first attempt to unite the castes, which were divided over how to proceed and had begun to fight amongst themselves. They wouldn't listen to Valen's entreaties, so Valen turned his back on them and formed the Anla'Shok, a new army that recognized no castes.  Zathras was a mystery to Rashok. Zathras and Valen were clearly friends, but nobody could understand why -- Zathras was enough to drive anyone mad, in Rashok's opinion. They began to understand a little better when the Shadows came, and Zathras...Delenn is interrupted by Ivanova. It seems the shape of the station is causing more atmospheric drag than she'd anticipated, slowing its orbit faster. Her new estimate is that they have only 24 hours left -- not enough time for their distress call to reach B5 and a ship to reach them.  Aboard the flagship of a Tak'Cha fleet, Ramdela Cozon informs Ramde Haxtur that a problem has arisen, requiring that they abandon their salvage of several Pakkel ships. They have lost contact with Ende X'ton (what they call Babylon 4) and suspect the presence of alien savages on the station. Angry at the galaxy's capacity for violence, Haxtur recalls his salvage team and sets out to stop the savages. However, this will mean that the Pakkel will eventually die without their help, and so he orders their destruction as a "mercy killing."  Ivanova dozes off briefly, and is startled when Sheridan awakens her. She chastises herself for sleeping during an emergency, vowing to stay focused. Concerned, Sheridan checks her wrist readout and discovers that her rebreathing gear is feeding her too much carbon dioxide. He adjusts her air levels, and she is no longer sleepy.  Sheridan invites Delenn to take a break after so many hours of studying the tapes. She turns to him, crying, and recounts what she has learned: Nukenn, upon learning that his son Tulan died fighting for Valen, had flown into a fit of rage and shattered a plate glass window, cursing Valen's name. Valen watched him do this, then asked Nukenn to accompany him to Mount H'leya, a peak from which Valen had delivered his holy "Times to Come" speech. Valen spoke to Nukenn of the battle, of the castes' potential uniting, and of the Shadows' eventual return. Finally, he said:  "Your son... should not have come with me," because he was a gentle soul who was transformed by battle from something delicate to something hard and unyielding. He offered to let Nukenn take his rage out on him, but when Nukenn saw that Valen had somehow had the window rebuilt during the short span of their talk, his faith in Valen was renewed.  Garibaldi informs Sheridan that he has discovered rock patterns left in the wall of the station, which he believes might be ancient graffiti. Strangely, it is written in an ancient style of Minbari (similar to Earth's Old English) and translates as "Z'ondar." Delenn does not know what the word means, and so she returns to her studies of Valen's disciples as Sheridan and Garibaldi head to the launch bay to see if any fighter ships are still functional.  Delenn finds another account from Rashok, as follows: Rashok once felt that his people were doomed, but found new faith under Valen and relished the chance to fight alongside him, "for he was unafraid to lead us into the heart of the battle. It was as if he knew that triumph was inevitable. From his confidence... flowed our own."  In the name of Valen, according to Rashok's recording, the Minbari took on the Shadows with the aid of various alien allies. Later, when Rashok tried to tell Valen that the castes (inspired by Valen's victory over the Shadows) had finally united, he found Valen weeping for the many who had died on all sides during the battle. Zathras asked Rashok to wait until a later time to tell him the news; Rashok had little use for this strange alien and attempted to continue on to Valen, but Zathras knocked him down forcefully and refused to let him pass. Rashok, impressed by Zathras' loyalty and strength, conceded.  Delenn stops studying the tapes to tell Sheridan that she has found many references to a race called the Tak'Cha. She says she is not familiar with this race. Meanwhile, Garibaldi is getting frustrated at his complete lack of success in getting any of the fighters operational. He hits one of the ships, and to his surprise, it starts up. Sheridan delivers the good news to Ivanova, who replies, "That's... real good, sir... Now if you can fix another two dozen or so within the next thirty seconds, we should be in great shape." Sheridan looks outside... to find an entire fleet of Tak'Cha ships facing them down.  Ramde Haxtur leads his people in prayer to the Z'ondar, aboard the Tak'Cha flagship. He recalls how they fell from the Z'ondar's grace long ago and now hope to be worthy of his greatness someday. Haxtur tells Cozon to prepare the ships for battle; he will personally lead an attack on Ende X'ton to rid it of the alien invaders. This, he says, will be done in the Z'ondar's name.  Ivanova contemplates what Sinclair would do if faced with alien attackers while plummeting headlong into a planet's atmosphere on a derelict space station. Ultimately, she decides that only course of action is to bend over and kiss herself good-bye.  Ivanova counts twenty Tak'Cha ships. Sheridan takes the fighter Garibaldi got up and running, hoping his experience with the White Stars will afford him the skills needed to pilot it. Ivanova has her doubts, for he has never flown a Minbari ship before.  Delenn access the recording of a Tak'Cha disciple of Valen, named Ramde Zarwin. According to Zarwin, his people joined Valen's crusade against the Shadows and fully embraced his teachings. However, Valen felt that they had perverted his teachings and cast them out. Zarwin himself was there for Valen's "Times to Come" speech and was awed by Valen's Vorlon escorts, who appeared to him as Tak'Cha gods. In Zarwin's eyes, Valen was sent by the gods. Valen eventually based the Anla'Shok's staff on a Tak'Cha weapon called a barrken, and Zarwin taught him to use such a weapon. Zarwin was humbled and amazed at how quickly Valen outstripped his teacher's skills. However, Valen was disturbed to learn that the Tak'Cha had mis-interpreted his teachings to mean that one should relish the glory of fighting a war for a cause.  Sheridan, in an effort to stall the Tak'Cha, flies out among their ships but then simply spins in place. The Tak'Cha are confused by the tactic, but do not attack. Instead they watch warily until Sheridan accidentally fires on the lead ship, mistaking the firing controls for the reverse thrusters. Haxtur is furious at being shot at and opens fire on Sheridan's ship.  Zarwin recalls how Valen called him, Rashok, and Nukenn before him. Valen had planned to assign the three of them a mission, hoping at least one of them would succeed in seeing it through. The mission: to hold a message for Delenn for a thousand years, then deliver it to her in time to prevent the Earth-Minbari War. However, his Vorlon companion wisely reminded him that without the war, he would never gone into the past, which would have meant no Valen, no Babylon 4, and no defeat of the Shadows. Like it or not, Valen was powerless to alter history and prevent the deaths of millions.  The Tak'Cha disable Sheridan's fighter, and he crashes the ship into the station's Cobra Bay. There is a large explosion, but he (and Garibaldi, who happened to be in the bay) survives.  Zarwin further recalls how Valen became outraged upon hearing that the Tak'Cha had decimated the Yolu and numerous other races who had refused to fight in Valen's war against the Shadows. In the Tak'Cha's mind, any unwilling to follow Valen into the fire and the darkness must be punished, and they believed they should be the punishers, and that Valen would want it this way. Horrified that so many innocent lives were taken in his name, he cast them out. Ashamed, they returned home, unsure how they had failed the Z'ondar but hopeful of one day serving him again.  Ivanova informs Sheridan that their rate of descent has increased, with only three or four hours until they burn up. The Tak'Cha board Babylon 4 and plant explosives to flush the aliens out. However, Delenn appeals to them with a gesture of friendship and the phrase, "Z'ondar -- Zarwin -- Tak'Cha -- Minbari." Having worshipped her name for a millennium, they are in awe of her and immediately break off their attack. The Tak'Cha rescue the Babylon 5 team, and together they watch as the older station meets its fate. As the station burns up, Delenn recalls a final recording of Valen's words:  "My name is Valen... and I have served my people like no other. I led them into fire... into darkness... into death... and they followed me without hesitation. They acclaim my victories and hail me as a great leader. They speak of my successes as if they are as infinite as the stars. And yet, for all that I've accomplished... I lie awake, listening to the screams of the dead and dying, those who are already gone, and those are yet to be born. A few words from me could avert the Earth-Minbari conflict. A warning to Delenn or Duhkat... But without the war, there would be no Babylon 4 and no Babylon 5. There would be no rallying point against the Darkness... and the Shadows would win, now and a thousand years from now. I cannot deviate from the circle of which I am a part. I am the beginning of the story, as Zathras said... and a prisoner of it. I dare not change the end. Still... it's been a good life... lives... over all. Delenn, Catherine, Susan, Michael... if any of you see this somehow.. don't cry for me. For in the final analysis, I've always been too hard on myself. I'll be content to let history judge me, and all that has been done in Valen's name. And as for me... I've received my own reward, because I've found her. At long last... I've found... her."