Airdate: May 12, 1997
Episode # : 79
Production # : 413
Guest stars: John Vickery as Neroon, Ron Campbell as Drazi Ambassador, Chard Haywood as Religious # 2 and Guy Siner as Religious # 1.
TEASER
Babylon 5
Sheridan thinks to himself in the mess hall. Marcus and the rest of the command staff enter the mess hall with their breakfast. Sheridan keeps to himself as the group discusses the problem of getting the League to join up against the remaining enemies like the Drakh. Sheridan laughs to himself, slaps the table and finally yells:
Sheridan: "That's it! I've got it!
Sheridan orders Marcus to take 3 White Star class ships to sector 83 and await further orders. With no explanation, he says:
Sheridan: "Trust me, this is going to be great!!"
Franklin: [after Sheridan leaves] "If this is what he's like after Delenn has been gone for 3 days, I don't even want to know what he's going to be like after another week."
Hyperspace
White Star class ships travel to Minbar. Lennier reports to Delenn that he has been unable to contact Minbar using their primary communications beacon, but has been able to pick up certain local broadcasts. He says that fighting has broken out in the capital city.
White Star
Delenn looks at pictures of Minbar's capital. Lennier enters and sits with her. She tells about how her father would carry her through the city on his shoulders. She cries as she tells how that Grey Council's name was spoken with respect and reverence, and says she thinks it to be her fault that war has broken out.
Lennier: "Valen always said that the Grey Council would be broken during the Great Shadow War."
Delenn: "Lennier, you know the truth as I do. Valen only knew what Sinclair knew. He couldn't see beyond that. When he left us, the future became fluid. "
Lennier says that the Gre Council held Minbari civilization together, but that it only hid prejudices, could not erase them. He reports that they will rendezvous with Neroon's ship soon, and leaves.
Babylon 5
In Londo's quarters, Sheridan asks Londo to deny the presence of the White Star fleet patrolling the Centauri border, although they will remain there. Londo can't fathom why Sheridan wants him to do so; Sheridan is working on a "Need-To-Know" basis today, and Londo doesn't need to know.
Space
White Star vessels dock with Neroon's ship. Delenn wastes no time in saying that she must speak privately with Neroon. Leaving behind an uneasy group of Warrior and Religious Caste members, they exit. The Religious Caste members question Lennier about Delenn's motives, but he only replies that she will do what is best for the Caste. They insist that they have heard rumors regarding that Delenn will surrender to the Warrior Caste.
Delenn and Neroon discuss the situation. Delenn asks Neroon for help, although he questions why she should trust him. Delenn says only that he is an honorable Minbari. She says that neither the Warrior nor the Religious Caste must win the civil war, because the balance of the castes would be destroyed. Neroon says that if they had joined together a few months ago, it may have been possible, but now Minbar is a "world gone mad." Delenn says that she must have his help. Neroon says he risks alienating himself from his caste, but Delenn says that she takes the same risk.
Delenn: "Well, it's a challenge, and I have always liked challenges. You have my support for now."
Minbar
The capital city is on fire and is burning to the ground. People everywhere are panicked and running away.
Babylon5
The Draze ambassador confronts Sheridan. He says that Drazi ships spotted White Star class ships along the Centauri border. Sheridan brilliantly beats around the bush just enough to scare the Drazi ambassador.
Ivanova watches as Sheridan speaks with Marcus. Sheridan orders Marcus to destroy several asteroids and then return to Babylon 5. Sheridan won't explain his motives, just says to do it. Having instructed Marcus, Sheridan needs to stop by Medlab.
In Londo's quarters, the Drazi ambassador questions Londo about the White Stars that are patrolling Centuari space. Londo refuses to answer any questions and flatly denies the presence of the White Star class ships. The Drazi leaves and meets with other League ambassadors. They all agree that something is being held back, but they don't know what. Franklin conveniently enters and casually requests blood supplies for each of the races:
Franklin: "In case of a crisis, or an attack. Anyway, I'll see you later. . . probably"
Franklin's statement about an attack rattles the ambassadors.Drazi: "This is very bad. Come."
The ambassadors follow after the Drazi ambassador.
Minbari Cruiser
Religious Caste members confer. They speculate that Delenn is going to surrender to the Warrior Caste. They agree that moving against her is not an option, but they must prevent her from "surrendering."
Minbari: "For the good of everyone, we must lay down our lives. This ship must not be allowed to reach home."
Minbari Cruiser
A religious caste member smuggles an object into a meeting area. In it is fuel residue, which, when released into the life support system, will poison the air and kill everyone aboard in a matter of a few minutes, leaving only the mystery of what happened behind. They leave. Lennier enters, looks suspicious.
Babylon 5
In the War Room, Ivanova prepares to broadcast the Voice of the Resistance. Sheridan enters, loiters around for a few, and then asks her to make a casual announcement stating that "nothing unusual" has happened in sector 83x9x12. He says it's true, but he wants her to mention it, presumably to rattle the League ambassadors a little. She goes on the air--
Zocalo
The League ambassadors watch the broadcast. They say that White Star ships destroyed something in sector 83, but they can't be sure of what. The only thing in sector 83 were asteroids, and "White Stars don't fire upon asteroids." They think that there is a new enemy, one with the capability of cloaking themselves. Paranoid, the Brakiri ambassador thinks the invisible enemy is on board the station.
Drazi: "We have the same right to protection as the Centauri. We cannot stand for this discrimination in the face of grave danger!"
Minbari Cruiser
Neroon meets with a Warrior Caste member. He orders the warrior to bring Delenn to him: he has questions he wants answered. As Neroon turns around, the warrior extends his fighting pike and hits Neroon on the head with it.
The alarm sounds, and Religious Caste members rush to the room where Neroon is. Neroos is alright; the blow wasn't severe. Delenn sends Neroon to "sickbay" to rest, and sends the warrior who struck Neroon to a cell. She complains that the Warrior Caste is so erratic that they move against one anoher. She tells her Religious Caste "friends" that the balance of power must be kept, and no caste must be dominant. The Religious Caste members are literally shocked by her statement, having misinterpreted her decision to make peace.
Delenn: "Only the Warrior Caste would turn on one of its own. They have always been erratic. But you, you are the steady rock beneath my feet. Thank you."
The Religious Caste members are panicked, having already set the poison gas to enter the atmosphere, and there's not enough time to stop it.
Lennier climbs through an air duct and stops the gas flow. Coughing, he barely makes it out of the duct, before collapsing into the arms of Religious Caste conspirators who are rushing to remove the gas.
Lennier: "Have we fallen so far that we cannot trust ourselves?"
Minbari Cruiser
Neroon visits Delenn, informs her that Lennier is unwell. The doctors say Lennier was exposed to fuel residue, but they don't know how. Delenn is very upset about Lennier's condition. When Neroon inquires about her concern for him, she replies that Lennier is the light before her footsteps, and without him, she would stumble and fall and never get up again. Neroon then thanks Delenn for her hospitality and apologizes for his presence; he knows his presence makes everyone uncomfortable. Also, he apologizes for misjuding her: Neroon used to think that Delenn was a selfish person with only personal political ambition.
Babylon 5
The League of Non-Aligned Worlds prepares to meet with the Captain. Before the Captain shows up, they argue over whether or not they should grill him about the White Stars. They decide to withold their "knowledge" in order to gain advantage over Sheridan. Sheridan enters, and the League asks him that they want White Star ships to patrol their borders to protect them from "raiders and Drakh." Sheridan balks for a while, tries to beat around the bush, but the ambassadors finally "sway" him over to agreeing to order the White Stars to patrol the borders. Sheridan leaves."
Sheridan enters an elevator tube, and when the door closes, yells "YESSSSSS!!!!"
Minbari Cruiser
Lennier is recovering on one of those "comfortable" slanted beds. Delenn enters with her group of Religious Caste friends. He had to have a part of his lung removed, but will be alright. When asked what he did, Lennier tells Delenn that he smelled a discharge and knew it would kill everyone unless something was done. Lennier says it wasn't sabotage. After Delenn leaves, the Religious Caste members ask him why he didn't tell her the whole truth.
Lennier: "If I told her the whole truth, it would have destroyed her belief in the strength and wisdom of our caste. Delenn does not walk in the same world you and I walk in. She does not see the same world that you and I see. In her world, we are better than we are, we care more than we care, we act towards each other with compassion. I much prefer her world to that of my own and I will not allow anything to threaten that."
Minbari: "Thank you Lennier, I understand."
Lennier: "Do not thank me. I did it for her, not for you. In the future I would suggest you try and see the world through her eyes. It might lead you to make fewer fatal mistakes. Now go away."
Babylon 5
Sheridan watches Ivanova's broadcast. When she reports of civil war on Minbar, Sheridan becomes very concerned.
Ivanova: If anyone from Minbar is monitoring this broadcast, we send them our best wishes and hope that they get through this safely."
Minbari Cruiser
Lennier rests in his slanted bed. Neroon walks past. Lennier discreetly follows him, sees Neroon leave the ship. Lennier knows what Neroon is doing. Lennier wakes Delenn, informs her that Neroon is gone.
Neroon's Flyer
Neroon: "The mission has been successful. I have access to their plans to counterattack our forces in the capital city. They can be stopped, and stopped easily. The Religious Caste is divided, their support weak. It is as you said, Shakiri, they do not have the stomach for a prolonged conflict. Tell our ships to stand by, victory will be ours within a week."
Neroon's ship enters the jumpgate, jumps to hyperspace.
