Babylon 5 s03e03 Episode Script

"Transport" Dionysius "to Babylon Control.
" We've been sitting here for over an hour.
- "Is there a problem?" - "We've instituted new policies" to screen for weapons.
It's slowing down processing.
Captain's meeting with the Transport Association now to work it out.
I'm sure it won't be a problem.
Please, just-- Can we have some order here, please? Thank you.
Now, I realize that it's gonna take longer now to get your material through customs.
We project delays of no more than 10 to 15 percent.
Look, we can get that delay down to 5 percent if we put on more inspectors.
But that's gonna raise your docking fees.
The hell with the money.
We know why you're really doing this.
They want to control all the weapons so they can push us around, intimidate us.
Weapons make you a big man, don't they, Sheridan? You're pretty brave, sitting up there with armed guards on either side.
Us down here, all we got is what we got.
Why don't you come down here and try this crap? - That'll be enough.
- That's the reason you don't want guns here.
Because you're a damn coward.
Without a gun to back you up, you got nothing.
You got the gun.
All I've got is what I've got.
No way.
- I drop you and your guards will kill me.
- Maybe.
Maybe not.
Hell, anything happens to me, everyone gets an instant promotion.
You got the gun.
Go ahead.
Go for it.
I'll wait for you.
Look.
I was just talking.
I didn't mean nothing.
Commander Ivanova, we've been going at this all day.
I recommend we adjourn until tomorrow when cooler heads can prevail.
Adjourned.
With all due respect that was Grade A stupid.
What if he had gone for it? What if he would have blown your brains all over the place? What if he-- ? What's that? Energy cap.
I palmed it when I shoved the gun in his pocket.
You are going to give me an ulcer.
Next time I'll give him a live gun.
You really do want that promotion.
- Next time you're gonna-- ? - Captain Sheridan.
Counselor Na'Far.
I've just arrived and wanted to check in with you.
I'm here to replace Citizen G'Kar.
The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace.
It failed.
But in the year of the Shadow War, it became something greater our last, best hope for victory.
The year is 2260.
The place, Babylon 5.
When the Centauri conquered our world, they disbanded our government and created a new one under their control.
Citizen G'Kar is the only member of the Kha'ri still free.
We've given him sanctuary.
He can remain here as long as he wants.
But, unfortunately, he remains in a position of authority with our people here.
The Centauri believe he is using his influence to create an armed resistance back home.
Well, I don't see the problem.
Don't you want the Centauri off your world? My concern is for the welfare of all of my people.
The resistance is causing great problems for the Centauri.
For every one of them we kill, they kill 500 of us.
We must cool things down.
The time for action will come later.
The provisional government authorized me to take charge of the local Narn population and to ask for your assistance in returning Citizen G'Kar.
I'm sorry, Na'Far, but I have to deny your request.
I won't interfere in Narn internal affairs and I won't make G'Kar go anywhere he doesn't want to go.
You two will have to work that out between you.
Well, thank you for your time, captain.
Commander.
This Brakiri's following me.
He's busting my chops about how there's not enough security in the Alien Sector, and he will not go away.
So I point down the hall and say,"Look! A comet!" - And I dive into the nearest transport tube.
- Subtle.
Very subtle.
Except later on I find out that a comet is a major Brakiri death symbol.
So now he's pressing charges saying that I threatened him, his family and his water- clan, whatever the hell that is.
Stephen, she went by again.
Ask her to dance.
You waiting for an invitation? - Come on, Michael, I'm bushed.
- So it'll be a quick dance.
Hey, commander, there you are.
I got tied up in a meeting with the captain and a new rep from Narn.
- Oh, you look whacked.
- Twenty hours without a break.
The usual.
- How's the captain? - He's fine.
Why? Well, I was telling Michael, he seems a lot more I don't know, hard- assed lately.
With everything that's going on, who wouldn't be? When he first got here, he just tried to fit in.
Now he's trying to make this place more like what he's used to.
Right now we need a good soldier a hell of a lot more than a diplomat.
Yeah, well, right now what I need to do is use-- - Franklin.
- "Dr.
Kobiyama just called in sick" says he can't take the next shift.
Can you sit in for a while? - What about Dr.
Morales? - "She's in Med Three in heavy isolation" and can't leave until she's gone through decontamination.
- All right, when do you need me? - "Two hours.
" I'll be there.
Never slows down around this place, now, does it? I'm gonna use the little officers' room, I'll be right back.
Wow.
Hey, did I ever tell you I looked through the captain's personnel file? You what? - That information is off- limits.
- I did it when he first came aboard.
I like to know who I'm dealing with.
And who knew he'd turn out to be okay, huh? All right, now, according to his file, Sheridan's a good tactical thinker.
He can turn an inferior defensive force into an offensive force capable of taking on a better enemy.
He did it with the "Black Star.
" He did it during the Mars riots.
You ask me, he's the one chance we've got to make it through this thing alive.
Maybe.
Did you look through my files when I came onboard? Commander, that information is strictly off- limits.
- I gotta go.
- Okay.
- Where you going? - Gotta go.
I've got two hours before I have to be back on duty.
I'm gonna go ask that little lady to dance.
So you watch my back, I'm going in.
After speaking with Captain Sheridan I was told to report to you prior to contacting G'Kar directly.
May I now proceed? You know, I was thinking of visiting your world sometime soon.
I couldn't really get a good look at it the last time I was in the area.
Do you think it would be safe for someone such as myself to visit your world now? Yes.
Quite safe.
The streets are kept clear of troublemakers rock throwers, protesters? The surviving streets are quite empty, ambassador.
The work farms, the relocation camps the construction gangs are all operating at capacity? And the executions, Na'Far? The executions continue? The executions continue.
Progress.
It's a beautiful thing to behold, no, Vir? You may contact G'Kar now.
Go, go.
Was that necessary? They got out of their place once.
We must make sure it doesn't happen again.
Londo, we've beaten them.
Their cities are in ashes, their military is wiped out.
They've lost hundreds and thousands of lives.
They have nothing left! No.
There you are wrong.
They still have their pride.
He tries to hide it, this one, but I can see it in his eyes.
As long as it remains, they will always be a threat.
So is that what it's about? Pride? It's not enough that we've beaten them - we have to break them? - Yes.
I'm sorry, I thought you understood that.
I don't want our people to go through this again in another 100 years.
It is the way things are done, Vir.
Nothing personal.
We've been monitoring it for the past hour, captain ever since it entered Babylon 5 space.
- Distance? - It's a little over 5000 klicks.
We sent a security- bot to check it out.
Should be in range by now.
Signature and configuration.
It's like nothing we've seen before.
Looks like we've got a first- contact situation, captain.
Alien vessel coming to relative stop, captain.
- No life signs present.
- Weapons? None that I can tell.
Must be a science probe of some kind.
I'm getting a signal, a recording.
Anything you recognize? Negative.
Just the same pattern of signals repeated over and over.
They're probably sending alphabet and language codes.
How long before the system decodes it? It's pretty complex, sir.
At least two, three hours.
Maybe more.
And I know that things have been somewhat difficult between us for some time, Delenn.
That is most unfortunate.
I feel sometimes as though I have lost a friend.
I think you have lost much more than a friend, ambassador.
But that is between you and whatever gods you worship.
Delenn.
I don't want to argue with you.
Not now.
From time to time in the past, I have helped you.
And in return, you said that if I ever needed a favor, I had only to ask.
- Now I am asking.
- Ambassador-- Don't worry, it is not for myself.
Not for the Centauri Republic.
It is for Vir.
The Centauri diplomatic mission to your homeworld has been closed for, what, several years now.
Some trouble, I understand, with our last envoy.
I think that Vir would be the perfect replacement.
You will find him most inoffensive.
He is friendly.
He keeps to himself.
He wouldn't even spy on your government.
He would consider it rude.
What you ask is not impossible.
But I would like to know, why this particular favor? I have some concerns about his development his career.
It would be a good move for him.
Thank you.
And now the truth.
Well, over the last two years to my considerable surprise I have become very fond of Vir.
Sometimes in his eyes I see a younger version of myself, before.
Well, he would be better off away from here.
Away from what must be.
He would only get in the way.
I think perhaps you need him.
Need? No, I don't need anyone.
He is an inconvenience to me.
A blight, a pox, a stone around my neck.
Here, I give him to you.
I will see what I can do.
Perhaps the mission has been empty too long.
Good.
Well.
I must be going.
Thank you for seeing me, Delenn.
Sometimes I miss that we don't talk anymore, Delenn.
We never really talked, Londo.
No, I suppose not.
So why the sudden invitation to dinner? What, I can't make a little extra pasta, some cannoli, I have to have an agenda? - Absolutely.
- You know, you're a hard man, Stephen.
- Now sit, eat, huh? - All right.
Before it gets cold.
Thank you.
I was just thinking, you know, we're a lot alike in some ways.
We're both perfectionists.
We make everybody under us crazy but we're both good at what we do.
The reason we're both good at what we do is because we're obsessive- compulsives.
- Of course, there's a downside to that.
- Which is? Well, you know, we fall into patterns easy.
You know, tendencies become habits.
Habits become vices.
Stop dancing, Michael.
You got something to say, say it.
All right.
This is a glass of water.
The reason it's water and not wine is because once I start I don't know where to stop.
The last thing you want to do is hand an obsessive- compulsive a drink or dice or stims.
You're crazy, Michael.
I don't have a problem.
Back at Earhart's, when you went to the bathroom, did you do any stims? Stims are perfectly legal, used by prescription, in moderation-- That's not what I asked you.
Did you do any stims? All right.
Yeah, what of it? - Stephen-- - No, no, wait a minute, now.
You know, most days I'm on duty Because we don't have the people or the resources or the money.
I have to be alert and I have to be focused, or people die.
It's that simple.
- I don't want to butt into your personal life-- - It's a little late for that.
I've checked.
You pull shifts you don't have to.
You've been checking up on me, huh? - I thought you were my friend.
- Damn it, Stephen, I am your friend.
And we wouldn't be having this conversation if I weren't.
I was concerned, I thought we could talk about it.
We talked about it, okay? Stop trying to put your problems on me.
Just because you never met a bottle you didn't like.
I'm sorry.
That was out of line.
Yeah.
Skip it.
Skip it.
Food's getting cold.
Look, Michael, I don't have a problem, okay? But if it makes you happy, I'll cut back on the stims, because it's not a big deal.
Okay.
I got your message.
Where's Na'Far? Sleeping.
It was a long trip from Narn.
We will meet with Citizen G'Kar tomorrow morning.
It's good to see you again.
And you.
I wondered what happened to you.
Last I heard, after we broke out of that Streib ship and got back you'd been sent off to some hospital on Narn.
Needed time to heal.
I meant to return to thank you for saving my life.
Then the war came.
It was terrible.
Millions dead.
I tried to serve, to help any way I could.
- That's how you wound up with Na'Far? - Bodyguard.
Sometimes I do not know who I'm protecting him against.
Outsiders or my own people.
But because of him, I am here.
And now I can thank you.
I owe you a debt.
A debt I must repay as a matter of honor.
I'm not sure what my superiors back home would think if I suddenly began showing up places with a Narn bodyguard.
They would say, "Here is a man who will live to be 150.
" Computer's finished processing their language codes, commander.
- Can you translate their message? - I think so.
Stand by.
It's a recorded message, as we thought.
The probe was sent to find other life forms and initiate contact.
So far so good.
What about the rest of the message? It's a series of questions.
Physics.
Quantum mechanics.
Molecular biology.
Genetics.
Apparently, it's some form of intelligence test to determine if we're sufficiently intelligent for contact.
Well, gee, I'm honored.
- So, what do we get if we pass? - Cures for every known form of disease.
Technological information centuries beyond our own.
Why didn't they say so in the first place? Congratulations, lieutenant, I think we're about to go down in history books.
Just one thing.
It says if we don't provide all the correct answers within 24 hours the probe will self- destruct with the force of 500, 000 megatons.
That's enough to vaporize the entire station.
We did a low- power scan of the probe.
It began a countdown to a thermonuclear reaction just after we finished decoding the message.
If it goes off within this area, there won't be enough left of Babylon 5 to fill a thimble.
- Can we get inside, defuse it? - Negative.
The hull is seamless.
We'd have to burn our way in.
The message said any attempt to defuse the probe - would result in immediate self- destruct.
- What about those questions? - How many are we looking at? - Just over 600.
We've got less than 23 hours to pull them all together.
I've got the computer working on it, but some of it is theoretical.
It's advanced.
I had to send back to Earth for some of it.
I don't understand.
Why would they destroy us if we can't answer their questions? Whoever sent this considers intelligence the most important factor in deciding who should live and expand out into the universe.
The probe finds worthy candidates and eliminates those it considers less evolved less intelligent.
Sort of like an interstellar gardener? Plucking out weeds so just the flowers can grow? Basically, yes.
Let's just hope the high- lQ boys back home give us all the right answers to this test.
Otherwise we're gonna get hit with a 500, 000- megaton weed whacker.
Many of our people are starving, G'Kar.
Starving because the roads have been mined.
Centauri relief ships carrying food are shot down by the resistance before they can land.
They are trying to buy loyalty with food.
Peace with crumbs from their table.
What does it matter where the food comes from? - It keeps our people alive.
- It matters.
Only to you! You don't appreciate the damage you're causing our people by leading this resistance! Damage I'm-- ? Damage I'm causing? I didn't invade Narn! I didn't bomb our world with asteroids, level our cities! I didn't-- All right.
I'm sorry, G'Kar.
The choice of words was unfortunate.
Any Centauri vessel is a legitimate target.
We are arranging for our own food drops.
You cannot bring in as much as the Centauri, not enough to do any good.
Neither can they.
What little they bring is a token with one purpose: To make our people fight over their scraps.
You think they care what happens to us? This is about control.
I think it's about pride.
Your pride.
You sit here in exile and dream of your return in triumph of personally driving the Centauri from our world.
But this is not the time for armed resistance, G'Kar.
Soon, yes, but not now.
We must bide our time, recover from our wounds and lull the Centauri into a sense of false security.
How? By surrendering? We are fighting for our world, Na'Far.
What would you have me do otherwise? Postpone the fight, just for a little while and come back with me to Narn.
Surrender to the Centauri.
I have it on very good authority that you will not be harmed.
If I return, who will lead our people here? I will.
The Centauri trust me.
- The others will not accept you.
- They may when I tell them that if you do not come back with me the Centauri will begin harassing their families back home.
Some of them may even be imprisoned or tortured.
For the sake of everyone, G'Kar you must give up Babylon 5 and come home.
Does it hurt here? Does it hurt here? Right here? Does it hurt? How about-- ? It doesn't understand a thing I say.
Where's the translator? - It should be here any minute.
- They said that a half- hour ago! I can't do a proper diagnosis if I can't communicate.
It may have a ruptured peratellum too small to show up on scanners.
I don't want to operate unless-- Damn it! What now? Yes? I was wondering if you heard from Earth on the medical questions.
No, I'm sorry.
I-- I haven't been able to check back.
I've been a little busy.
If we don't get those answers on molecular biology, whatever you're doing won't matter.
Your patients won't live long enough to appreciate your assistance.
All right, all right.
All right, I'll check back as soon as I can, all right? Medlab out.
We can't wait much longer.
Prep him for surgery, we'll do an exploratory.
Yes, doctor.
Come on.
- I don't want to go to Minbar.
- Oh, of course you want to go to Minbar.
Everyone wants to go to Minbar.
It is the vacation spot of the season assuming you're part of the long- robes- and- head- bone set.
- Londo-- - Vir, it's a good career move for you.
From time to time you'll come back here, report to me.
- We will do a little business together.
- Who will take care of things when I'm gone? I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Vir.
I want you away from here.
It is not a good place for you.
- I want to protect you.
- I don't want to be protected! Well, I'm afraid it's not your decision.
It's already done.
You have been promoted.
You will earn more money receive more attention, women may even come to find you attractive in time.
I know it is a great burden, but I think that you will adjust.
Now, I must go.
I'm late for my appointment.
Londo, if I leave, you will be alone.
I have always been alone.
And what do we make of this? It looks Narn on the outside, but I hear it is Centauri on the inside.
I don't know what you're talking about.
- I am a duly appointed liaison-- - Appointed by who? The Centauri? To be their pet, their messenger, their puppet? I just heard from Homeworld.
My pouch- brother has been arrested.
I'm told he will be released when G'Kar returns home.
- I'm sorry.
I tried to warn you.
- You are a blood traitor, Na'Far.
The Centauri failed to break us with bombs and guns and ships.
And now you come to break our soul.
Go back to Narn.
Or we'll-- You would strike against your own kind? Only if you consider someone cowardly enough to strike from behind one of his own kind.
Stop it! Enough! Have I led you no better than this? Have I taught you no better than this? Look at yourselves.
We're at each other's throats! By G'Quan, I won't have this.
Na'Far.
I won't allow the Centauri to use me to turn us against one another.
If they want me to return home, if that is the price then let's pay it and get this over with.
I will return with you to Narn.
- How're we doing on those questions? - 75 to go.
We started translating the batch on molecular biology.
Check these figures again, make sure they came through the translator okay.
- I don't want to get killed because of a typo.
- On it.
Can we power the weapons system gradually so the probe won't pick it up? We can try.
The probe's supposed to be fast enough to blow the instant we fire.
Yeah, maybe.
And maybe they're bluffing.
If we don't get those answers, we may have to take that chance.
Power up slowly.
Captain, I've got the Transport Pilots Association on the link again.
They want to know when you're going to finish the discussion about weapons.
They've called five times in the last hour.
- How long before that probe detonates? - Six hours.
Tell them we'll reconvene in seven hours.
If that thing blows, at least it'll save me from one more annoying conversation.
Always finding the good in every situation, eh? Absolutely.
If I didn't, I might end up like you.
Hey! What's that supposed to mean? Did anybody else hear that? Did you hear that? - No, commander.
- Good.
I swear, if we live through this somebody'll find their automatic shower preferences reprogrammed for ice water.
Yes? Mr.
Garibaldi.
It's late.
What can I do for you? I heard on the grapevine you were leaving.
I didn't believe it, but figured I'd check it out.
The families of those here on Babylon 5 will be harassed and intimidated until I return.
So I return.
I thought your government gave you orders to stay.
That government no longer exists.
I do what I must.
If you go back, the Centauri will kill you.
You know it, I know it.
If I didn't know better, I might think you were genuinely concerned.
G'Kar, too many people in my life have died.
And I don't want to add any more to the list.
So, please, don't do it.
My fate is in the hands of G'Quan.
What must happen will happen.
Thank you for your concern, Mr.
Garibaldi.
Good night.
We've been able to track down most of the data you asked for.
- "I'm transmitting it now.
" - Wait.
Wait a minute.
Now, what do you mean, most of the data? Two of the questions in molecular biology are very advanced.
There have only been a couple of papers published in this area.
Both by Dr.
Franz Mueller.
We haven't been able to get ahold of him.
You've got the rest of the data.
No, no, the rest don't matter unless you have all of them.
You can't just give me some of them and say it's enough! - "Dr.
Mueller is on vacation.
" - Then you'd better damn well find him! Or you'll have a quarter- million deaths on your conscience! There's no reason to speak to me in that fashion.
Oh, God.
We've got four hours to live, and you're worried about being rude? - "We"-- - I don't want to hear it.
Now you get on that web, you use his emergency code and you find him! Or the last thing I'll do is send a report on your incompetence to Earth Dome! You'll be disbarred so fast you'll leave skidmarks as they throw you out of the EMA! Now you get on it, and you get on it now! Dr.
Franklin.
- Are you all right? - Yeah.
Fine.
- How's the patient? - Not good.
All right, you get him down to Medlab 2.
You get Estevez going on him now.
Go.
Citizen G'Kar has said the things you want to hear.
Focused your anger on blood and revenge and retaliation.
All these things will be ours but at the proper time and in the proper way.
This is neither.
As the newly established liaison between you and the provisional government I can help you work within the system imposed upon us to rebuild Narn.
To feed, clothe and protect our people.
For what can be more important than their safety? There is, perhaps, one thing.
- "How much time?" - "Three minutes.
" - Standing by to transmit.
- Commander.
The message from the probe.
What did it promise if we did give all the right answers? Advanced tech, mainly.
Medical information, cures for disease, new jumpgate technology.
But it never gave you the name of the race or where it's from? I assume we get that information once we pass the test.
Two minutes.
- Okay, here we go.
- No, wait! There's something about this that has been bothering me ever since we made contact.
We have been operating under the assumption that whoever sent the probe is deciding whether or not a sentient race is fit to survive based on what they know at the moment of contact.
But if that's true, why give them a leg up on more advanced technologies? Maybe they're feeling generous.
If they were feeling generous, they wouldn't wipe out inferior races based on lack of advancement.
- I don't like it.
- We're down to one minute.
I don't see any other options here.
What if it's a berserker? A probe sent to find life forms advanced enough to pose a threat to the race that created it? It sends a list of questions backed by a threat.
If it gets the right answers back that proves a certain level of technological advancement, then boom! You wipe out a potential enemy without leaving a trace of where you came from.
Or it could be exactly what it said.
Fifteen seconds.
Captain, send or no send? No send.
Oh, boy.
- It's breaking off.
You're right.
- Being right isn't enough.
What about the next guy? Are there any secure- bots in that area? Just one, 5000 klicks.
It's far enough.
Relay the answers to the bot, move it toward the probe and have it stand by to transmit.
Probe is at 3000 klicks.
Three thousand four.
- Three thousand six.
- Stand by.
Stand by.
Transmit.
Send out a recovery team to pick up the debris for study.
Captain, you all right? - Oh, nuts.
- What's wrong? - I mean, we survived.
- Right.
Which means now I have to go back to that stupid Transport Association meeting.
Oh, well.
If I live through this job without completely losing my mind it will be a miracle of biblical proportions.
Well, there goes my faith in the Almighty.
Is there a problem, G'Dok? I cannot let you leave.
You are valued.
And you are needed here.
Thank you, but I must go.
I'm sorry, but I do what I must.
We cannot let you leave, G'Kar.
You are valued, and you are needed here.
This is foolishness.
I'm doing this for your own good.
We cannot let you go, G'Kar.
The only way out is through all of us.
If I stay here, your families are in jeopardy.
Is anything more important than their safety? Yes.
Their freedom.
It's better to die in the cause of freedom than to live in comfort as a slave.
We understand this, and our families understand this, because you taught it to us.
Stay, G'Kar.
For us.
And for them.
To leave now that I have decided to stay and join the others would be rude.
And extremely uncomfortable.
That is a K'tok.
Once drawn, it cannot be sheathed until it draws blood.
Again, you would raise arms against your own kind.
Have I taught you nothing? I carry my sword in my hand.
You carry yours in your heart and in your mind.
As I see it, that gives you a 2-to-1 advantage in arms.
Be fair, Citizen G'Kar.
I will stay.
We never get a break, do we? We went through that whole nonsense because some race wants to yank our chain.
Pass the test and die.
Fail the test and remain ignorant.
I know, it's a pain in the neck.
But would you really want your life safe, predictable, easy? Sometimes.
Listen.
I may have jumped the gun a little when we talked.
I had no business getting in your face about stims.
You say you got it covered, that's your call.
Thank you.
And I do have it covered.
I do.
I mean, I went through this whole nonsense with the probe and about a half a dozen sick patients, and I never touched the stuff once.
So where's the captain and Ivanova? - Heroes of the hour, huh? - Don't ask.
Order.
People, please! I can't conduct this meeting.
Please.
Stop.
Order! "Final boarding call for Minbari liner" Zoful now departing from Bay 7 to Minbar.
All passengers requiring loading assistance.