Babylon 5 s02e10 Episode Script

No traffic.
No complaints.
| No noise.
Traitors, troublemakers and ambassadors | all tucked snugly in their little beds.
- I love this time of night.
| - There is no night in deep space.
And time is a meaningless concept | when you think about it.
Commander, the jumpgate's online.
| I read six ships.
They're Earthforce.
I'm receiving a Code 10 | ultraviolet docking request.
Inform Capt.
Sheridan immediately | and alert the Docker's Guild.
There's always something.
Sir.
Capt.
John Sheridan, commander | of Babylon 5.
Welcome aboard, sir.
Gen.
Richard Franklin, | 356th Infantry Division.
I'm sorry for the delay.
| No one told us you were coming.
This operation's classified.
| I'll brief you at 0900.
In the meantime, I'll need billets | for myself and my people.
- How many people, sir? | - Twenty-five thousand.
Twenty-five thousand? | I don't have nearly enough space for Find it.
We'll be here for several days, | and I don't intend for my troops to be sitting aboard transports | that whole time.
Yes, sir.
We have a Dr.
Stephen Franklin | on station.
Any relation? He's my son.
- I'll tell him you're here.
| - Not necessary.
I'll attend to it when I'm sure | that my people are settled.
- You may carry on, captain.
| - Yes, sir.
Twenty-five thousand? 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.
Keep it moving, spacegrunts, | and bite the chat.
This ain't no church social.
Where the stroking H | you going, Ellison? You're with Green Squad.
| Step out! Move up! Keep it rolling! Pvt.
Nazim, Achmed.
Serial number: 87953.
Pvt.
Durman, Elizabeth.
| Serial number: 56927.
- Yeah, that's me.
| - Private Fall in over there.
Someone | will take you to your billet.
And we need more personnel | up here, and I mean fast! Commander.
Commander! What the hell is this? Earthforce calls it a classified operation.
| I call it a nightmare.
Briefing's at 0900.
If we survive all this.
Leave it to the infantry | to ruin my morning.
Complain later.
| I need you to seal this area.
Nobody gets in except military personnel.
- You got it.
| - Okay, people, move it.
Keep it orderly.
What's our status? We've tripled and quadrupled up, | and we're still 400 billets short.
Which is nothing compared to what this | has done to our docking schedule.
You think we've got problems now wait until those Ground Pounders | hit the rec areas.
Lay on more security.
| Post the more colorful spots off-limits.
- I don't want any incidents.
| - It's already done.
Not that I think it's | gonna do very much good.
If you ask me, I think someone in | Earth Dome has gone completely mental.
That's an interesting opinion.
At ease.
Sir, this is Cmdr.
Ivanova, my second, | and Mr.
Garibaldi, chief of security.
I had an Alfredo Garibaldi under my | command during the Dilgar Invasion.
Excellent soldier.
- That was my dad.
| - So much for genetics.
Now if you'll all take a seat, | we'll begin.
Frank, if you will This is Akdor, the third planet | in the Sh'lassen Triumvirate.
As you're no doubt aware, Akdor is | currently engaged in a bloody civil war.
The Sh'lassen government has asked for | aid, and Earth has agreed to provide it.
There must be some mistake, general.
The Sh'lassen Embassy | asked me for aid a week ago.
Earth Dome ordered me | to turn them down.
And until the Senate officially announces | our involvement in the Akdor crisis those are still your orders.
What exactly is your mission? Operation Sudden Death is a surgical | strike on the rebel stronghold at Matok.
That's why Babylon 5's been chosen | as our staging area.
It's the closest Earth Alliance | jumpgate to the Sh'lassen Sector.
When the Senate | makes its announcement we'll jump immediately | and end the war in one swift move.
With all due respect, I spent time | at Matok during the Kerani Expedition.
It's more than just a fortress.
| It's a deathtrap.
That's a reason for choosing this station.
| I'm counting on you to help me finish planning the assault.
With your knowledge of the layout | and our new weapons we can catch the rebel leaders | completely by surprise.
Twenty-five thousand gropos | aren't exactly inconspicuous.
How do you expect | to keep this party a secret? As far as anyone's concerned, | we're relief troops for Io.
Even my own soldiers don't know | any differently.
And by the time the truth comes out, | we'll already be in striking position.
How long before | the announcement is made? A few days.
Long enough for us | to get our gifts in place.
- Gifts? | - New weapons systems for your defense grid.
| The very latest from Earthforce R and D.
When they're online, Babylon 5 will have | enough firepower to take on a warship.
Are you sure this is wise? Babylon 5 is supposed | to be devoted to peace.
If we begin arming heavily The galaxy's changing, captain, | and Babylon 5 must change with it.
With the Narn and the Centauri | at war, the other alien worlds are bound to become more aggressive, | and Earth must keep pace.
And if all doesn't go well at Matok, | my people may need a fallback position.
My techs will begin installing | the new grid as soon as possible.
Cmdr.
Ivanova will handle your end.
I'll meet you here at 1100 | to discuss the battle plan and outside of you three, | no one is to be told of this.
Understood.
Very well.
Dismissed.
- This is not good.
| - Tell me about it.
What is Earth Central up to? Something I'd hoped we never | hear again, the rattling of sabers.
So there we were facing a whole | squad of bonies.
I couldn't How's it hanging? | I couldn't believe what was going on.
- Who are you? | - Well, they call me Large.
- And this half-pint rook here is Yang.
| - Hey.
- What are you doing in my quarters? | - This is where they assigned us.
Yeah, it looks like we're gonna be | bunkies for a while.
Here, have a nipper.
I don't know what lamebrain | came up with this idea but there's no way | you two are staying here.
You got some kind of problem, airboy? Yeah, I got a problem.
Just give me a minute to find a ladder, | and we'll hash it out face to face.
He's all right.
You're all right, | baby.
Come on.
Sit down.
That's great.
Sit down.
| Here, have a stogy.
So anyway, old Buffer opens up with | the maser and frags their point man.
Man, all hell breaks loose.
So how are Mom and the girls? Well, Juanita's due for a promotion.
Kathy is working on her third doctorate.
Well, good for them.
And Maria and Celia? About the same.
If you called your mother more often, | of course, you'd know that.
So do I pass? I made sure you could | always spit-shine a billet.
- Here you go.
| - I'm on duty, Stephen.
No, no, no, no.
This is fruit juice.
The Markab call it "Orcha.
" You'll like it.
Go ahead.
- No, I like orange juice.
| - Try it.
So they got you back | in the saddle again, huh? I wouldn't call it so much of a saddle.
| It's more like a coffee-and-cake run.
Good, good.
Dodging massive explosions | is inimical to the health at your age.
Mom won't have to worry.
Your mother worries if I eat a hamburger.
You know what they say about | old soldiers, don't you? They still kick butt with the best of them.
Whatever happened to just fading away? Well, that's not an option at present.
So how are you, Stephen? Busy.
Babylon 5 is always | bringing me something new.
I suppose that's good.
It's more than good.
This station is a xenobiologist's dream.
You know there are over 20 different | species of aliens living on Babylon 5 and more passing through every day.
I could get you posted | to Bethesda Dome.
And with the Narn | and the Centauri at war they need people with your kind | of knowledge and experience.
I'm needed here.
I spent time in that type of research | during the last war.
I didn't like it.
Like has nothing to do with it.
| You have a duty to the Force.
What duty? What, coming up with | new and better ways to wipe out life? I'm a doctor.
My duty is to heal.
Then heal humans.
Stephen, I know you're fascinated | by these alien creatures but they're a threat to humanity.
And they always will be.
| Help your own kind.
Life is life, whether it's wrapped | in skin, scales or feathers.
If you respected them instead of trying | to murder them, you'd appreciate that.
I've got to get back to my duties.
Good to see you again.
I'll give your | love to your mother and your sisters.
Damn! - Dr.
Franklin.
| - Yes.
We're short of space.
We're going | to billet people in the infirmary.
Absolutely not! This is a medical | facility, not a damn barracks.
Take your people through there.
| I'll be with you in a minute.
Yes, ma'am.
You heard the commander, | starbutts.
Get it in gear! Move it, you mutant maggots.
| No half-stepping here.
Earthforce has no right to come | here and disrupt my operation.
- I have sick people in those beds.
| - The records say there are three patients.
None of them too ill to be moved.
- Is that your medical opinion? | - No, yours.
Exactly as stated in the medical log.
What's the matter with you, Stephen? I've never seen you like this before.
It's my father.
- The general? | - Yes.
The general.
Old Firestorm.
Hero of the Canal Wars and liberator of | the African bloc, the scourge of Janos 7.
- His record is impressive.
| - Yes, yes, yes, as a soldier.
But as a father He always brings out | this anger in me I can't control.
No matter how I try, I always | seem to want to hurt him.
You know the funny thing is, | I do love him.
I just can't talk to him.
My father brought out much | the same feelings in me.
There were so many things | I wanted to say to him I feel the same way.
Ivanova.
They want you on the Dome, | commander.
On my way.
I'm sorry.
| We're up to our butts in jarheads.
Look, I should be free by 1800.
- You want to meet me at the Eclipse? | - Yes.
- We really do need that infirmary space.
| - I will do what I can.
Thanks.
- And over the years, | I never stopped trying.
But with my father, it's always the Force | first.
Everything else a distant second.
When we were kids, my sisters and I, | we weren't treated like family we were treated like soldiers.
He used to say: "You should be intelligent enough | to let someone else tell you what to do.
" He sounds like a bit of a tyrant.
Making him the perfect material | for a general.
Exactly.
If you did something wrong | or if you questioned his orders you were afraid he'd boot you out | of the platoon and never let you back in.
Of course, that's when he was there.
And when he wasn't? There was the waiting.
Terrible waiting.
We'd see news vids from the front, | wonder whether he was alive or dead.
After a while, I couldn't | bear the pain, so I left.
Lost myself out in the stars.
He wasn't happy about it.
| Didn't talk to me for years.
When I joined Earthforce during the war, | he finally came around.
For a while.
And now? I don't know.
We don't talk much.
Even when we do, | we only end up hurting each other.
Maybe it's better I just let it go, huh? Talk to him, Stephen.
Tell him what you feel, | no matter how hard it is.
I didn't, and I lost the chance.
| Don't make the same mistake.
Wait a minute.
What are you saying? - These troops are bound for Io, right? | - I have to go back on duty.
No, wait.
Wait a minute now.
Mr.
Garibaldi, there seems | to be an unusual number of Earthforce soldiers | about this evening.
They're relief troops for a colony on Io.
| Came this morning.
They'll be gone soon.
Good.
I would not want to think that | Babylon 5 was becoming an armed camp.
The way things are going lately, we need | to have someplace devoted to peace.
I take it there's been no progress | in arranging peace talks? Londo and G'Kar refuse | to even speak to each other.
It is as if they desired this conflict.
Well, a few hundred years | of bad blood will do that.
We are all slaves to our histories.
If there is to be a bright future, | we must learn to break those chains.
The only thing to count on is the Narn | and Centauri killing each other.
I fear you're right.
| Still, we must continue trying.
For what it's worth, | I hope you succeed.
If you'll excuse me, | the natives are restless.
- Is there something you want? | - What are you? I am a Minbari.
| Now please let me pass.
Minbari, huh? Minbari don't have hair.
- This is human hair.
| - Let go Please, please.
| I have done nothing to you Your people killed my people | on the Line, bony.
And now you parade around, | trying to look human.
What you need is a good lesson.
- Back off, Kleist.
| - Get out of my way! This freak is an insult, | and I intend to do something about it.
In case you haven't heard, the war's | over.
Get out of here.
Go on! He's drunk! - I'm not finished with her yet! | - Yes, you are! See to it personally.
Mr.
Garibaldi.
What the stroking H is going on here? Who started this dustup? Pvt.
Durman? No one, sergeant major.
No one? Are you telling me this | just happened for no cause at all? Yes, sergeant major.
Well, in that case, you four mutants | can just follow me to the brig.
Sarge.
Sarge.
Hold on a minute, will you? Look The chief has asked me | to overlook this little ruckus.
And as this is his jurisdiction, | I've agreed.
But let me catch one of you | stepping out of line again and you'll curse your mothers for | bringing your butts into the light of day.
- Is that clear? | - Yes, sergeant major.
Now you get the hell out | of here and clean yourselves up.
Move it! Move on out of here! | Clear it.
- Let's move it out guys, come on.
| - Hey! Hey, chief! - Name's Garibaldi.
Michael.
| - They call me Dodger.
I wanted to thank you for what you did, | even though I can't quite figure why.
- Delenn told me what happened.
| - Who's Ambassador Delenn? - The woman you helped.
| - She's an ambassador? - Leave it to Kleist to mess up bigtime.
| - You almost messed up yourself.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time.
- Garibaldi.
| - Chief, we got a 288 in Brown 6.
Another Ground Pounder.
What a surprise.
I'll handle it.
I gotta go.
You stay out of trouble, okay? Hey, I'll see you around Michael Garibaldi.
Nice butt.
They've got the western approach | covered by flanking fire.
You're exposed.
What if we came in from the south, | here? That whole area's mined.
| You'll need sappers.
With luck, you could break through | before they bring their big guns to bear.
You're going to take heavy casualties.
The Sh'lassens assured us this | could be done with minimal losses.
General, they lied.
If Matok could be taken so easily, | they'd have done it themselves.
Now, if you want my advice, call this | whole thing off while there's still time.
They will listen to you.
It's a tradeoff, captain.
We keep the Sh'lassens in power, | and they give us the right to establish a permanent presence in their sector.
A sector which is strategically | close to the Narn and the Centauri.
Their war is going | to tear this galaxy apart and it's just a matter of time | before Earth must choose sides.
So for better or worse, | my orders are to take Matok and I intend to do just that.
- Franklin.
| - Your son is here.
He wishes to see you.
Send him in.
- I can come back, sir.
| - Oh, no.
This won't take long.
- I'm busy, Stephen.
What do you want? | - To talk.
We've already talked, and I do not | wish to continue that conversation.
What I said, I didn't mean.
I didn't raise you to say things | you don't mean.
Now, if you'll excuse me, | I've got work to do.
It's always later with you, isn't it? - You are dismissed, doctor.
| - Yes, sir! - General, maybe you should | - Tell me something, captain when you destroyed the Black Star did you feel like a murderer? That's not an easy question to answer.
I suppose the Minbari consider me one.
But the Minbari are not | your own flesh and blood.
There's only one truth about war.
| People die.
Killing is part of a soldier's job.
| We can't deny it.
We can only live with it and hope | the reasons for doing it are justified.
If only my son could realize that.
General, your son is one of the finest | doctors I have ever served with.
Why, he will bend | or break every rule there is if there's a life to be saved | or pain to be soothed.
And he's a holy terror | when his principles are challenged.
Good.
The man who won't stand up for | his own principles is not really a man.
Yeah, my father used to say | the same thing to me.
Of course, there were times | when my principles and his clashed.
We got mad.
We argued.
We fought.
Finally, one day we both realized that neither of us could | be anything other than what we were.
But we never stopped talking.
| Or loving each other.
It's been a long day, captain.
| We'll take this up again tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Hey! Come on! What a circus.
| We keeping the lid on? For now.
There's been a few fights, | a few dips, nothing major.
One of the dancers | is missing from the Dark Star.
Hey, Garibaldi.
How about showing | a gropo around this pup tent? - Sorry, I'm on duty.
| - I can handle it for a while, chief.
- You sure? | - Sure, no sweat.
Anything happens, I'll link in.
- Have a good time.
| - Thanks.
So, what would you like to see first? - A good restaurant.
| - Okay.
Then your quarters.
Lights.
Well, this is it.
Not bad.
It's neater than I expected.
Nice.
Yeah.
Listen, how about some kaff? - Something hot would be nice.
| - Okay.
Although kaff wasn't exactly | what I had in mind.
Listen, I better check in with Lou.
| Okay? Okay? Garibaldi to Welch.
Welch here.
- Hey, Lou, how's it going out there? | - Everything's nice and quiet here, chief.
Looks like everyone's going to bed.
See? It's a trend.
- What was that, chief? | - Nothing.
Stay in touch.
So much for duty, | time for a little R and R.
Just a little.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
One second, one second.
Maybe we ought to slow down | for a minute, okay? - Did I miss something? | - No, no.
It's just Look, my personal life's | been a little strange lately.
Strange? Complicated is more like it.
Look, there was | this woman on Mars, Lise.
We'd been a couple, and I did | something stupid and blew it.
Next thing I know, she's married to | somebody else, and she's having a baby.
It hit me hard.
Then I met this other lady.
You know, the kind The kind a guy like me | doesn't stand a chance with.
On New Year's Eve, I got shot.
I almost | died because I wasn't watching my back.
I have this habit of messing up | when it's important.
This isn't about relationships | or you.
It isn't about now.
It's about things | that make you think.
Maybe I don't know.
Maybe you | and me Maybe we've got something.
Maybe it's me and somebody else.
| I don't wanna blow it by moving too fast.
For once in my life, | I want to think things through.
- Does this make any sense at all? | - Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I got the message.
Loud and clear.
You know, I didn't come here | expecting to set up housekeeping.
I'm a Ground Pounder.
I'm cleaning latrines one day, the next | I might be up to my hips in blood hoping that I don't hear the round | that takes me out.
You got it? In between, I like to try to see what | I can get to remind myself that I'm alive.
Right, it's not romance.
But it's all I got time for.
| I'm so sorry if it's not enough for you.
- Hey, hey, Dodger.
Dodger.
| - Spare me your pity! Gropo boys are awfully hairy The guns they pack are mighty scary - Sound off | - One, two - Sound off | - Three, four Earthforce Marine Corp - Jarheads.
| - Earthforce boys are awfully hairy We're on schedule in the docking bays, | though Miss Connally's not happy about the hours | her workers had to put in.
See if we can get them some time off | later, with pay.
- How's the new defense grid coming? | - It should be fully installed by tonight.
It's impressive.
Pulse cannons.
| Interceptors.
Mine launchers.
And a tracking system | three times faster than our old one.
The general wasn't kidding when | he said we could take on a warship.
Let's just hope | we don't have to test that.
Come.
- Well, I didn't expect to see you | - Sit down, Stephen.
Yes, sir.
Now, I'm sorry for dismissing you | like I did yesterday, but I was angry.
- That's the first time you apologized | - I'm not finished.
I have every right to be angry.
Now, I know it's difficult being | the son of a career officer and, well, perhaps if I had | been there for you more often things would have been different.
But that wasn't a luxury | that I was afforded.
But nevertheless, you have | no right to call me a murderer.
My God, Stephen, I'm your father.
And your superior officer.
| Do you have so little respect for me? It's not about respect.
Then what is it about? Us.
The way that we talk to each other.
Actually, the way that | we don't talk to each other.
Nonsense.
I always listen | to what you have to say.
Yeah, you listen, but you don't hear.
| And it drives me crazy sometimes.
Especially when When what? When I don't know if I'll ever | see you alive again.
Every soldier lives with death, son.
But I suppose, sometimes, we forget | that our loved ones must live with it too.
But believe me, | I never tried to shut you out.
Maybe that's just the way | it is between fathers and sons.
Or maybe just us.
Either way, I've always respected you.
You gave me strength, | independence and courage.
You may not like my life, but I couldn't | have done what I've done without you.
And I owe you for that.
- Stephen, you don't | - I'm not finished.
Over the years, I've said | things to you I shouldn't have.
But I never said | the one thing I should have.
I love you, Dad.
I always have and I always will.
And no matter how much we argue | or we fight or we talk or we don't talk nothing will ever change that.
So the whole jungle's on fire.
Lizzies are coming through the gap | like roach bats out of hell.
Buffer tosses me a rad launcher.
And I hit the max button, | and the next thing you know I knew I shouldn't have eaten | all that Yokdri.
Latrine time.
Man, does he ever stop | telling war stories? He's been a gropo over 30 years.
| Guess he doesn't have any other kind.
Who's this Buffer he keeps talking about? His best friend.
They served together for over 25 years.
Buffer bought it in the Mars Rebellion.
What about you? Seen any action? No, not yet.
| Only been in a couple of months.
But I'm ready.
I guess.
- You? | - Sure.
Were you, you know, scared? You're always scared.
| That's part of the job.
But you're gonna do okay.
That's right.
The man's right.
Like Buffer used to say, "A gropo who | ain't scared is either dead or stupid.
" Don't worry about it, kid.
It's what | keeps you going when you're in it.
Hey.
Here's to you, Buffer.
Wait.
Here's to all of us.
Dodger? Hey, Garibaldi.
I About last night, I'm sorry.
I I was out of line.
It's just sometimes I just want things too bad, | I guess, you know? - Especially when | - When what? I just have a bad feeling | about this tour, you know? I mean, they say we're going to Io, | but I don't believe it.
Old Firestorm would never | lead a coffee-and-cake run.
- What, you know something? | - Me? No.
Garibaldi, for a security slug, | you are a lousy liar.
- Look, I just | - No, no.
It's all right.
I don't mean it.
How about I buy you a drink? How about you buy me a water? - You really know how to live it up.
| - Yeah.
These Minbari fighters are coming, | 15 clicks a second the captain's telling us to hold our fire.
Now, I tell you, I'm sweating.
| All of a sudden - Hey! | - What the hell are you doing, airboy? - I'm sorry.
Let me buy you another one.
| - I don't take drinks from airboys.
Hey, it looks like you got | an attitude problem.
You want to do something about it? Back off.
I can handle this.
Now, look, I said I was sorry.
If that's not good enough, | we can take this outside.
Why wait to go out? Battle call! Garibaldi to security.
Major 415, casino.
I am getting too old for this crap.
Ten-hut! Ten-hut! All right, you Ground Pounders.
If it's fighting you want, | you're about to get your share.
Sergeant major, move these people out.
You heard the general.
The balloon's going up.
Get back to your quarters, grab your gear | and be at launch point at 2200! Move it! Hey - You all right? | - It's the best thing next to sex.
You're all right.
I'll see you.
Looks like you're gonna see | your first firefight, kid.
I know this sounds nuts, | but I'm actually gonna miss you guys.
Take care of yourselves, okay? Will do, airboy.
Will do.
Move it! I'm sorry about this unfortunate display.
If you'll prepare a list of charges, | I'll see that those responsible are punished and reparations made.
I'll take the reparations, | but as far as punishment Frankly, I'd rather have | this bunch with you than in the brig.
Besides, I don't think we have the room.
Good luck, sir.
| I hope I was wrong about Matok.
Well, these are good men and women.
| Brave people.
So one way or the other, | we'll get the job done.
Captain, thanks for all of your help.
- Commander.
| - General.
Frank, give us a moment.
- Take care of yourself, Dad.
| - You too, Stephen.
And for whatever disagreements | we may have, you're your own man.
And for that, I'm very proud.
And when I get back, | I promise we'll talk.
But in the meantime, please | call your mother and sisters occasionally.
Yes, sir.
Anybody seen Dodger? Have you | seen Dodger? Seen Dodger? See her? Hey, hey, hey.
You stay low and keep your ears open.
| I expect you back.
And then, well, we'll see what happens.
- It's a date.
| - Okay.
Pvt.
Durman, | would you care to join us? Yes, sir.
Pvt.
Durman! You'll never know what you missed.
Move it.
Since last night's surprise announcement | that the Senate was giving military aid to the planet Akdor, we have learned | that the first phase of this mission dubbed Operation Sudden Death, | is complete.
We go now to a report | taped earlier on Akdor.
Tonia Wallace from Akdor, | where the 356th Infantry Division is assaulting | the rebel stronghold at Matok.
The fighting is reported | to be very intense.
That was the scene four hours ago.
| We now go live to Akdor.
I'm here with Gen.
Richard Franklin commander of the 356th.
General, can you tell us | the results of the battle? Our troops have gained control | over the fortress at Matok.
Most of the leaders of the rebellion | have either been killed or captured and we expect the complete surrender | of all the rebel forces very shortly.
- Then you consider this a victory? | - Yes, but at a very high General.
I'm needed elsewhere.
We will be continuing live coverage | throughout the day.
For now, this is Tonia Wallace, | ISN, signing off.
- Chief.
| - Yeah.
The first casualty reports | are in from Akdor.
- You said you wanted to see them.
| - Yeah.
We now return you | to the ISN Broadcast Center.
President Clark | is expected to congratulate Gen.
Franklin on this great victory.
Meanwhile, preparations are under way | for yet more Earthforce divisions to join the 356th on Akdor.