Babylon 5 s04e06 Episode Script

Commander's personal log: We're still searching for First Ones to use in our war with the Vorlons and the Shadows.
There's less than 24 hours left before everything hits the fan.
We can't afford to waste any more time.
We have to get back to Babylon 5 then catch up with the fleet.
We've been waiting for two hours.
We have to move on.
There aren't any more First Ones around here.
- We've got five so far.
That's good enough.
- There is time for one more.
This is the last.
It's important to have them all.
Keep sending the signal.
I'll give you 10 more minutes, and then we're leaving.
I just wish I knew how things were going out there.
Captain's idea to hit Vorlon targets delay them enough to put fleets in the killing zone between Vorlons and the Shadows, it's - A brilliant strategy.
He's making a crucible, which he hopes will force out the truth.
Quite brave.
Possibly futile.
But very human.
I will introduce them to you now.
They're almost as old as the Vorlons.
They've not spoken to anyone outside their own race for centuries.
But they'll remember you? Oh, yes.
I just hope the captain's okay.
White Star 9, break off and target their forward guns.
Their forward screens are down.
Tactical Squadron, follow us in.
Vorlon observation post destroyed.
Good.
We can proceed to the rendezvous point without being watched.
Make the jump to hyperspace, Mr.
Lennier.
Look at it.
Thousands of ships.
Over two dozen races working together for the very first time.
You put together a hell of a team, Delenn.
You should be proud.
Win or lose, we'll go down fighting.
Pour it on, Mr.
Lennier.
Take us into the fire.
It was the year of fire.
The year of destruction.
The year we took back what was ours.
It was the year of rebirth.
The year of great sadness.
The year of pain.
- And a year of joy.
- It was a new age.
It was the end of history.
It was the year everything changed.
The year is 2261.
The place, Babylon 5.
I heard some of the Vorlons would be within striking distance of Centauri Prime about the same time we reach Coriana 6.
So why are we here instead of there? Six billion lives on Coriana.
Three billion lives on Centauri Prime.
We have enough ships to make a stand at one of them, so which do you choose? It's numbers.
Cold, unsympathetic numbers.
Let's hope we pulled enough Vorlons away to give Centauri a chance or if they've got rid of any Shadow influences by now.
Otherwise, I wouldn't give you Ambassador! I mean, Prime Minister Mollari we've tried to get everything in place, but you've given us so little time.
And with the death of Emperor Cartagia, we have all been in mourning.
You'll be mourning the entire planet unless we take care of this quickly.
The Vorlons are less than 12 hours away.
We have to get rid of the Shadow vessels before they get here.
Bring me the ministers of War, Intelligence, Transportation and Security.
I want them here in 10 minutes.
- Prime minister, please - Then you will clear the palace of everyone who has worked for Cartagia: Personal guards, food tasters, physicians, everyone.
I have enough to deal with as it is without worrying about a knife in the back.
- Minister, please! - Oh, oh, oh.
Sorry.
I wasn't thinking.
Felt very natural, though.
Why is he? Why are you still here? Go, go! We have very little time left, Vir.
And much work ahead of us, and then Then we must find Mr.
Morden and tell him the bad news.
John, I've just heard from lvanova.
They've found all the remaining First Ones and sent them to the rendezvous point.
She was about to follow, but I told her to wait for confirmation.
John, we have so many ships.
One more will not turn the tide of battle.
I promised lvanova she'd be here with the fleet at the end.
I owe it to her to keep that promise.
Tell her to come on in and to haul ass, or she'll miss all the excitement.
Very well.
I'll tell her to "haul ass" but that seems a very undignified position from which to command one of the fleet.
Yes? I was told you were ready to leave.
Almost.
You're awfully impatient for someone supposed to be immortal.
Not immortal as you mean it.
My race can die.
Through illness or injury.
So where are the rest of them? They fell ill and died, were injured and died.
The rest went away.
I am the last.
And I was the first.
I have to admit I'm a little bit skeptical about that.
Skepticism is the language of the mind.
What does your heart tell you? My heart and I don't speak anymore.
Yes.
I have noticed that.
Okay, let's assume that in all of the universe you were the first living being to achieve sentience billions of years ago.
At that point, you'd be doing pretty good to invent fire or the wheel.
You couldn't come up with science, technology, find a serum for immortality all in one lifetime.
- It wasn't necessary.
We were born naturally immortal.
It's impossible.
Everything dies.
Yes.
Now.
At first, we were kept in balance by birthrate.
Few of us were ever born, less than a handful each year.
Then, I think the universe decided that to appreciate life for there to be change and growth, life had to be short.
So the generations that followed us grew old, infirm, died.
But those of us who were first went on.
We discovered the Vorlons and the Shadows when they were infant races and nourished them, helped them and all the other races you call the First Ones.
In time, most of them died.
Or passed beyond the Rim to whatever lies in the darkness between galaxies.
We've lived too long, seen too much.
To live on as we have is to leave behind joy and love and companionship because we know it to be transitory, of the moment.
We know it will turn to ash.
Only those whose lives are brief can imagine that love is eternal.
You should embrace that remarkable illusion.
It may be the greatest gift your race has ever received.
Prime minister, I'd like to speak with you.
Well, I'm in rather a hurry.
If there's something you need to discuss, you should've done so in the meeting.
I think you will agree that this is a personal and private matter.
All right, Durano.
What does the Ministry of Intelligence want with me? Several months ago, someone close to you was murdered.
Poisoned, I believe.
Yes, the Lady Adira.
I don't know if "lady" is the correct designation.
She was apparently a dancer, a former slave.
I know what she was, and I know what she meant to me.
And if you're even thinking of using that against me in the Royal Court You misunderstand me, prime minister.
I was merely being specific.
In my experience, if you can't say what you mean, you can never mean what you say.
The details are everything.
Go on.
Her death by poisoning prompted rumors that you had attempted to poison Lord Refa.
Emperor Cartagia asked me to look into the matter.
It was easy to see that these two matters were somehow connected.
I continued the investigation, even after the unfortunate death of Lord Refa on Narn.
The emperor did not look kindly on unfinished work.
When I gave him my final report he said that you would know nothing of it as long as he was alive.
Since that is no longer an issue There is nothing to know.
Refa was responsible for her death.
He wanted to punish me.
True.
He was quite annoyed with you.
The liner came to Babylon 5 straight from here.
The poison was of Centauri origin.
Also correct.
We found the one who supplied the poison and confirmed it was slipped onto a liner en route to Babylon 5.
But it was not Lord Refa who commissioned her murder.
What? As I said, the details are everything.
And we were quite Who gave the order? Your associate, Mr.
Morden.
The dealer didn't know his motives.
In his profession, one doesn't ask such things.
But I suspect Morden was hoping to guarantee his position by making you turn to him for support in evening the score.
Go.
Leave me.
I can provide a full report if you I said, get out.
He played me.
He played me like a puppet.
He played My God! Oh, God! He played me.
Can't this thing go faster? The captain's gonna need all the weapons we've got.
Ah, hell.
What's going on? Ahel means "continuous fire" in Minbari.
Oh, great.
Cease fire.
Patience is also a weapon when used properly.
We will arrive when we arrive, and we will have the weapons we have.
You cannot win this war through force.
You must understand your way out of this.
Sheridan knows.
What remains to be seen is whether he knows that he knows.
Not bad.
We still can't win, but it's not bad.
We can't win? Against the Vorlons and the Shadows? No.
- Then what are we doing here? - Hoping the truth will set us free before it kills us.
Are the nukes ready? We've seeded them on several nearby asteroids.
With luck, neither side will detect the bombs until it's too late.
- Are you ready? - I think so.
Stay open to anything you might pick up out there.
When you came after me at Z'Ha'Dum, you made contact with the Shadows.
We'll need that advantage.
It's the only one we've got.
Mr.
Morden.
I see they found you.
Good.
Good.
You're looking well.
All healed now, I take it.
I'm fine.
What the hell is going on, Mollari? A number of Vorlon ships are on their way here accompanied by one of their planetkillers.
They will arrive in a matter of hours.
They have been wiping out any colony, world or outpost where your associates have influence.
Cartagia gave your associates the island of Celini as a base for their ships.
Now that Cartagia is dead, I am ordering you to remove those ships.
At once.
There are 3 billion people here.
The Vorlons would never attack a civilian population that big.
The ships stay.
You're afraid, aren't you? They're afraid.
And speaking of your associates we must make sure that we can talk privately.
Do not move.
I will have to have that painted over, I suppose.
You're insane.
On any other day, Mr.
Morden, you would be wrong.
Today? Today is a very different day.
One last time.
Remove your ships.
No.
You don't frighten me, Mollari.
You try to attack our forces, you'll lose.
Yes.
Your ships are very impressive in the air or in space but at this moment, they are on the ground.
Right.
They're on the ground.
But they can sense an approaching ship miles away.
So, what are you gonna do, Mollari? Blow up the island? Actually now that you mention it No! I had most of our people evacuated from Celini during the night.
A few stayed to maintain the illusion of our presence.
They knew what was being asked of them.
I would have preferred another way hoped that you would be reasonable, but Take him to a cell.
Keep him there.
You just made a mistake, Londo.
Even if my associates lose this war, they have allies! They'll make sure Centauri Prime pays the price for what you've done here today! What I have done? Oh, Mr.
Morden, I have not even started with you yet.
Ivanova to White Star 2, do you receive? Susan, you made it.
You think I'd miss a party like this? Listen, Lorien wants to come over ASAP.
You okay with that? - Fine.
Fine.
I'll send over a shuttle.
- Captain.
What's our status? Everything's in place.
- We're as ready as we're ever going to - Captain I think they're coming.
They're heading straight for each other.
It's as if they don't even know we're here or they don't care.
Then let's get their attention.
Which of our nukes are in that area? Five, seven and 12.
Transfer firing control to my station, Mr.
Lennier.
Done.
Morning, gentlemen.
This is your wake-up call.
Captain? They're pissed.
Marcus, why are you here? There was only room in the shuttle for two.
I traded with Lorien so he can see Sheridan.
Figured you could use another hand.
I'll take it.
Man the weapons system.
Here they come.
- We have to stop them.
- Open up a com channel.
This is Capt.
John Sheridan to Vorlon fleet.
Coriana 6 is a low-tech planet.
The Shadows forced them to allow a base on their planet.
It's not their fault.
You can't destroy an entire planet of 6 billion people just for that.
No response.
But, captain they may not even be listening.
Lyta, you were close to the Vorlons.
They responded before to a telepathic signal from you.
Can you send it again? Tell them we need to talk to them.
I'll try.
Ah, Vir, good.
I was about to send for you.
The Vorlons will arrive shortly.
As we both know, they will strike if there's any Shadow influence still here, yes? Yes.
Well, I have removed the last of their influence.
Go out into the garden, you'll see.
Consider it a gift.
Go.
I'll join you in a moment.
What do you want? I want to live long enough to see when they cut off your head and put it on a pike as a warning to the next generations that some favors come with too high a price.
I want to look up into your lifeless eyes and wave, like this.
- Anything yet? - No, nothing.
We don't have a chance if we can't speak to them.
It can't end like this.
I won't allow it.
Captain the Vorlon planetkiller is almost within range of Coriana 6.
Shall I call in the First Ones? John, we were going to keep them in reserve.
If everything else failed, they would give us a chance.
I know, I know.
Once we call the First Ones in, we won't have anything to fall back on, but I can't just sit here and let 6 billion people be murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Send the signal, Mr.
Lennier.
Vir.
Vir.
I have just sent the message to the Vorlons, told them what we had done that there is no longer anything here that has been touched by these Shadows.
Sent them all the proof they will need.
I imagine they will turn back now.
Oh, Vir, we have done it.
We have saved Centauri Prime, as I knew we could.
And now we only have to What? What is it? You're wrong.
There's still one thing left.
Something that's been touched by the Shadows, influenced by them.
What? No.
Not for me.
They would not.
They would not do it just to get me.
- They won't know.
- You sent them a message.
You told them that you were here.
No.
Come on, you bastards, talk to us.
I'm picking up a message.
The Vorlons are sending for reinforcements.
They're calling in all their other ships.
You must kill me, Vir.
Quickly.
And then tell them, show them that you have done it! - Londo, I can't.
- You must! It is the only way to They're leaving.
Yes.
Yes, Vir.
They're leaving.
- Lorien, you've seen? - Yes.
Can you try to get through? - Tell them to - There is nothing to tell.
You thought we could not touch you.
You were wrong.
- John! - No! Do not touch him! If you try to interrupt, it will kill him.
And you they have left for us.
- Delenn! - Do not interfere or you will lose your one chance to end this.
He was hoping they could be provoked into doing this.
What's happened to them? They are elsewhere.
The others, out there, still work in secret.
But he wanted you to know what is at stake.
He wants all of you to know what you may be asked to die for and why.
I can see.
I can see them.
Where are you? Show yourselves! We are here.
We do not understand you.
We have wished only the best for you.
We only want to help you.
You're destroying whole worlds.
The others are a disease.
You have given us the opportunity to eliminate it.
We are grateful.
Why do you oppose us? Because I don't like being used.
Or lied to! We have not lied.
Our goal is the same as yours: To destroy the darkness.
Then why haven't you struck at them directly? You don't want to answer that one, do you? See I finally understood the rules of this war when I saw your planetkillers in action.
You've had the technology to destroy Z'Ha'Dum all along! - So why haven't you used it? - You do not understand.
Oh, but I do understand.
And that's what's got you worried, isn't it? A Vorlon said, "Understanding is a three-edged sword: Your side, their side and the truth.
" The truth is, we don't need you anymore.
The Vorlons stand for order above anything else.
No passion, no dreams just discipline, obedience.
They're frozen in place, an evolutionary dead end.
Why side with the old? Embrace the new.
Growth through pain and struggle, conflict and war.
You, of all people, should understand this.
Your race came out of the last war stronger, better.
How much better how much stronger will they be after this war? You will rise from the ashes with a strength and power beyond your imagination.
Until you do it to us again.
It is the cycle.
It is the force of history itself.
You cannot win against that.
We have embraced it.
We've helped it along by creating conflict.
Weak races die.
Strong races are made even stronger.
Evolution must be served.
There is no other way.
No.
That's what you want us to believe.
That's why you're really doing this.
That's why you target planets that help the Shadows and don't destroy Z'Ha'Dum itself.
You don't wanna kill the messenger, you just wanna kill the message.
Make it harder for them to get to us guarantee that we do things your way.
After all, if you destroy the Vorlons, they'll never know you won.
They'll never see that you were right and they were wrong.
- It's about ideology.
- Of course.
What isn't? Order versus chaos.
Choose one.
Yes, choose but only from the choices you give us.
Don't you see that this is wrong? When the other First Ones passed beyond the Rim you stayed behind as guardians, shepherds for the younger races.
But you've lost your way.
This isn't about teaching us or helping us.
This is about you being right.
You're trying to force us to decide which of you is right.
You're like a couple of parents arguing in front of their kids, manipulating them trying to get them to take sides.
Not for their benefit, but for yours! But what if the right choice is not to choose at all? What if we reject the idea that we must decide which of you is right? - What if we simply walk away? - You cannot do that.
- Then the war will never end.
- That is correct.
- Then there is no hope.
- There is only chaos and evolution.
There is only order and obedience.
You will do as you are told.
You will fight because we tell you to fight.
You will die for us when we tell you to die for us because the others know no other way.
That's where you're wrong.
You've let them see.
You've let them know! Hurry, take my hand.
Quickly.
I'm fine.
I'm fine, I'm fine.
Captain, look! The Shadow cloud doesn't show up on our instruments.
Captain, can you receive? Lvanova? Did you see it? Did the fleet hear what they said? We did, but then the cloud came up all around us getting through, no matter what we do.
Picking up thousands of missiles all around us.
Extreme cold's shut down the jump engines.
Not just ours, the entire fleet.
Estimate we have 10 minutes before the temperature drops too low to survive.
Is that it? We come all this way, we figure it out and now they don't want us to leave? They'd rather let us die than get in the way of their little war? No.
They're not quite finished yet.
Look.
They're giving you a chance to change your mind ask forgiveness choose.
Your next words will decide which way this goes.
I cannot help you.
The Vorlons ask only one question over and over: Who are you? You, for you the question is, what do you want? I have never heard you answer that question.
Who are you? What do you want? You don't know, do you? You've been fighting each other so long, you've forgotten.
You've lost your way.
So how can you guide us? How can we learn who we are and what we want if you don't even know it anymore? It doesn't matter which side wins this today.
A thousand years from now, it'll start all over again.
You're as trapped in this cycle as much as we are.
But we can't afford it anymore.
We don't need it.
We don't need you.
We've learned how to stand on our own.
We'll make mistakes, but they'll be our mistakes, not yours.
Your secret is out.
All these other races know you for who you are.
So, what now? You do not speak for the rest.
They will not follow you if you are dead.
Missile on approach.
Impact in 10 seconds! What ship was that? Drazi warship.
The Strakath.
They took the hit for us.
The other ships are moving in, surrounding us.
The others have rejected you.
How do you have a war when no one will fight for either of you? We refuse to take sides in this anymore.
And we refuse to let you turn us against one another! We know who we are now.
We can find our own way between order and chaos.
You can kill us one by one, and those who follow us and those who follow them on and on, every race, every planet, until there's no one left to kill.
You will have failed as guardians.
And you will be alone.
It's over because we've decided it's over! Now get the hell out of our galaxy! Both of you! As I taught you, then stepped aside, now you must do the same.
Our age is past.
This belongs to the younger races now.
They have learned to stand on their own.
They have learned to understand.
Time to let them go.
Will you come with us? I have been here since the beginning.
I will not leave you now.
I will go with you beyond the Rim and we will see again all those who went ahead of us all those who we have missed for so long.
Then we will not be alone? No.
Never alone.
Did we just win? Don't jinx it.
I waited a long time for someone to find me.
Now, like the others, I find I hate to leave.
But none of us can stay behind this time.
That was why it was necessary to find all the remaining First Ones.
This is yours now.
And you have an obligation to do as we have done to teach the races that will follow you and when your time comes, as ours has, to step aside and allow them to grow into their own destiny.
If your races survive if you do not kill yourselves I look forward to the day when your people join us beyond the Rim.
We will wait for you.
I think about this war being over and I find I cannot quite wrap my brain around the concept.
I don't know what to feel.
Well, let's see.
The war is over the Shadows are gone forever, the Vorlons are gone forever Cartagia's dead and we saved Centauri Prime.
I mean, I'm no expert, but I think you should feel happy.
Yes, perhaps.
But every time I have been happy the universe has conspired to do something nasty to me.
Maybe, but that's tomorrow.
I don't think any one of our gods would object Londo Mollari having one single night of happiness.
I suppose.
And you you are going back to Babylon 5 now, yes? I may join you.
I've created quite a stir here by giving the order to free Narn and some have decided that killing the emperor was an attempt to undermine the monarchy.
They have taken it personally.
Who knew? Once I have tidied up things here it might be best for me to be elsewhere for a while.
It's hard to believe it's really over.
The First Ones gone? We're all alone now.
Just the younger races.
We can't blame anyone else from now on.
It's a new age, Delenn.
A third age.
Why third? Well, we began in chaos, too primitive to make our own decisions.
Then we were manipulated by forces that thought they knew what was best for us.
And now Now we're finally standing on our own.
Lorien was right.
It's a great responsibility.
This is ours now.
Strange.
The galaxy seems somehow smaller now that the First Ones are gone forever.
- Feels like the magic's gone.
- No.
Not gone.
Now we make our own magic.
Now we create our own legends.
Now we build the future.
- Now we stop - Being afraid of shadows.