Babylon 5 s05e12 Episode Script

- Ready? - Not yet.
I've got two dozen more copies of this treaty to sign before the meeting.
Who knew that the presidency was Give me five more minutes.
- We're already late.
- I know, I know.
Can you stall them a bit? Not a problem.
I'll tell them we're declaring war on Earth.
That'll give them something positive to think about.
Good, good.
Give me the paperwork and I'll sign it.
Done.
Sorry I'm late.
They're not here.
The members of the Alliance voted to boycott all future meetings of the Council until we can guarantee the safety of their shipping lines against the recent attacks.
Why the hell are we getting the sole rap for this? Shouldn't their own governments be pitching in? Each government can only operate its military within its own borders without causing an incident.
It's the spaces in between where their ships are being attacked.
They say that if we are not strong enough to protect our own members or at least find out who's responsible what point is there in belonging to the Alliance? Well, as much as I hate to admit it they've got a point.
- Yes, they do.
We need a break.
A witness.
Something.
Yes we do, badly.
Repeat.
This is Red Star 9.
Is there anyone in the sector? We are under attack.
- Jimmy, you still down there? - Yeah.
They're jamming the signal.
Give me more power, maybe we can outrun them.
I'm doing the best I can.
Jimmy? Jimmy? Computer, set the life pod to eject as soon as I'm inside.
Confirmed.
And so it begins.
- There's a hole in your mind.
- What do you want? No one here is exactly what he appears.
Nothing's the same anymore.
Commander Sinclair is being reassigned.
Why don't you eliminate the entire Narn Homeworld? I see a great hand reaching out of the stars.
President Clark signed a decree declaring martial law.
These orders have forced us to declare independence.
Unless your people get off their encounter-suited butts and do something You're The One who was.
Why are you here? I think of my beautiful city in flames.
Get out of our galaxy! We are here to place President Clark under arrest.
G'Kar, it's a strange thing.
In the past it was a great relief to leave Babylon 5 and a great joy to return home.
Now it is a relief to leave Centauri Prime and be anywhere else.
I don't know what to call home anymore.
Have you considered the possibility that you're simply not meant to be happy no matter where you are? - No, not until you mentioned it.
I thought you were protecting me, looking out for my best interests.
I am.
The warrior in me is watching out for your life.
The Narn in me has decided it's your spirit that's in the greatest need of protection.
- Is it me, or are people looking at us? - Well, at me, actually.
- Why? - I don't know.
I'm honored, sir.
He seems very glad to see you.
Yes, but we weren't gone that long.
Less than a month.
Well, there you have the key to your popularity.
Your absence.
Go away for a month and they bow.
Go away for six months they'll tear the place apart when you come back.
Perhaps you should go away and never come back again.
Your popularity will be so overwhelming it would blacken the stars.
- Mollari I have always said this about you: Nothing improves your company like the lack of it.
The less they see of you, the more they like you.
Wait.
Perhaps you can make some money from this.
Ten credits for you not to be there for an hour.
to be there for the day.
And for you not to be there the rest of your life, well they could never afford it.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Just a second.
Receive.
Hey, Michael, where you been? - Did I wake you? - Yeah.
What time is it? - Ten o'clock.
- Ten! - I must have forgot to set the alarm.
- You okay? You look like crap.
Why, thank you, Zack.
I think you look pretty cute too.
It's just I didn't sleep very well.
I must be coming down with a cold.
What's up? We had an appointment this morning to go over some reports, which you missed and Delenn called to set up a meeting in half an hour in the president's office.
- I'll be there.
- You sure? If you're not feeling well I'll be fine.
Tell him I'll be there with bells on.
Well, at least that way, we'll know how to find you.
Security out.
I think we have some good news.
A flight of Rangers sent to investigate an attack on several Drazi ships found a life pod missing on one of the transports.
Then we've got a survivor.
Somebody who can finally tell us who's behind these attacks.
- We think so.
- What kind of transport? - That's where it gets dicey.
- It was a human transport.
We think he may have been smuggling illegal goods into Drazi Space on orders from their government.
- That's great.
Wait a minute, the Drazi government? What kind of illegal goods? Every race that joins the Alliance agrees to boycott items on the prohibited list.
Dust.
Certain other drugs used to control and violate people.
An assortment of really nasty biological weapons.
That sort of thing.
Officially, they agree to keep the stuff out.
Unofficially, they buy and sell it all the time.
They use it to control colonies, trade for resources.
They subcontract with smugglers to bring the stuff in.
If anything goes wrong, the government can deny any knowledge.
Which means we can forget about any cooperation from the Drazi government.
So that leaves two questions in front of us.
One: Did he survive and make it back to the Drazi Homeworld? Two: Can we find him and get him to testify about what he saw? There's only one way to know and that's to go in and take a look.
I know a guy, a security consultant in the Drazi capital.
I worked with him when we were stationed on the mining colony on Europa.
He had the good sense to get the hell out before I did.
If anybody can find this guy, it's him.
- That's assuming the pilot's still alive.
- Good.
If he is, I want him brought back here as fast as possible so we can get him to testify before the Council.
Stephen, I want you to go along with Garibaldi.
Watch his back and I'd I'd rather he not.
Look, this is a delicate situation and my guy is not gonna trust anybody except me.
So, what you're saying is, you don't want me along.
No, that's not what I'm saying.
What I'm saying is, you'll be spending all your time at the Drazi Hilton because he won't talk to you.
You might as well just stay here.
Now, you want me to do this, I gotta do it my way.
I know what I'm getting into.
I'll be all right.
All right, pack your bags.
The next shuttle that leaves through Drazi Space is in one hour.
Ta'lon.
Ta'lon, is it you? It's me most days, except for those days when I don't feel like myself and I suppose that I am someone else but for now, yes, it's me.
- This is wonderful, where have you been? I go where the sword is needed.
Most recently, guarding cargo to and from the Homeworld to help with rebuilding: Food, supplies, small weapons.
Whatever the Alliance will allow.
And some other important items.
Big ones, small ones, some you may even recognize.
What else did you take home from here, Ta'lon? Where is my book, Ta'lon? The book I have been writing for the last two years.
That's what I wanted to see you about.
You must understand, all we knew is that you went with Mollari to Centauri Prime.
Many of us felt that you had been taken prisoner or were going to be executed Where is my book? It is my only copy.
Yes, that is precisely the point.
The Kha'Ri felt if anything happened to you the book of G'Kar would never see the light of day so we liberated it.
- Liberated it? We took it home.
Those that read it were very moved by it.
And they made some copies.
- Copies! - Just a few.
For their friends.
- Then a few more made a few more copies.
- How many? It's hard to say, exactly.
There was some confusion when it went to the printers.
Printers! I've only been gone for a month, Ta'lon.
There can't be that many copies floating around this quickly.
How many? Five or six hundred thousand.
- What? I have been told that it will outsell the book of G'Quan.
Congratulations, citizen G'Kar.
You are now a religious icon.
Remember to check in with Delenn twice a day while I'm gone keep up with the latest from the Rangers.
- Michael, I know the routine.
You worry about getting back in one piece and let me take care of the rest.
- Michael, can I talk to you for a minute? - I was just - Yeah, sure.
- Yeah, I'll tell them you're coming.
I wanted to talk to you before you left, just to find out if you and I are okay.
What are you talking about? Of course we're okay.
Well, then why didn't you want me on this mission? - I told you.
- No.
You gave me reasons, yes all very logical, very sensible reasons.
I'm not talking about what you said.
I'm talking about the way you said it.
No, wait.
I'm getting the impression you don't want me around on a personal level so now I gotta ask.
You and I okay? Yeah, of course we're okay.
Come on, Stephen, this is me.
I'm just looking out for a friend, that's all.
If you weren't a friend, I'd have you along in a second, but you are.
This could get really bad and like I said, my contact's not gonna trust anybody but me.
- That's all? - That's all.
I got a transport fueling up and waiting for me.
Is there anything else? - No.
- All right.
I'll see you in a couple of weeks.
Michael.
You know, if you ever got a problem anything at all you want to talk about you know where to find me, don't you? I hear you.
See you.
Good morning, G'Kar! Well, this is a delight.
- I didn't know you had children.
- Neither did I.
Yes, most unsettling when that happens.
And in your case, most amusing.
Is this the book of G'Kar that I have been hearing so much about since I got back? They are finding it useful in learning how to get along with other races even yours.
- And am I in here? - Not by name.
By description.
Na'Tak Burella.
It's a colloquialism.
- Which means? - Prideful wind catcher.
Well, as Mr.
Garibaldi says, "I think I'll wait for the movie.
" - So? - Well, actually, I was looking for Delenn.
I just heard our next Council meeting has been postponed.
Yes, indefinitely.
I'll let her fill you in with the details.
Fortunately, we appear to have had a break.
We'll know more in a few days.
That's a great way to get yourself killed.
Just checking your reactions to see if time had slowed them down.
I think they're even better than the last time I saw you.
When you get stabbed and shot in the back enough times sooner or later you learn to look behind you.
And they said you were slow.
Tafiq.
- Good to see you.
How've you been? - And you.
Good.
The Drazi pay well for human security.
- It's a status symbol among them.
- Please, sit.
But since there are very few formal occasions there's a lot of downtime.
I read.
I exercise.
I follow your career.
You've done well, Michael.
- You should be proud.
- Thank you.
Truth is, sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I had left Europa when you did.
Maybe I would've had a quieter life.
Quiet is not your way, my friend.
Maybe, maybe.
So you got my message? My sources tell me the pilot you are looking for has gone into hiding.
His employers are not happy that he lost their ship.
And the Drazi agents awaiting his delivery of illegal supplies plan to take their losses out on him.
They know your people found a missing life pod at the site of the last attack.
And it would be far easier for them to deny knowing anything about it if he were dead.
Suffice to say he wants to get off planet as soon as possible.
That should make my negotiations a little easier.
Yes, but getting him off planet, that will be hard.
Good.
Room service.
Sit.
So what do you think of my city? Well, I think it's hot, crowded, it's noisy and it's old.
- Thank you.
- And what's with the streets? They're so narrow, you can hardly get by.
- Tradition.
Goes back centuries.
To prevent invaders from taking their city they built their streets too narrow for armies or engines of war.
When you have to go through two or three at a time, you are most vulnerable.
See, now you can fly over and drop these things called bombs.
What's the point? What's the point of any tradition? Look around.
The Drazi were originally an outdoor race.
They came indoors only when necessary.
Their rooms were small, the balconies large.
Now they live indoors like the rest of us, but the architecture remains.
Your shirt buttons from the left but a woman's blouse buttons from the right because servants used to dress them.
The servants are gone, but the style remains.
- No, no, I don't - Don't what? You're right, it has been a long time since we were back on Europa.
Yes.
So when do I get to see the pilot? First, I will leave you here to finalize your travel arrangements back to Babylon 5.
He will meet us tonight in the park at the base of the hotel.
He has the location of this balcony and a precision signal light.
When he's there, he will let you know.
Then you can talk.
I can get you away and get back to my life.
Good fortune.
Good health.
Good God.
Good God.
So what happened to your hair? Franklin.
Go.
Priority message coming in for you from Earth Dome.
Well, can it wait? I just sat down to dinner.
Negative.
They say it's important.
All right, I'll take it in my quarters.
Oh, well.
I'm going to take care of your travel arrangements.
I'll see you downstairs when he arrives.
Tafiq! Tafiq.
Tafiq.
Tafiq? He will meet us tonight in the park at the base of the hotel.
He has the location of this balcony and a precision signal light.
Tafiq! Tafiq.
Tafiq, can you hear me? I don't want your shouting to be the last thing I hear.
- I'll get a doctor.
- No, no time.
Too late for me.
The pilot.
You have to get to him before they do.
Before the I'm alone! Mr.
President? He's not here.
I've got an emergency encoded transmission from Mr.
Garibaldi on channel 4.
Put it through.
Michael! - Are you all right? - Not really.
The mission's completely fubared.
I need to get out of here ASAP.
Can you take a civilian transport? Negative.
I don't think they got a picture but I'm pretty sure my description's all over.
Spaceport, customs, everywhere.
They're after me.
Who? Everybody.
- Is there a White Star in the area? - Just one.
That's all I need.
I'll send my coordinates up on a sub-channel.
Have the White Star come in low, land in the field just outside the capital - to get on board and get the hell out of there - before the local boys react.
- You'll have it.
- Do you need medical assistance? - No.
What I need is a guy with a claw hammer to whack me hard in the head nine times.
It's a long story.
I'll tell you when I see you.
Thanks, Delenn.
- C & C, this is Delenn.
- Yes, ambassador.
Put me through to White Star 26.
Go away! It's Ta'lon.
G'Kar.
Are they still there? Yes.
I think there are a few more than before.
They would like to speak to you.
Or more to the point I think they would like you to speak to them.
I have nothing to say to them.
I turned down a chance to become ruler of our world, Ta'lon and I never once looked back.
Because it is not my place in life to lead.
If I turn that down, how can I take on all this? A long time ago, G'Kar I told you that you had an unfair advantage over me.
I carry my sword in my hand.
But you you carry your sword in your heart, where no one can take it from you.
I have an obligation of honor to use mine.
Do you not share that obligation to use yours? To what end, Ta'lon? I have nothing to teach them.
That is where you are wrong.
For a hundred years, we have taught ourselves one thing: How to hate and how to fight.
This is a new age, G'Kar.
We have to learn other lessons.
Our leaders back home, they know only the old ways.
You have been beyond and survived it, and have come back to teach us what it is like.
I have not personally read your book.
I've never been a very spiritual person.
But I have seen the light of understanding come into their eyes.
It's not about teaching something.
It's about unlearning hatred and unlearning fear.
I am a warrior.
I cannot teach them these things.
But you can.
All my life I have been responsible only for myself.
When I risked, I risked alone to avoid making others pay the price for my mistakes.
They want me to show them another way.
What if I show them the wrong way? What if they come to me not because of the lesson but because of the teacher? I worry, Ta'lon, that my shadow may become greater than the message.
If that happens I give you my word that I will personally kill you.
And this is supposed to put my mind at ease.
I'm a warrior it's what I have to give.
You and I both have our burdens to bear, G'Kar.
I will carry mine if you will carry yours.
That's all you brought back? During the fight, it came off one of the guys who killed the pilot.
But you have no idea who they were, even what race they belonged to? It was dark, they were cloaked.
- I didn't see a thing.
- And your friend? He's dead.
They got him right outside my room.
Well, I'm surprised you didn't hear it.
I was sleeping, it was a long trip.
I just conked out.
My guess is that the Drazi police wanted to get their hands on the pilot so they could keep him from telling us about the illegal shipments.
- Tafiq wouldn't tell them, so - Perhaps the Drazi killed the pilot.
No.
They weren't Drazi.
That much I know for sure.
One, it hurts a hell of a lot more to hit a Drazi than it did to hit these guys.
And two, if the Drazi had known that the pilot was coming to see us they would've been downstairs, not hanging around waiting for me.
And three, when the Drazi police showed up, they just took off.
No, these guys, they're they're different.
Different operation.
Whoever killed the pilot they're the ones behind these attacks.
They knew the pilot was alive and they killed him before we could bring him back to testify about what he saw.
They knew exactly what we were trying to do.
Meaning we have a leak.
Looks like.
- Without the pilot - My apologies for being late.
There was a most remarkable problem with the transport tube.
It dropped two floors and then stopped suddenly.
So there I was with my feet around my ears admiring an entirely new view of my inner self.
It's all right, you didn't miss much.
Is there anything you'd like to add further, Michael? - No, not really - Great Maker, what happened to you? Don't ask for a raise.
Where did you find this? - You know what this is? - Of course.
I've seen this all my life.
Ever since I came to the royal court, anyway.
You won't find this anywhere else.
This is a button from one of the uniforms of our imperial palace guards.
And the design here is the seal of Emperor Tuscano who first commissioned the palace guard 2000 years ago.
Where did you get it? I got it down in the Zocalo.
Guy said it was real old.
I thought it might be worth something.
Well, then, as you so colorfully say, Mr.
Garibaldi, "You were taken for a ride.
" So, what have I missed? Michael was just filling us in on the results of his mission.
And what did you find? Nothing at all.
So let's move on to the next subject of business.
Delenn? Of course.
I didn't know what to say at that point.
I don't think we can trust him anymore.
We know now that the Centauri are almost certainly involved in these attacks.
But Londo would have not dropped that information in our laps if he were involved.
No.
On the other hand, he's certainly responsible for the leak that nearly got Michael killed.
That makes sense though.
He's in almost daily contact with his government.
If he did have information about the attacks he might mention it not knowing he was giving it to the people responsible for the whole thing.
It does answer a lot of questions.
Except this one: Why? What do the Centauri have to gain by these attacks? They're dividing the Alliance making the members suspect each other, divide and conquer.
No, except the Centauri need the Alliance as much as anyone else.
No, there's something here that we're missing.
All right, so what are we gonna do about it? Are we going to tell Londo what's going on and have him find out for us? Or do we keep him out of the equation? Tell him nothing.
If you tell him what we know, he'll be outraged.
He'll do whatever's necessary to track this problem back to its source.
And then very shortly thereafter he will almost certainly be dead.
Why do you say that? We were attacked on Centauri Prime by other Centauri opposed to Mollari.
At the last moment, he was saved by an outside force one that seemed to have the run of the palace.
This tells me that there are two different forces at work in the royal palace.
So if the Centauri really are behind these attacks one of these two factions is involved.
Mollari is alive only because someone back home wants him that way.
If he should begin asking the wrong questions they would kill him in an instant.
No.
Until we know which side is involved, it's best to keep Londo out of this.
I agree.
From here on out, we tell Londo only what he needs to know, and that's all.
When is he due to return to Centauri Prime? Four to six weeks, depending on the health of the regent.
- And you'll go with him? - Where he goes, I go.
Good.
Keep an eye on him, G'Kar.
He may be our only chance to solve this thing.
But I'd rather not do it at the cost of his life.
An eye is all I have these days.
Doctor's personal journal continued.
Sent word to Earthgov to confirm the information I received the other day.
Confirmation came in this afternoon.
You know, the thing about being a doctor is you learn how to deal with all the hard questions.
This one This one is one of the hardest I've had to deal with in a long, long time.
I think I've come to a decision.
One thing's for sure I sure am going to miss this place.
In the past, we have had little to do with other races.
Evolution teaches us that we must fight that which is different in order to secure land, food, and mates for ourselves.
But we must reach a point where the nobility of intellect asserts itself and says no.
We need not be afraid of those who are different.
We can embrace that difference and learn from it.
Most Holy There is no "Most Holy" here, there is only me.
- What is it? - I understand what you are saying but in the book of G'Kar it says that the Centauri cannot be trusted.
- When was that written in the book? - In the beginning.
Exactly.
Over time, I learned, as you will learn.
The book of G'Kar is holy.
If it was written under the direct inspiration of the universe as everyone believes then the whole of it must be true.
How then can you go against it? Show me the passage in the book.
Good.
Good, now put your face in the book.
Well, if the book is holy, and I am holy then I must help you become closer to the thoughts of the universe.
Put your face in the book.
The first thing we are all taught is that while outsiders cannot be trusted we can always trust a fellow Narn, yes? This is your point, is it not? Good.
Then put your face in the book.
There's lesson number one.
Oh, Stephen.
I'm sorry, come in.
We missed you at the meeting last night.
Well, yeah, I I had some things I had to think about.
Now that I've come to a decision, I wanted you to be the first to know.
Know what? I I got a call from Dr.
Benjamin Kyle, head of xenobiological research at Earth Dome.
We've crossed paths here and there over the years and he was even loaned out to B5 for a while when the place first went online to troubleshoot the alien sector and work out the life-support systems, analyze the Anyway I have a lot of respect for his work, and he has a lot for mine.
Well, he's retiring at the end of the year.
That'll be a loss.
I am familiar with some of his work.
He's brilliant.
Be a hard act to follow.
Yes, he is.
And yes, he will be which is why I had to think long and hard when he asked me to take over for him.
I thought you were compiling data on alien disease transmission for Delenn and the Alliance.
I am.
And if anything, this will make it easier.
Earth Dome has a hell of a lot more resources than we've got here.
And I'd have a huge staff, and with the Alliance giving me the authority to go where I need to put this information together in a lot of ways, it's a match made in heaven.
On the other hand, it does mean I'd have to leave here.
Leave all the friends that I've made here.
And that made it a pretty damn tough decision.
But I've decided to accept his offer.
I see.
It's not immediate.
Like I said, Dr.
Kyle will stay on until the end of the year but effective January 1, 2263 I will be the new head of xenobiological research at Earth Dome.
Well, I would be a liar if I said that I was happy to hear this.
You are a valuable member of the team.
You have saved our necks so many times, I don't even want to think about it.
And on a strictly personal level I value your friendship.
But you do have to do the right thing.
Yeah.
That's a hell of a promotion.
- Congratulations, Stephen.
- Thank you.
- Would you like me to tell Delenn? - No, no, I'll do that.
Then I'll just have to tell everyone else.
I think Garibaldi will probably take it the hardest.
Next to him, I've been here the longest of anybody from Earth.
I've got a call in to him right now.