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TEASER
Hostile attacks.

December 30, 2258

COUNCIL CHAMBERS

      A heated debate is underway. Our favorite antagonists stand toe to toe and duke it out verbally. Their audience consists of the Council, the three diplomatic aides, and the representatives of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds. Even Ambassador Kosh is in attendance for this one.

Ambassador Londo Mollari: These unprovoked attacks must stop!
Ambassador G'Kar: The attacks will stop when the Centauri government stops sending hostile ships across the border into Narn space!
Londo: Quadrant 37 is neutral territory! The treaty makes that perfectly clear!
G'Kar [striding back to his seat at the council table]: The Narn government no longer recognizes the treaty since it was imposed upon our people by force! [He sits.]
Londo [playing to the whole assembly]: There! You see? I told you! They can't be trusted to abide by their own agreements!
G'Kar [adopting a gentler tone]: An agreement signed under duress is no agreement at all, is it, Ambassador?
Commander Sinclair: Gentlemen, please! This is getting us nowhere. Ambassador G'Kar. Your people have operated a military base on the border of Centauri space for nearly five years without incident. Why this sudden provocation?
G'Kar: Our patrols are necessary for Narn planetary security.
Londo [escalating from angry to nasty]: Keep this up, G'Kar, and soon you won't have a planet to protect!
G'Kar [rising and trying to maintain a civil demeanor]: I'll return when this council is ready to discuss things in a civilized fashion. [He makes his exit.]
Londo [spreads his arms in a dramatic gesture of disgust]: Augh!

THE ZOCALO

      A man staggers into the Zocalo, gasping and holding his gut. Blood streams over his hands. He stumbles toward Chief Garibaldi and another security man. Garibaldi calls for medical help and catches the man as he falls. The chief knows this fellow.

Garibaldi: Petrov! Petrov, what happened?
Petrov [gasping for air]: You gotta stop 'em. They're gonna kill him.... They're gonna kill ----
Garibaldi: Gonna kill who? Petrov? Petrov!

      But Petrov is beyond answering.

MEDLAB

      While they watch the doctors work on Petrov, Garibaldi briefs Sinclair and Ivanova on his background. Petrov is a lurker who had gotten in trouble a few months back on petty theft and whom Garibaldi had helped out. Since then, Petrov has worked for Garibaldi as an informant. Garibaldi doesn't have him working on anything currently.

      Franklin comes out of the operating room to announce that Petrov has died. Garibaldi figures that he had stumbled onto something big. He doesn't know who is going to be killed, but he's going to find out.

SINCLAIR'S QUARTERS

      While Sinclair and Catherine cuddle on the sofa, an ISN newsreader reports on the President's activities.

ISN: ...after which the President and his escort left the Mars colony on a goodwill tour of the outer planet colonies. Sources close to the President have hinted that he'll give a major policy speech New Year's Day from the jump point on Io. The speech is likely to concern human-alien relations over the remainder of his five-year term. We'll continue to bring you more live updates on the five-planet goodwill tour here on the Interstellar Network News.
Sinclair [to the monitor]: Fade.
Catherine [her head on his chest while he strokes her hair]: You got any plans for New Year's Eve yet?
Sinclair [thinking of something unpleasant]: Well, assuming I'm not still up to my ears in this Narn situation --- no. No plans.
Catherine [pleased]: Good! Because I made a few arrangements.
Sinclair: Such as?
Catherine: Well, let it be a surprise, okay?
Sinclair: Sure. [Smiles] Guess that makes two of us with surprises.
Catherine: Oh? [Sits up and gazes into his eyes. But he leans forward and gets up.]
Sinclair: I was thinking the other day, uh... Twelve, almost fifteen years. That's a long time to know someone. [He carries two glasses over to the kitchenette.] I mean, sure, we got together, split up, got together again...
Catherine: Yes, it's been quite a pony ride.
Sinclair [chuckles]: But even through the worst of it --- the fights, the years apart --- I never stopped thinking about you, never stopped loving you. I didn't know why, sometimes. I tried my best not to care, but it never went away. And this time, I think we finally got it right. So, now with the New Year coming, I've been going over it in my head, and... [While he tries to get the next words lined up in the right order, Catherine smiles knowingly. The words spill out in a rush.] Look, do you want to get married or don't you?
Catherine: Yes!
Sinclair [grinning like a fool and trying to figure out what comes next]: Well, good! [He turns away and starts to make coffee.] How's April by you?
Catherine: July is better. [She gets up and comes to him.]
Sinclair: All right. You want coffee?
Catherine [right behind him]: No. [He turns around and they kiss, long and hard.]

LONDO'S QUARTERS

      Londo is feeling sorry for himself. He asks Vir how many of the fifty Centauri gods he must have offended "to have ended up with G'Kar's teeth so deeply buried in my throat that I can hardly breathe?" All of them, Vir supposes. "Sounds right," Londo concedes. His government has given Londo the humiliating task of going back to the council and giving Quadrant 37 to the Narns as a goodwill gesture.

Londo: I think I'll stick my head in the station's fusion reactor. It would be quicker, and I suspect after a while I might even come to enjoy it. [He paces the floor.] But this! This is like being nibbled to death by, uh... Augh! What are those Earth creatures called? Feathers, long bill, webbed feet, go quack?
Vir: Cats.
Londo: Cats! Like being nibbled to death by cats!

      The monitor on Vir's desk rings an incoming call. Vir answers it.

Vir: Yes?
A Distinctive Voice: Ambassador Mollari, please.
Vir: I'm sorry, he's very busy. Perhaps I can take a message.
Londo [recognizing the voice (Signs and Portents), he comes to the monitor]: Wait, Vir, let me see! [He sees a familiar face.] Yes, I thought it was you!
Morden: I trust the Eye is still safe.
Londo: Yes, with your help! What is it?
Morden: You have a problem, Ambassador. I believe I can help and I think we should meet. In the park, in say, an hour?
Londo: I'll be there. Oh, one more thing --- I never caught your name.
Morden: Morden. See you in an hour. [Signs off.]
Vir: Who was that?
Londo: Someone who did me a great favor. More than that, you don't need to know. You can go, Vir.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Delenn is working intently with the crystal construction (Signs and Portents, Legacies). Physically, her attention seems to be completely on the work she's doing, but she is also questioning her aide.

Delenn: Did you see Ambassador Kosh?
Lennier: I did.
Delenn: Did you relay my question precisely, word for word?
Lennier: I did.
Delenn: His reaction?
Lennier: Just one word. He said, "Yes." [She stops working and looks at Lennier for the first time. It is apparent from her tense expression that something extremely serious is afoot.]
Delenn: Wait for me. [She exits hurriedly.]

DOWN BELOW

      Garibaldi walks through Down Below, looking for anyone who knew Petrov. But the lurkers are uncooperative. As one woman tells him, life is cheap in Down Below, and the only time anyone cares is "when one of your weasels gets it." But one man invites him inside his squatter's hut. He tells Garibaldi what he needs to know --- that a man named Devereaux was hiring lurkers to load goods onto ships --- goods that he didn't want regular guild workers handling --- and that Petrov had found out something that scared him badly. Devereaux hangs out in the casino.

THE PARK --- A HEDGE MAZE

      Londo meets Mr. Morden.

Morden: Ambassador.
Londo: Mr. Morden! You never gave me a chance to thank you after you rescued the Eye from those triple-damned raiders!
Morden [as ever, unfailingly pleasant and polite]: Unnecessary! I'm here to be of service, Ambassador. My associates believe that you're a person of great potential, trapped in a position where your skills are unseen and unappreciated. They'd like to change that.
Londo [disappointed]: Yes. I've heard this before. And I have stopped listening. There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. Then you accept it. Or, you kill yourself. Or, you stop looking into mirrors. No, nothing can be changed.
Morden: Then nothing's lost by trying. You have a problem, Ambassador Mollari. Quadrant 37? We can fix it for you, if you let us.
Londo: A heavily guarded Narn military outpost, and you and your associates are going to fix it? [Laughing in disbelief] For me? [Laughs longer and louder] You have a very peculiar sense of humor!
Morden: Yes, I do. Tell your government that you will personally take care of Quadrant 37.
Londo: They think that I am drunk --- or insane!
Morden: Perhaps.
Londo: And you don't want credit for this --- grand endeavor?
Morden: No! We're simply here to help. Good day, Ambassador!
Londo: Mr. Morden! If I may ask, what is the price for this help?
Morden: No price, Ambassador. But at some point in the future, if we deliver on our promises, we may come to you and ask you for a favor. That's all.

KOSH'S QUARTERS

      Delenn's urgent errand has brought her to Ambassador Kosh. She does not wear a breather into his quarters, but holds one in her hand and takes only infrequent breaths from it - perhaps an indication of Minbari hardiness. She bows deeply to the Vorlon.

Delenn: I have come, as I said I would. Kosh, I have great doubts. I must know if it's true. I must see with my own eyes.

      In reply, Kosh's headpiece floats upward and it seems to float upon a shaft of blue light streaming upward through the opening in his encounter suit. As the camera shifts to Delenn's face, the light illuminates the room and a noise like the flapping of great wings is heard. Delenn's face is no longer doubtful or fearful. Instead, it radiates supreme confidence.

Delenn: Thank you. Now I will keep the promise. Goodbye. You will not see me again as I am now.

      With another bow, she takes her leave.

THE CASINO

      Garibaldi finds Devereaux playing cards with two associates. The chief's request for information about Petrov seems reasonable enough, but the man reacts with colossal insolence, telling Garibaldi to his face that he has no idea what he's getting himself into. But when the chief insists on taking them in to the stationhouse, they go quietly, if with a surly demeanor.

LONDO'S QUARTERS

      Londo returns from his meeting in the park. Vir is waiting. Centauri Prime wants confirmation that Londo has delivered their decision to the council. Vir asks Londo whether he's done it. Londo astonishes Vir with his reply.

Londo: No. No, I haven't. And I'm not going to.
Vir [thinking Londo is joking]: Ah! That should go over well!
Londo: Send a reply to Homeworld. Tell them --- tell them that I will personally take care of the problem in Quadrant 37.
Vir: All right, I'll --- what?!!
Londo: Is there something wrong with your hearing?
Vir: No! It's just for a moment I thought I had entered an alternate universe! Ambassador, are you sure you're feeling all right?
Londo: Vir, I am quite sober. Send the message.

      While Vir places the call, Londo pours himself a drink. And then he pours the liquor back into the bottle.

G'KAR'S QUARTERS

      Sitting at the desk, Na'Toth admits a visitor --- Commander Sinclair. She admonishes him that it's late. He realizes that, but he wants to make one more try at solving the Quadrant 37 impasse. She tells him that the Ambassador is resting, fatigued by his heavy schedule.

      At that moment, the curtains to G'Kar's bedroom open and three young human females in harem costumes walk out --- a black, a blonde, and a brunette. Without a word, they leave the quarters. Trying hard to cover her embarrassment, Na'Toth announces that the Ambassador can see him now. She retreats from the quarters herself.

      G'Kar appears, wearing a white robe and in an understandably good mood. But even so, he's not receptive to Sinclair's overtures.

G'Kar: Ah, Sinclair, what a joy to see you again! What can I do for you?
Sinclair: You can start by giving the Centauri some room to maneuver.
G'Kar [pouring a drink]: Aha, back to that again, are we? As far as I am concerned, this is a dead issue. We have to keep pushing forward!
Sinclair: G'Kar, you once told me (Midnight on the Firing Line) that before the Centauri came, Narn was an agrarian world, a peaceful world. In order to be free, you had to learn to fight. No one questions that, but you've overcompensated. You're like abused children who've grown big enough to do the same to someone else, as if that will somehow balance the scales. It won't. If you let your anger cloud your judgment, it'll destroy you!
G'Kar [now looking doubtful, as if Sinclair's arguments are touching something inside him]: We know what we're doing. Anything else, Commander?
Sinclair: Just that I've had this feeling lately that we're standing at a crossroads. And I don't like where we're going. But there's still time to choose another path. You can be part of that process, G'Kar. Choose wisely, not just for the Centauri, but for the good of your own people as well.
G'Kar [still more uncertain]: We all do what we have to. It's late. Please go now.

THE FRESH AIR

      All dressed to the nines, Sinclair and Catherine are having dinner with Garibaldi and Ivanova. The latter two are wondering what the occasion is, and they don't have to wait long to find out. The happy couple begin by asking their friends to serve as best man and maid of honor. The congratulations are cut short by a link call to Garibaldi. It seems that Devereaux and his associates have simply vanished from the brig.

      Before he goes, Garibaldi shares a tidbit about Devereaux. The PPG he'd been carrying had no serial number. It's not that it had been erased - it was never there. And only special agents in Earthforce Security get that kind of gun. Devereaux's name wasn't on file. And now he's gone. Garibaldi has a bad feeling.

QUADRANT 37 --- NARN MILITARY OUTPOST

      Orbiting a planet, several heavy cruisers are docked to a small hub and to one another in a star pattern. Fighters patrol the area. One of the fighters suddenly finds a shimmering patch of blackness ahead of him, set against the blackness of space. As the thing firms up into an enormous spider shape (Signs and Portents), it roars forth a lambent beam of energy that obliterates the fighter as thoroughly as if it had never existed. In mere seconds, it and a second spider annihilate all of the fighters, the cruisers, the base station, and everything on the ground. With nothing left behind to tell the tale, the strange vessels ripple out of space and vanish.

COMMAND & CONTROL

      The dome is darkened as Ivanova and a lone tech stand watch, with no shipping activity due for hours. They turn on the ISN feed and hear that the Vice President has left Earthforce 1 complaining of a viral infection.

A DOCKING BAY

      Garibaldi is opening some shipping containers when Jack, his second, walks in. Garibaldi is mildly surprised, since Jack is supposed to be standing by in the stationhouse, waiting for typical New Year's Eve problems. But Jack says everything's quiet and he thought he could help.

      Garibaldi has had a bit of luck. One of the ships Devereaux had loaded cargo onto was delayed by engine trouble. He's taking a look at the cargo. The manifest says the cargo is medical supplies, but what he finds are small transmitters designed to broadcast static and a device that would help find the best locations for the transmitters in order to jam communications. He finds that one of the transmitters is set for the Gold Channel frequency used by Earthforce One. And the other device has the coordinates of a point near Io programmed into it. Garibaldi suddenly realizes who the target is and links to Sinclair, declaring an emergency, but unwilling to say what it is over the link. He heads for the briefing room, telling Jack to stand guard over the cargo.

      As soon as Garibaldi is out of sight, Jack makes a call on his own link. "This is Blue Alpha. Stand by."

A DESERTED CORRIDOR

      Garibaldi finds his path blocked by Devereaux and friends. Garibaldi draws his gun, but Devereaux shows no concern.

Devereaux [sneering]: I told you not to poke around in things that are too big for you.
Garibaldi: Yeah, well, it's a little late for that. Now up against the wall!
Devereaux: I think not.

      Garibaldi starts to step forward. He falls to the deck, shot from behind. As he falls, his attacker is revealed --- Jack! Devereaux and his men leave the area while Jack removes Garibaldi's link and weapon.

SINCLAIR'S QUARTERS

      Sinclair enters his quarters on the off chance that he'd misunderstood Garibaldi about the meeting location. No one has seen or heard from him since his emergency call. He checks in with Ivanova in C&C, and then his door chime rings. With relief, he opens the door.

Sinclair: Michael, where the hell... [But his visitor is Delenn.]
Delenn [enters with a grave look on her face]: Hello, Commander. [She holds up the triluminary.] I believe you recognize this. [He flashes back to his captivity on the Minbari cruiser (And The Sky Full Of Stars) and remembers the gray-hooded Minbari who held the device up to him then.]
Sinclair: Yes.
Delenn: You remember what happened at the Battle of the Line, don't you? You remember being taken aboard our ship.
Sinclair: Only a little. Fragments, images. I don't know what it all means.
Delenn: I suspected as much. We have a lot to discuss, Commander. By coming to you, I am putting both our lives at risk. But there are things you should know.
Sinclair [frustrated]: This isn't a good --- We can't find Garibaldi.
Delenn: I understand. Come to my quarters and I'll tell you as much as I can. But don't wait too long, Commander. Certain things have been set in motion, and I do not have much time.

THE DARKENED CORRIDOR

      Garibaldi crawls, painfully inching his way toward a transport tube.

G'KAR'S QUARTERS

      Na'Toth lets herself in and finds G'Kar sleeping at his desk, still in his robe. She wakes him with terrible news --- the base in Quadrant 37 is gone. A ship sent to investigate found complete destruction of everything and everyone that had been there.

G'Kar: How... The outpost records?
Na'Toth: Destroyed.
G'Kar: Survivors?
Na'Toth: None. Ten thousand of our best warriors, dead! It's as if some great hand reached out of space and just erased them!
G'Kar: It wasn't the humans. The Centauri don't have the will. The Vorlons don't care. The Minbari wouldn't do it. The other worlds aren't powerful enough for a strike like this. [Having eliminated all the possibilities, he comes to a realization.] There's someone else out there, Na'Toth!

THE DARKENED CORRIDOR

      Garibaldi reaches the tube door. With a supreme effort, he forces himself onto his knees and reaches for the call button. When the door opens, he falls inside, unconscious. The door closes.

CENTRAL CORRIDOR

      At six seconds to midnight, the big New Year's party is cranking up to its climax. At zero, the crowd makes the traditional noises and many couples share kisses. One couple decides it's time to leave the party for more private surroundings, and they walk to the tube. The door opens. The woman looks inside and screams.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Delenn is putting the finishing touches on the crystal construction, while Lennier is beside himself with concern for his superior. Her attitude, driven by her faith, might be described as fatalistic.

Lennier: Are you sure there's no other way?
Delenn: What must happen will happen. Valen said this day would come. Who are we to stand in the way of prophecy?
Lennier [near tears]: But what if you're wrong?
Delenn [stops working on the construction and approaches Lennier with tenderness]: Then speak well of me when I am gone. [She returns to the construction, and taking a deep breath, she picks up the triluminary and inserts it into a cradle at the pinnacle of the crystal device. The triluminary starts to glow. The light travels throughout the construction, and silk-like threads begin to spin from it toward the wall. For the first time, she speaks with real worry.] If he comes, it must be soon! We have little time!

MEDLAB

      Garibaldi lies on a gurney as medics rush him in for treatment. He's in bad shape. But when Sinclair gets close, he's able to grab him and gasp out that the President will be killed at Io. Sinclair rushes out, calling C&C as he goes, while the medics continue their frantic attempt to save the chief.

C&C

      The crew are watching ISN coverage of Earthforce One's arrival at Io; it's about all they can do, for all military and civilian channels are being jammed. While Sinclair and the others try a last-ditch attempt to contact ISN, they see that they are too late. The President's starship explodes in a spectacular ball of fire. The crewmen react to the sight individually: horror, disbelief, sadness, and grief. As the news anchor tries to find something to say, Sinclair orders the monitor shut off.

MEDLAB

      Sinclair tells the man standing next to him that Garibaldi's operation can't begin for another five hours and the prognosis isn't favorable. The chief had mentioned a name, Devereaux. He wants the man found, starting with a hold on all outgoing ships. And he wants a guard on Garibaldi in case his attackers try to finish the job. "Understood," Jack answers.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Tears flow down Lennier's cheek as he watches what is happening. Delenn's voice makes barely audible whimpering noises.

THE CORE SHUTTLE

      G'Kar and Na'Toth board a car that Ivanova is already riding. They sit together and trade condolences on their respective disasters.

THE GARDEN

      Londo sits a bench, waiting. Morden joins him.

Morden: Ambassador, you wanted to see me?
Londo [agitated]: Yes! What have you done?
Morden: Only what you asked me to do. You had a problem with Quadrant 37, we took care of it for you.
Londo: Yes, but you killed ten thousand Narns!
Morden: I didn't know you cared! Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, what's the difference? They're Narns, Ambassador! Your sworn enemy!
Londo: Yes, I know, but I didn't think... I thought that you might find a way to protect our ships or cripple their forces, not --- [Morden shushes Londo as a couple walk through the scene.]
Morden: Ambassador. Your name is being spoken at the highest levels of the Centauri government. They don't know how you did it. They don't care! They credit you with saving them from another embarrassment without creating a war in the process. They've noticed you, Ambassador! Which was the point of the exercise. I hear they have great plans for you.
Londo: Yes, but ten thousand in cold blood?
Morden: Ambassador, you're a hero! Enjoy it! I'll be around.

SINCLAIR'S OFFICE

      Sinclair is on the line with a senator, an unpleasant woman who seems both too young and too uncultured for her position. She dismisses Garibaldi's findings out of hand and insists that the President's death was nothing but an unfortunate accident. She ends by forbidding the increasingly angry Commander to spread any more nonsense about an assassination.

A DARKENED CORRIDOR

      Guards answer a call from Jack, who has "found" the three missing men. He claims they tried to resist and he returned fire, killing them. One of the guards comments that Devereaux's gun is cold --- it hasn't been fired. A little intimidation from Jack does the trick. The guard takes back his observation.

MEDLAB

      Franklin decides to begin the operation.

THE ZOCALO

      Sinclair sits at a bar and watches the monitor showing footage of the Vice-President, Morgan William Clark, taking the oath of office as President aboard Earthforce One. [The scene is staged as a replica of the Johnson ceremony on Air Force One in Dallas.] As the coverage shifts to a later statement from Clark, Kosh enters the bar. Sinclair becomes aware of the Vorlon's presence behind him and turns.

Kosh: [A pause]
Sinclair [remembering]: Delenn! [He rushes from the bar.]

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Sinclair finds Lennier staring blindly into, or beyond, the crystal device.

Sinclair: Lennier?
Lennier: You're too late.
Sinclair [sees a bundle of glowing silky strands fastened to the wall and steps closer]: What...? [He sees Delenn, faintly, wrapped within the thing.] What is it?
Lennier: A chrysalis. She is --- changing.
Sinclair: Into what?
Lennier: I don't know.

G'KAR'S QUARTERS

      Na'Toth lets herself in. She is looking for the ambassador, but he does not answer. Instead, the Babcom unit recognizes her voice and plays a pre-recorded message for her. On the screen, G'Kar announces that he has left the station.

G'Kar: Na'Toth! By the time you get this message I will be gone. I have certain suspicions about the attack on Quadrant 37. I'm taking the first transport back to Homeworld. You will not be able to contact me. I will contact you. And, uh, one more thing. Tell the Commander he was right. We were at a crossroads, and there is no going back. Expect me when you see me.

MEDLAB

      Londo walks in and finds Ivanova keeping watch over Garibaldi. "I just heard," he says to her. Inside the operating room, the operation is still under way, having proved to be a longer process than Franklin had thought. Londo asks permission to wait and watch with Ivanova. He confesses a certain affection for the chief.

      From another side of the operating room, Jack keeps his own vigil.

MORDEN'S QUARTERS

      Morden sits in a chair. Two creatures ripple into semi-visibility. They appear to be insectoid, arachnoid, and crablike all at one. They speak in an unintelligible noise, but Morden understands it, evidently, for he answers their questions.

Morden: Yes. I think he's ready. ...... Perfect for our needs. ...... No. ...... No. ...... He suspects nothing. ...... When the time is right, Ambassador Mollari will do exactly as we wish. ...... Destiny is on our side.

SINCLAIR'S QUARTERS

      Putting on her robe, Catherine comes from the bedroom to sit next to Sinclair on the sofa in the darkness. She puts her head on his shoulder and caresses him as he stares into space.

Sinclair [despondent]: Nothing's the same anymore.

DELENN'S QUARTERS

      Lennier continues his vigil, holding a single oil candle in the darkness. Against the wall, Delenn sleeps in her chrysalis, changing............

"CHRYSALIS" synopsis © 2003