Synopsis by Katrina Glerum (kat@midwinter.com)

An ISN Special Report.

• President Clark commited suicide last night. Cameras show the Executive Office, a sheet thrown over a body in a chair with the sign, "Traitor to Earth!" taped to the chest.

• Meanwhile, Sheridan has surrendered to Earth officials and awaits their decision on whether to charge him with a crime. Despite his current popularity, he still must justify his actions. There is a shot of Sheridan seated in a conference room filled with milling Earth Force personnel.
  

  

• Acting President Susanna Luchenko, of the Russian Consortium, announced that the legal system will prosecute those who committed crimes during Clark's term, and urged people not to take justice into their own hands.

• ISN sends its prayers to Susan Ivanova, critically wounded on Babylon 5.

Franklin is oblivious to the thrill of captaining a White Star, wishing only that the journey to B5 were already over, and afraid what he'll find when he catches up with Marcus.

But it's already too late. Two medics enter the infirmary and discover Marcus' still form slumped over Ivanova's braced and bandaged body, both of them plugged into the alien healing/execution device. When Franklin arrives, he is immediately escorted to Ivanova, the medic explaining on the way that Ivanova seems to be "cured" but Marcus was dead when they found him.

Ivanova is anything but happy to be alive though. She is curled up in a medical gown on the floor next to a window where a sheet-covered body can be seen inside. She hears someone approach and shouts at him to go away.

"Susan, it's me," Franklin says quietly, and sits down next to her.

Rocking herself and weeping, Susan rails at Marcus for doing this, for hacking through codes to find out about the device, for breaking all the rules, and for never asking for anything. For sacrificing himself for her, for taking himself from her, and for taking away the chance that she could love him back. When she was resigning herself to her death she heard someone say, "I love you," and wondered, "Is that God?" Instead of drifting away however, she was dragged back into her body, and then realized that Marcus was dying beside her, even as her life began to beat more strongly. Incapacitated, she couldn't do a thing to prevent it.

After so many bad relationships, she was afraid of loving and being hurt again, but she should have done it anyway, or at least "boffed him once." When Stephen remarks that "that's one way to deal with unrequited love," she replies, "All love is unrequited, Stephen. All of it," and buries her head in his shoulder.

Striding impatiently in a docking bay, G'Kar chides Londo for being late.

"You're early," Londo returns.

When G'Kar objects that he is "never premature," Londo retaliates, "That's not what I hear," allowing however that two minutes may well be prodigious for a Narn. At this moment, Vir hustles up nervously with something urgent and secret to tell the Ambassador. Londo magnanimously offers to give G'Kar pointers on his problem, and as G'Kar strides off in a huff, Londo comments that they are "developing a strange relationship. At times I find I rather enjoy it."

It appears that the Regent is ill and not expected to live much longer. The Centauri government has requested Londo to return home to lead them. When Mollari's expression remains annoyed, Vir explains, "You're going to be Emperor, Londo! Isn't that wonderful?" Vir has no way of knowing that Londo has dreaded this day more than anticipated it.

Awaiting his fate in Earth Dome, Sheridan has an unwelcome visitor. Bester begins by denying everything about using Garibaldi, William Edgars and a telepath virus, but admits that the wise course of action would be to destroy such a virus while keeping the antidote--just in case. Of course, he gloats, for a mental scan confirming Garibaldi's story to be valid in court, the telepath would have to be a member of Psi Corps.

Sheridan smiles and replies, "You really think you've got it all covered, don't you."

Bester can't contain his real reason for coming any longer. He wants to know whether his lover, Carolyn, was one of the telepaths used to disable the destroyers in the final battle at Mars. If she was, Bester threatens, Sheridan won't leave the room alive.

The captain scoffs, "Death. Been there, done that." Using the telepaths as weapons was the hardest decision he ever made, he claims. Only thirty, single telepaths without families were chosen out of a hundred. Making the Psi Cop agonize just a little bit longer, because Carolyn was single and had no family, Sheridan shouts, "I know what it's like to lose someone, just to find her and lose her again," and he wouldn't even wish it on Bester. Carolyn is still on the station and can be transferred to Earth as soon as it's safe.

Bester's bluster drops and he sits weakly. "Thank you," he says.

Sheridan's disgust doesn't waver. He continues that he knows that with Clark out of power, Bester will have to regroup, but he won't stop trying to take over the government. But Sheridan will be watching. And when Bester starts a war between the telepaths and the normals someday, he'll lose.

Stung, Bester replies, "We'll see."

Before he leaves, Sheridan reminds him not to rest too easy because Garibaldi will be coming after him. Bester dismisses this, but Sheridan assures him that whatever Garibaldi does, "it will be creative, colorful, and extremely unpleasant."

Garibaldi smashes a fat little man's face into a wall. "Where is she?" he asks, meaning Lise. The man denies all knowledge. Garibaldi flings him into another wall and explains the situation more clearly.

Londo and G'Kar find Delenn musing silently. She congratulates Londo on his promotion and he barks, "You've heard that already?"

"There is little that does not reach me these days."

Before the representatives from the non-aligned worlds arrive, she wants them to read a proposal, because their support will be critical. After a glance, G'Kar asks if she is sure she wants to do this. Londo reads it and begins laughing. Nonplussed, Delenn says it isn't funny. Londo chortles that being in the "presence of living history...makes you giddy." When the others arrive, he tells them that he hopes they "have all brought a change of underwear. You will need it after you read this."

Sheridan's patience with being cooped up is exhausted about the same time it is decided what to do with him. President Luchenko explains that the debate was between whether to give him the Medal of Honor or shoot him, or both. She criticizes his "inconvenient" military action and political naivete, but offers that in exchange for amnesty for his crew and allies, he must resign from Earth Force. If he refuses, he will be court martialed. Sheridan asks for the amnesty in writing and agrees to resign.

A man enters a warehouse on Mars. A big guy asks him, "How much do they want for her alive?" They jump at a knock at the door. There's a colorful package outside. They open it; it explodes and Rangers drop down from the rafters as Garibaldi and more Rangers break in the door. Running through building, Garibaldi calls, "Lise!" until there is a muffled reply from behind a door. He breaks her out and they fall into each other's arms.

Approaching Earth, Delenn is in a reverie because the Council has approved her proposal. "They will talk about this day for a hundred years." Lennier says he wishes Marcus were here, and then asks with emotion in his voice if Delenn heard Ivanova's comment about love being unrequited. Delenn looks deeply at Lennier, touches his face and tells him, "She's wrong, of course."

ISN carries the news conference live. The President graciously introduces Sheridan and declares that all sides in the recent war fought for Earth. Explaining it as a conflict between love of Earth and love of duty, Sheridan announces his resignation in the hopes that the wounds can heal quickly.

Then G'Kar rises to announce that the League of Nonaligned Worlds is now dissolved, and there is a new Alliance instead. Delenn in turn explains that Earth is being offered a chance to join in an economic and political pact. She describes the common authority that all members have agreed to recognize. The mission of the Rangers, she explains, is to protect borders but not participate in wars, to create the peace, but not enforce it. As she speaks, the room shakes as dozens of White Stars jump into the sky above. From now on, all member races may contribute to the Ranger ranks, she adds.

In a private meeting, President Luchenko asks for something more concrete than "peace" to convince realists to enter the pact. Delenn casually offers artificial gravity. Luchenko takes the bait and asks who will be in authority over the new alliance. Delenn explains that they have a board, indicating herself, Londo and G'Kar, but they also have an elected President as well.

The President has his feet on the table when an Earth Force General bursts in demanding to know where the letter of amnesty is. Copies have already been given to the reporters, Sheridan replies smugly. As they leave the room, Delenn appears at the end of the corridor with someone to see him. It's his father, free and healthy. They embrace and then Sheridan Sr. reaches out to Delenn, delighted to welcome her into the family.

ISN reports that Earth has agreed to enter the Interstellar Alliance. At the press gathering, President Sheridan states that as part of the agreement all member states must recognize the sovereign rights of colony worlds, and thus, Mars will be granted independence.

Watching this in bed, Garibaldi and Lise try to put off figuring out what they are going to do next, but marriage seems to be in the plans.

Ivanova has been promoted to Captain and has accepted command of a new Warlock class warship for a yearlong shake-down cruise, ISN continues.

Sheridan and Delenn were married in a private ceremony on board White Star 2 while heading back to Babylon 5, the report concludes.

Londo shuts the news off. As G'Kar picks rice off his jacket and pops it in his mouth, Londo tells him to cut it out. If it were any good would they be throwing it at people? He muses that he'd sure like to see the newlyweds now. G'Kar looks distracted, and peering at him Londo demands to know where his artificial eye is. It's sitting innocuously on a table, aimed at the honeymoon bed.

Last update: June 10, 2018