Airdate: February 4, 1998 Written by J. Michael Straczynski Directed by Mike Vejar Episode #: 91 Production #: 504
Guest stars: Atkin Downes as Byron.
President Sheridan persuades the former League of Non-Aligned Worlds to sign the Declaration of Principles for the Alliance. Byron helps to uncover a secret conspiracy.
Babylon 5
President Sheridan and Mr. Garibaldi discuss the situation regarding the former League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Sheridan is convinced that he can diplomatically persuade them to sign G'kar's Declaration of Principles for the Interstellar Alliance, but Garibaldi tries to explain to Sheridan that sometimes, a little bit of force is necessary.
Sheridan: "And that's exactly the problem. We have to get them to think in other terms."
Garibaldi agrees that eventually, diplomacy will be a good thing, but first, Sheridan has to get everyone to respect him and his presidency. Then, he can use diplomacy and compromise.
Garibaldi: "I'm not trying to tell you how to run your empire, but this Alliance of yours is still an infant. And it's going to survive or fall, depending on what you do in the next 6 months."
Garibaldi says that sooner or later, Sheridan will have to use force, so he may as well accept it. Garibaldi has several other things to say to Sheridan, but he decides to wait because it will probably depress Sheridan.
Imphili homeworld
A group of people hide in a shelter from the environment of their world. A man rushes into the room, excited. He awakes a friend and informs him that a Ranger has come to listen to their tale of misery, and then bring help from the Interstellar Alliance.
Imphili: "He will take our story back to the Interstellar Alliance, to Babylon 5. They will come and free us. They will save us. They have to. We have no one else."
Babylon 5 Council Chambers
Sheridan, Delenn, G'kar and Londo discuss several matters concerning the Alliance. Garibaldi impatinetly waits for them to conclude what they are doing. Sheridan and Delenn discuss food shortages that some of the less advanced worlds are having. G'kar is working on the Declaration of Principles and is completely impervious to everything that is going on around him. Londo is annoyed that no one is paying attention to him. Delenn says that in order to get the Pak'ma'rah to sign the Declaration of Principles, the Alliance will need to give them something in return.
Londo: "How about my body? Another ten minutes of this, and I'll be dead anyway."
G'kar: "I second the motion."
Sheridan tries to ask G'kar a question, but G'kar suddenly has an idea for the Declaration.
G'kar: "Just a moment. I am having a muse."
While everyone is busy with their own paperwork, Sheridan allows Garibaldi to say what he wants to say.
Garibaldi reminds Sheridan about the rogue telepaths who saved his life. He says that while the reports that the Rangers are providing are thorough, they can be better. Garibaldi believes that the telepaths would be a great source of information that the Rangers cannot get.
Sheridan: "There are rules against that, Michael."
Garibaldi: "Yeah, Psi-Corps rules. Besides, the rules apply only to human telepaths. Every race, except ours and the Narns use teeps for military or intelligence purposes. And the only reason the Narns don't use them is because they don't have any naturally born telepaths."
Garibaldi doesn't like telepaths, but he does see them as a vital advantage. Sheridan isn't particularly fond of the idea, but he reluctantly allows Garibaldi to set up a meeting with the telepaths. However, Sheridan informs Garibaldi not to commit the Alliance to anything yet.
Brown Sector
Garibaldi finds the telepath colony and attempts to find Byron.
Garibaldi: "I'm looking for a guy named Byron. He's kind of in charge around here."
The teeps just stand around and ignore Michael. He knocks one of them around a bit, and then starts again.
Garibaldi: "I'm here on behalf of President Sheridan. You know, the guy who lets you live here, eat here, do whatever here. You know, if you don't help me out here, I'm going to have to tell him that you're being downright unfriendly."
The telepaths look at each other, and then Byron comes suddenly out from behind a wall.
Garibaldi: "Good afternoon. My name is Michael Garibaldi. . . "
Byron: "Yes, it is. And the answer is no."
Garibaldi: "Wait a second, you didn't here what I had to say."
Byron: "Yes, I did. I heard your proposition. I heard what you thought I would probably say, and I heard to counter arguments you plan to use."
Garibaldi: "You're not big on privacy, are you?"
Byron tells Garibaldi about the things a telepath has to do to keep from reading someone else's mind.
Byron: "I didn't need to scan you, Mr. Garibaldi. Even if I did, you're asking me to do the same thing to other people, so you do not exactly have the moral high ground."
Garibaldi: "You said you wanted to work to earn your keep."
Byron: "We did. We do. We will do whatever is required to survive. Good day, Mr. Garibaldi."
Garibaldi leaves, but is unhappy with the situation.
C & C
The jumpgate activates and White Star 90 comes through. It is badly damaged and is spinning out of control. The pilot is still alive, but he is badly hurt.
Medlab
Franklin administers emergency procedures, but the Ranger is trying to warn him of some imminent danger. He nearly passes out.
Medlab
Delenn and Dr. Franklin observe the unconscious Ranger.
Delenn: "Can you do anything for him, Stephen? Anything at all?"
Franklin: "I've done everything I can, Delenn. His ship was shot to hell. He's lucky to have gotten out of there in one piece. At most he has a few hours."
Delenn wants a telepath to find out who shot the Ranger's ship. She believes that if they cannot find out who is responsible for his (impending) death, then his death will be meaningless and the killer will escape justice.
Lyta enters Medlab and performs a scan of the Ranger. She sees the Imphili leader asking the Ranger for help. He says that their homeworld has many natural resources. It is rich in minerals. They have never told anyone because they do not have the abilities to defend themselves. Twice a year, raiders come to their world and strip them of their resources. He says that his people wish to join the Alliance. He promises to freely allow the Alliance to use the resources of the planet to aid their casue. In 12 days, the raiders will come to decimate their world. If the fleet comes before that time, the Imphili will live. Otherwise, they will be destroyed.
As the image fades, the Medlab reappears around Lyta. She is still holding onto the Ranger's hand, but there are now two of him. The Ranger is laying on the bed, dying, but his soul is standing across from Lyta. He looks at himself on the bed. He tells Lyta that the Imphili must live. He wants his death to have meaning, so he asks Lyta to make sure that the Imphili are saved.
A passageway opens behind him, and a bright white light appears beyond it. The Ranger slowly approaches the passage and disappears into it. Lyta loses the telepathic connection.
Dr. Franklin reports that the Ranger is dead.
Sheridan's quarters
Delenn: "Lyta tells us they are called Imphili. Their homeworld is located on the edge of Drazi space."
Sheridan: "They've asked for membership in the alliance, which means getting involved in a firefight. Garibaldi was right."
Delenn: "I know, I hate it when he's right."
Sheridan and Delenn discuss the opinions of the other ambassadors about helping the Imphili. Delenn says that the Imphili have asked for the help of the Alliance, and according to the Declaration of Principles, they are obligated to help.
Sheridan wishes he knew what the Alliance is going up against. The raiders managed to total a White Star, which means they have superior firepower or numbers. Either way, the situation doesn't look good.
Sheridan: "I wish I knew how many White Stars to send out there."
Delenn: "Well, if you're going to make a point, now is as good a time as any. Send all of them."
Sheridan contacts C&C and instructs them to send the White Star fleet to a staging area close to the Imphili world.
C&C "Confirmed, what's the mission?"
Sheridan: "The new Interstellar Alliance, fresh out of its crib, before its even learned how to walk, is going to go find the neighborhood bully and pick a fight."
Drazi quarters
Sheridan speaks with the Drazi ambassador. He tells him about the mission to help the Imphili people, and asks for permission and help from the Drazi to enter their space. The ambassador agrees and offers to give any help he can. Sheridan thanks him and leaves. The ambassador also leaves and walks off. As he passes through a corridor, Byron steps out of a shadow, pauses momentarily, and continues on his way.
Zocalo
Garibaldi approaches Lyta. Lyta appears to be distressed.
Garibaldi: "Hi there. I've been looking all over for you. I've got a job for you."
Lyta: "Why, I'm fine, Mr. Garibaldi, thanks for asking."
Garibaldi apologizes, and asks if anything is wrong. Lyta tells Garibaldi about being inside the Ranger's mind at the time of his death.
Lyta: "No one is supposed to know, except for the person who's dying."
She explains what it's like to be inside someone's mind when they die. Part of the telepath's soul is always taken with the dying person at the time of death, and the teep is never whole again.
Lyta: "So yeah, I've had a day. One hell of a day. And what can I do for you, Mr. Garibaldi?"
Garibaldi explains about his plan to use telepaths as undercover agents, but Lyta balks at the idea of helping to persuade the rogue telepaths to cooperate with the Alliance.
Garibaldi pushes to try to get her to talk to the telepaths, and Lyta finally agrees.
Sheridan's quarters
Sheridan wakes up and gets out of his bed without waking Delenn. He walks into the other room and sits down briefly. The door chimes, and when he opens it, he finds a copy of G'kar's Declaration of Principles. He sits down and begins to read it. Delenn emerges from the bedroom and asks Sheridan to read it to him.
Sheridan reads the opening to the Declaration. As he VO's the Declaration, the White Star fleet approaches the staging area, and the Imphili people wait for the White Stars to save them. In Medlab, Dr. Franklin writes a letter to the parents of the dead Ranger, telling them that he served and died with honor.
Sheridan finishes reading the Declaration and he and Delenn go back to bed.
Brown Sector
Lyta approaches the telepath colony, and Byron meets her.
Byron: "You're keeping us out. You're keeping us all out. Why?"
Lyta: "I don't let anyone in anymore."
Lyta says that she is here on behalf of Mr. Garibaldi. Byron says that she is used to running other people's errands.
Byron: "Here. Sit."
Lyta walks toward a chair the Byron has pulled out, but he kicks it away before she can sit down.
Byron: "No! It was not phrased as a request. It was an order. Sit. Stand. Roll over. Bark. Always running errands for other people. Always taking orders. Good little telepath. Good lap dog. Has it occurred to you that you deserve better? "
Byron picks the chair back up, and starts again.
Byron: "Sit, please? It felt better, didn't it? It felt good to have someone do something for you for a change. That's why we're here."
Byron tells her that the telepaths have gone rogue because they don't want to be used like servants anymore.
Lyta: "They forget we're human beings, too."
Byron says that they are better than normal humans, and they shouldn't be treated as second class servants. Unless they stop the Psi-Corps, telepaths will always be used by normals and then discarded when no longer needed.
Byron: "Tell me that it matters to you that I help your friend."
Lyta: "It matters."
Byron: "Then for your sake, I will do it."
Lyta: "Thank you."
Byron: "One more thing. The first installment of my promise. I passed the Drazi ambassador shortly after he finished talking to Sheridan. He was broadcasting his thoughts quite loudly. Tell your friend that the White Stars are going into a trap. In a little while, they will all die. And all those they sought to protect, will also be dead."
Sheridan's office
Lyta tells Sheridan and Garibaldi about how the Drazi support the raiders. They provide weapons and supplies and look the other way when the raiders attack the small worlds on their borders. In return, the Drazi receive a portion of the bounty that the raiders collect.
Garibaldi cites the irony about how the Drazi, who claim to never exploit other worlds, are responsible for all of the pain and suffering that has been caused.
Lyta says that the Drazi plan to wipe out the Imphili homeworld first, and then send a massive fleet to engage and destroy the White Star fleet, in order to prevent anyone from finding out that they are responsible.
Sheridan: "Contact the fleet. Tell them not to wait for the Drazi fleet. They are to leave the rendezvous point at once and head for the Imphili homeworld. And tell them to take up defensive positions. Maximum burn, they have to reach the Imphili homeworld before the Drazi fleet arrives. You saved a lot of lives today, Lyta. Thank you."
Imphili Homeworld
As a fleet of raider ships approaches the Imphili homeworld, the Imphili people prepare to be decimated. Suddenly, a lot of jump points open and out comes the White Star fleet.
Babylon 5 Council Chambers
Sheridan: "Sorry to drag you out here in the middle of the night, but I thought you should see this. Here, come on over here. This is the Imphili homeworld. They've recently been victims of attacks by Raiders that have decimated their world. They've asked for membership in the Alliance and protection. We've asked the Drazi to provide ships to help with the defense and because the Imphili are on the ede of Drazi space. Isn't that correct, Ambassador?"
Drazi Ambassador: "Yes, but what are those dots around the planet?"
Delenn: "Those are White Stars, Ambassador."
Drazi Ambassador: "How many?"
Londo: "All of them."
Sheridan: "They've taken out the few raiders that were harassing the population and have taken up defensive positions around the planet."
Drazi Ambassador: "But they were supposed to wait at a rendezvous point. . ."
Delenn and Sheridan bait the Drazi ambassador by continually asking him what the problem is. The scene switches back and forth between the B5 council chambers and the Imphili homeworld several times. Finally, the Drazi Ambassador caves in.
Drazi Ambassador: "I need to contact my government."
Delenn: "We're in the middle of a council meeting. I'm sure it can wait until later."
G'kar: "Yes, the battle should be starting very soon now."
Drazi Ambassador: "No, I need to contact my government right now."
Sheridan: "Could it be because those are your ships coming to attack the Imphili?"
Sheridan pushes the Drazi Ambassador a little more, who finally admits to everything. He begs Sheridan to let him contact his government to turn the ships around. He says that they were on the same side during the Shadow War and they deserve mercy. Sheridan finally allows him to contact his government after he sufficiently grovels to the League ambassadors.
Sheridan: "Some of you have asked why you should have to sign a Declaration of Principles before being allowed full membership in the Alliance. What you've just seen demonstrates the point far more eloquently than I ever could."
G'kar passes out a copy of the Declaration to each of the member ambassadors. Everyone quickly signs the document, now that they have seen why. Sheridan, Delenn, G'kar and Londo are all very satisfied. Lyta approaches the door, pauses briefly, looking somewhat distressed, and then continues on her way.
Babylon 5 Council Chambers
Sheridan sits at his chair, enjoying the quiet when Delenn enters. She wonders why he hasn't put the signed documents away yet. Sheridan says that he is just enjoying the moment. It's been very difficult to get the ambassadors to sign the Declaration of Principles, and he's glad it's finally all over.
Delenn: "If you're celebrating, why aren't you smiling?"
Sheridan explains that he's been thinking about the telepath situation. They helped save his life, get the information about the Imphili from the Ranger and then save the White Star fleet from destruction. He now believes that they will be a great asset to the Alliance, and he will allow Garibaldi to use them in the intelligence division of the Alliance. G'kar enters in a hurry and takes the signed documents away from Sheridan.
Delenn: "What are you doing?"
G'kar: "We need to get everyone to sign them again."
Sheridan: "What?! Do you understand what we went through to get them signed even once?"
G'kar: "I revised it. It's better."
Sheridan picks up a copy of the revised Declaration of Principles and scans through it. He admits that it is better. G'kar finishes picking up all of the documents and rushes off. Sheridan finishes what he was saying about the telepaths to Delenn and leaves.
Brown Sector
Byron converses with some of his telepaths when Lyta walks up. He excuses himself and greets Lyta.
Lyta: "What you were saying earlier about telepaths: I think I'd like to hear a little more about your ideas"
Byron appears to be very happy, and takes Lyta's hand.
Byron: "Of course. This way. . . please?"
They walk off together into the shadows.
