Babylon 5 s02e12 Episode Script

Environmental controls hit.
Do we have enough power to jump? Only if we go right now.
Prepare for jump.
I'm picking up a distress signal.
| It's one of the evacuation transports.
- It didn't make it out with the rest.
| - Shrock! How many? Seven hundred of our females | and children.
Centauri forces closing | on their position.
Keep the jump point open | as long as you can.
And put us between the civilians | and the War Cruiser.
Changing course.
Transport away.
She's safe.
End.
Lights.
Five thousand of my people died | in the battle you have just seen.
The Centauri attacked without warning despite their promise | not to strike civilian targets.
Had our ships not arrived in time or made | the sacrifice to save the civilians the Centauri would've slaughtered | everyone: Females, children the old, the infirm, everyone, | without cause.
I thought Londo was gonna | make a rebuttal.
He issued a statement saying | his government didn't break its promise.
He accuses the Narns of placing | military targets within the civilian population in order | to use their own people as shields.
He also said the escaping transport | contained weapons, not refugees.
That's a lie! These are atrocities! Surely you see that.
| You must see that! G'Kar, everyone in this room | knows too well that the first casualty of war | is always the truth.
Unfortunately, the rest tend to be too | small or too weak to defend themselves.
Then you believe me? You will intervene? I can't promise anything, | but I'll talk to my government.
That's all I ask.
If Earth takes a stand, the rest | will follow.
I know they will.
Thank you, captain.
Sheridan.
Talk to me.
That ship you're waiting for is about | to come out of hyperspace, captain.
On our way.
I guess the diplomatic office | was right for a change.
The Lumati look like | an advanced civilization.
That's why they want this | to go smoothly.
With the war heating up, we need | to get more races onboard either as allies or in the League | of Non-Aligned Worlds.
You don't want to take care of this? | If it's important I'm up to my ears | in this whole Narn situation.
Consider it one more step | in learning the fine art of diplomacy.
We don't have any | important ships coming so you'll be free to stick with it | until you're finished.
Do whatever you have to.
| Just get them to sign on.
Will do.
Thank you, sir.
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.
I must confess I find this report | deeply distressing, Ambassador G'Kar.
There is no excuse, political or military, | for the deliberate killing of civilians.
Then your people will come in | on our side? It would mean a great deal | to my world, Delenn.
The war is young.
The Centauri are | in the process of committing their forces.
Some in their government | are unsure about the entire affair.
They only need a reason | not to fight.
If the Minbari intervene, you | could provide that reason.
You could save hundreds | of thousands of lives.
Narn lives.
And Centauri.
But you said many times | that you would never rest until the Centauri had | been utterly destroyed.
So do we help you now knowing that in a few years, | when your forces are at full strength the Centauri will ask us | for help against you? You must know your actions | in the recent past the things you've said they make it difficult for anyone | to come to your aid now.
I know.
But what else could I do? When you have been crushed beneath | the wheel for as long as we have revenge occupies | your every waking thought.
When everything else had been taken | from us, our hatred kept us alive.
And now it may destroy you.
Do you want me to beg, Delenn? | Is that it? No.
What is it? I was there when our war | against Earth began when our ship encountered | an Earth vessel for the first time.
Afraid of us, of the unknown, they fired.
I saw our leader dying.
I heard the cries for revenge, | for blood, for death.
In return, we nearly exterminated | an entire species.
My people are tired of war, G'Kar.
You cannot ask them to go | through all that again.
Then we must face the Centauri alone.
No, not alone.
The council can bring political pressure | to bear on them.
We can mediate.
There is nothing to mediate, Delenn.
Unless others choose to become involved, | we will destroy them or they will destroy us.
| There is no in-between.
Thank you for the tea, Delenn, | and your honesty.
To the return of glory! We should have done this | a long time ago.
The Narns are like the Nu'Tokks: | Loud, smelly.
They raise their horns and stomp | their feet, but they have no teeth.
It would be a kindness to put them | out of their misery.
All right, all right.
| Break it up.
Break it up! - They threw a bottle at us! | - He insulted us! Pipe down.
And you, move.
You too.
Come on, move.
| Move! Go on.
- And you watch it.
| - Yeah.
Welcome to Earth Alliance Station | Babylon 5.
I am Commander Susan Ivanova.
I am Correlilmurzon of the Lumati.
- And you are? | - I am Correlilmurzon of the Lumati.
Yes, I know.
Thank you.
| I was asking The servitor beside me is | my translator, Taq.
I speak through him.
Are you incapable of speech? No, of course not.
But it would represent a loss of face for | me to communicate with an inferior race.
Before I can speak with you directly, | I must determine if your species is worthy.
If so, we may even allow others of | my kind to honor you with their presence.
Well, isn't that wonderful.
All right.
Well, I guess the best way | to start with your evaluation would be to take you around, | show you the station.
That would be good, yes.
Wonderful.
Please, right this way.
We have found difficulty | in getting our imports back to Centauri Prime | before they spoil.
The paperwork, the delays the constant payments to certain | individuals to expedite the process.
It's ruining my business.
And what do you want me | to do about it? A word or two from you, spoken | into the right ears would make all the difference.
Your opinions carry much weight | back home, ambassador.
Ambassador, a man of your prominence | must have refined and exotic tastes.
But we are far from home.
Certain things are hard to obtain, | even technically illegal.
In exchange for your help I could arrange to have a few of these | items find their way into your hands.
Weeping stones, G'Quan Eth plants.
I will make a few discreet inquiries, | all right? - Thank you, ambassador.
| - Yes.
Shall I log this in with the rest? Six months ago, they were | hardly aware of me.
Now, suddenly, everyone is my friend.
Everyone wants something.
I wanted respect.
Instead, I have turned into | a wishing well with legs.
I'm tired, Vir.
Go.
Tell the others | to come back tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
The mighty Narn! All right, what's going on here? | Break it up.
Break it up.
You, back off! All right, put it down.
I said, put it down! He's dead.
He was ordered to put down | his weapon.
He refused! He was attacked by the Centauri.
| He had to defend himself! It was your people who started | the incident back in the Zocalo.
- That's not what my sources | - Look, G'Kar! We can go round and round about this all | night long, figuring out who started what.
And it'll take us back 100 years | before we're done.
Now, you asked me for help, | and I am doing the best that I can.
But incidents like this are | making my job a hell of a lot harder.
What about Mollari? I'm sending him the same message.
Both your people need to back off.
Babylon 5 is neutral territory, and I will | not have you turn it into a war zone.
They have a right to defend themselves.
Damn it, G'Kar! You are the duly appointed representative | of your government.
Are you saying that you can't control | your own people? If you can't, you'd better | tell me right now so that I can have them thrown off | this station and sent somewhere else.
- Which allows us to use the isolab for non-humanoid patients | requiring an alternate atmosphere.
Because it uses a self-contained air supply | hermetically sealed behind an air lock the isolab can also be used | for biological research and identification | of hazardous microorganisms.
Next stop is the infirmary, | which is down the hall to the right.
Follow my assistant.
| I'll be with you momentarily.
- Commander.
| - I hope it's not a bad time.
No, just breaking in some new additions | to my staff.
Welcome to Babylon 5.
Thank you.
I should explain.
| They have some kind of a Intracultural symbiosis.
| Yes, I've heard of this sort of thing.
This is my first real encounter | with it.
Did you say this facility was for the | treatment of species other than your own? Yes, yes, yes.
That's correct.
I do not understand.
Why go through all of this to save | the lives of potentially inferior species? Evolution is driven by blood.
| The weak die and the strong survive.
By preserving the sick and wounded of | other races, you pollute the genetic pool.
It does not serve evolution.
Well, my job isn't serving evolution.
It's serving humanity, | even when the patient isn't human.
What happens when the inferior, saved | from the process of natural selection begin to outnumber the superior? I think we should all | be moving on by now.
I don't believe that any form of | sentient life is inferior to any other.
Yes, we often hear that argument from | inferior species and their sympathizers.
Just one second.
If you saw a child from one of these | "inferior" species bleeding to death and all you had to do was move a finger | to save its life, you wouldn't do it? We would neither help nor harm them.
| It's not our place to interfere.
The way for one race to help another | is to allow evolution to run its course.
It's for their own good.
Well, thank you for the stimulating | conversation, doctor.
You have some strange notions, | but I'm sure they will pass with time.
I'm sorry.
Strange notions.
Yeah, I got your | strange notions right here.
Great Maker! Mr.
Garibaldi, wait.
| A moment of your time.
Let me buy you something.
I'll make sure | that it's chemically inoffensive.
- I don't have | - Mr.
Garibaldi a moment of joy | in a lifetime of sorrow.
Take it while you can.
Good, good! Kat, my usual.
Coming up.
Here, I have something for you.
You want to tell me what this is? Oh, please, relax.
It's not a bribe.
Over the years, when my luck | at the gaming tables has been less than salutary, | you have always come to my rescue.
And now, I repay you in full, | every last Dukhat.
- Thanks.
| - That's all? Thanks? I'll get you a receipt.
- I want it on the up-and-up.
| - I don't want one.
- Then what do you want? | - I want you to stay! And have a little drink with me.
I want you to be happy, | and I want me to be happy.
I want you to be happy for me | and me to be happy for you.
Is that so much to ask around here? Why is everyone here walking around | like they're afraid of me? Because maybe we are.
What are you talking about? I would never threaten you or the others.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I don't know you anymore, Londo.
None of us do.
Wait.
Please.
Mr.
Garibaldi In my time here, very few people | on this station have listened to me or taken me seriously, until recently.
Now I have friends | I never knew were there.
But you you always listened to me.
You were always kind to me, | even when you had nothing to gain.
And now that things are changing and I look around for someone to share | my good fortune with there is no one.
Except you.
My good, close friend, Garibaldi.
I gotta make my rounds.
| I'll try to stop by later.
Now, if you're still here | and if I've got the time I'll have that chemically inoffensive | drink.
There's no guarantees.
None required.
I'll be here, | Mr.
Garibaldi.
I'll be here.
That was my good friend, Mr.
Garibaldi.
It's good to have friends, is it not? Keep the change.
And I'm no happier about it than you are.
But these outbreaks of violence | are jeopardizing our chance to make allies with the humans | and all the other aliens.
We are Narns.
| We never needed allies before! We've never been in this position before.
We pushed the Centauri off Narn | through a war of attrition so that it wasn't worth | their effort to stay.
But direct, open and total war requires | a completely different approach.
He has spent so much time | with the humans, he even talks like them.
I was fighting the Centauri | when you were still a pouchling.
Fighting for your freedom.
I've spent my life and my blood | trying to better the lives of our people.
What have you spent? I will not allow the humans or the Centauri | or the Minbari or anyone else to hurt that cause.
And that includes | you and everyone else here! If we do nothing, we look | like weak children.
If you're interested in showing | how strong you are I suggest you return home | and join the military.
It's easy to talk | about being strong here when there isn't a Centauri ion cannon | pointed at your head! I know it is difficult but for now we must remain calm.
Your message is heard | and understood, G'Kar.
Now we send a message of our own.
Leave him where they can find him.
| And tell the others.
We attack in six hours.
And when we finish, there must not be | one Centauri left alive on this station.
Death was caused by physical | trauma and loss of blood.
One point of entry, 7.
5 centimeters | beneath the sternum.
Weapon used in the murder would | appear to be an elongated blade triangular signature, | 10 to 12 inches in length.
Is there any indication | that the Narns were responsible? Bruises on the deceased's arms look like | pressure marks from a five-fingered hand.
Fingernails are pointed and left | indentations here, here and here.
Curvature and spacing would seem to | indicate, but not prove, Narn physiology.
I better notify Ambassador Mollari.
Michael.
I wouldn't.
This place is a powder keg.
One more killing tied to either side, | and it'll blow.
Captain, if we start withholding | information What information? Right now | we can't prove it was the Narns.
Captain, come on! You know it was.
There's what we believe, | and then there's what we can prove.
The time it takes to prove it will give | me some room to maneuver.
And telling Londo now won't bring | this guy back.
Not telling him for a while might save a lot | of people from getting killed in a riot.
All right.
It's late, ambassador.
We're closing up.
And you you should go home.
Oh, were you? Were you waiting for someone? Yes.
Someone.
Yes, come in.
Good morning, commander.
Well, good morning.
I thought we'd | agreed I'd meet you in the Zocalo.
It occurred to me that you're | showing me only the good things about this place in an attempt | to impress us.
All perfectly understandable, given | the temptation of our company.
But it doesn't tell us | what you're really like.
Well, there is such a thing as privacy.
If you're gonna stop by, | it'd be nice if you asked or told me when you're coming by.
Hey! Like I said, privacy.
But what is it? It's personal, and it's mine.
And you two are gonna wait outside | until I'm ready.
If you're convinced that I'm only showing | you the good parts choose any part of the station | at random, and I'll take you there.
Your choice.
Agreed.
"Whatever it takes," he says.
Hey, where's the rest of it? Hey! - You have many of these? | - Yeah.
Excellent.
I'm sorry, captain, but we've reviewed | your report on the Narn situation.
We have to decline their request | for intervention.
We don't have to support their | military campaign just help save their civilians | when they get caught in the middle.
Captain, I know this isn 't what | you wanted to hear but we simply can 't give the Narn | government any kind of official help.
I feel for them as much as you do but their people will just have | to fend for themselves.
Link me in with Ambassador Delenn.
Stand by.
Ambassador G'Kar, I'm afraid | they didn't listen to you.
A group of extremists are planning | to attack the Centauri here.
Shrock! Are they armed? A few guns.
Mostly Drazi knives, | long ones with poisoned tips.
- When? | - About two human hours.
- Shall I alert the captain? | - No! If he tries to stop them there will be more violence.
Or they | will wait a few days and attack later.
This has to be stopped at the source.
They | rejected my authority.
I have to reclaim it.
- You're not going to? | - I have no choice.
- I'm coming.
| - That wouldn't be wise.
You'll need someone to watch your back.
| If it's not me, who would you prefer? When I said you could choose | any place I thought you'd pick Command & Control | or the Zocalo.
Which is exactly why we chose this.
You said these are | your own species, yes? We call them Lurkers.
| And yes, humans mostly.
They come here in search of new lives, | new opportunities.
Sometimes it happens, | and sometimes it doesn't.
When it doesn't, often they don't | have enough money for a return ticket.
So they end up getting | small jobs here and there.
When those go dry they move into the undeveloped parts | of the station, Downbelow.
You shouldn't be seeing this.
- Most impressive.
| - Excuse me? We have isolated ourselves | from inferior species, but you You have shown the will to isolate the genetically inferior parts | of your own species as an evolutionary protection.
You don't understand.
| This wasn't intentional.
You're too modest.
| It's a brilliant move, commander.
You see, you isolate the genetic pool.
| You limit their chances for procreation.
You create a work force without | a power base to challenge you.
We haven't thought of this but it's something we will institute | in our world at the first opportunity.
- But | - You see, alliances Alliances are built upon more | than tactical advantages.
They are built upon similarities of culture.
And it would appear that we are | more similar than I had first suspected.
Congratulations, commander.
This, more than anything else, | has convinced me that you are worthy of an alliance.
We will go now and discuss | the terms of our alliance.
Thank you, but this is not Oh, hell.
We know where the Centauri | can be found.
The casino, the Zocalo, the night places.
For they are creatures | of the night.
We will You will do nothing! This is not your battle.
Go back to your human friends.
| You have no authority here.
You cannot take what you do not own! My authority comes directly from | the Kha'Ri.
It can only be taken by force.
Are you challenging me? You've already made the challenge.
The question is, do you have | the courage to back it up? Enough! This ends now! Go back to your quarters.
If peace on this station is the only way | to win the war at home then peace we will give them.
Go! Ambassador! I'm all right.
It was a Drazi blade, poison.
| But I think I only caught a little of it.
- I'll get help.
| - No.
We mustn't let them see weakness.
| Walk beside me, Na'Toth.
On my way here, I talked to Dr.
Franklin.
He thinks we can get | medical aid to the Narns earmarked for their civilians.
Those we can't get out, | we'll try to help.
Those we can't get out? I can't be more specific but from time to time | he's been able to get other people out | of sticky situations.
Now, he's agreed to use his contacts | to help us get some of the Narn civilians | out of harm's way.
But you realize this violates your | government's recommendation? They said they can't give official help.
And this is as unofficial as you can get.
If we do this right, there won't be | any fingerprints leading back here.
But it is still a risk.
Yes, I suppose.
But I've learned that governments deal | in matters of convenience, not conscience.
If they fall behind, it is up to the rest | of us to make up the difference.
If we don't, who will? Who indeed? Anything else? I've made some inquiries.
It turns out that we have more food coming into Babylon 5 | than ever gets used.
Since the Centauri don't want | trouble with your government we could transfer some of that food | to Minbari transports.
They could deliver it to safe zones | in the Narn colonies, and And once the cargo is offloaded, the ships | could bring back as many Narns as can fit.
Yes, that's the idea.
I do not have the same resources | I once had, captain.
But what I have is at your disposal.
Thank you.
Since you've decided to sign on | with Babylon 5 I'm sure the captain won't mind us | using his office to conclude the deal.
It's tea.
I checked the bio logs, | and it's perfectly safe for you to drink.
You said there were a few details | to work out prior to closing this deal? Yes.
Tradition is important to my culture.
Our important agreements are symbolic | with coming together in perfect union.
This certainly qualifies.
The captain felt very strongly | about making this deal happen.
Then we will conclude this deal in our | traditional manner.
We will have sex.
Sex?! It is necessary to finalize the agreement.
I certainly appreciate I have to get this.
Ivanova here.
Commander? Right, the Pak'ma'ra deal.
I forgot | totally about it.
I'll be right there.
I'm very sorry.
I really have | to take care of this.
Maybe we could just put a pin | in this right now.
And I can get back to you in a little bit, | and then we can finalize this then.
Of course.
Captain, there you are.
Na'Toth here has a little present for us, | courtesy of Ambassador G'Kar.
This is the one who killed the Centauri.
You have witnesses? He'll confess when he comes to trial.
He's come to understand the concepts | of honor and obedience.
Is this correct? Yes.
Zack, stick him in a cell and take | her statement while you're at it.
You got it, chief.
Londo will go up the flue when he finds | out one of his people was killed by a Narn.
He'll announce it all over the station | as proof that the Narn are barbarians.
A trial is gonna stir up | even more violence around here.
Retribution, revenge.
Could this situation possibly | get any uglier? This couldn 't possibly be any worse.
"Do whatever you have to.
" Nobody | said I'd have to have sex with an alien.
Well, he didn't know.
None of us did.
We'd barely met this species before now.
Who knew that they treat sex | the way we treat handshakes? - Talk to the captain.
| - I can't.
I linked him a note, telling him | everything was taken care of.
I can't go back now | and tell him that it's fallen apart.
Well, you could put a bag over his head | and do it for Babylon 5.
- Maybe not.
| - I'm doomed.
I could inject you with something | to make you sick.
He doesn't know about anybody's biology | but his own.
He'd fall for it.
- That's it! | - I'll get a needle.
No, no, no.
I've decided.
I'm gonna give | him exactly what he wants.
I'll catch you later.
Hey! Enter.
I just came back from seeing | the humans.
Captain Sheridan wants to see you | and Ambassador Delenn in private.
There, you see? You work toward cooperation, | and we get what we need.
By keeping it quiet Perhaps later.
The poison's effects I've treated the wound and the poison.
I'll be less than myself for a few days, | but I'll survive.
This is important.
I don't want | to keep them waiting.
Not when we are finally going | to get what we want.
Here, help me get ready.
Leftover food and medical supplies.
Cargo holds to smuggle out | a few here and a few there.
It's the best we can do, ambassador.
No ships, no cruisers, no fighters | to come in on our side.
No mines, drones, weapons.
We cannot enter this conflict, G'Kar.
| You know that.
But we can help to save as many | of your people as we can.
And I can't tell anyone about it.
| Can't use this as leverage on the others.
Because if I talk about it, | the aid disappears.
I'm afraid so.
This has to be done on the q.
t.
, G'Kar.
But it is a start.
I thought you'd be pleased.
Yes.
Of course, I am.
Quite pleased.
I understand the risk you are both taking.
I will honor your request.
And I thank you on behalf of the many | Narns whose lives this will save.
Thank you.
I've thought it over, and I'm ready now.
I set aside as much time as required | to have sex as it's done by your species.
Since, if we were to do it human style it'd probably be too much for you.
Are you implying that Lumati sex | is inferior? Oh, no.
No.
Not at all.
Well, not as such.
I mean, it just wouldn't be fair to ask you | to do it our way on such short notice.
You know, the pressure to perform.
Enough.
To conclude our deal, | we will have sex human style.
You sure? You do know | what this entails? Of course.
Ignorance is an inferior trait.
That's what I thought.
You ready? Yes.
Good.
How do you like it so far? Oh, yes.
Oh, yes.
Oh, yes! Oh, yes! Tell me about your portfolio.
| Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes! Lie to me about your family.
| Oh, yes! Oh, yes.
Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes! God, you're good.
What do I do now? Old style, you roll over and go to bed.
New style, you go out for pizza, | and I never see you again.
Perhaps I'll call you before I go.
Taq!