CRUSAOC

L"q^cU oFcbc Sf;aoous

PART

R(DI\{AF{TS

oF
ChAOS

Having recently corne into possession of a pile of originaily unaired f,rusade scripts and outlines, I was stilt horribly
disappointed. Not in what I read.-.most of that was fantastic...but that after all that searching I still didn't have a
campletetirsl season of this prematurely killed series. And the sad truth was, f rarn everything I'd managed to
find, it didn't look }ike the great JMS was everplanning on continuiftglwrapping up this story. With virtually no
hope of upcorning books, comics, DVDs.-.anything""-I decided to see if I could take everything I'd found and create a
cornplete, cohrent f irst season. Yes, it would still end with a cliff-hanger, but with no rnore gaping holes in the

middleDuring my long and extremely frustrating search for Crusade material, I soon discovered that not only were most
of the unairpd episodes not available onlifte, i couldn't even find extended synopses of the aired ones [hat went
beyond a simple paragraph or two. Knowing this couldn't always have been true, I used various archiving sites [o
search bark through the years, finding serne truly detailed episode descriptions for the aired episodes on the now
defunct EE Spailer Juftkies Page. Nct seeing the need t0 dupliate those efforts, for the most part I simply used
these descriptions for the episodes we saw. I take rccredit for them what:oever, but as the site has been down for
the better part of a decode, i'rn hoping the original author wouldn't mind me borrowing them. If that individual is
stilt floating around out there and does take issue with it, please cofitact me. If necetsary i'll go back and create
rny own, or can credit you by name. In any case, no infringement is intendedSpeaking of infringement,I also faund that JMS in particular wanted to keep the actualscripts from being
reprodured online. Therafore I figured that the extended synopses (with the occasisnal quste) formet I found so
enjoyable from the 85 Spoiler Junkies Page would work well fsr thE unaired episodes as well. They give a detailed
description, l<eeping the flavor 0f the realscripts with0ut reproducing thpm and violating anyonp's rights. If even
the occasionalquotes are too much, I ask the writers to please contact me and I'll rernove them immediolely.

0ne of the rnCIst hotly debated issues when it cornes to Crusade is the chronology. A half dozen {or more) versions
of how to best watch the show have been released, each having their own merits and drawbacks. Using all the
matprial available I created this chronology, eomplete with dates, so the episodes would make the most sense in
my mind. Where I could I stayed true to the chronological order (with the obvious exeeption of Ruling From the
Tomb,whsse date here is a complete fabrication to make it fit where I think it should)" For every pprsoo who likes
my order, I'm sure their will be three more who find a f law. I respect your opinions, but for what I've done here,
this rsthe'off icial' order for this little alternate universe. I really have no interest getting drawn inta a debate
about why another order would be better. No offense intended, but having read a dozen of these continuity wars
only one thing was made clear. Down that raad lies madness.
As for lhe descriptions, I stayed true to the originals where I could. The thirteen aired episodes are described as
originally writtn, a$ are four of the unaire d, Tried and True, lo The nds af the Earth, Value Judgments and nd
of the Linp. Bacause they were only f irst draf ts, as well as t0 create a rnini-arc, the remaining two scripts, Little
Bugs Have Lesser Eugs and War Storyhave varying degrees of alterations (listed after each synopsis). The
penultirnate episade, The Walls of llellislhe biggest stretch to add ts thE season. As en{y half sf the episode was
outlined by the author,I atternpted to logically conclude the episode, cornbining what was plannad with what
needed to happen in the never to be seen third part of the would-be trilogy- I hope you apprsve.

Bne last thing. I chose not to do fictional casting for the unaired episodes, rnostly because no actors just jurnped
oui at me when reading thp parts...with one exception- Whenpvpr T read End of the Line, for sorne reason I can't
help but picture Major Lee as being played by Michael Ironside. His look, his tone, his atlitude..-it feels right to meWhpther you choose tc do the sarne, that's up to you, but I had t0 put it out there"

I hope you enjoy whal I've put together here- At the very least, I hope I'm providing the fans with

a more deteiled
glimpse of the Crusade they didn't get to see, as information on the unaired episodes is sparse at bsst.

Thank You & Enjoyl

Leqacu o[ che Srraoous

ReofNANcs op chaos

chRoNoLoov
(TABLE 0F CoNTENTS)

EPISO DE

DATE

PAGE

War Zone

January

2nd

Ruling From the Tomb

February

1Sth

IO

February 27th

t7

The Long Road

The Path of Sorrows
Appearances & 0ther Deceits

March

24

9th

March 18'h

30

The Memory of War

April

The Needs of Earth

Aprrl22^d

43

Racing the Night

May 2*d

50

Visitors From Down the Street

May 13'h

56

May

2I't

63

Tried and True

July

20th

70

To the Ends of the Earth

September

Each Night

I Dream of Home

The Rules of the Game

Patterns of the Soul

36

6'h

3'd

73

September l lth

79

September

B5

2[)th

The Wellof Forever

0ctober I't

91

Value Judgments

0ctober lTth

99

Little Bugs Have Lesser Bugs

November l4th

104

War Story

November

25th

110

The Walls of Hell

0ecember

6th

I15

End of the Line

0ecember 30th

L2t

Note: AII dates listed are from the Earth year 2267. 0ates listed are specif ically for the Legacy of Shadows series and may not
match other sources. You're welcorne t0 create your own chronology, but for the purposes of this series, these arethe dates"

Wal ZOng (January zd,zz67)

Written By: J- Mfchael Stratzynski
EAS PFIOENIX

0n one cf the declrs ef the Explorer-class ship, the crew watches an ISN broadcast report about the Drakh attack on
Earth. The first officEr, I-t. Matheson, is trying to break up a large fight amoog the crew. The Phaenix is on its way
back to Earth, but the Mars-born crew rnernbers are attempting to mutiny- They don't think that what happened to
Earth is their problem. They refuse to go bacl<, not wanting to become infected. Matheson stands his ground. The
mutiny leader, Jensen, calls upon 0thers to join him and the f ighting resurnesThe mutineers fight their way ta a corrider where they corne upon Caplain Matthew Gidesn, who is flanked by
ship's security. Jensen orders Sideon to step aside, they're taklng the ship and he can't stop all of them.

Bideon: Na, all I have te stop is yor.r. You're the mouthmy ship- You get past me, she's all yours.

If you can't take me, you sure as hell can't take

Jensen pulls a large wrench that was stuffed in the bacl< of his pants and swings it at 6ideon. Gideon easily avoids
getting hit and quickly puts down the teader. He asks the other rnutineers there is aoyons else who tittould Iike to try
to takb his ship. Wisely, no 6rle steps forward.
A bloodied Matheson and ihe rest of the loyatr crew join the others in the corridor. Sideon addresses them all. He
tells them that they are alive because of his command. Are they going to fall apart now? Do they think he's going to
let them get killed? He orders them back to their stations, promising to forget their mutinous actions,

The crowd disperses and the unconscidus Jensen is dragged qff to the brig. Eideon tells Matheson he did the right
thing. This whofe thing with Earth has Everyone in a panic- Eideon rEceives a rnessage fror* the bridge. They're
entering Earth space. The Phaenixjumps back into normalspace and Sideon and Matheson rnove to a window to
see what's happened.
They are shocked to see the extent of the damage" The Earth is no longer the vibrant blue we all recognize. It's
covered with a dingy, sickly brown haze. A debris field of EarthForce, Interstellar Alliance and Drakh ships hangs in

orbit.
0idean is In hls quarters watching ISN. The reporter tists lhe casualties at over 240 destroyers Iost, the death toll is
estimated at 6000-7000 killed in action. President Luchenco has cal[ed fer e week of planetary mourning for those
who died in the battle. Specialdistinction is given to Captain Anderssn of the .[45 VktaryMatheson stops by to see if 6ideon's learned anything more- Everything is a rness on Earth, they're trying to f igure
out what t0 do next. The only thing they know about the Drakh is their name- Some EarthForce ships are still in
pursuit of a few enemy ships that got away. Gideon wishes he were still on a destroyer. The Phoenix was designed
for exploratian, not cornbat. Matheso* says the!-e was nothing they could have done. Tlre battle was over with
before they eve* jurnped. That's not good enough for 6ideon.
Gideon asks absut the muliny leader. Matheson tells hirn the doctor checked him out and he'llbe fine- The doctor
thinks Eideon should put the attempted mutiny in his file, but Gideon refuses- The man was just scared, who could
blame him.Gideon put him down and that was enough. Matheson doesn't think Jensen will be that mercif ul. His
father is a high-ranking official on Mars- He would bet that the man called his father as soon as he woke up. The
political situetion between Earth and Mars has always been sensitive- Striking a crew menrber like he did could get
himself brought up on charges.

Eideon begins to protest, but is interrupted by a cell frorn the bridge. Neur orders have come in. They are to proceed
to Mars- Matheson gives 6ideon a look.
Gideon: Mars? Did they say what they want with us?
Bridge: Not us, sir. You.

The Phoeoixjumps into hyperspace.

LOCATION UNKNOWN

Surrounded by darkness, Galen the Technomage holds a small globe" Through it he watches Gideon's ship mal<e
the jump6alen: And so it begins.

CETI IV

SPACE

A heavily damaged EarthForce destroyer, lhe EAS Persephone, is pursuing a smaller Drakh ship. The destroyer's
comrn systems are down and their venting air on all decl<s. She won't last much longer- Captain Hensen orders a
distress beacon to be readied for launch. They continue to fire on the Drakh ship, forclng it down on a nearby planet.

fhe Persephoneexplodes after launching the beaconCETI IV - IPX SITE

The InterPlanetary Expedition site is located on a part of the planet that looks similar to parts of the American
Southwest (Arizona or New Mexico). There are a lot of high, redish-orange clif fs with large human-like faces
carved lnto them. Working on one of the carvings is Max Eilerson, the head of the expedition. He sees the Drakh
ship crash- Thinl<ing it might be a meteor, space junk or something he can exploit, he sends one of his team to

investigale"
At the crash site, something has survived.
MARS

The Phoenixjumps back into normal space. 0n the planet, Gideon meets with Senator McQuate and Mr- Ames, the
military liaison for planetary security. Thinking he was summoned berause of the incident with the mutinous
crewman, Gideon begins to explain, but is cut of f by the senator. McGuate briefs Gideon about Earth's situation. He
activates a large vid screen that shows the mayhem that Earth is under. Blind panic has spread and there's rnass
rioting across the planet. Doomsday cults have sprung up everywhere. EarthGov is in chaos, no one is even coming
into work. Why should they? They're allgoing to be dead in 5 years.
They move out onto a balcony overlooking the Martian landscape. Mc0uate tells Gideon how some people believe
there was once life on Mars- If there was, they lef t no sign. We'll never know who they were, or what they did. The
songs they sang or the stories they told. Mars is a dead world. He can't imagine that happening to the Earth in a few
years" Ames tells him that the folks bacl< home are doing everything they can, but the odds of f inding a cure in time
are zip. They need to lool< outside.

Mc0uate continues to say the plague didn't come out of nowhere. Somebody, somewhere, rnust have come across
it before now- Maybe some alien race they've never met can help them. Maybe the cure is buried beneath ancient
alien clty, forgotten under centuries of sand. They need the right ship and the right person to look for it- The right
ship is the Excalibur, the righi person is Gideon.
Bideon asks why he was chosen" Mc0uate tells him that in his time commanding lhe Phoenix, he's come across
more new alien life that any one else in the f leet. There are half a dozen captains commandlng Explorer ships, most
are either too old or too cautious. Gideon is a dangerous man when he wants to be, and right now they need a
dangerous man.
Bideon willtake the assignment, but he wants to know if he willbe able to pick his own team. Ames tells him some
he will and some he won't. This mission is a highly political one back home- They've had to make certain
compromises to get the show on the road. There will be a lot of people lool<ing over his shoulder on this.
Gideon: I understand. Just so we're clear- 0nce we go, this is my command" I'lldo whatever is
necessary. If that rneans turning the entire galaxy upside down and shaking its pockets to see what
falls out, that's what I'lldo.I'm not subtle.I'm not pretty and I'llpiss of a lot of people along the way,
but I'll get the job done.
Mc0uate: Do whatever you have to do, Captain- Make sure Earth doesn't turn into this. Ihe nods

toward the view of Marsl

CETI

IV

An trPX shuttle f lies over the Drakh crash site- 0n the ground, Drakh warriors wearing full armor fire at the shuttle
using energy weapons strapped to their arrn and wrist, The weapons arE very powerful and the shutlle is blown out
of the sky.

At the IPX base camp, Eilerson and his teem listen to the shuttle pilot's last call before his was destroyed- There's
no way they can contact the company- The atmosphere is too heavily ionized to get a signalout very far, and their
transport isn't scheduled to pick ihem up for anether two weEks. Eilerson asks for optlons- Trace, their remaining
pilot, says they only have one option: move ot-rt before the aliens corne atter them. Another tearn rnernber argues
that they dsn't know the aliens are hsstile- They cauld have thought their shuttle was going to fire on them.
Trace doesn't believe that- The aliens never tried to establish contact or wait to see what the shuttle pilot was going
to do. The aliens ambushed him and blew him out of the sky. Where Trace comes from, that's called hostile
behavior. ThE aliens didn't send out a gneraI dislress signal. That rneans they don't want anyone to know where
they are. But now that they know the trPX team is there, the aliens willcorne after them- The hassle of packing
everything up is rnore appealing to Trace than being dead- He suggests they move into some caves they spotted

near the cliffsEilerson doesn't carp to walk that far and asks about taking their remaining shuttle instead. Trace tells him it only
carries four people at a time. It'll tal<e longer and they might be seen. Besides, he needs it. He's going to take it up
and see if he can get a clear signal through. Eilerson warns that the wrong people could pick up ths signal- It's a
good bet the aliens called for help before they crashed, and when that help cornes, Trace wilI be the f irst thing they
shoot at. Trace isn't worried. He has plans for the weekend and being dead isn't one of thern.
MARS

McGuate introduces 0ideon to part of his scientif ic team. An archaeologist and a linguist haven't been selected yet.
Dr. Sarah Chambers, the medical chief of staff arrives. She's getting pretty impatient- She's been waiting around
for a day and a half for someone to tell her why she's there- She has a sister and niece on Earth and wants to go
back- Mc&uate won't allow that. Earth's under quarantine, it's too dangerous. Dr- Chambers doesn't care. She feels
she can do rnore good back on Earth than sitting around on Mars. McGuate tells her she won't be sitting around.
He's held off en telling them about their mission ler sesurity reasons. He's about to teil thern about the missien
when an aide rushes in. He tells McGuate thal there is a problem-

Aide: She got away---again.

Mc0uate excuses hirnself. Chambers asks 6ideen aboul the mission, he filts her ic. A commstion in the corridor
draws their attention. Dureena Nafeel is being restrained by severalsecurity guards- She insists that she is
supposed to be part of 6idEo*'s team. Mc6truate orders her to be laken back to protective Eustsdy.Eideon wants t0
talk to her- HE also insists that Lt. Matheson join his crew. Mc6luate is reluctant. Matheson is a telepath and there
are still some sensitive feelings about that because of the recent war. 6ideon won't take no for an answer.
Matheson has followed all the new rules for telepaths, and he's the best first off icer he's ever have.
CETI IV
Trace talres

olf in the shuttle as Eilerson and the team heed out on fsot.

MARS

Dureena is talking to Eideon. She tells him about the Drakh attack on her world- She came to help stop them. She
l<nows more about them than anyone. Eideon agrees and asks McGuate what the problem is. McQuate tells him that
Dureena is a rnember of the Thieve's Euild with a record as long as Gideon's arm. They've been keeping her in
protective custody hecause they believe she has information usefuf Lo them- Besides, the presence of a thief rnay
diminish the prestige and importance of the mission.
Dureena proudly admits she's a thief, and a damn good one. If he needs to get inside something, needs to get out,
tunnel under, g0 arourtd, go through...she's it- He will be going to some pretty strange places and there isn't a locl<
made that she can't pick. McQuate can vouch for that. Her world is gone. She doesn't have anywhere else to go.
Eideon wants her sn the tearn, but Mc0uate protests. Sideon tells him Dureena is on the tearn or he can f ind a new

captainGideon, Dr- Charnbers and Bureerla are shuttled up to the Extalibar- Chambers is amazed at how big it is. The
Excalibur is a mile and a quarter long, the most advanced and fastest ship ever built by humans,

Matheson meets their shuttle" Chambers is shown to her quarters while Gideon, Matheson and Dureena head up to
the bridge- Matheson thanlts Eideon for bringing him aboard. He wasn't sure he's be allowed to join the team.
Gideon tells him it wasn't a problem- Matheson is impressed with the ship. The techs are still screwing down sorne
of lhe nuts and bolts, but she'lldo f ine- He's set coordinates for the testing area.It's welloff the charts so they

won't be disturbed"
Matheson asks if there willbe any rnore surprises he should l<now about. Dureena tells him nol now. There was
sorneone who came with her who was supposed to be part of the mission (Galen). She doesn't know where he is
now. He disappeared shortly af ler they arrived. She tried telling the others about him, but no one believed her.If
he wants to show up he will- in his own way, in his own time.

0n the bridge, the engines are online and lhey can jump at any time. Getting back to his earlier question, Matheson
l<nows Gideon said it wasn't a problem getting him on the team, and he'd hate to csntradict a superior of f icer, but
his status as a telepalh mus[ have come up.
Gideon: John, you l<now what causes most problems? Ambiguity- Not knowing which decision is the
right one. You're the best first of f icer I've ever served with and I consider you a friend. So there was
no ambiguity....and no problem.

Matheson looks relieved to hear thisThe Excaliburjumps into hyperspace, unaware that someone is tagging along. Galen orders his ship, a sleek, blacl<,
lriangle-shaped vessel, to follow Excaliburinlo the jump point.

CEII IV
orbil waiting for a reply to his distress signal, but none is forthcoming- Instead, the scanners pick up the
beacon of the destroyed Persephone- Trace has an idea- If he can grapple onto lhe beacon and retrieve it, he could
hot wire the beacon to the shuttle's system, he'd have enough power to get a signal out.
Trace is in

EXCALIBUR
They are about four hours away f rom the testing area when the receive a signal f rom Mars- McGluate has new
ordprs for Gideon. They've picked up Trace's modif ied beacon and Excaliburis to investigate. As Gideon is leaving
the conference room, he hears Galen's voice.
Galen: Hello Matthew, I just wanted you to l<now that I am here and I'm watching, In case you should
need help.
Gideon: Who is this?
Galen" Have you forgotten me so soon? Sad, bui the way of the world I suppose" Expect me when you
see me-

The Excaliburchanges course for CetiIV and Galen follows"

Gideon, Dr. Chambers, and Matheson tall< in Excalibur's bullet car (internalshutIles used to navigate the massive
interior of the ship). Gideon briefs Chambers on what they might f ind. The Dral<h ship was part of the f leet that
carried and disbursed the plague. He wants to make sure they're not exposed while checlcing it out- Gideon leaves
Matheson in charge and asl<s him to f ind out where the mysterious message he received in the conference room
came from.
CETI IV
Trace has returned to the planet. Taking cover in some mountains, he watches the surviving Drakh forces mass and
begin to move- They are lool<ing for the IPX team. The entire group is made up of soldiers, Drakh who have been
grafted into highly advanced bio-arrnor including bone-white helmets with glowing red eyes-

The IPX team are hiding in a huge underground city carved out of the rocl< of the cavern- The city looks very well
preserved.
Trace sits down next to Eilerson, who has already guessed their siLuation. The aliens l<now where they are, and
maybe their telepathic or maybe they can sense their body heat, but they're minutes away from their position and

they're allgoing to die.

Trace: 0o you always jump to the end of lhe story lilce that?
Eilerson: Why nol? It's the story of my life. I f inally f ind a city lil<e this, intact, deserted for 10,000
years, probably contains hundreds of patents lhat I can exploit and I'm going lo die. I can appreciate
dramatic irony as rnuch as the next person, but this is pushing it a bit.

Eilerson is relieved to receive a signal from Gideon. They're coming to help, but can't seem to find their location, He
instructs Eilerson to keep the channelopen and they'llhome in on thern, Eilerson warns Gideon of the Drakh
closing in on them- Gideon takes rare of lhat with the help of a few f ighters. The Thunderbolts blow lhe Dral<h
forces of f the mountain with ease-

In the crashed Drakh ship, the Drakh leader, Councilor L'Shan, alerts his forces in hyperspace that enemy
reinforcements have arrived and willfind them soon- He receives an immediate response telling him to be at
peace...so are they,
Back in the underground city, Eilerson and Trace meet up with Gideon, Dureena and Dr, Chambers" Eilerson is
ready to leave, but Gideon wants to f ind the ship. Eilerson tries to tall< Gideon out of it,lelling him that he can show
him where the ship is from the safety of lhe Excalibur"Trace volunteers to lead Gideon to the wrecl<, bul Eilerson
doesn't think that's a good idea. He's intercepted the Dral<h's signaland knows that they are sending
reinforcements which could arrive at any time. Gideon is surprised that he could learn their language that fast. He
blackmails Eilerson into heiping him. He needs Eilerson to translate anything they f ind on the ship- If he ref uses,
Gideon will leave him on the planet, Eilerson has no choice but to agree to the terms-

Inside the Drakh ship, Gideon, Dureena, Dr. Chambers, Eilerson and a squad of soldiers from the Exraliburslowly
make their way through the ship looking for computers or anything that can help them figure ouI what they're up
against, Eilerson f inds what he believes to be a worl<ing station, but that turns out to be a food processor- When he
punches a few buttons, a brown liquid pours out onto his feet. Chambers doesn't detect any sign of the virus, but
recommends they l<eep their breathers on anyway.
The Dral<h ambush the tearn, pinning them down. Dureena rnanages to sneak around behind them and plant an
explosive that l<ills most, if nol all, of the 0ral<h warriors.
Above the planet, the Drakh f leet has arrived. Matheson contacts Gideon, who orders f ighters Iaunched and a
killing zone establlshed. He just got lhe Excaliburand would hate to lose it his flrst week on the job" Trace
volunteers to tal<e Gideon bacl< to his ship" Gideon orders Dureena and the others to continue searching the ship.
He's certain the Dral<h were protecting someone important and wants whoevEr it is to be found. Eilerson is not
happv.

0n his way out, a Drakh steps out of the shadows behind Gideon and is about to f ire, but is taken down by what
loohs like yellow bolts of Iightning. Gideon turns and sees Galen.
Galen:

I told you--..I willbe

here when you need me,

6alen vanishes. In another part of the ship, a dense fog rises up from the floor around Dureena, Eilerson and the
others- It willhelp hide their numbers from the Drakh.0ureena smiles, knowlng this development clearly shows
that Galen is there.
Back in the wrecl<age, Eilerson and the Excalibur's crew continue rnoving through the ship. Another Drakh sleps
out behind them and is killed by Galen's yellow lightning. Galen's image disappears again- They finally find
Councilor L'Shan attempting to hide himself in the shadows, and Galen shows himself to Dureena.

Around the planet, lhe Excalibur f ights a healed battle, but is more than a match for the Dral<h forces. Finally, only
one more Drakh cruiser remains, bul it intends to rarn lhem. Excalibur\ f orward guns are out of comrnission, so
having no other options f ire the main guns, ef fortlessly destroying the Drakh ship. Malheson gets a signallrom the
team on the planet that they've captured the Drakh captain, Gideon calls the team back to [he shipAs the shuttles

ailreturn lo Excalibur, Galen tal<es his ship elsewhere, veering off from the group.

Later, in the brig, Gideon listens as filerson translates Councilor L'Shan's statement- Basically, the 0rakh considers
a prisoner of war and willnot cooperate or belray his people or answer any questions. That's f ine with
Gideon. They have his ship, and after studying the delivery system, they'llknow how the Dral<h handled the plague
without contaminating their own crew. Then they can contain it themselves. As for the prisoner, there are a lot of
people on Earth who willget him to cooperate- The Dral<h doesn't lll<e the sound of that. He obviously understands
English- Gideon mal<es sure [he Dral<h understands that when he's sent bacl< to Earth, he'll be exposed to the same
plague the Orakh infected Earth with. In f ive years, when the Earth dies, so will L'Shan.

himself

Drakh: And when your world is gone, who willsupport you? Who willyou serve? Who willyou be?
The questions are enough to mal<e 6ideon ieave the room. In the corridor, he meets up with Matheson. He wants
Matheson to ask Trace to join his crew. He also wants Eilerson on the team. He's a pain in the ass, but they need himMatheson tells Gideon they lracl<ed thE source code of Galen's message to a planet not far from their present
location" The planet means something to Gideon - he almost died there nine years earlier, He f lashes back to that
time- He was f loating in space in an EVA suit. Above him, a f leet of ships lil<e Galen's moved away f rom him. He
begged lhem not to leave him. A shadow passes over hirn and he turns [o look at whatever it is. Gideon snaps bacl<
to the present and has Malheson se[ course for that sector"

In her quarters, Dr, Chambers dictates a letter to her sister" As the eldesl, Sarah had to look alter her younger
siblings, especially sister Jenny. Jenny turned out just f ine. Now Sarah has to do her part- She'll be bacl< when she's
found a cure-..and she willfind it. She wants to be there when her niece starts her first day of school.
f he Excaliburarrives at some unl<nown blue planet. 0n the surface, it's night and Galen sits on a rocl< in front of a
smallfire. Gideon f inds him and sits arToss from him. He rernernbers Galen now. He's a Technomage- They use
technology to simulate the ef fects of magic. They were leaving known space and Galen found him af ter his ship was
destroyed. Galen saved his lifeGideon: What are you doing here?
Galen: I was having too much contact with your l<ind" They said I was endangering the others...that I
risked exposing our hiding place. So..-they asked me to leave.
6ideon: You've been watching me. Why?
Galen: I've been penalized before for helping other people. I've been lrying to decide whether or not
to risk it again.If you were involved, I would consider it----if you should ask.
Gideon: Then I'm asl<ing. With your sl<ills, you could be a huge asset to us. I'd lil<e you to come wilh
me,
Galen: What do you want?
Gideon: To f ind a cure for the Drakh plague before it wipes out all life on Earth.
Galen: Where are you going?
Gideon: Anywhere I have to.
Galen: Who do you serve? And who do you trust?
Gideon thinl<s about that for a moment, but can't come up with an answer- Galen asl<s again"
Galen: Who do you serve? And who do you trust?
Gideon: I don't know.
Galen: Then I will go with you.

Ruling From the Ttmb

(February Lr.'h,zz6t)

Written By: Peter David

MARS

Many Earth ships are in orbit, including the Excalibur.0n lhe surface, Captain Elizabeth Lochley is expressing her
dissatisfaction concerning the security details of the medicalconference she is in charge of. Lieutenant Carr,lhe
head of Mars Security,lries to assure Lochley that she has everything covered, but Lochley is stilldissatisfied,
Whiie they argue, Gideon approaches Lochley from behind, trying to get her attention- Lochley snaps at him and
conlinues ro argue with Carr, The lieutenanl is not someone who likes being pushed around. Gideon just stands
there smiling, enjoying the show.

Carr: You wants to tall< facts? Great" Fact -- I've spent my entire life here on Mars. Fact -- you are only
on temporary assignment as overseer of the conference on the dry planet. Fact'- Mars is not a colony
anymore. We're independent" So frankly, EarthForce, Earth and you can kiss my assl
Lochley: Who the hell do you think you are?!
Carr: Just a dumb cop, but I know this place inside out- Now, maybe bacl< on your precious Babylon 5,
you bark orders and everyone jumps. But here you're barl<ing up the wrong tree. [to 6ideon]
Welcome to Mars. Ito Lochley] Woof, woofGideon: [to Carr, who has stormed of f ] Hard to believe it was named af ter the god of war,
Having Lochley's fullattenlion, Gideon tells her he was supposed to report to her upon arrival- She apologizes for
snapping at him. He understands- He tells her that he has Dr- Chambers on the Excaliburpreparing her keynote
speech and wants to make sure security measures are airtight.It doesn't help to get caught up in territorial
squabbles. He hopes that some good comes out of the conference, but in the meantime, it's putting a collection of
easy targets allin one place for any nut with an agenda. He'd rather be out lool<ing for a cure instead of on Mars
talhing about it. Lochley is not interested in territorialsquabbles either, and promises that Chambers and allthe

other guests will be safe.

In a deserted area,

a rnan is attacked and stabbed to death.

EXCALIBUR SHUTTLE
Trace is shuttling Excaliburcrew to the surface for some shore leave. Now he has Eilerson and Dureena as
passengers. It's his 11th run today and he's starting to feel like a yo-yo. Trace offers [o escorL 0ureena around Mars.
Dureena says she doesn't need an escort. Neither rnen are listening lo her and start arguing over who would mal<e
the better escort. Eilerson grew up on Mars and thinks he should be the one to show Dureena around. They
continue to argue untilDureena, fed up with their foolishness, grabs their ears and tells lhem she doesn't need an
escortMARS

Lochley is giving Gideon a run down on the security rneasures in the auditorium where the conference willtake
place. There willbe cops at every exit and along every corridor, and security scans for every weapon known to rnan.
Gideon apologizes lor getling of f on the wrong foot. Lochley lells him she didn't want this assignment. She was
chosen by the conference organizer, Dr. Stephen Franl<lin- She wants to f ind a cure so she can go Earth-side and
thank Franklin perscnally....wilh a large bricl<. Gideon says that with so much on the iine, he's just being careful.
Lochley heard that he was a gambler, not exactly the caref ul type,
Gideon: When I have a sense of the odds. And right now, I don't. All these precautions are nice, but-Lochley: Nice? Captain Gideon, security happens to be my middle name"
Gideon: That's allwelland good, but just in case your last name is breach, it won't hurt for me lo
double check.
Lochley doesn't have time to be angry. Carr contacts her and tells her they have a situation of the non-breathing
with Lochley.

l<ind. Gideon tags along

Chambers is waiting for Gideon sonrewhers when she is approached by a Frenchman, Dr- AIain LeBecque. He
recognizes her as the keyfiote speaker. Frorn his csrnments about God and faith, ysu get the impression that he's a
religious man. Chambers isn't, though. She'd rather have faith in science over a being that would let the plague
happen in the first place. She's saved from having a drink with LeBecque by Lt. Carr who was sent to f ind her and
take her to Gideon-

In the deserted area, Gideon and Lochley look over the body of lhe man who was stabbed earlier. A symbol has
been carved on the dead rnan's back- It's the mark of a doomsday cult- The rnark is the syrnbo! for i*finity bisected
by a line- It signifies that aothing goes sn forevEr- There have been a couple hundred ef these cults springing up
since word of the ptague gat out. This mark is speclfic to the worst group of lhe bunch - the Sacred 0rnega- They
believe that the plague is like the second coming of Irloah's f lood, that humanity is hopelessly evil and deserves to
be wiped out with one divine act of cleansing.
Chambers arrives, and overhearing his conversation with Lochley, figures he's run ints this before. He tells her that
a friend of his, Captain Mankowsky at lhe Furieswas killed during a mutiny lead by Sacred 0rnega members among
his crew- They won't hesitate to kitl if they think it's God's will"
The dead man was Leen Henderson, a viral studies specialist- Lochley takes the opportunity to rub this security
breach in Carr's face- She feels this is obviously confetence-related because Henderson was an attendee and he
wasn't robbed. Carr agrees, but wonders if this could just be a warning of things to come, or an isolated incident.
Eideon asks Lochley what she wants to do since she's in charge. Lochley wants an autopsy done off planet so they
can keep it quiet. She asks Bidean if Charnbers can do it on the Exralibur. Sideon contaEts Excaliburfar a shuttle"
Gideon and Charnbers meet Trace in the shuttle bay with the body. Gideon tells Charnbers to tpll hirn whatever she
turns up, then he'll pass it on t0 Lo.hfey. While they urere talking, Trace looks under the sheEt. He recognizes the
man- He tells Eideon that Henderson was the reason he decided to become a priest.

Elsewhere on Mars, in what might be a church, LeBecque prays- He begins talking to a female voice in his head. He
asks why Henderson was killed. He's not upset that he died, just in the manner he was killed. To die in a "glorious
burst of light" is Eod's wish, not lo be butchered like Henderson was- He is upset that no one believes in the voices
he hears- He feels that even his allies dsn't believe and are only using him as a convenient tool. The voice reassures
him that being doubted is part of his burdeo and that he must press forward.
SHUTTLE
Trace is piloting Gideon, Lochley, Dhambers and Henderson's body back to the Excalibur. He's telling the others
how he came to know Henderson. Trace used to do scutworl< for the Foundationists Church a few years ago. It
started out as iust a way to make ends meet, but after a whlle it became more than that thaaks to HendersonHenderson was a healer. Trace swears that sometimes Henderson could cure people just by the way he looked at
them. He wasn't a leith healer. He was a realdoctor practicifig reel medicine, but Trace felt there was n'lore to him.
God was on his side" Trace was no healer, but Henderson made him think about doing God's work. That's when he
started studying to be a Foundationist priest. But then he and Eod had a falling out. Lochley tries to get Trace to
explain his faf ling out with God, but he refuses. Lochley thinls it might help the investigation and keeps pushing

until Gideon stops her.

[,ARS
Eilerson and Duree na are walking through the crowded streets, threadlng their way through the crowds cf humans
and aliens. These are Eilerson's old stomping grounds- Eilerson was a sheltersd child- His parents and tutors didn't
wanl him polluted by the outside wsrld. But every once and a while, when they weren't paying attention, he would
sneak out. The first time hp visited this area he was robbed. He lost all of his I0 and mofley. While ha's telling this
to Eureena, a ffian bumps inta him and steals his wallet. l-te's totelfy u,]aware untilt]ureena tells himEilerson chasEs after the thief" Dureena is about te continue her tour, but she changes her rnind aad fallows af ter
Eilerson- Eilerson catches up with the thieF in a* ally and finds that the thief has friends waiting. He's about to get
the tar beat out of him when Dureena comes charging up behind him- She jumps on the leader, knocking him out.
The others run away- She retrieves Eilerson's wallet and hands it back to him. back on the street, Eilerson tells her
he appreciates her help, but for the record, he could have handled it.

ilureena: Record it however you like. I'm not keeping a record because I den't care about you.
Eilerson: If you didn't cal"e you wouldn't have helped.
Bureena: No,I helped because he was a sloppy thief, and I hate to see a sloppy thief win. It ref lects
badly on the rest of us.

They wall< into a bar as he asks Dureena to let him handie the next problem. Just then he bumps into a meanlooking character sitting at a table. Eilerson causes the man to spill his drinl<. When the man calls him on it,
Eilerson gives him a hollow, smarI ass apology" The man and his equally large friends stand up- Dureena pats
Eilerson on the back. She'll iet him handle itEXCALIBUR
Gideon receives the autopsy report as Lochley arrives. He tells her the man was stabbed to death and the DNA
traces indicate that the killer was human, which is about 90% of Mars'population That's not Lochley's concei-n at

the moment.
Gideon" Really? What is?
Lochley: You and your attitude, You know what you are?
Gideon: Ruggedly handsome?
Lochley: A control freal<.
Gideon: Can't I be both?

Lochley feels lhat Gideon maneuvered her into bringing lhe body up to the Excaltburso he could control the
investigation- When she ashed f or the autopsy reports, she was told that all inf ormation had to come through him
He also stopped her questioning of Trace. He's interfering in her investigation. Gideon tells her the murder
occurred on the planet, and so are the people who could interfere. The fact that the Excaliburhasn't been
sabotaged and blown out space weeks ago proves that there are no doomsday cultisls among the crew" Can she say
the same about Mars? Obviously not, but she stilldoesn't appreciate getting cut off at the knees back in the shuttle
with Trace" Gideon doesn't see the relevance of pushing Trace. We allhave traumas in our past, They don't allhave
lo be dragged out- In his opinion,lhey would allbe better served if she would concentrate on finding leads to the
Sacred 0mega. In the inlerest of maintaining harmony, he will allow her to question anyone on the ship. In that
case, she wants to question Trace. Gideon tells her he's not on the ship. He's on shore leave.
MARS

LeBecque is walking the streets when he sees Trace. He ducl<s out of sight so Trace won't see him as he passesLeBecque talks to the voice in his head again.
LeBecque: Jeanne..-.him too? Bad enough Henderson had to die. He wasn't even from Earth- Why
should he have to pay for their sins? And now him?
Voice: Trust in God, hope in God. If you have good hope and faith in Him, you shall be delivered f rom
your enemies.
LeBecque: Yes, Delivered- Delivered in a blaze of glory by the weapons, lhe weapons that we found

with God's graceUnderground, in the culL's hideout, we see the man who stabbed Henderson sharpening a kniip while sitting on
crate of weapons and explosives. Many more cratps are stacl<ed around him.

EXCALIBUR
Gideon is tall<ing with Matheson. Matheson tells Gideon that he lool<s troubleci, or at the leasl preoccupied. He asl<s
if Lochley would have anything lo do with it. Jokingly, Gideon tells Matheson he read his mind. Not realizing Gideon
was using a figure of speech, Malheson begins to apologize- Gideon tells him he didn't mean it literally and asks
how he l<new about Lochley, Matheson tells him that, as big as the ship is, gossip travels very iast" Gideon tells him
it's nothing serious, just a conf licL in cornmand slyles- The problem is not that lhey are different, it's that they are
exactly the same. Therein lies the conf licl.
Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear. Lochley catches up to them in the corridor. He introduces her to
Matheson, who she barely acl<nowledges. She's just returned from Mars and hands him a data crystal with a
detailed rpport of their investigation to date. She tells him Lt. Carr was rather obnoxious about doing it so she
would appreciale if he took the time to read it. Since the opening ceremonies for the conference begin at 20:00
hours, she thought he would lil<e to be current.

Gideon: I'm sorry Carr is giving you a hard time. She seems rather.-, [he glances at Matheson]..-well,
hard to tal<e" And cansidering I have a junior of f icer present, good form would suggest that you

refrain from making the obvious retort,

Lochley: [biting bacl< a smile] Very well, then,Out of good form. I, uh, wouldn't want you to thinl< I

was going easy on you because of your alleged rugged handsomeness.

He tries to apologize, bul she cuts him off. She tells him they are running out of wrong feet to get off on- He says

they both have been running ragged and maybe they'd get along better if they got out from under everylhing- He
suggests having dinner in his quarters- 5he agrees to dinner, but in her quarters, Alter she leaves, Matheson lool<s
at GideonMatheson: Ru gged handsorneness?
Gideon: [pauses] Il's a code word.It's part of the investigation.
Matheson: [not believing it for a second] 0f course,
MARS BAR

Eilerson has made sorne new friends. He's sharing a table and drinks with the mean-looi<ing guy and his friends,
telling jokes. They allsound as if they've had a little too much to drink. Trace wall<s in and commenis t0 Dureena
about Eilerson's new playmates- She tells him it's easy to mal<e friends in a bar. Just buy them a drinl< and their
yours for life. Trace, f lirting with Dureena, asks her how many drinks it would take to mal<e her his friend for life.
She tells him no way. He tells her she could at least give a guy a chance. She did that once, which is why she doesn't
now. Eilerson tells Trace to cheer up, it's a party. Next thing they l<now Trace and Eilerson are in a contest to see
who can out-drink the other- 0ureena is not impressed.

I am drowning in testosterone.
Eilerson: Well,lucl<ily for you, you're equipped with f loatation devices.
Dureena: Gods,

LOCHLEY'S OUARTERS

Lochley and Gideon are sitling down to dinner. Gideon is pleased with her choice - shrimp and chicken lo-mein. He
tells her that she is now officially his new hero, She's not sure if she should be llattered. She asl<s who was his old
hero.
Gideon: Truthf ully? John Sheridan"
Lochley: John Sheridan. No l<iddingGideon: Were you ever under him? [Lochley chol<es on her drink] You ol<ay?
Lochley: Fine. Fine, thanl< you. Um, under him?
Gideon: 0n Babylon 5. You served under him, right?
Lochley:0h, yes, yes,I was under him there for a while. Actually, he, uh, preferred it that way.
Gideon: Ah, what a life he's led, huh? Soldier, statesman, president, forging the lnterstellar Alliance"
Some people treal him lil<e a religious f igure- Still, I suppose he puts his pants on one leg at a time,

right?
Lochley: Uh hm. [under her breath] 0h, yeah, and backwards in the dark sometimes"
Gideon: What?
Lochley: Matthew? Matt?
Gideon: Matt's f ine. Liz?
Lochley: Elizabeth, Matt, may I be blunt?
Gideon: That's a tricl< question, right?
Lochley: Well, your technique with woman is, uh.-.well, piss-poor based on what I've seen. Shouid I
take that as a sign that you haven't been invoived with many?
6ideon: It's been sporadic al best, The life, the career, I mean, I don't have to tell you, right? You're
probably in in the same boat, too.
Lochley:0h, yeah, exactly- Well, you l<now, except for the time that I spent married.
Gideon: Married? You're telling me that some guy aclually managed lo land you? Got you to lower
your defenses enough to commil and lhen he let you get away? God, he must be the biggesl loser in
the galaxy.
Lochley:0h, major loser. They don'I come any bigger,
Gideon: Loser have a name?

Lochley: John Sheridan.

Gideon spits out his drink. Lochley laughs.

iilll

Gideon: Had [o wail

tooh a drink, didn't you?
Lochley: It seemed only fair.
Gideon starts laughing too,
CULT HIBEOUT

LeBecque is arrning a bomb (the timer is set to 666). Two followers watch nearby. The bomb willbe enough to
destroy everything within a mile. Af ter he send the followers on their way, he begins tall<ing to the voice in his
head" He tells her lhal he is afraid of martyrdom, The voice tells him so was she- Fear of the tire made her deny
hearing the voices- Her voices told her that in recanting, she would be damning herself to save her life. So she tool<
back her false confession and wished everyone could hear the Lord's voice as she did- LeBecque tells the voice that
soon they allwill.
MARS BAR

Il's sorne time later and Trace is very drunl<. He starts talking about the tragedy thai made him lose his faith. One
day, something terrible happened and he prayed very hard because "they" were innocent and didn't deserve what
happened to them. He doesn't say what happened or who he was praying for, but he feels God didn't have time to
listen- That tore him and God apart. Nolhing rnade sense anymore-

Pulling himself out of his somber mood, he gets up and pulls Dureena olf her slool- He's in the mood to dance, but
Dureena resists- She doesn't know how to dance. Trace can barely stand up, He falls bacl< onto a table- Eilerson
decides he's going to teach Dureena to dance. Dureena tells him she dopsn't want to learn. Eilerson ignores her and
changes the music on the jukebox to something more up-tempo. He grabs Dureena and spins her into his arms"
Eilerson is a pretty good daneer.

While they dance, Trace stumbles oul the door. 0utside, the cultists that killed Henderson attacl<s Trace. The cultist
puils his l<nife, bul Trace manages to knocl< it from his hand. Trace sobers up enough to throw some punches and
defend himself . inside the bar, Eilerson and Dureena continue to dance until she realizps Trace is gone- By now,
Trace is pretty beat up and the cultist has recovered his l<nife. Rushing outside, Dureena pulls her own knife and
orders the man to leave Trace alone. The man grabs Trace and puts his l<nife to Trace's throat. Eilerson warns the
man that Dureena means business. Lt. Carr sneal<s up behind the man and shoves her PPG against his head- She
says she'llgive him untilthe count of three to drop his knife, but only gets to two before she shoots him.
AUDITORIUM
Gideon, Chambers and Lochleyare chatting. Lochley is contacied by Carr. She tplls Lochley they have Henderson's
l<iller. She's going to meet Carr and is about to asl< Gideon to stay put, but Gideon beats her to it. He tells her that
their problems might be solved but he's stillsuspicious oI any answer that....is too pat, Lochley finishes for him.
When Lochley leaves, Chambers cornrnents on how cute it is that they f inish each other's sentences. Gideon, acting
lil<e he got caught holding a girls hand in lhe school yard by his buddies, tells Chambers "n0 we don't", then wall<s
away,
LeBecque is in the crowd. He pulls a little clear, plastic object out of his coat pocket.Ii's the bomb detonator- He
opens it and starts the timer, counting down from 666.
MARS BAR

Eilerson gives Trace something for his headache. Carr has finished examining Trace and the dead attacker's DNA"
The 0NA rnatches what they found on Henderson. The l<iller, a Marco Rivera, was a rnember of Mars resistance.
Eilerson didn't know about Henderson so Trace f ills him in. Eilerson finds il interesting. What are the odds that, out
of all the people at the conference, the same rndn would target two people who were close? Carr shows Trace
pictures of allthe people at the conference to see if he recognizes anyone from his days with the Foundationists.
AUDITORIUM
LeBecque lakes his place as the conlerence begins, Gideon keeps an eye 0n the crowd as Chambers is introduced
and tal<es the stage-

MARS BAR
Trace picl<s out LeBecque, only his real name is Andre Sabot. He was a priesl in the order. He was with Sabot when
the tragedy that made him leave the church occurred, What they saw made Trace leave, but made Sabot have a
breakdown. Trace thinl<s Sabot might have recovered, but then he lef t the order- Sabot told Trace that he wanted to
f ind a way to make the evil in the world go away. Lochley contacts Gideon and tells him what they found-

Meanwhile, the clocl< on the bomb is down lo I

l0

and counting.

AUOITORIUM
Chambers starts her speech as Gideon spols Sabol. He's surrounded by civilians and Gideon can't get to him
wilhout others getting hurt. Trace tells him that he knows Sabot, he's not a murderer. Sabot thinks it's God's will,
he's not r-esponsible- It's the people trying [o stop God's will(the plague) that are evil. Sabol wouldn't hurt an

innocent. They need [o make Sabot see them as innocent.

Gideon gels up on stage and interrupts Chamber's speech- He inlroduces himself and tells the crowd that he has
been charged by EarthForce with a diff icult duty. He is lhere t0 announce thet they have woefully miscaiculated the
viciousness of the Drakh plague. They do not have f ive years. They have months al best and manl<ind is doomed.
Stunned rnurrnurs f illthe room and some people get up to leave, Gideon begs lhem not to try to breah the
quarantine to reach loved ones on Earth- The best thing they can do is leave and live out their remaining time as
messengers and spread the word that humanity has paid the ultimate price for its transgressions. That we have
been judged and lound wanting.
Gideon's plan worked. Sabot hears the woman's voice telling them to let the people go- She is satisf ied" Sabot
relieved he didn't have to killor die- He stops the de[onator with ]B seconds to go.

is

CULT HIDEOUT

Sabot uses a tornrn linl< to callthe members together- it turns out the hideout is under a church.One member is
angry that they were called back- Sabot tells him the others saw the lighl, but they may need the weapons sorne
time in the f uture and they need to move them- Suddenly, security troops storm the hideout- Sabot grabs the
detonator and is about to set of f the bomb, but Gideon shoots him- Carr is wounded along with several cult
mernbers- Lochley checl< on her, but Carr says she has it covered.
Trace rushes to Sabot's side- He tells the others that Joan of Arc talks to him and might have talked io Trace if he
had followed his calling. He wishes everyone could hear it as he does. Sabot dies, hoping that with God's grace he'll
see paradise.

Sometime later, Gideon and Lochley are wall<ing through the streets of Mars. Lochley tells him that the conference
went wellaf ter they managed to scrape allthe representatives of f of the ceiling because of his speech. Gideon
couldn't reach him and didn't want cops running through the crowd. There would have been too much time for
Sabot to react. So he just said what Sabot wanted to hear. Af terward, he lef t and led them to the hideout and the
weapons, Gideon can't believe how many weapons and explosives the resistance had- Lochley thinl<s it would have
allworl<ed out faster if he'd let her tall< to Trace when she wanted to. Gideon doesn't want to argue about it so he
gives in and tells her she's probably right.
She asks how Trace is doing. It's a shame what he was put through with Henderson. Henderson wasn't even
supposed to be there- He was a last minute replacement. Sabot couldn'l af f ord to be seen so he had him l<illed. He
was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She asl<s him when she'll see him in her part of space, when she gets
bacl< to 85, that is.

Gideon: Is that an invitation?

Lochley: It's free spdce. You can come and go as you please.
Gideon: So it's not an invitation?
Lochley: It's whatever you want it to be.
Gideon: Captain... You are lhe most double-tall<ing, suspicious, second-guessing
seen since the last time I looked in a mirror.
Lochley: Well then, I guess that's why we mal<e such a good team.

individuall have ever

He makps her a deal- Right af ter they find a cure for the plague, they'llpark at 85 for a week. She asl<s that with all
the religious zealbeing spouted there, does he belleve in a supreme being?

Gideon: Aside from John Sheridan?

Lochley: flaughsl Yes, aside f rom the wisest, bravest, sexiest man in the galaxy. Apart from him"." Do
you believe in God?
Gideon: Captain,I have five years to cure the Drakh plague- 0o I believe in God? i'llget bacl< to you
on that in f ive years...and one day"
MARS BAR

Dureena, Trace and Eilerson are waiting at a lable for Chambers. Trace lells them he wishes they could have known
Sabot the way he did. He was the sweetest, most intelligent rnan he l<new, and lool< what he became, He probably
thought allthis doomsday stuf f was God's willbecause voices in his head told him so- Eilerson says on the other
hand, Joan of Arc heard voices and was canonized. Sabot became cannon fodder. Funny world, isn't it?
Chambers joins them and shows them Sabot's journal. It's f illed with quotes from Joan of Arc. Eilerson thinks this
proves his point. History is rarely ever cut and dried when it comes to religion- One man's lunatit is another man's
saint or holy martyr. In the words of T.S. Eliot, saint and marlyr rule f rom the tomb. Chambers adds that we end
up translating those orders to suit ourselves- We use them to justify murder, torture, and slavery, Dureena tells
them on her world, it was considered a great evil to even try to presume to speal< on behalf of the universe"
Eilerson: Well, they're a lot smarter than we are. What's that old saying? Anyway, Christ came io tell
us to love one another- And we've spent the last 2200 years killing each other on how he said it. When
you become obsessed with the enerny, you become the enemyDureena: [to Trace] I'm starting to agree with him and that's more than I can bare- Would you care to
dance?
Trace: Love to.

The Long Road (February ztth,z?at)

Written By: J. MichaelStraczynski
REGULA

IV

A woman is working at her desk. Suddenly, the room begins to shal<e. A man dressed in coveralls rushes in and tells
her that "it" is back and he saw "il" with his own eyes" He tells the woman t0 get on the link and callfor help. They
need ships, troops--.anything with a gun. While the woman makes the call, Lhe man goes over to a window,
hesitates for a moment, then yanl<s bacl< the curtain. A huge red, glassy eye f ills the window, staring bacl< at him.

The man bolts from the room"

EXCALIBUR
Several crew mernbers are exercising in lhe ship's gymnasium. Gideon is on the basketball court shooting hoops by
himself . He misses the basket every time- Malheson wall<s in, surprised to see Gideon up so early" Gideon csuldn't
sleep and thought a little exercise would clear the mind and calm the spirit.It doesn't seem to be working, though.
His frustration grows af ter missing the basl<et severalrnore timas. He's certain that the hoop is defective.
Matheson tells him that they've been contacted by an EarthForce ship in the area. They're trying to bring in
materials from Regula IV that may help cure the plague, but they're having problems with the locals. They need
Excalibuls help- Gideon has heard of Regula IV, it's a low-tech hurnan colony, mostly farmers with no military or
starships. What could possibly be causing them trouble?
REGULA

IV

EarthForce troops are hiding behind some [rees and brush, stunned at what they see - a giant yellow dragon with
glowing red eyes. It roars menacingly at themEXCALIBUR
Galen is on the bridge when Gideon arrives, reading a report from the Medusa. He can't beiieve whaL he's reading.
He thinls the crew is either drunl< or crazy 0r both, They report seeing a dragon as big as a skyscraper- This catches
Galen's attention and he asl<s lor details, The dragon is gold and supposedly breathes f ire, but no damage was
found- From Galen's expression, we can tellhe knows something aboul it. He tells Gideon he willprepare lo meet
lhe Medusa's crew.
Gideon: I haven't invited you yet,
Galen: You will.
REGULA

IV

The Excalibur exits lhe jump point over the planet. Several other EarthForce ships are already in orbit. A shuttle
departs and heads for the Medusa.
MEDUSA

Ll. Meyers escorts Gideon and Galen to f,aptain Daniels,0n the way, he f ills them in on lhe situation- Regula IV is a
human colony established 90 years ago by a separatist movement. They abandoned technology in favor of an
agrarian society - hand tools, wood stoves, domesticated animals,,,1t's practically medieval.It sounds quite

charming to Galen"
EarthForce didn't thinl< there would be any problem completing the mission - just come in, tal<e what they need,
then go. But it hasn't worked out like that- They don't know what is going on down on the planet- Gideon asl<s what
it is they're tal<ing. Meyers will let Captain Danieis explain thal.
They reach the brief ing room. Daniels tells Gideon that a preliminary survey of the planet three years ago revealed
that the colonists'life span has increased 15 years beyond Earth normal. There appears to be a mineralin the water
supply that counteracts most viruses - a naturalanti-viralagent. They always intended to investigate further, but
when the Drakh plague hit, they had to rnove up their schedule. They arrived shortly af ter the plague was released
and began mining lo remove as much of the mineral as possible for shipment back to Earth. The tests bacl< home
have been very positive, so they were ordered to speed up the process.

Galen is disgusted. They are strip mining the planet- Daniels calls it "being more aggressive". But that is when the
problems started. Meyers hands everyone a list of the problems they've been having:controlcircuits f used on
shuttles, a 12 ton cargo transport disappeared for two days then suddenly reappeared, but the engines had been
removed and replaced with a substance resembling peanut butter" Galen has a laugh at that.
Daniels considers those behind the pranl<s to be lerrorist. He doesn't l<now how they're doing it. They've doubled
security and added cameras, but they can't seem to catch them in the act, No one has been hurt yet, bui it's only a
matter of time- Daniels asl<s Gideon if he has any ideas. Gideon wants f irsI hand information before he mal<es any
recommendations- He wants to visil the planet and see it for himself - Galen agrees, but thinl<s only the two of them
should g0 - no security teams, n0 troops. Meyers advises against il, The locals are nol happy having them there- He
can'I guarantee their safeiy- Galen is not worried- He's certain they will be in no danger- Gideon asks him to explain,
but Galen would rather wait untilthey're aione. He tells the others that Gideon will need a change of clothes, a rnap

of the village and some local currency.

Alone out on the corridor, Gideon asl<s Ealen if he l<nows whai is going on.
Galen: Perhaps. And if I'm right, it's def initely something you should see.
Gideon: And if you're wrong?
Galen: Now lhat hardly seerns lil<ely, does it?
The tal<e the shuttle down to lhe planetREGULA

IV

Gideon and Galen enter a smallinn. Galen is wearing his usualclothing, but Gideon has changed into localattire- He
looks lil<e he just walked out oi the Old Wesl - hat, boots and everything in between. All that's missing is a gun and
holster s[rapped to his hip. They sit down at a table. Locals sit at lables around [hem, eating and drinking. The room
is a little dark. There seems to be only a few electric lights hanging- The inn seems to be lit by the light coming
f rom a large f ireplace and the many candles sitting on the tables. A few of the patrons give them suspicious lool<sGideon asl<s what they should do now.
Galen: Well, this is an inn. We are new in town.I suggest you buy us a drini<.
Gideon: You're enjoying this, aren't you?
Galen: Immensely.
Eideon: Swell.
Gideon walks up to the bar and tries to catch the innheeper's attention. The innkeeper ignores him and continues
tall<ing to some locals at the end of the bar. He manages to get the attention of Claire, the innl<eeper's daughter,
but her father sees this and chases the girlof f. Now having the innl<eeper's al[enlion, Gideon tells him they were
bringing some cattle to market and just got into town and stopped by to wash lhe dust out of iheir throats, The
innl<eeper tells Gideon they came to the right place and gives him a lisl of lhe drinks they serve" Gideon tosses a
gold coin on the table and asks what he could buy with it. The innl<eeper tells him he could buy the entire bar wilh
il, but Gideon jusl wants a couple of drinks.
Much later, Gideon and Galen are the only ones lef t in the inn- Gideon asks how much longer they have to waitGalen: Until something happens.
Gideon: What if nothing happens?
Galen: Something always happens"
The door opens and a group of large, rnean-looking loralmen wall< inGalen: 5ee?
The men head right for Gideon and Galen's table and surround lhem. Gideon asks if there's something he can do f or
them. The leader tells him they want him oul of their village. They don't want his l<ind around. A wind blows
through the room and the lights suddenly go out. The door swings open, An old man, dressed a little like Galen,
enters and commands that the villagers leave Galen and Gideon alone. They belong to him

A local asl<s the old man, Alwyn, il he knows the strangers, Alwyn (spinning quite a tale) says he employs many
dif ferent people to bring him iniormation f rom the border. They came to see him. Alwyn told his guests to expect a
warm and f riendly welcome" The locals made a liar out of him. The leader was sure they were outsiders. The
innkeeper shows Alwyn the coin Gideon used to buy the drinks. Alwyn claims that the coin was supposed to be a
signal to him that they had arrived. They obviously gave it to the wrong person. Alwyn decides to have some f un at
Galen and Gideon's expense-

Alwyn: i really don'i know what to do with them some days" Intruders everywhere, our way of life
hanging in the balance,." You would thinl< that sometimes they would be bothered to attend staf f
conferences, wouldn't you? 5till,I supposed that it is inevitable when you are dealing with the outer
villages"..isolate like that. Pretty soon lhe gene poolturns into a stagnant pond- This is what you get

(gesturing to Gideon and Galen).

The locals have a laugh at that and leave the inn"
Aione, Galen and Alwyn greet each other- Alwyn asl<s how they found him. The gold dragon gave him away. Galen
remembers Alwyn doing that trick for children at parties. He might as wellhave put up a sign with his name on it,
Alwyn lil(as sticl(ing with the classics, and a dragon inspires an inborn fear in humans. Besides, Alwyn really lihes
dragons, especially golden ones- Nobody does dragons anyrnore. Pity. To showy, he supposes.
Galen introduces Alwyn to Gideon, telling the old Techno-mage that he can trust lhe caplain. Alwyn is the one who
feels betrayed. How does he know he can trusl Gideon? Alwyn knows Galen. He would never do anything to harm
Alwyn. They just want to talk.
ALWYN'S HOUSE

Alwyn feeds Galen and Gideon" He tells CIideon he was once a Techno-mage, but lefl the order when the others lef I
l<nown space- He assumes that since Galen is there, the others have corne out of hiding. Gaien admits that he was
thrown out. Alwyn is pleased to hear it. He feels the others were cowards for hiding during the Shadow War. He was
painfully surprised that Galen went with them. Galen believed he had an obligation to follow his teacher.
Gideon breaks in and asl<s abouL allthe problems going on, He assumes Alwyn is behind it- Alwyn doesn't deny it.
Gideon asks why he does il if he feels he has an obligation lo help people. The resources on the planet might save
lives- Why the campaign of terror? Alwyn is angered by this. He tells them to follow him and he'llshow Lhem a

campaign of terrorMINING SITE

Alwyn, Galen and Gideon stand on a hill overlooking the mine. Alwyn tells them the machines work day and night
tearing the heart out of the planet. The mineralEarth is af ter is a naturalanti-viralagent filtered through ground
water over the centuries- The only places it can be found is in the most fertile of land with a nearby supply of clean
water, all of which are being destroyed by the mining operation, They tried convincing the miners to look
somewhere else, away from the village, but they willnot listen- Because this is where the highest concentration of
the mineralcan be found, it is easier to mine. People have losl their hornes because of the mining.
Gideon asks if the villagers can move somewhere else. Alwyn says no. The people are farrners, the land is their Iife,
They can't jusi back up a truck and move elsewhere. There are no cities or emergency relocation camps. Come
winter, those people will die" Galen asks if he's tried talking to f,aptain Danlels. Alwyn has tried, but Daniels won't
listen, What are a few lives here when lhere are billions at stal<e back home? He's tried to mal<e it rnore troubie
that it's worth to stay here, but it's not worl(ing He would rather work this out peacef ully, but it becomes more and
more improbable each day.One day it will turn to violence- Then Earth will send ships, troops and guns, and there's
nothing here to stop it.

Alwyn says he will be here- The people have given him a home- They come lo him for help with problems- He has an
obligation to them. Galen l<nows what Alwyn is capable of.If they come with guns,lheywillleave in boxes.
Down in the mine, troops guard the worl<ing miners, Suddenly, the same group of villagers who threatened Galen
and Gideon storm the mine and tal<e the soldier's weapons. They round up the troops and miners as hostages. They
don't want to l<illthem, but they willif they have to, They leave a note behind, tacked to a doorway wi[h a l<nife.

ALWYN'S HOUSE
Galen sits in front of the f ireplace while Gideon is outside contacting the Excalibur. Alwyn and Galen do a little
catching up. Alwyn asks about Galen's teacher, Erlic- Galen tells him Erlic died shortly af ter reaching their hiding
place. Alwyn didn't know" He and Erlic disagreed about almost everything, but he was a good man and taught Galen
well. Erlic took in Galen af ter his father died. Galen spent his life afraid of Erlic because he was tall and
powerf ul--.and because he was afraid he'd lose him lil<e his father. Galen wonders what either of them would thinl<
about the way things turned out-

Alwyn assures him that they would have been very proud of him. Galen has become his own rnan, makes his own
decisions, speaks his own mind- Alwyn thinks there is much of Galen's father in him" Speaking of making decisions,
Alwyn tells Galen he could be very helpf ul with the villagers. They are good people who would give him a home.
Galen wouldn't have to wander through space anymore. Galen could stay af ter Alwyn has gone, and help guide
them. Galen declines- He has always gone his own way and can't be responsible for others.
Gideon rushes In and tells them about the hostage situation.
MEDUSA

Daniels has a new job for Meyers- An attack squad has been assembled to deal with the villagers and Meyers [s to
lead them. The troops need a command presence and Meyers need to get his feet wet. Besides, the villagers have
no weapons.It'll be a sl<eet shoot- Meyers is a little surprised. He was certain Daniels would want to lead the troops.
Daniels doesn't want to horn in on all the action, and promotion only cornes from combat experience- Meyers looks
a little unsure of himself .

Shuttles from the Medusa head down to the planet. When they enter the atmosphere, Atwyn's giant gold dragon
confronts them, roaring and breathing f ire. Meyers tells the others it has to be a hologram. fhere's been no
previous damage from it. They keep going, f lying right through the dragon"
0n the planet, Alwyn, Galen and Gideon hurry through the forest. Gideon tries to reason with Alwyn- It's not a clean
ight anymore- The villagers have taken hostages and Alwyn knows that's wrong- Alwyn says that if they come with
guns and ships he will stop them. Gideon argues that by protecting them he's an accornplice.If anyone gets killed,
the situation will escalate beyond anyone's control.
f

THE INN

The villagers are gathered, planning their strategy. Meyers and his troops burst in and hold everyone at gun point.
He demands the release of the hostages. The lights suddenly go out and a fog r0lls in under the door. The villagers
know Alwyn is near. The door opens and Alwyn walks in surrounded by the swirling fog- Alwyn orders Meyers to
leave his people alone. Meyers, feeling cocky, tells Alwyn to stay out of thlngs he doesn't understand. Galen appears
next to Alwyn.
Galen: Funny, we were about to tellyou the same thing,

Alwyn looks to the f ireplace- A ball of f ire shoots out, creating several holo-demons made of smoke" The demons f ly
arsund the inn, attacking the troops. Meyers tells the troops not to worry, lhey're not real and can't hurt them. Just
then, a large demon cornes up behind Meyers and becomes solid enough to knock him down with his wings- The
troops begin f iring at the demons. The demons attacl< the troops, becoming solid long enough to throw around the
trosps, then quickly returning insubstantial before the troops can f ire on them, Alwyn and Galen stand in the
doorway and watch the "battle" as if critiquing a painting on a museum wall- They are very nonchalant.
6alen: Nicely done- Your own design?
Alwyn: The holo-demons?
The troops are losing badly.

Alwyn:

made a few modif ications to the original program. Popped in a few synthetics into the basic

design...
Troops come crashing out of the windows. Inside the inn, lroops contlnue shooting- The demons remain unharmed.

Alwyn: They don't last more than an hour, but generaily speaking you don't need them for more than
that
Galen: No, that's usually suf f icientA bar stool is hurled toward them. They lean out of lhe way and the stool crashes into one of the soldiers who
just recovered f rom being thrown out a window.

has

Galen: The teeth are a very nice touch.

Alwyn: You think so? Not too big?
Galen: No- I thinl< lhey're just aboul righl.
Alwyn: Yes, I suppose you're right.
MEDUSA

Daniels receives a signal from Meyers, They didn't complete [heir mission,In fact, they have been tal<en captive
too.
ALWYN'S HOUSE

Alwyn, Galen, the innkeeper and his daughter return, reveling in their viclory, Alwyn is quite proud ol his work" No
one was killed - bashed, beaten and bit, but not killed, Now Alwyn wants the hostages and prisoners released as a
show of good faith. The innkeeper protests. The captives are their only bargaining tools. He feels they can beat the
EarthForce troops. Galen disagrees. They can't hope to beat a superior force. Sooner or later they will beat the
villagers. They must be reasonable. The innl<eeper doesn't think they need to be reasonable as long as they have
Alwyn in their corner. Alwyn looks surprised to hear that"
The innkeeper's daughter becomes illand faints. They lay her on a sofa. Her father says she's been pale and tired
allweek, and it's been getting worse. Alwyn scans her with a crystal- The girlisn't siclt, she's dying" There's nothing
Alwyn can do for her- She's overdosing on the mineral. The mining has sent tons of it into lhe atmosphere as dust"
The innl<eeper's house is closest to the mine so lhey were more exposed to it than the others. The colonists have
grown up ingesting smallquantities of it. They are now saturated with the mineral- The extra in the atmosphere
will cause everyone to overdose- The results are deadly"
Gideon thinks this may be what they need lo change Daniels'mind, bul Alwyn doesn't think he'lllisten- He'llsay it's
jusL another trick and has nothing to do with the mining operation. Gideon will convince Daniels- He'll have DrChambers do a fullwork up on the girl.If they can prove the mining caused her illness, he'lihave to listen.
Excalibuls medlab willhave the equipment t0 save her. The innl<eeper begs Gideon to do whatever he has to to
save his daughter, but stillfepls Daniels will not listen, He wants to do lhings his way - a life for a lifeGideon willsend down a shutlle for the girl- In the meantime, he wants Alwyn to controlhis people- He'lldo what
he can, Galen suggests that, if they're going to appeal lo the beIter angels of their natui-e, they should come up wilh
a bacl< up plan in case reason is not suf f icient to the causeA shuttle whisks Claire to the Exca/ibur. Alwyn and Galen watch f rom the woods. Galen thinl<s he should go
Alwyn. Alwyn says they're his people, he should talk to them alone.

with

THE INN

The villagers are repairing the damaged caused by the earlier battle when Alwyn arrives" He's very angry with
them. He's live among them for 12 years- He's always been very proud to call lhem his friends.."untilnow" Now he is
ashampd. The lai<ing of hostages is the weapon of choice for cowards and criminals- Which are they? One of the
villagers says it's the only weapons they have. He ieels they were fools to live lil<e lhis...to throw away their guns
and machines, They could f ight the troops. Alwyn says they would lose. Their ancestors chsse this life because lhey
felt it was better than the life they had - and they were right.Il they choose the soldiers'weapons and the soldiers'
tactics, then they willbecome no better and will lose their way of life" Everything that made the colony a good
place willbe lost"
The innkeeper stillrefuses to give up the hostages. He tells Alwyn that il he tries to take them by force..-, Alwyn is
shocl<ed. He would never use force against them. He stillhas some understanding of honorable behavior. Since
they don't give him any choice, Alwyn willsettle it in his own way, and they willallbear the consequences.

EXCALIBUR
Gideon is sharing Dr. Chambers' [est results with Daniels- Alwyn was righ[, In a matter of weeks, lhe mining
operation willkilleveryone wilhin 2B miles, Danlels wants a second opinion- He wants lo send the girlto a medical
facility closer to Earth" Gideon says they don't have that much time, Baniels has to shut down the mine and move
somewhere eise, away f rom the people- Daniels ref uses. Moving could cosl them time and money. They have a
perfectly good operation going and they willnot move it. He'lldealwith the colonists problems when the current
crisis is over.
Matheson receives a signal from Galen- The situalion is not good, There has been a disturbing developmentMEDUSA

Gideon contacts Daniels. He tells them that there is a Techno-mage on that planet that has been the cause of all
their problems- Daniels says he'll tahe care of Alwyn when the time comes- Gideon telis Daniels he won't get the
chance, Alwyn willbeat him to it, He sends Daniels a feed from their planetary scanners and tells him that a
Techno-mage has access to extremely powerf ul forces. They're dangerous enough to begin wi[h, but now Alwyn
plans to amplify those forces a hundred times over- Alwyn has tal<en over the mine and evacuated allpersonnel,
He's using the curvature of the mine the same way a satellite dish does ts concentrate a signal. it willamplify
forces beyond anything they've seen" Not really believing in the power, Daniels asl<s what Alwyn can do way down
on the planel- Gideon tells him he could destroy the Medusa. Daniels stilldoesn't believe him, Gideon tells him to

look for himself.

The feed from the planet shows Alwyn standing in lhe rniddle of the mine with his arms raised, Energy and balls of
light swirl around him. They grow more intense every secondThis gets Daniels' attention, He doesn't have the facilities to hnocl< down a planetary target in time, but Gideon
does. He wants Gideon to f ire on Alwyn. Gideon orders the main gun online and fires at the mine, completely

deslroying it.
PLANETSIBE
The villagers at the inn are surprised by the explosion. Light from the blast fills the room. Galen stands on the hill

overlooking the debris

ALWYN'S HOUSE
The innkeeper is ihere when Gideon arrives (now in uniform), He tells the innl<eeper his daughter is better and is
demanding to go home. Gideon teils him that now the mining operation is being glassed over, they have to move
somewhere else.It'llbe hard without cooperation. A lot of people bacl< home willdie without the kind of help lhey
can get on Regula IV, The innkeeper tells Gideon they've released the hostages and they can leave any lime. The
colonists willhelp lhem find anolher location for their mining operation. Someplace safe. Gideon is sure Daniels
willappreciate it-

Before Gideon leaves, the innl<eeper tells him that the last thing Alwyn said lo them was that he was asharned of
them. He feels Alwyn was right- They want to f ind a way to mal<e it right, to honor his rnemory, Dideon would prefer
to honor someone's opinion while they're slillalive to appreciate it. The innkeeper admils they didn't appreciate
Alwyn lil<e they should have. Alwyn was always there for them and they didn't listen lil<e they should have. And now
he's gone.
WI]ODED AREA
Galen is soaking up the morning air when a not-so-dead Alwyn joins him.

Alwyn: Is it me or are the mornings getting colder?

Galen: You cut that one awfully close.
Alwyn: (laughs) 0h, it wasn't as bad as it lool<ed. You should l<now by now that when we're involved,
nothing is as it seems.

Galen asks him what he'ltrdo new- Alwyn will move on. It was inevitable- When he heard the innkeeper say [hat
they didn't have to be reassnable as long as they had him, he knew he stayed too long, allowed them to rely en him
too much. It's time they carne into their cwn, started making their own decisisns, creating their swn rnagic,
learning by their own mistakes. He hopes the glassed over mine (a monument to stupidity) will remind them 0f the
lessons they learned that day. Galen asks if it will be hard for him to move on- Alwyn says yes, it's always hard to
move 0n. But in 10 or 20 years, this will be a legend. Some won't even believe he existed. He doesn't mind. After all,
isn't that what everybody wants - to be larger than they are? He's overstayed his wplcome. The long road beckons
and it's tirne to get back 0n it, see where it leads him this time. There is a whole uoiverse out there and he would
like to see sornE of it before Ehe darkness Eomps.
Galen will miss him. It's been nice to have somesne from horne to talk to" Alwyn tel[s Ealen he is home, he just
doesn't realize it yet. He will see Galen again.".on the other side- Alwyn leaves him looking perplexed.

Eideon walks out of the brush to join Galen.

Gideon: I didn't see you say good bye6alen: There was no need.
Gideon: I was thinking, with Alwyn leaving, there's a job open- These people could use sorneone like
you. Once the mission's over, you could come back here- Have yourself a home-

Galen:Ihaveahome.
Now it's Galen's [urn to leave Gideon teoking perplexed.
The Excalibur enters
into the unlverse-

jump point to their next destination. Alwyn's ship, with gold dragons on the wings, heads out

The Path of Sorrows

(March sth,2z6t)
Written By: J- MichaelStraczynski

UNKNOWN PLANET
Gideon, Eilerson, Galen and a few soldiers sland around the entrance of a huge citadel which they're trying to
f igure out how to get into. Dureena has climbed up the door to see if she can f ind a way in. Eilerson's luck is no
better. He's translated a phrase that is repeated over and over again in lhe 40 languages he's been able to identifyGalen tells Eilerson to tellhim again what the phrase says. Eilerson is frustrated- They've been there 12 hours and
found nothing. He doesn't care what 6alen's sources say about this place being a place of healing. It isn't worth
their time- Nothing they have can cut through it, and they can't tunnel under it. Their only option is to blow the
doors, but that will destroy anything of value inside. Galen is insistent. He congers a small ball of f ire (or plasma)
and blows it right at Eilerson's head" This get's Eilerson to shut up. Galen wants to know preciselywhat the phrase
is. Eilerson tells him, "Enter freely through the path of sorrows-" Galen thanl<s him and calls bacl< his ballof f lame,
which zips right into his pocket (waste not, want not)-

Eilerson begins complaining again- They've searched the area and the only paths they've found are the ones they
made. He doesn't know what this so called "path of sorrows" is supposed to be. Galen tells him that all roads
intersect with the path of s0rrows---sooner or later. Galen calls for Dureena and begins berating her for not finding
a way in yet. He cuts into her, asking her if she's ever failed before, and if someone's life depended on her, and how
that made her feel. Dureena turns away f rom him and begins to cry- Galen stops and wipes the tears with his f inger.
he walks over to the door and wipes the tears on the door. A green light shines through a crack and the doors open.
Inside, a large globe sits in the center of the chamber. It's smoky inside the globe, but you can faintly see
something.-..or someone.

While they wall< through the chamber, Oureena tells Galen that what he did to her was not fair. He hnows her
better than anyone ever has or ever willand he used that l<nowledge unfairly. Balen tells her it tool< no special
l<nowledge- Everyone is af raid of failing. An alien lifeform inside the globe is watching Dureena and Galen. She
Galen if he's ever apologized for anything he's done. He tells her just once, and typically, it came far too late to
rnatter.

asl<s

Eilerson finds the globe- It's smoky inside so they don't see the creature. Eilerson tries to scan it, but he can't get
through the shell. He's not picking up any other rooms or passages, so the globe must be the only thing thereGideon observes that it doesn't appear to be a mechanism of any l<.ind, it might be a stasis bubble. The smol<e
clears a little and Gideon gets a quicl< glimpse of something inside. The globe alien looks into 6ideon, making him
f lash back to when he was stranded in space. His ship tried to open a jump point to escape an attack by a Shadowlooking ship, but was destroyed. Gideon snaps back to the present- He tells the others that something looked at him
and....he's not sure what happened.
Eilerson wants to know what they're going to do now. Dureena says they can't just leave it here, trapped with no
food or water. Gideon agrpes. They will take it back to the Excalibur. Gideon leaves and everyone except Eilerson
and Dureena follow. Eilerson asks her what's the matter with Gideon.
0ureena: Well, haven't you noticed by now? He never walks away from a distress signalor abandons
someone who might be in trouble- He never leaves anyone behindEilerson: Why?
Dureena:

I don't know-

He never talks about it.

The alien listens closely to their conversation.

EXCALIBUR

In the conference room, Gideon watches a science team examine the globe over a monitor- Matheson walls in and
if the globe alien is being held inside against it's will, if it's been imprisoned? It might be dying. Gideon
tells him that is what they're trying to f igure out. Matheson knows, but... He looks like he might be picking up a
strange vibe from the being. He dismisses the feeling and bids Gideon a good night.
asks what

BULLET CAR
Galen is already aboard when Matheson steps into the car" Galpn has a far away look on his. Matheson waits a few
rnoments before saying anylhing- He tells Galen that the f light deck is the other way. He though Galen would be
leaving as soon as they got what they came for.
Galen: Yes" I did.
Matheson: But"--you're not leavin g?
6alen: No. I'm just here- We, all of us, have to be somewhere- This place seemed lo be as good as anyMatheson: You mean you've been riding around in here allnighl?
Galen: Mm-hmm.
Matheson: You like going nowhere at 120 miles an hour?
Galen: 0f course. That is man's natural condition" I was thinl<ing about Matthew's reaction to the
objecl we found- He seems....he seems quite drawn to itMatheson: He's curious.I thinkpeople iike him are born to askquestions.
Galen: That implies a directed universe. There is no planning--.- No design to our lives"
Matheson: Odd. Given your profession, I f igured you'd be the one person who'd believe otherwise.
The expression on Galen's face is a little hard to read" He's either amused (and a little surprised) or slightly
uncomfortable (and trying to hide it), maybe because Matheson hit on something Galen doesn't want to face yet.
Either way, Galen doesn't want to continue the conversation.

6alen: i thinl< this is where I get otl. Metaphorically, metaphysically, and literally. But do go on riding.
Go around enough times and with any lucl< you'llcome to the same conclusions I have. Good night.
MEDBAY

Gideon decides it's time to talk to the alien. Standing in front of the globe, he calls to it, He knows it's there. The
srnoke clears and the being shows itself. It communicates telepathically- Speaking telepathically, it tells Gideon
he is in pain" Dideon says that we're all in paln and he's never met anyone who wasn't. It is not satisf ied with that
answer and withdraws, pulling it's head into it's body" Gideon starts getling irritated. He asks what it wants.
Globe Alien: The truth.
Gideon: "The truth"? Great- So, if I say".--yeah, I'm in pain, so what? What's it to you? You don't even
l<now me.
Globe Alien: Yes,
Gideon is again thrown bacl< into his past, He is an ensign on board lfie Cerberus.The Cerberus has been attacked
by a Shadow-lool<ing ship and is damaged. Alarms are ringing and smol<e f ills lhe bridge. They are in what's
supposed to be an empty part of space. Captain Ross has no idea who is shooting at them- Gideon, in f ull battle
gpar, enters the bridge- The captain tells him one of the decl<s has been holed and the auto repair systems are shot.
They are losing pressure fast. He wants Gideon to take out and EVA team and f ix it,

0ut in space, Gideon breaks

of f f rom the team and moves f urther out to get a better look at the damage, Suddenly,
engines
f
ire
and
the ship's
speed away trom Gideon. He tries to contact the ship. but no one answers. He hears Ross
order the ship to jump over his head set. The enemy ship has returned. Il chases lhe Cerberus and destroys it as it
oppns a jump poinl- Gideon is horrif ied at the scene. The Shadow-looking ship f lies of f, leaving Gideon stranded
alone in space with only 30 minutes of air lef t.

He turns to see the nearby sun light up, a f leet of Techno-mage ships passing by. He calls ts them asking for help,
but none respond.In 38 minutes he'll be dead and there willbe no one to speal< for his dead crew mates- A ship
stop above him and opens a haich, Gideon grabs hold and pulls himself in.0nce inside, he tal<es off his helmet. A
voice tells him to resl, he's safe now" The only other lhing his rescuer willrevealis his name- It's Galen.

Some days later, he's being questioned by a superior of ficer. The of f icer doesn't believe Gideon's story. He has no
proof , and the alien ship matches no l<nown silhouette. It might have been a f irsl contact situation, but he doesn't
l<now if his captain invol<ed f irst contact protocolsince he wasn't on the bridge- He was then picl<ed up by another
unl<nown ship and lef t on Omega ViI. The of f icer tells Gideon that President Clarl< wants the incident wrapped up
quicl<ly. Their investigators report that the Cerberuswas destroyed when it's jump engines malf unctioned. Gideon
insists that his ship was destroyed by the alien vessel. The of f icer tells Gideon what he saw or thinkshe saw was a
result of carbon dioxide poisoning, shoclt and trauma.

Gideon is rnoved once again to another memory. He's a lieutenant now, bul he's dressed in civilian clolhes, playing
cards in a bar somewhere and winning.One of the players, Jenson, doesn't have enough to cover the bet, so he
offers collateral-- a wooden box with a smaller ornate yellow box inside.It's an Apocalypse Box.It's said to be
older than humanity. He tells Gideon it gives you an edge.It tells you things no one else knows. Gideon accepts the
box as collaterat- They show their cards -- Gideon wins, Everyone at the table laughs- Jenson continues laughing
af ter everyone else has stopped, a hysterical, insane kind of laugh. He warns Eideon thal the box lies, not all the
time, but just enough. Jenson is suddenly quiet, then looks very fearf ully toward the box- The man quickly runs
out of the bar and we hear a crash-

0utside, Jenson is lying in the street,

he'llbe

ol<ay and

He was hit by a sl<immer. The driver couldn't slop in time. Gideon tells Jenson
they'llget a doctor. But he doesn't want a doctor. He says he's free now.It was the only way. He's

free" Then he dies.

Gideon is bacl< in the present. Now the globe alien knows about the box and his ship. What is it going to do?
Blaclimail? Sell the information to someone? The being says it willdo nothing. Gideon is visibly surprised- When he
turns ts walk out of the lab, he hears it echo Dureena's earlier comrnents lo Eilerson about how Gideon never leaves
anyone behind and never talks about it- Gideon lool<s bacl< at the being.
Globe Alien:

I forgive you.

Sometime later, Matheson pays the alien a visit. He peers into the globe and

asl<s

it if it is allright.Is there

anything he can do to help?

Matheson: Are you in any pain?
Globe Alien: No. You are in pain.
Matheson f lashes back to his days in the PsiCorps during the Telepath Crisis. He's in the office of a superior,
Bruder- Bruder tells him that it's a great day for the Corps and all telepaths- They have struck deep at the
resistance and captured most of their leaders. They weren't as polile with them as they might have been, but when
you're dealing with troublemakers pitting brother against brother, telepath against telepath, it's a little hard to be
sympathetic. Bruder expects to have it wrapped up in a few days, Some of the top people in the Corps are coming to
oversee the final stages of the war, so most of the Psi Cops have been assigned to protective duty. In their absence,
Bruder needs someone he can trust fora specialjob. He believes Matheson is that person.
He takes Matheson to a cell where a woman, Alison, is being held, She's one of the lEaders of the resistance and a
high-powered Pi2. Since allthe PsiCops of equalpower are tied up, they have her on sleepers to controlher ability
and make sure she can't inf luence anyone. Most of the medical staf f are either P1's or PZ's so he wanted someone a
little stronger to administer the sleepers- 0nce the war is over, they'llsend her lo lhe research facility at Syria
Planum for f urther examination. He instructs Matheson to give her the drug once every two hours. When the war is

over, they'll lurn their attention to the realstruggle-,.,with the normals. He'llchecl< bacl< with Matheson laterMatheson enters the cellwith the drugs. Alison is now awake and
her of f . He's not supposed to talk to her-

asl<s

Matheson why he's doing this. Matheson cuts

Alison: No,I suppose not. Funny, isn't it? An organization of telepaths and no one is allowed to think

lor themselves?
Matheson. I l<now it's wrong to murder, and that's what you and the resislance have been doing.
Alison: You mean like you're doing to me now?
Matheson: I'm not.
Alison: You're an accomplice. (indicating the drug) That makes you an accomplice. They'll send me
bacl< and lhey'll l<ill me, and they'll l<eep killing anyone who opposes the Corps,
Matheson: That's not true.
Alison: No? You have clearance- Checl< lhe status of the other resistance leaders who've been sent
bacl< home. They're dead" All of them.
Matheson: Well, maybe lhey deserved to dieAlison: For what? The crime of defending ourselves? For trying lo be f ree of the Corps? Don't you ever
want to be free? 0on'l you dream of living the life you want to live? Not being imprisoned behind the
Corps?
Matheson injects her and she falls unconscious.

The alien echoes Matheson's words to Gideon about the possibility that it's being held against it's will.
Matheson is back in the past again- He's sitting at a terminalsearching through the records of the other resistance
leaders. Under every single photograph the person's status is listed as terminated. Matheson is stunned.

that he checl<ed the files lil<e she suggested, even looking in files he wasn't
supposed to see. He wanted to prove her wrong. But she wasn't. They're all dead. She sarcastically says to him,
what are a few more lives as long as the Corps goes on? So what if you never breath free fro the rest of your life?
However long that is. Because sooner or later, the resistance willwin- If he helps the Corps, her death and the
death of everyone who follows her willbe on his hands" He tells her there is nothing he can do. She tells him not to
daanything.If he does nothing, then he'llhave nothing on his conscience. Let whatever happens...happen. He
doesn't have to help the Corps.
Bacl< in Allson's cell, he tells her

The door opens and a guard comes in to see what's taking so long. Matheson prepares to inject her- He makes a
decision- Blocking the guard's view with his body, Matheson empties the syringe on her arm instead of injecting
her. Alison plays atong, pretending to fallasleepHe leaves the cell and heads down a corridor where he is intercepted by Bruder- He asks Matheson if the woman
has said anything to him, He tells Bruder no, she just begged for her life. Bruder pays that no mind--.it's to be
expected- He tells Matheson of a report they just got from the f ield. They raided the main resistance base and found
it had been empty for days- The Corps doesn't know where they are and that worries them. They knew Corps forces

were comingWhen Matheson returns to the cellhe asl<s Alison what she's up to. Their base is empty and the brass can't figure
out what's going on. She says that is good---then there is still time. She takes the syringe from him and uses the tip
of the needle to slash open her leg- She pulls out a small homing device. Allowing herself to be captured was the
only way she could smuggle it in. She tells him the resistance knew the Corps had a base, but they didn't l<now
where. The resistance had to find out before they made their f inal strike. She let the Corps pull her in hoping she
could get two minutes alone, and hoping she could find someone like Matheson, sorneone with a conscienre- The
homing device has a telepathic trlgger that only she can activate. Then the others will come. She suggests
Matheson get out of the area as fast as he can- All the important Corps people should be in the building by now. The
resistance is out of timeBefore he leaves, he tells her that he does have dreams about life outside the Corps. Ever since he was a kid he
wanled to be in EarthForce, on a starship exploring the unknown. But they don't allow telepaths in regular military.
They say there's nothing they can do- She tells him there is always something they can do, and he just did it. She
thanks him and tells him to go quickly.

0ut in the corridor, alarms and sirens sound- Explosions can be heard. The base is under attack- Telepaths, some
with wounds, run through the corridors. Matheson is among them. He and others get to a shuttle and escape just in
time. The Psi Corps base is destroyed in a massive explosion.
Matheson is now back in the present- He tells the alien no one knows, he's never told anyone about it- He feels
ashamedGlobe Alien:

I forgive you.

Matheson leaves the lab just as Galen enters- He doesn't look happy.
Galen:

l<now you.

I know what

you are, what you are doing to lhe others- And we are going to have a

little talk, you and IGalen tells the alien he has examined every record, every story- He knows what it is. It leeches of f the emotions of
others. It feeds off sorrow and pain, the way an insect feeds off lhe blood of others, because it has no such feelings
of it's own-

Globe Alien: It pleases you to believe such stories?

Galen: Pleasing me has nothing to do with it. Il you disagree, then tell me" You in your safe cocoon,
where no food, no water, not even the outside air can reach" Tell me- What sustains you?
Globe Alien: Forgiveness.
6alen: Forgiveness? You live on forgiveness?!
Globe Alien: What are you afraid of ?
Galen:I'm not af raid of it. Only amused at the absurdity of it. Are you saying that I need you...you to
forgive me?
Globe A.lien: I forgave them because I could- They could not" It is you who nrusl forgive.
Galen: I rnust forgive-,.,who?
The alien echoes Galen's words to Matheson about how there is no design to our lives- Galen f lashes back- A woman
is calling his name. She's his lost love,Isabelle- She's lying on a bed, wounded. Their ship has been destroyed and
there is no way to callout. They are stucl< on the planet until the others come looking for them- Galen wants to wallt
to the next village- with any lucl< they willnot have heard about the trouble.Isabelle says it's too far. Galen tells her
they were betrayed by three of their own kind, stripped of everything that made them what they are. There has lo
be a price.Isabelle asl<s if that price must include her dying alone. Galen tells her she won't die, he won't allow it.
She tells him she was going to mal<e him a tapestry" A portrait of the universe with his piclure and a microtext dot
in the middle which would read "Center of the universe,I am here." Galen refuses to believe she's dying. isabelle
has accepted it- The wound is too deep- It's her time. Galen refuses to accept a universe that would choose to take
her from him now thai they've found each other.

Isabelle: How improbable was it that we should meet.."and fall in love...and spend even this short time
together, 6alen? There is a design, and we are as much a part of it as is my love tor you. No one here
can undo what has already been done. Don't leave me to die alone.
He won't leave her- She's slipping fast, She tells him he has made her happy and proud and she regrets nothing- Her
only regret would be if the fire she sees in his eyes were to burn his soulto ash in the f uture- His soulis too beautif ul
for that- He must learn one day to forgive God for his decision- If there is a purpose, if there is a design, if there is a
way af ter she's gone, she'llcallou[ to him and says his name and send him a message. He willhnow she was
right,..as usual. He kisses her and she dies.

Galen is bacl< in the present- He's dazed and grief stricken and curses the globe alien for mal<ing him remember. He
questions the being.lt wants Galen to forgive God and the universe for tal<ing the only thing that ever mattered to
him? Galen is close to tears. He says there is nothing beyond--.only the tricl<s they play to persuade themselves
otherwise. If he believed dif f erenily, even for a moment, then she died because s0meone somewhere decided that
she deserved to die, and she did not!Galen is enraged- It's the alien that deserves to die- He holds up his hand and
congers a fireballintending to killit. Gideon has come in and yells for Galen to stop. He tells 6alen not to do it, he's
not a murderer, Galen closes his hand and wall<s out of the lab.
Gideon orders a shuttle prepared for launch, They are going to tal<e the globe alien back where they found it,
Matheson asl<s why. Gideon tells him he doesn't thinl< it belongs to anyone, least of all them. He thinks it belongs to
whoever needs to f ind it. Matheson is curious at his choice of words. Gideon said "needs to find it", not "wants t0

find it".
Gideon: It's easier not to want forgiveness, or to expect it- You just l<eep trying to f ix the mistake so we
asl<, but you end up trying so hard to atone for one set of mistakes, you -- you
overcompensate and mal<e new ones, and then you can never breal< oul of the cycle"

don't have to

We see Galen in the core shuttle, staring off into the distance. Gideon's voice continuesGideon: You just l<eep going round and round. No way out. Nowhere to goPLANET SIDE
Gideon and Matheson have put the giant globe bacl< into the citadel. They watch it for a while. Gideon tells him that
he's had trouble sleeping for awhile, He's always gelting up, walking around, looking al the clock. But last night he
slept right through. First time in years- Matheson speculates lhat maybe lhat is why it was lef t there, a gif t for
travelers. Someone who would never hnow there names, would never judge, never condemn. 0nly forgive... and
leave the rest to whoever carne in the door to get better or walk away.

As their shuttle takes off, another arrives. A lizard-like alien enters and approaches the globe-

Globe Alien: You are in pain

EXCALIBUR
Matheson intercepts Galen and tells him he's cleared to launch al any time" They also picl<ed up a rnessage for hirn.
Galen says that's not possible, How could anyone even i<now how lo f ind him? The message is incomplete. It just
has his name and another word - L0VE- The resl of it got lost in static. Matheson couldn't tell where it came from.
The computer said it didn't come f rom any specif ic location. jusl out there samewhere, in general" Ealen say that's
not possibie. Matheson says he knows and walks off. As Galen looks at the paper, we hear Isabelle's promise that if
[here is a way to rontact him after she dies, she will"
Ref

using to believe it, he crumples up the paper and throws it on the decl<.

Appealances & 0ther Deceits

(March rl'h.zz67)

Written Ey: J. Michael Straczynski

UNKNOWN SPACE
An enormous alien ship drif ts dead in spdce.Inside, it is quiet and dark. There seems to be no sign of life- Suddenly,
a monitor lights up and we see that there is a living being aboard the ship. The ship has detected another ship in
the area - Extalibur.
EXCALIBUR
Gideon is on the bridge, dictating his personaljournal. It's been three days since their visitors arrived on behalf of
EarthGov's political af fairs off ice. There seems to be some concern as to how the Excalibur's work is being
perceived back home. The two visitors have been assigned to help the crew. Before their work is done, Gideon
thinks he'll have to kill them...assuming Matheson doesn'l beat him to it.

l(evin Sprach, the designer, is unhappy wiih the ship's color scheme- He thinks it's too light, it doesn't have any
weight to it. It doesn't convey a sense of power and importance- To him it looks like a day at the circus. He is going
to repaint everything.Dideon and Matheson are not at all happy- Their visitors are really getting on thBir nprves"
Gideon has no intention of letting them mess with his shipThe second visitor, Mr. Welles, forrner NightWatch spokesrnan, tells Bideon there is nothing he can do about it. The
mission is under Earth jurisdiction. Earth is paying for it, so they have the right to take any steps they deern
necessary [s ensure that the effort has the right political and social impact. The plague is only part of the problem.
The rest is panic. They still have four years to csrne up with a cure. Panic is the problem right new- They've had
riots and doomsday cults back horne. The only thing that keeps the population calm is knowing that lhe Excaliburis
out looking for a cure. They have to do everything they can to make the people back home feel better about the
mission and their chances of survival. And if anyone knows how to survive political changes, it's Welles. Welles
promises they won't get in Gideon's way, and his input is welcomeMatheson tElls Sideon that they are picking something up an the long-range scanners. Source unknown.
Kevin: This is getting too intense for meGideon: It's a f irst-contact situation- We've handled them before.
Kpvin: I meant the colsrs. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going back down to look at the uniforms again.
Gideon's attenlion is drawn back to the ship Ehey found. It's the huge alien ship we saw earlier. Matheson only
detects one lifeform- He also reads over a thousand more deadThe Excaliburparks aext to

it.lt's tiny next

to the alien ship. Maiheson leads an EVA team to the ship.

0n the Excaliburbridge, Welles asks why they're stopping for this. Gideon tells him their mandate is to explore any
possible saurce for a cure.It doesn't matter it it's a lost city, a new civilization or a derelict alien ship. If it's a firstcontact situation, they go in.
Welle:: The odds of something trike this being of any use"-.
6ideon: Who woutd have thought to look for penicillin in bread rnold?
ALIEN SHIP
Matheson reports that he doesn't see any recognizable rharkings or signs of missile or high-energy beam impacts.
He doesn't think the ship was hit by raiders- He does find a large opening at the back of the ship" It looks like
something exploded frsm the inside out. Sideon authorizes Matheson to go inside. In the rnain charnber, Matheson
f inds the bodies of the crew f loating around. To him they look like they were exposed to hard vacuurn, but they've
only been dead for a week. The bodies are frozen in such a way that suggests they killed each other- It might have
been a mutiny, but that dopsn't make sense. The engines were blown up. Destroying the ship would not be in either
side's best interests. Mathessn rnovps on through another passage way and finds the source of the signal. The lone
surviving alien is in some kind of stasis tube.It is awake and looks at Matheson.

EXCALIBUR
The stasis lube with the alien has been tal<en to medbay, Chambers and her staf f are waiting for the pressure in
the isolab to equaiize before they can open the tube- It's already been through decontamination- Chambers isn't
getting anything on the main scanners, and what she is getting on the others doesn't mal<e any sense- They're
almost ready to send in a team in pressure suits when the alarms go of f . The alien is dying. One of the medical staf f ,
Janey, rushes into the isolation area with only a breather masl< as protectian. She opens the tube, preparing to
def ibrillate the alien, when the alien suddenly reaches up and grabs her arm. A white, glowing mist is passed from
the alien to Janey. The alien dies.
A peeved Chambers chastises Janey for running in r-rnprotected and orders her into f ull decontaminalion

(including body cavity to f ind out where her copy of medbay regulations went).

0ut in the corridor, Chambers tells Gideon she can't understand why the alien died- It was stabie one minute and
dead the next- Almost as if it willed itself to die. That doesn't mal<e sense to Gideon. The alien sent out a distress
signal. It wanted to be saved. Why choose to die? Chambers thinl<s it might be a cultural imperative about being
helped by another race. Gideon tells her Matheson found some data crystals on the ship. Maybe they can tell them
what happenedGideon asks her about the strange readings she got on her scanners. She rompares what she got to standing in a
room of mirrors. The ref lections of one mirror through another goes 0n and on into inf inity. That's what she saw
when she looked inside the alien's head - multiple E-E.G readouts, That's just not possible.
MESS HALL

Eilerson is eating while trying to decipher the alien language, The language is not mathematically based,It has
random consonants and a total lack or pronouns. He lool<s over the visual record of Matheson's EVA in the ship.
Alien script is written allover the walls.
MEDBAY

Something is wrong with Janey. She is writing the alien language in a bool< as if she understood it" She puf s her
book down and wall<s through the room, stopping behind another staf f member" She grabs his shoulder and the
same white mist the alien passed on to her passes on to the man, She speal<s to him in an alien language" He nods
and leaves. A litlle while later, Janey walks through lhe corridors, passing on the white mist [o another crew
member.
MESS HALL

Gideon sits down to breal<fast behind Eilerson. Eilerson has been there all night Irying to f igure out the alien
language. He's frustraled because everything about the ianguage is a contradiction. The spolten language doesn't
match the written language Matheson found In the ship. Either they aliens have one language for speaking and a
second for writing (which is highly unlil<ely), or there was sorneone else on the ship with lhe aliens. Gideon points
out Lhat they didn't f ind anyone else. Then who or what drew the f igures on the ship's walls?
BULLET CAR
Matheson steps in the car and takes a seal" After a few seconds, he notices that the strange alien script from the
ship has been wrilten on lhe car's walls,
STORAGE AREA

l(evin and Welles are lool<ing over the crew uniforms- 0f course,l(evin doesn't like them. Welles tells him the
uniforms are standard issue for crews of Explorer ships and other deep-range vessels. They allow for lreedom of
movemen[, adapts to different climates and has outside pockets. l(evin doesn't think of ficers need pocl<ets - others
can carry their things for them. A crewman brings more uniforms for him. The crewman walks behind Welles and
grabs him, passing on the alien white mist. Welles immediately leaves, telling l(evin he has more important things
to do.

Elsewhere on the ship, "infected" crew members wall< through ihe corridors passing on the alien white mist to
other crew members, who in turn pass it on to others,

MESS HALL

Janey creeps through the room looking for the next person to "infect"- She's about to grab a wornan sitting at a
table when Eilerson excitedly tells everyone present that he finally figured out the alien language. He searched the
alien captain's logs for the word it would use the most - "ship"- Af ter that, everything else fell into place. He has his
computer display the last record. After reading a few lines, he becomes alarmed and contacts Gideon. He'll meet
him in the conference roorn in ten minutesJaney, deciding she can'l let Eilerson get away with what he knows, heads af ter him intending to "infect" him too.
She's not fast enough, so she grabs a guard, who then drops his tray. Eilerson turns at the commotion to see the
crewman nod to Janey and pull his PP6, pointing it right at him" Eilerson runs out of the room as fast as he can,
weaving his way through other crew rnembers- Janey lets loose with an inhuman screech, calling together other
"infected" crew- They chase af ter Eilerson.
The possessed crew shoot at Eilerson, just missing him, but hitting others. He runs to the bullet car door, yelling for
the guard on watch to hold the door. The guard, seeing what is happening, pulls his PPG and covers Eilerson's
escape and getting shot in the neck in the process.
BULLET CAR
Safe for the time being, Eilerson contacts Gideon and tells him to closed down alldecl<s and bullet cars
immediately - do whatever he has to, but don't let anyone out. He cradles the injured guardCONFERENCE ROI]M

Eilerson is studying the alien ship's logs when Chambers arrives. She tells Gideon the guard was shot in the brain
stem- He has no brain activity, but they can keep his body alive, Eilerson tells them what happened to the alien ship
and the Excalibur- According to the alien captain's log, they've been invaded. They picked up a probe and brought it
on board. The only thing inside was a high-energy source, organic in nature. It disappeared after they opened the
probe and that's when people started changing- The energy contains an alien life force that divides and subdivides
each time it moves into a new host. It's transferred by touch, from one person to another. In a matter of days it
took over half of their crew. That would explain the multiple brain wave patterns they found on the alien"
Apparently, this alien presence tends to stay in groups, colonies. They take control of one area before moving on to
the next. By sealing off the decks, they can control how fast this thing spreads. It's the first thing the alien captain
thought of when he f igured out what was happening- It thought it could contain the alien presence, but all it did
was buy some time- In the end, the alien captain destroyed the ship in hopes of killing it. If Gideon can't stop the
alien presence, he'll have to do the same thingBRIOGE

Gideon watch on the monitor as they activate remote f loating cameras on each deck. They are looking tor signs of
alien possession. The f irst deck they try is clean.Gideon opens a comrn linl< to the decl< and orders everyone to stay
in their quarters and avoid contact with other crew members- He aclivates lhe carnera on the next deck and f inds
the walls covered in alien writing. Eilerson was right about everything. Gideon hates when Eilerson is right" He'll be
insuf ferable for days. There is no sign of the possessed crew members. Matheson speculates that they might be in
their quarters or deliberately avoiding the camera.
The remote camera pans around to a pair of feet. The camera moves up to reveal a possessed Welles. AlienWelles
has been wondering when Gideon would show up. He wants to talk. AlienWelles wants t0 negotiate a peacef ul[y
way out of their situation, otherwise neither Gideon or his crew are going to get out alive.
MEOBAY

Eilerson is watching over the brain dead guard. He's feeling guilty. The man died saving his life. He didn't f linch or
hesitate. He stepped right into the line of fire. No one has ever saved Eilerson's life like that before - exchanged
their own life for his. Eilerson wonders if the guard had known anything about Eilerson, would he have done the
same thing? Chambers tries to console him. The guards don'l think like that. They look for an opportunity t0 serve
and protect them and the mission- They join Earthforce because they want to serve with honor. The guard, Stuart
Greenberg, did just that.

CONFERENCE ROOM

Matheson updates Eideon" He's given Welles, now the spokesman for the "inlected", the location of their meeting
place and security is welding shut the airlock now. Matheson thinks the meeting is too dangerous, but Gideon is
going ahead with it anyway. Gideon has been studying the attack on Eilerson. If the aliens could tal<e over someone
by line-of-site or close proximity, they would have done so. But he can see them reaching out, transferring the
alien presence by touch. As long as they make sure they can't touch Gideon, he should be okayAIRLBCK
is just finishing up the welding on the airlocl< when 6ideon arrives- He looks through the glass, but doesn't
see anyone. He calls out. Janey, Welles and several possessed crew members come out of hiding.

Security

6ideon: Who.,. What are you?

Welles: We don't have names ss you do- There is The One, the beginning of us, and we who are the
shadows of that beginning. As our race grew, we began to send out probes that would allow us to
colonize other worlds, not by traveling ourselves, but by making those places..-just like us.
Gideon:5o instead of terraforming the planet, you terraform the people--- Pass along your race
rnemories and make them into coloniesWelles: And what they have, we have. Why risk ourselves when we can prograrn others to become us?
Gideon: So what do you want with us?
Welles: Transportation. That's all- There are several inhabited worlds in this area. Take us to one of
them, and we'll leave peacef ully. You can go on your way.
Gideon: While you take over their world.
Welles: That would be the inevilable result. 0nce our kind is introduced into the population, there is
no way of stopping us without killing everyone. And we would not allow thal to happen. 0ur instinct
for self -preservation is quite strong.
Gideon: So, in other words, exchange someone else's world for my shipWelles: Seems a fair tradeEideon: No deal. The price tag is too high.
Welles tells Gideon he doesn't have a choice. He may have sealed them in, but they are still there- If Gideon starves
them, he'll only be harming the host body- If he sends in troops, they will leave as alien troops. Gideon's only choice
is to make them someone else's problem- Gideon says sarcastically that he'llthinl< about it. Welles warns Gideon
not to do anything rash. fhe captain of the last ship thought he could stop them. He didn't understand that from the
rnoment the alien presence arrived, they had the upper hand. It looks to Gideon like a Mexican stand of f . The allen
presence is stuck on the ship like 0ideon and his crew are. What the aliens do to him, they do to themselves. Welles
says that's not necessarily true, but Gideon willdiscover this for himself soon enoughBRIDGE
Matheson is working at his station. Kevin is sitting next to him, staring at Matheson. Matheson is getting irritated
and asks Kevin why he isn't in his quarters- In a time of crisis, Kevin feels the need to be out doing something,
making decisions - like what color the bridge should be. He watches the record of Matheson's visit to the alien ship.
He comrnents on how strange it appears. As as designer, he thinks in terrns of lines, forms and direction - how the
image adds up to something more. The way the aliens are touching each other does not look like they were fighting
as Matheson speculated. fhe aliens have formed a chain, one alien holding on to the ankle of the alien in front, and
s0 on up the line, The number of aliens grow smaller as the approach a siasis tube (like the one the surviving alien
was found in)- Since the aliens spread by touch, this may be a clue as to how to get rid of them.
Gideon arrives and tells Matheson that he thinl<s the aliens are going to make a move soon. Even though the decks
are sealed off, there's still a lot they can do inside- The deck the aliens are now on has helm control. They could
immobilize the ship until Gideon agrees the take them where they want to go. Gideon needs to limit the aliens
access to critical areas- Life support for those decks are controlled from the bridge so Gideon proposes lowering the
temperature of areas they want to protect and herding the aliens to one central area.

ALIEN DECK
The possessed crew are feeling the cold. The walk around and rub their arms to stay warrn. Welles and Janey
notice the temperature readout dropping on a monitor.

BRID6E
Welles calls Gideon" He told Gideon there would be consequences if he tried something- Another possessed crew
members walks into view. The crewman passes his alien presence back to Welles, Now very hurnan again, the
crewrnan is terrified. The crewman is pulled out of view and we hear a PPG f ire- Gldeon is f urious but there is
nothing he can do- He can't killthe aliens without l<illing his crew- Welles demands Gideon surrender himself in ten
minutes or he'llstart killing a crew member every f ive minutes- He made the mistal<e of allowing [he previous
captain his f reedom. He won'[ mal<e thai mis[ake again.
Gideon and Matheson hurry through the corridors. Gideon wants security to unlock the bullet car, he's going down
there. Matheson objects. 0nce in the aliens custody, Gideon would be tal<en over just lil<e the others" Gideon may
have a way lo stall. He can't jus[ sit by and let his crew be murdered- They can't allow the aliens to get Lo an
inhabited planet.If it looks lilce they're going to take the ship. Gideon authorizes Matheson to use the self destruct.
BULLET CAR

Welles reminds Gideon he has four rninutes lef t. Gideon opens a duffelbag and pulls out an EVA suit.
ALIEN BECK
Gideon arrives wearing the EVA suit with 30 seconds to spare. He's also holding a PPG. He l<nows lhat Welles
deliberately precipitated the crisis in medbay so Janey would have to enter wiLhout a protective suit. Gideon
figures the aliens can't go through his suit anymore lhan they can go through a closed door.
BRIDGE
Chambers, Matheson and Eilerson watch the proceedings on a monitor" Janey tells Gideon that f lesh is their
conduit, their biochemicaldoor into the souland mind. Welles asks Sideon to rernove the suit.

ALIEN BECK
Gideon has no intention of removing the suit as long as he has the PPG- Janey rerninds him if he shoots them he'll
be only killing his crew. Gideon doesn'l have to l<illthem, he can blow their kneecaps out and f ix the damage when
the aliens are gone- In the meanlime, the aliens are stuck wilh a lot of hosts who won't be able to f ight- There's
only one f law to his plan- The air in the suit willrun out in one hour, then he'llhave to take of f the suit. Even Gideon
needs air,
Gideon: That's [rue, we all do, don't we? As Mr. Eilerson says, "The air is human."
BRIDGE

Eilerson: What is he talking about? That's a cliche.I never use clicheslile. If I didn't feel for his position, I'd consider suing.

never said that in my entire

Chambers f igures out that Gideon's words are a code- Matheson points oul that on the other ship, the bodies were
pointed toward the cryotube, as if they were sending the alien force bacl< into one person as the ship
depressurized- It's obvious to Chambers that the aliens need air to survive jusi lil<e lhey do.If lheir host bodies die
o[ oxygen depravation, they die too. Eilerson f inally f igures out what Gideon wants them to do. He asks Chambers
how long a human brain can lasl withoul oxygen. She tells him four to five rninutes,lhen brain damage occurs. Thal
willhave to be enough for Eilerson. They need to get lo rnedbay. Eilerson asl<s Matheson if there is a way lo
depressurize the decks the aliens have tal<en over. Matheson tells him there are EVA suits on the main decl<- If even
one alien gets to one, they willonly have succeeded in killing 200 peopleALIEN DEDK
Gideon leans against the wall, PPG in hand, waiting for Matheson and the others t0 Figure out his code. His suit only
has 24 minutes of air left in it,

Throughout the ship, the crew prepares to depressurize decks 7-9- Techs crawl through rnaintenance tunnels and
security guards station themselves at every door. Malheson authorizes the use of deadly force if they are
c ha llenged.

The aliens are surprised when an alarm goes of f and a decompression alert is sounded. The air is sucked out of the
room. Papers f ly everywhere. The aliens make a chain with their hands, sending all of their presence into Welles,
then the hosts pass out. Welles staggers through the airless room and out the door, searching for an escape. He
comes across a crewrnan in an EVA suit. He picks up a tool, hits the crewman, then opens his glove and transfers
into the EVA-suited crewman. He doesn't realize the crewman is the brain dead security guard, Stuart Greenberg.
In his mind, Welles,/Stuart begins to gloat, thinl<ing he has out-smarted Gideon, then suddenly finds that he can't
rnove.
Gideon leans over Stuart and reattaches his glove. Stuart can't talk. His mind screarns, begging 6ideon not to kill
him. He l<nows what Gideon is looking for (the cure to the plague) and where to f ind it. 0ideon picks him up and
carries him over the air lock. He sets him down inside and closes the door. All the while, Stuart, his pleas literally
going unheard, begs for his life. Matheson opens the outer air lock and Stuart is blown out into space. The weapons
are f ired and Stuart Greenberg, along with the aliens trapped inside his body, are vaporized- Back inside the
Excalibur, Matheson begins re-pressurization and orders med teams to decks 7-9.
BRIDGE
Two EarthForce ships have met up with lhe Exraliburto take control of Lhe alien ship. Gideon warns one of the
ship's captains to decontaminate the ship f rom stem to stern before letting anyone aboard- He doesn't want the
whole mess to happen again. The captain willlet Gideon know if they find anything useful

Kevin and Welles stop to say good-bye. Welles is feeling much better- Kevin f inished his designs while waiting for
the other ships to arrive and had them stop off to pick up the new uniforms- Kevin unwraps a uniform and holds it
up to Gideon. This new uniform has power, presence and strength- They also blend in with the ship. Gideon, of
course, hates it, but there's nothing he can do. The designs have already been approved by his superiors back
home. Matheson doesn't think he'll be able to breath in it.
Gideon: Breath when you're of f-duty,
MEDBAY

Chambers is working at her desk when Eilerson stops by. He wanted to thank her for her help and for doing what
had to be done. He hopes that Greenberg would have approved of using his body lil<e that- Chambers thinks he
would. Eilerson say that this way Greenberg not only saved his life, but the life of everyone on the ship. This makes
Eilerson feela little better- Eilerson is a puzzle to Chambers.One one level, he has an ego as big as the galactic core.
But at times like this, she hears the voice of someone desperately unsure of himself . He's a contradiction. Eilerson
doesn't thinl< so when you cornpare what he does to the others on board. The most he risl<s is a paper cut. But those
like Greenberg risk it all. In the end, who's to speak for them?
Chambers: Gideon. And I don't envy him the job.
CIOEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon is trying on the new uniform. He takes a long look in the mirrorGideon: Power, dignily, presence.-..

I look like a bellhop.

He takes of f the jacket and sits down to grim task of writing to the parents of Stuart Greenberg and David Arl<ham,
the crewman the then possessed Welles killed-

The Memory of ,Wgt

(Aprir6'h, 2267)
Written By: J. MkhaelStrarzynski

EXCALIBUR
Gideon is watching an ISN broadcast in his quarters. The newswornan reports that as the planelary guarantine
enlers ils fourth month, mass rioling continues in India, South Africa and parts of CentralAmerica as lhey struggle
lo deal wilh the total collapse of their economies due to lost income generated by trade with other worlds. Across
the planet, space porls stand empty, starships grounded by military order. Even orbitaltransports have been
banned by the government in fear that they could be used to ferry Earth citizens to waiting starships and carry the
Drakh virus beyond Earth- In the Va[ican, Pope Bernadette I] lead a globalday of prayer and fasting. She's called
for churches everywhere to unite in the scientific community's attempt io find a medicalcure. Current efforts
include using the Ranger f leet to search for possible leads on other planets, which are then investigated by the
deep-range military vessel, Excalibur,launched shortly af ter the Dral<h War. Meanwhile, in Earth0ome, director of
xenobiologicalresearch, Dr. Stephen Franklin, appeared today before the senate to testify about the progress made

in other research-Matheson cuts into the broadcast to inform Gideon that they've reach their destinalion, a blue-green Earth-lihe

planet.
BRIDGE

When Excaliburisin position, Gideon drops thousands of silver, golf ball-sized probes into the planet's
atmosphere. The probes spread out over the planet. Readings are starting to come in - atmosphere is breathable,
no signs of life, definite presence of archilecture, most ol the cities are intact and wellpreserved- The data seerns
consistent with what they've been lool<ing for. Matheson reports that they are getting anomalous readings f rom
sne of the probes. Gideon switches to the probe's view and f inds Galen holding the probe.
Galen: I want you to l<now that this thing just made a very large dent in my ship- 0id you ever think
about lool<ing outside before you start throwing things overboard?
Gideon: Maybe next lime you'll let us know when you're coming. So what brings you here this time?
Galen: An attempt, in all probability foolish and useless, to prevent you f rom going down to that

planet,
Gideon: Galen, my people have been looking for this place since we lef I Earlh. Now that were here,
what could you possible say that would change that?
Galen: Well, how about, if you go down there, the odds are that none of you will ref urn alive? Clear me
for docking. Put away the breakables- Turn on the landing lights. I'm coming in.
Galen's ship dochs wilh Excalibur.
CONFERENCE ROOM

Dr, Chambers is giving a brief ing to Gideon and the crew. Her analysis conf irms thal the planet was home to life
forms similar to their own. Whatever wiped them out here may have relevance to the situation on Earth.

While they talk, Galen stalks through the corridors and hops

buliet car to the bridge,

Back at the brief ing, Eilerson reports that scans of the architecture revealhighly sophisiicated alloys and building
materials. More signif icantly, nearly allthe major buildings are stiliintact. Whatever eliminated the population, it
wasn't anything lil<e a bomb or a conventional weapon. It's possible that the populaiion was killed by a virus.
Chambers agrees. She thinl<s it's a perfect paradigm for their situation.
Galen walks in, hearing the lasl comment by Chambers. He doesn't think the race that died on the planet would lil<e
to know that their fate had been reduced to a paradigm, Gideon continues the briefing. He activates the monilor to
display the planetary scans- Ever since they started this mission, the Rangers have been investigating the stories of
a highly advanced race whose population was wiped out during a war about one hundred years ago using nondestructive technology. No missiles, no radiation, no obvious poisons" To all intents and purposes, it sounds lil<e the
Drakh virus"

Chambers thinks il it is lhe same virus 0r even close to it, they can make a lot of progress toward curing it by
lool<ing at the steps anoiher world took in trying to deal with a similar problem. Eilerson doesn't try to hide his
greed. Best of all, the cities are still intact. The place could be f illed with unknown alien technology. At f irst he
thought it was a legend like the Flying Dutchman, but it's real and it's here- He wants to go down and take it. As
their resident locl<pick, that's where Dureena comes in.
Galen: 0r checl< out..-. If y0u're smar[.
Gideon. You keep saying that, but you haven't explained why.
Galen: There are good planets and there are bad planets. There are heallhy planets and unheallhy
planets. There are safe planets and dangerous planets. This place is known lo every Techno-mage as a
bad place, a diseased, dangerous place.
Eilerson: You talk lil<e that planet is aliveGalen: Everything is alive in it's way" Have you ever been in an empty house and felt an
oppressiveness? A shadow of a soul? Now multiply that by a billion times, and lhat is what is fairly

radiating from this planet.

Eilerson: So now it's haunted?
Galen: That's one word for it.0r perhaps it's simply the undersLandable result of severalbiliion people
being murdered by somelhing they couid not understand or stop. For one hundred years, none of my
order has rome near this place- The last one who tried.,.died.
Gideon appreciates the warning, but he's still going down to the planet" Galen is angry- He will not B0 with him. At
leasi this way Gideon willhave one surviving pallbearer,

IPX LAB
Eilerson and his crew arp preparing for the trip to the planet- Two of his staf f members don't want to leave the ship.
They tellEilerson lhat it's a breach in protocol- IPX regulations state that if the head of xeno-archeology (that's
Eilerson) goes planetside, the second, Sogayu, and the third, Duncan, in the division must stay aboard the ship.
That way if something happens to Eilerson, there are one or tow of them around to guarantee the IPX gets allthe
data they've accumulated so far. Eilerson says that it's good in theory, but not in practice.It implles that he is
expendable, which he's not.If Galen is right and the planet is dangerous,IPX willbe more motivated to send a
rescue team if atl of them are on the planet"
GIDEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon is making his own preparations for visiting the planet when Matheson en[ers. Gideon gives Matheson data
crystals with copies ol his logs and other information lo help f ind other planets in case something happens to himHe's taking Galen's story seriously.If 0alen is this concerned, then lhere is a good reason for it. But he can't pass up
this opportunity without even trying. Matheson takes the data crystals and leavesA sudden breeze blows through his quarters- Galen appears out of no where- Gideon doesn't seern at allsurprised
to see him there.

Gideon: I was just defending your honor.

Galen: Must be a terrible responsibility.
Gideon: 0h, I've gotten used to it.
Galen asl<s Gideon if it's ever occurred to him that, in all their travels together, they have found no shortage of dead
worlds, dead planets, dead moons, dead colonies, dead cities. Has he ever wondered why [here are so many dead
worlds out there? It's because despite the best advice of people who l<now what they are tall<ing about, other
people insist on doing the most massively stupid things, Going down to the planet is one of them. Galen asks him
again not to go down to the planel. Gideon asl<s what is down there- Galen doesn't l<now exactly- Gideon points out
that maybe that is why he's so spooked about it - it's the unknown, Galen tells him his order takes pride in l<nowing
all that can be l<nown, and most of allthe rest. So a thing like this is disturbing to hlm, yes, but it's more than that,
Galen confesses that to those of his order, anolher Techno-mage is the only family they have. Af ter he was asl<ed to
leave the order for having too much contact with the oulside world, he came to rely on Gideon. He and the crew of
lhe Excaliburhave begun to feel like family to him, He would hate to have to start allover again. Gideon asl<s him to
come with then to the planet. They could use his skills. He again ref uses...
Galen: Because I would hate to die even more [han

I would hate starting over.

He tells Gideon to be caref ul. Legend has it lhat whatever is down there cannot be seen, heard or killed- The only
Techno-mage to land [here sent bacl< one last message - Genius Loci, Latin for'the spirit of the place'- Gideon asl<s
him if he thinks it's some kind of ghost, but when he looks up, another breeze blows and Galen is gone.

SHUTTLE BAY
Four shuttles packed with troops and science personnellaunch. Galen watches, worried, from his ship.
PLANETSIDE

Everyone is spooked by Galen's warning. You can see it in their rnovements. They slowly mahe their way through
the dense forest. The troops are being extra cautious.One of the IPX crew finds one of the probes they dropped
f rom orbit. It's now black and crumbles to ash when squeezed. More burned out probes can be seen on the ground
as troops crush them under their boots. Gideon orders a base carnpset up in one of the buildings. He gives
instructions to the security guards. They are to secure the area and set up a watch detail- No one is allowed in or
out of the compound withou[ being challenged- Gideon finds a place for Eilerson and the IPX crew to worl<. He calls
for 0ureena only to f ind her missing.
Above the base camp, Dureena sits at the top of a tall building watching the planet's two suns set. It's a very pretty
picture- Gideon contacts her. She tells him she found some marl<ings at the base and followed them up there, but
was stopped at a dead end. He didn't want her going of f without proper securily. She gets up to climb down and
f inds a rnoss-covered lever. She pushes on it and a narrow walkway made of light is activated.It spans across to
another building" She sleps down on it and finds it solid- She caref ully crosses over to the olher side- She somehow
f inds a secret panel hidden in the wall of the other building and opens it. Inside is a control panel f or the wall<way
ancia tray holding alien data crystals- She lakes a data crystaland examines it. As soon as the crystal is removed,
the lights on the controlpanelstart blinhing and go out one by one- She realizes that when allthe lighls go out, so
does the wall<way- She pockets the data crystal and runs across lhe wall<way, jumping the last lew feet onto the
f irsi building just as the walkway disappears from under her,
BASE CAMP

Eilerson Is not happy that Dureena only got away with one data crystal. Dureena goads Eilerson by telling him she
didn't need to get the others because it would take him a week lo decode just the one so their wasn't any rush,
Eilerson thinl<s it's time to redefine their relationship - she pretends she can't speal< and he'llpretend he can't hear.
Perhaps tomorrow she can show him where she found it. Dureena would love to (push him off the ledge, no doubt).
Gideon asks Eilerson if he's sure it's a data crystal. Eilerson is sure,It may be of alien design and construction, but
all data crystals share certain f undamental lechnologies- He should have ii decoded in no time. He'll run it through
lhe [ranslation prograrn and see what it has to say.
a soldier on guard duty hears a noise and investigates" He cornes across some alien writing on
wall. Something sneaks up behind him.

Later that nighl,

In Eilerson's makeshift lab, he is stillrunning lhe alien data crystalthrough a translation prograrn. Af ter a few
more tries he f inally translates it, The alien on the screen is one of lhe planet's originalinhabitants. The alien is
mal<ing the log so there willbe a record of his people, The alien says the gods did not favor his people so they sent
the death that has no name, the death that has no face and makes no sound. It wall<s among them unseen. It is the
death that glides out of the darkness and cannot be stopped- Millions are already dead, and by the same time
tomorrow, all his people willbe dead. They don't know why and ihey don't understand.
Eilerson hears a womdn screErn and races, with the rest of the camp, to see what's going on- They find Soyagu dead
and Duncan leaning over her, in shock. He tells Gideon he was just talking to her and turned his bacl< for a second. A
shape came out of lhe shadows and attacked her.
More screarning is heard and Gideon calls lor security. Several more people have been killed in the area where the
guard found the alien writing. The writing is writlen in the same chalk IPX crews use to rnarl< buildings. It's just
ordinary chalk. Eilerson translates the writings - "Behold and die." Gideon calls Excaliburtor a shuttle to tal<e away
the bodies"

EXCALIBUR

In the medbay, Chambers examines the bodies. Galen appears. Chambers was wondering when he'd show up- She
heard some of the crew talking about him the other day. They call Galen, "the specter at the banquet." Whenever
he shows up, people die. Chambers tries to explain to them that Galen actually shows up aftersomeone dies to
help, but that can't be said in this case. Angrily she asks Galen how many lives could he have saved if he had gone
down with Gideon. He says that in all likelihood, none- He was hoping that by not going down he would convince
them of the seriousness of what he was saying. He asks what l<illed the crew- She tells him one died by
strangulation, another by blunt force to the head, the third had his throat cut, and the fourth she doesn't say. But
there was nothing consistent, and nothing supernatural about the deaths except that they were all killed within
seconds of each other by an unseen force that had complete run of the compound. So either they are dealing with
one incredibly fast l<iller, or seven extremely well-coordinated killers.0r both, Galen says. He leaves to find out a
little more about the planet.
BRIOGE

Galen asks Matheson il the probes they sent to the planet are stillfunctioning. Matheson tells him 60% are still
working. Galen asks for the probes' frequency- Galen triggers one of his tech implants and is able to interface with
the probes and read the scans through his eyes- Blue lights f lash and move across his eyes. The planet has a thin
atmosphere and ozone layer, about 30% of Earth normal. Matheson thinks that is why the buildings are so heavily
shielded. An atmosphere that thin, along with two suns, lets in a lot of solar energy during the daylight hours. It
would also heavily disrupt electronics. 6alen thinks lhat was probably the reason his order was told to stay away
f rom this planet- It would limit his abilities a great deal. Done with his analysis, Galen returns to the medbay.
MEDBAY

Galen rushes [n. He thinks he knows what killed the crew, but Chambers has already beat him to it- She says the
cause is an artificialvirus. She shows him the scans- She found traces of the virus in allthe bodies to varying
degrees" It's nano-technology. The nano-virus invades the central nervous systern and the higher functioning
parts of the brain where it begins to rewire the neural pathways. It can cause blackouts and even reprogram
someone to act violently without remembering it af terward- The dead crew only had small traces of the virus, so it
may be only the mosl infected cases doing the l<illingGalen sees something in the scan and asks Chambers to magnify a certain area. He is shocked by what he seesMagnif ied, we can see a glyph imprinted on the virus. It's a signalure glyph, one only used by Techno-mages. Galen
is f urious. The virus was created by another Techno-mage. That's why they were all taught never to go to that
planet- The others wanted to l<eep it a secret that one of their own was responsible for it. Galen is going down to the
planet. The others only have four hours lef t untilnightfall.
PLANETSIDE
Galen wall<s through the woods, staf f in hand. When he steps into an area, a blue, electric light shimmers over him.
He's found someone's hiding place. He continues on and soon Gideon catches up to him. Chambers told him what
she found. He asks Galen what nightfall has to do with it. Galen tells him a nano-virus is too small to thinl< on it's
own. It requires a control center, broadcasting instructions. When the suns go down, the solar interference
diminishes. The nano-virus will be activated and the l<illings will begin. 6alen is protected by an energy shield. He
can't stay to help restrain the others. He must go his own way- If the solar rays are interfering with transmission,
then those transmissions must be coming from somewhere safe, sealed, away from solar interference.
Galen hits the ground with his staf f causing a small explosion which uncovers a hidden underground cavern. Gideon
wants to go with Galen, but this is something Galen must do alone- Besides, Gideon is infected too- Galen heads into
the cavernCAVERN

Galen wall<s through the huge, open cavern, using his staff to light his way.

BASE CAMF

Eilerson is working in his room when Gideoa rushes in. Eilerson just heard frorn Channbers and wants to know what
he shsuld do. Gideon, who is preparing sorne weapons, tells him to stay in his rsom and lock the door from the
inside and throw away the key and make sure nobody inside or outside can get it. He's already told everyone else to
do the sarne thing. It's his guess that when the virus is activated, the most infected will start killing the least
infected. When they're gone, they'll start killing each other. The longer they keep everyone apart, the better
chance they'll have at beating this thing. if they survive the next few hours, Sidesn wilt dig thern out" Gideon is
going after GalenCAVERN

Passing a group of hidden sensors, Galen turns to see another Techno-mage. The Techno-mage invites Galen to
have a seat. It's been a long time since he's had someone to talk to. Galen refuses. If he wanted to talk to the dead,
he'd draw a pentagrarn 0n the ground and conjure up sorneone more interesting to talk to. The Techno-mage says
that even though the body that crEated him has loag turned to dust, thal dsesn't make hirn any less awa!-e, aay less
who and what he is. The Techno-mage is an artificial intelligence.
BASE CAMP

Eilerson has locked himself in his room. In other rooms he can hear the more infected crewmembers going insane,
yelling and beating on their doors. Eilerson is very nervous- He takes a PPG from his bag.
CAVERN

fhe Techno-A-i, tells 6alen he was asleep for a long tirne and thought his work was flnished- Then the others came
and he awoke. Ea[e* wants te know why he's making the others kilteach ather. Thelr order has sworn to never use
their skiils for destruction.
Techno-A.I.:Our order says rnany things.It does a few of them. Believes in fewer still. The other side
in this war offered rne money, power, authority. We all have a price- My creator, whose shadow I am,
had his. You have yours. He created rne, sent rne here to coordinate the nano-virus he designed for the
task" It was rernarkably effective. An entire world deed in less than three days" While the secret of
thelr construction died with hirn, his vcice, his instructions, his creatien, I, live on. In these hundred
years,l've been dormant, but the nano-virus has not- They were progr&mmed to keep building more
of themselves, over and over, frorn whatever,was arsund. They were also pregrammed to protect me
and enhance me.I am more than I was when I arrived- I will not go back to what I was, and I will not
go back to sleep. As long as the killing continues, I continue. More outsiders will follow these and
others will follow them. It will be glorious.
Galen hears the sournd ef rocks and sand fa]1behind him and tu,'ns ts lcok- When he turns back, the Techno-A.I. is
gone- Noru he knows how Sideon and the others feel like when he pulls the sarne trick- He activates the scanner in
his eyes and looks around.
BASE CAMP

The yelling and pounding continue- Duncan, still among the most infected, rnanages to break through his door.
Eilerson backs up to the corner of his room, PPG aimed at the door.
CAVERN

Gideon walks through the cavern- There is some rumbling and pieces of the ceiling drop to the f loor-

In another part of the cavern, Galen finds the transmitter. But he's not alone" Dureena stands next to it, clearly not
herself. Whether driven to general insanity or following specific instructions from the Techo-A.I., it's hard to say.
Galen tells her to move aside, he doesn't want to hurt her. Dureena responds by throwing her knife at him, hitting
him in the left shoulder- He pulls the knife aut. He hears the sound cf a gun cocking behind him- Eideon hotds up his
weapon- Gafen Is seerningly lrapped betvseen two insane friends. He hears the Techno-A.I-'s voice asking him which
one he witl kill ts get to him- Eldeon yelts for Ealen to rnsve as Dureena throws another knife. Eideon shoots the
bridge out frorn under Dureena's feet- She runs at them and jumps out of harrns way- Ealen now has a cfear path to
the transmitter. He throws his staf f at it. It tumbles end over end, glowing blue with energy, and embeds itself in
the machine. The staff gives off some kind of electrical discharge. Gideon, Galen and Dureena run like hell.

BASE CAMP

Eilerson's reom is rocked by the explosion.

CAVERN

Gideon, Galen and Dureena get out as the rnachine explodes. You can faintly see the face of the Techno-A.I. in the
cloud ef fire and smoke, it's dying trickEXCALIBUR
Chambers patches up Galen in medbay. He is reluctant to take off his cloak. It's only open enough for Chambers to
get at his wound. She tells him it would be easier for her if he took it off. It's not like he has anything she hasn't see
before- Galen disagrees. She ignores his protests and pulls the cloak off his shoulder. She is shocked when she sees
his back- He has severaf implants sticking out of his skin.
Gideon walks in and asks Chambers how Galen is doing. They are about ready to leave the planet. Maybe this time
Galen can stay a little while, until he's healed. Galen declines. Gideon knows something is wrong and asks him what
it is. Galen tells him his staff was the only thing he took with him when he was asked to leave- The staff is a control
mechanism, a part of him.It was one of a kind, a gif t from his teacher, Erlic, He misses it. Ealen had no choice,
there was ne othEr way. 0nly a Techno-mage cou[d undo the darnage caused by another. Energy responds to
energy. Sympathetic magic- His staff was the only weapon at his disposal that cou[d have dealt with the rnachine"
Ihey were bsth contrsl centers and now they're hoth goneChambers asks if they can send someone down to search for it. Gideon tells her they've sent down a search team
but the way is blocked by a million tons of dirt and rocks- There are a few breaks here and there, but they are too
small for anyone to get through.Gideon contacts the bridge and asks Matheson when they'll be ready to jump.
Mathesan tells hirn they can go any time now that [hp last shuttle has just docked- Gldeon asks about the shtrttle.
He thought they were all back hours ago- Matheson says they were. The last shr:ttlE was taken down to the surface"
0ideon thinks Eilerson went back to ransack the planel, but Matheson tetls him Eilerson is In his quarters. Then
who was on the shuttle?
Dureena walks into medbay covered in dirt and carrying Galen's staff. She hands it back to him. You can see on
6alen's face how surprised and happy he is to have it again. They don't say a word, only exchange a look that holds
more meaning than any words could convey. Duseena leaves as suddenly as she arrived-

Excaliburenters

jump point.

BRIDSE
Gideon and Dureena watch Galen's ship leave. Eideon has never met anyone who could do the things Galen can do,
and yet he never met anyone more lonely. At the end of the day he's always out there alone. Dureena says at the
end of the day we're all alone. She asks why he shot the bridge out frorn uoder her- She could have been killedSideon lells her she may have been under the machine's ccntrel, but her instincts were stit] therE. Moving like that
is pure reflex to sorneorle who has been trained like she has. Eureena dsesfi't believe hirn for a secondDureena: Ah, I see- Well, even if it isn't true, [t sounds goodGideon: I thought so.

Eideon gets a ca![ fronr Chambers- She wants him to stop by medbayMEI}EAY

Chambers tel[s 0idEon that shortly after the machine was destroyed, the nano-virus became inert. She had a team
pick up as many of the containers as they could find. She has buckets of the stuff. The nano-virus may be inert, but
it's not incapacitated- It just needs new instructions. With 6alen's help she was able to f igure out a way to program
in some new data - nothing as elaborate as it was set up for, but enough to make a virus shield. She hands him an
inhaler that coniains a rnix of tiquid teflon and a lew inillion of the nano-virus- Since the 0rakh virus is prirnarily
airborne, she programrned the &ano-virus mix as a counteragent to rest in the lungs and eliminate any virus
coming in.lt-s not a cure.It sits in the lungs and coats anything that comes in down to 28 microns In slze and
sloughs it out of the systern. It won't help those already infected, but once inhaled, it will allow them or anyone not
already infected to move among infected people for 4B hours without becoming infected.

it only worl<s for 4B hours because the nano-virus has a built in loop which periodically requires new instructions.
They don't have the lechnology to broadcast new instruction. Af ter 4B hours, it becomes inert again. There are two
problems, though. They can't mal<e the nano-virus so they are limited to what they broughl on board. And you can't
use it twice right away or it willhave some unpleasant side ef fects. That doesn't matter to Gideon, This is a major
breal< through- Maybe once the brains back home get their hands on it, they might be able to tal<e it f urther. He
praises Chambers for her workGIDEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon pulls out the Apocalypse Box.

Gideon: You were right. We did f ind something of value there. A virus screen. We've found a way to

make it work.
Box: Yes.

Gideon: What do you recommend now?

Box: Do not trust.

Gideon: 0o not trusl who?

Box: Galen,
HYPERSPACE

Galen sits in his ship, listening to rnusic.

The Needs of Earth

.(Aprrl22^d,2267)
Written By. J- Mirhae/Strarzynski

GIDET]N'S OFFICE

Gideon is sitting at his desk watching pornography, Dr. Chambers wall<s in the of f ice just as a Pal<'ma'ra gets nal<ed
and joins in for a threesome. Moaning, groaning and snarling can be heard in the background- Chambers aslts
Gideon what's going on, He explains that Eilerson told him he didn't have time to hand in a hard copy of his report
so he put it on a data crystal. Eilerson copied over an old data crystalwithout erasing il f irst. Gideon found this
particular feature at the end with the titles: "Snow White And The Seven Narns", "Who's Your Little Pak'ma'ra"
and others.

Chambers: And you're going to pull this out the very next time he get's snotty with us, aren't you?
Gideon: No, no- That would be far too easy. Leave it to me, Dr. Chambers. Given someone as repressed
as our Mr. Eilerson, I can play lhis one out for days.
The view switches back to the activity on the monitor. The Pak'ma'ra climbs onto the bed with the others.

Chambers: As a doctor,I have to say that's totally unrealistic- An alien life form lil<e the Pak'ma'ra
not biologically equipped to interface with humans in that kind of-

is

The woman on the vid moans. She's enjoying whatever "interfacing" the Pak'ma'ra is doing- We don't see what it is,
but something about the activity on screen makes Chambers and Gideon tilt their heads to one side.
Gideon: That's an amazing thing, technology.
SPACE

A White Star is parked next to lhe Excalibur. A Minbari shuttle f lies over lo Excaliburand docl<s.
CT]NFERENCE ROOM

Minbari Ranger Trulann wails for Gideon, who arrives a rnoment later with Chambers. Trulann had sent a message
telling Gideon that he had information criticalto their mission" Trulann explains that,lil<e all the other Rangers, he
and his crew divide their time between enforcing Alliance law and listening for any information that might aid in
Gideon's search for a cure to the Drakh plague- In the past, those two goals have never come into conf lict. That has
now changed. The Alliance and lhe Rangers exist to create the peace, to ensure the rule of law is upheld at all
times- The information Trulann has willrequire Gideon to violate those laws- He willhave to interfere in the af fairs
of another race, help a f ugitive escape justice, traf f ic in stolen merchandise and break any number of local laws. So
the question becomes: how far is Gideon prepared to go?
Gideon tells him there are ten billion lives at stake. He will break any law he has to if it means saving them.In thal
case, Trulann has something for him. Gideon must understand that when Trulann leaves lhe Excalibur, he willdeny
their conversation ever took place. Gideon will be alone in this. Gideon tells him he's been alone before and he's in,
all the way.
BRIDGE

the Exraliburis in hyperspare on their way to their secret mission. Eilerson arrives and asks Gideon about the data
crystalhe gave him. He has obviously realized ihal he gave Gideon a crystalfrom his...personalcollection...and is
trying to get it back.Gideon plays dumb. He tells Eilerson he's been busy and hasn't had a chance to go over his
report, Eilerson says he was going over his f iles and may have given him a corrupt data crystal. He's been banging
the same crystals around for a year and they get damaged- He'd hate for Gideon lo read a corrupt file into his
system. It could creale all kinds of havoc.
Gideon: True, but then it takes allkinds, doesn't it, Mr. Eilerson?

Eilerson doesn't yet realize Gideon is on to him. He asks for the crystalbacl< and
Gideon tells him it's lime for Lhe meeting, so lhey'llhave to tall<aboui it later.

of

fers to make a belter copy.

CONFERENCE ROI]M

Gideon begins the brief ing- He pulls up the image of an alien, Natchok Var from Marata VII. According to their
information, Var downloaded all the important knowledge of his race into a series of high compressed data
crystals, then left the planet. Gideon's source (Trulann) believes Var intends to sellthe information to the highest
bidder. Chambers adds that the Maratti government has put a price on his head for anyone who can return him and
the data crystals to his homeworld. Gideon doesn't know the exact nature of the information that was stolen, only
that it covers centuries. The chance to get their hands on something that extensive is just too good to pass up. Even
if there isn't any usef ul medical data, there may be information about other civilizations they haven't encountered
yet. It could save them years of work looking for them.
Dureena asks what the problem is - just f ind Var and make him an of fer. Chambers tells her the problem is Var has
already been captured by bounty hunters on Praxis IX. The Maratti know he's been captured and are en route to
picl< him up. The good news is that the Excaliburis closer to Praxis IX. They will go in, break out Var and the data,
and with luck get out before the Maratti show up- Then they'll negotiate for the information.

Eilerson asks where the Alliance stands in all this- Gideon tells him Praxis is outside Alliance jurisdiction and the
Maratti aren't members so they are on their own- They have to enter alien space, conduct an illegal raid to free a
f ugitive from justice, and buy stolen data. If any of them are hurt, killed or captured, no one is going to bail them
ouI of troubleEilerson, of course, votes no- Even if they get him out it stillmeans dealing with a thief. Dureena takes exception to
that remark. Eilerson tells her it's nothing personal- Her's is a fine profession, second oldest on record, but they
need to draw the line somewhere- Dureena thinks he's af raid to do anything without the protection of his
government- An entire planet is at risk and all Eilerson cares about is saving his own skin.Gideon breaks up their
argument. As he talks he plays with Eilerson's "corrupted" data crystal, turning it over in his hands like a pencil.
Eilerson see this and a look of dread crosses his face.
Gideon tells the group (but it's meant for Eilerson) that they are obviously wall<ing a very f ine line between what is
right and what is moral. He doesn't really know which category their situation falls into. All he knows is that it's
necessary. If he wasn't prepared to do whatever he had to do in order to accomplish this mission, he would have

never signed on- So they are going.

6ideon: Unless you have sorne rnore thoughts to give us on morality, Mr. Eilerson?
0ideon's little display shuts him up.
PRAXIS SYSTEM

7he Excaliburexists hyperspace near two large planets- One is green and white, the other is orange and white

lil<e

Jupiter.
BRIDGE
Matheson brings up a holographic display of the Praxis system. and points out Praxis lX. Praxis IX is a commercial
planetary colony, consisting of four domed cities in the northern hemisphere. Its outside atmosphere is extremely
toxic, with high levels of carbon monoxide and methane. fhe largest dome is the capital and the only one with a
working spaceport. If Natchok Var is anywhere, he's in there- The only problem with the dome are getting in and
out. If they go through the front door, the Praxis government will know who they are and the Alliance will not
appreciate it. 0nce in, if there is a problem, Praxis can lock down their shuttle in the spaceport and keep them f rom
escaping. Gideon will have to be dropped far enough away from the main dome so he won't risl< detection. He'll
have to f ind his way in f rom there.
Matheson protests, but Gideon cuts him of f. He's about break half a dozen laws- He won't let anyone take the rap for
that if things go badly. It's his decision and his ship and he's going. Bureena, who has been watching the
discussion, cornes out from around the corner and tells Gideon she's going with him. She's been to Praxis IX and
l<nows it inside and out. Even if Gideon manages to f ind a way in, he'll never f ind Natchok Var. She can. Gideon
agrees to let her come along and tells her to suit up for EVA and bring a spare suit for Var. Matheson prepares a
shu ttle-

Dureena stares at the hologram of the city. You can tell that there is something about it that's eating at her- Gideon
notices it too and asks if there's something he needs to know- Dureena brushes him of f.
The shuttle launches for Praxis IX.

PRAXIS IX
The shuttle lands on the orange planet" The atmosphere is dense. It looks like a thick orange fog is hanging in the
air- Thunder and lightning crash around Gideon and Dureena. No ships have been sent from the city so it looks like
they got in without being seen- The city is six miles away. It's going to be a long haul over the rocky terrain.
Dureena says they can do it - she did it before with four others. They got about as far as they are now, then the
other four were killed.
Some time later, they have almost reached the city- They decide to rest a while and duck under an alcove for
shelter. Gideon asks her when she was on the planet last. She tells him it was a while ago, before her people were
killed by the Drakh- She wasn't on her world when it happened- She was many places during that time. Some
Gideon already knows, some he doesn't...and some he'll never know- He asks what she was doing on Praxis IX- She
tells him she was learning to serve" She keeps him from asking f urther by ending their break. She gets up and
continues on to the city.
EXCALIBUR
Matheson receives a transmission from 6ideon. They've reached the dome's air door and are going in- Now they are
on their own.
PRAXIS

il

At the air door, Dureena tries punching in security codes she remembers from the last time she was there. None of
the codes are working because the EVA suit's gloves are too thick and the l<eys are too small. She keeps hitting two
l<eys at a time instead of just one" Eideon looks around for something something small enough to help hit the keys.
Dureena tells him she's just going to have to take off her gloves. Gideon says no, the toxic air will kill her- She is
certain she can handle it. The mission will fail if they can't get in. It's the only way- Gideon reluctantly agrees.
Dureena takes a deep breath and Gideon tal<es off her gloves. She quicl<ly punches in codes until one opens the
door. She starts choking as Gideon pulls her through the door.
Dureena coughs, still feeling the ef fects of the toxlc gas. They've ditched their EVA suits and are now walk through
what looks like a bar f illed with many humans and aliens. Dureena tells him the colony is a way station for the
lowest forms of life in this sector ("a wretched hive of scum and villainy"). Smugglers, terrorists, traitors...usually
dealing in illegalgoods - weapons, techs, supplies---and slaves. Dureena spots a slave auction in progress in a corner
of the bar. A number of aliens stand in shackles waiting to be sold. 0ureena rubs her wrists, either a sympathetic

reaction or a mernory of her own past.

Gideon notices her reaction too, but doesn't push for an explanation- Instead, he asks what they should do next. She
needs a distraction- Gideon looks around and spots a very large alien with small horns on his nose and forehead.
Dureena needs a distraction big enough so that everyone is watching Gideon. Gideon says he can do that and
approaches the behemoth. Gideon tells the man it's nothing personal then punches him. When he hardly reacts,
Gideon thinks he should have started a f ight with someone smaller- The man picks up Gideon and throws him on a
table, smashing it to bits, then picks him up again and the crowd gathers around to watch.
Dureena sneaks behind the crowd to an isolated wall, trying to avoid debris from the f ight. She does something to
her hand, then places her hand on the wall, leaving a blue mark of the Thieves'Guild. A human watching the f ight
notices her and the mark. Seeing the man's reaction, Dureena walks around behind the walljust as Gideon crashes
through a glass window and lands on the f loor at her feet. She helps him up. The man walks up behind Gideon and
taps him on the shoulder. Gideon reacts, but Dureena grabs his f ist before almost punching the man out. The man
is a member of the Guild. There are always a few 6uild members hanging around places like this. She lef t a mark
tor him during the fight. Members of the Guild are tralned to look where others don't- The rnan can help them f ind
Var.
Gideon and Bureena enter a holding area. A monitor on the wall watches Var in his cell. 0ther prisoners are
watched on other monitors. In the main room, a group of human and alien thugs play cards while they wait. They
work for Red Jack, a small-time exlortionist. Gideon and Dureena need another distraction to get in. Gideon has an
idea, eliciting a cracl< from Dureena about how wellhis last plan worked for him. He opens a controlpanel for the
monitors and inserts Eilerson's "corrupted" crystaland plays it over the monitors. This catches the thugs'
attention. They leave the main room to get a better look at the vid out in the corridor. Gideon and Dureena sneak
around behind the drooling thugs into the room. Dureena lingers for a moment, looking at the vid curiously and
tilting her head to one side when the Pak'ma'ra joins in on the f un- Gideon grabs a hold of her and pulls her along.

Bideon has found Var's cell- Var holds the data crystals close to hirn. Oureena has wandered to another cell where
she finds a larger number of aliens crammed inside- She tells them to get away from the dosr- She places an
explosive on the lock and blows the door open.6ideon, supporting Var, comes up behind her- She tells him the
explosion was another distraction- They go back the way they came as the alien prisoners escape in the other
directionEXCALIBUR
Matheson receives another call frorn Gideon. They have Var and have escaped the city" They need a shuttle to come
down and pick them up.
PRAXIS

il

Gideon and Dureena lay Var on the ground. He is too exhausted to walk. Gideon is angry at Eureena for setting of f
the bombBureena: Those people were slaves on the way to being sold.
Gideon: Well, that's unfortunate, but slavery is legal in this part of space- Why did we have to be-0ureena: Because when I was stuck in that room, waiting and praying for help, nobody did it for me!!

That shuts Gideon up- Matheson signals Eideon- They've just detected a warship exiting a jump point. There's
good chance it's a Maratti ship.

EXCALIBUR

6ideon's shuttla docks- Chambers and a rned team meet thernBRID6E

Matheson informs Gideon that the Maratti just picked up d narrow-beam transmission from the surface, probably
telling them what happened.Gideon orders them to jump. He wants to get away as fast as they can before the
Maratti know they were responsible. The Maratti accelerate, moving to intercept the Excalibur- Excaliburjumps, but
the Maratti are close behiad- Gideon tries to out run themMEIIBAY
Var wakes up in the middle of Chambers'examination. He clutches his box of data crystals close to his chest,
ref using to let them go so Chambers can better examine him. He understands English. He's one of the few who have
learned alien languages against his government's wishes. He tells her he will not let go of the bsx until he finds
sorneone deserving. Chambers asks what deserving has to do with it. Isn't he planning to sell them to the highest
bidder? Var is amused- l-le's sure that is what his government has told everyone. But there is no price high enough
for the information he holds- When he finds the right person, the right place, he will give the information freely.
Chambers asks if she and the crew are the right people. Var doesn't koow, but until he does, he uvon't let go of the
box-

BRID6E
The Maratti ship fires a warning shot at Excalibur- Matheson receives a signal from the Marattiship- They want to
send someooe over to work this out peacefully- Bideon agrees and has Matheson send docking instructions- A small
ship docks wtth Excalibur
CONFERENCE ROOM
Two Maratti are escorted inside. Gideon introduces himself. The second Maratti (Nix, the translator) introduces the
f irst, Apriori Flentak. People of Flentak's station do not speak the words of other races for reasons of morality and
intellectual purity.

Gideon: Really?
Gideon walks up to Flentak and stands almost nose-to-nose with him.

Eideon: Tell your boss he's an ass-

Nix is stunned at first, but turns and whispers in Flentak's ear- Flentak smiles and nods his head-

Nix tr told him you were honored and deeply humbled to have a being of such high moral character
aboard your ship.
Eideon: Do you do this a lot? Lie to protect his ego?
Nix: AII the time- It's politics....and self preservation.
Pleasantries over, they get down to business. Nix wants Sideon to understand that they are the recognized legal
authority on their world- Natchok Var is a known criminal and troublernaker. What Var has stolen would cause
them greal difficulty if it were to fall into the wrong hands. Eideon rnust turn both of them ever to the Maratti.
Gideon refuses to even admit that Var is on board. He asks, assuming Var is aboard, what would happen if he says
no- Nix and Flentak whisper back and forth- Nix tells Gideon they are attempting to be merciful. They will not let
Var leave alive. If they have to, they will destroy Excalibur. Gideon might be willing to take that chance in a fair
f

ight.

Nir

A fair fight is not what they have in mind, Captain.

Gideon is called to the bridge.

BRIBGE

0utside the front window, rnore Maratti warships can be seen- They sueraund ExcaliburCONFERENCE ROI]M

Gideon is discussing the situation with Eilerson and Dhambers- Eilerson wants [o turn Var over to the Maratti.
Gideon tells him he didn't come all this way to roll over and play dead. Eilerson thinks it's better to play dead than
to be dead. They don't even know what they're fighting for- Var has told them nothing about what is on the data
crystals- Are they really worth dying for? Chambers senses that it's important. The two Maratti delegates are
waiticg in the brig- Sideon doEsn't thifik the warships will attack with their people aboard. Eilerson didn't sign on
to die for somethlng like this- He thinks they should put the needs af Earth first - find a cure to the plague, not give
shelter [o every refugee they corne across. They can either save Var or keep trying to save ten bil]ion people back
horne.
MEBBAY

Var is looking though Chambers' data crystals. The firsl he lsoks at is a personal log about a dead world (Tarkon 3)
they came across- The second has just static (rnust be blank), and the third plays opera and classical music- It
fascinates Var. He smiles and taps his fingers to the music. The crystal is playing Mezart when Gideon enters- Var is
amazed that one human wrote all of it. Gideon tells Var that when he gets a bit smug, he reminds himself that
when Mozart was his age, he'd been dead for six yearsHe tells Var it's time to make some hard decisions. His ship, crew and mission are all at risk, but he's willing to
accept that risk if the goal is worthwhile. Var says Gideon will not have to make that decision- Var's made it for him.
He wilt go back with Nix and Flentak. Eideon urants to know why after ell he went through, and put 0ldeon through.
Gideon is surreunded aad outnumbered- If Var stays, they willdie- What is to be gained by fighting? Maybe
nothing- Maybe a lot. Gideon would like to be the one ts make that decisian- He brought Var herE and is obligated to
protect him. Var thanks him for that, but the choice is not Sideon's to make unless he intends to hold Var against
his will. Var suspect that his people will not harm him- They will want to use him as an example to others. But he
has done what he set out to do, found who he wanted to find. He hands the box of data crystals over to Gideon and
tells him to copy them quicktyCORRIBT]R

Matheson escorts Nix and Flentak to the bullet car door and hands over the box of crystals. Var will meet them on
the f light deck and they can go together. Nix and Flentak whisper to each other. Nix tells Matheson that Flentak
does not wish to sit next to a criminal. None of their people will. They will send a second shuttle programmed to
tal<e Var home on autopilot. Nix assures Matheson that he will get a fair trial.
Var is brought to the bullet car after hlix and Flentak leave. Var and Matheson look at each other, but say nothing.
You can tellMathesan senses something, but [ries not to let it show on his face- Var smlles knowingly at him and
steps into the car.

BRIEEE

6ideon and Matheson watch both Maratti shuttles exit Excalibur-Something doesn't feet right to GidEon- The whole
thing was too easy. Matheson agrees and asks if Var told him what was an the crystals. All Gideon was told was that
is contained all the important knowledge of Var's race. Chambers is analyzing it now. Gideon wonders why Var
would want to go back when he knows there's going to be trouble. Var seemed almost eager t0 get as far away from
them as he could, to make sure Excaliburwould escape"
Gideon wants a channel open to Var's shuttle- He has some questions he needs answered. hdathessn inforrns ffldeon
that Var's shuttle is on auto pilot. He's all alone on the ship- This raises alarms with Gideon. Eefore he can take any
action, the Maraiti warship fires it's weapons and destroys Var's shuttle" Eldeon is stuaned.

Ihe Maratti warships opan a jump point and leave the area.
MEDBAY

Gideon talks to Chambers. The nroment Var got on the empty shuttle he rnr:st have known what would happen.
6ideon can't make sense of it- What was on those crystals that was worth dying for, just tc get thern ts sornebody
else? Chambers found rnusic, poetry, songs, stories going back centuries- It's the recorded creative output of an
entire planet. She shows him a log she found. Var is explaining to the viewer the tragedy that has taken place on his
world. We see f ire and signs of riots outside his windowVar: Today, the final edict came down. The death warrant lor everything we have built as a people"
They are burning the books, they are burning the music, burning the arts, tearing down the statues.
0ur leaders say that art is a waste of time. That art is decadent, subversive, indecent- They say we
rnust becorne rnore competitive, rnore aggressive. That we canfiot support the drain on our moral
strength placed upon us by ideas that do not support the gaals of the state. Stories and music that do
not reinforce the will of the state. Art that doesn't-- They have erased it all from the planetary datanet
and burned all copies in private hands- Nearly all. I have the last copy. I have it all. If I can escape, I
will try to find sorneone sornewhere who can appreciate what we have. What we had. Perhaps some
day my people will understand what they have lost and ask for it back. That hope is allthat sustains
rne-

Var turns his recorder off.

Chambers has only had a chance to review sorne of it. She thinks what she's seen so far is beautif ul, stunning
beyond anything she can describe. Eideon is disappointed. He doesn't think it's useful- Chambers says it's not
scientificalty useful, bul that's not the point. Science is a riniversal constant, out thEre for anyone to discover as
long as you carl do the math. But you don't just discover "0de on a Erecian Urn" or Beethoven or Gauguin. When the
last copy is burned, it's gone forever- Sideon thinks Var threw away his life- He teld them it was the important
knowledge of his race.

Chambers: Then I guess it's a question of what you consider important, Captain.
6ideon: Eilerson said it himself. We have to be focused on the needs of Earth.
Charnbers: And this doesl [Jon't you understand? I've tristened to it. The stories, the rnusic, they're al]
about hope. Hope enough to inspire a dozen generations- We talk about the needs of Earth. Well,
there's more to it than the obvious. While we're waiting on science to discover the rnath that wilI lead
to a cure, we need something to sustain us. This is the music and the literature of hope. It's what we
need- Another culture forgot that. We can't. Not now, not ever.
6ideon is not irnpressed- He'11 chart the nex[ stop and they'll start looki*g again tomorrow- T!'le Rangers have a lead
on an alien rnedical research vessel spotted in sector 208. Maybe they can find sornething-

MATHESON'S OUARTERS

Matheson is laying on his bed, recording his personaljournal. Back when he was in Sunday school, a priest used to
ask, given the crucif iction was a terrible thing for anyone to endure, if you could go back in time 2200 years and
prevent the crucifiction of Christ, would you? After a heated debate, they allagreed the answer was no. The
crucif iction was necessary to redeem the world. When the Maratti told him Var would get a fair trial, even though
he was deliberately trying not to scan them, he could sense they were lying- But he didn't go deeper. He assumed it
meant that they would hold a mock trial- Matheson didn't even suspect the truth until he saw Var- Var knew they
were going to kill him. By dying, he saved a part of his world. Maybe a part of Earth, too. If Matheson would have
said anything, he would have guaranteed that Var's dream would have died with him- So he did nothing, as Var
would have wanted. He chooses to believe that he withheld that informatisn from Gideon for lof ty reasons, and not
because he feared that by revealing what he knew he was violating the new rules for telepaths. Because it was
right! Not because he was protecting his own butt. But he'll never know.
Matheson: How odd to know everyone's heart but my own.
MEBBAY

Chambers is listening to music over headphones when Gideon enters. He couldn't sleep. He thought he would stop
by and pick up something easy on the ears, maybe a little of of Var's hope. Chambers gives him a copy of what she
was listening to. She guesses they can all use sorne hope from time to time. He apologizes for his behavior earlier.
It's just that the reason he was chosen for the job is because he has this thing about death. He doesn't like it when
the people around him die. Chambers asks if this has to do with what happened on the Cerberus- Gideon doesn't
answer. He just gets up and heads for the door. Chambers tells hirn he was just an ensign back then, there was
nothing he could have done.
of f icers and crew died aboard lhe Cerberus, Doctor- Many of them were my friendsChambers: And because of that accident, now you now take death personally.
Gideon: No, not personally, and it wasn't-Chambers- Wasn't what?
6ideon: Nothing. Good night, Doctor.

Gideon:347

There's something about the destruction of lhe Cerberushe doesn't want anyone to know about- At least not yet.
DUREENA'S AUARTERS

Dureena is sharpening her knife when Gideon stops by. He was thinking about what happened down on Praxis IX
and wondered if she wanted to talk about it. She doesn't. She asks whaI was on the data crystals. More of Eilerson's
specialvideos? He tells her no, it's hope, according to 0r. Chambers- He gives Dureena the crystaland turns to
leave. Dureena stops him and tells him about her family. They sold her into slavery to pay off their debts" They did
what they had to do and it doesn't bother her. She asks when he wants the crystalback. He tells her whenever
she's done with it, then leaves.

6ideon walks down the empty corridor as alien music plays from Dureena's quarters.

Racing the Night

(May2d, 2267)

Written By: J. Michael Straczynski

GIDEON'S EUARTERS

Gideon is asleep and drearning of when he was first assigned to the mission and given cornmand af the Evcalibur.
We see everything from his perspective- He is in a canference room where an EarthForce general is trying to
convince the Drazi, Brakiri, Pak'ma'ra and 6aim ambassadors that Gideon is the best person to lead the mission.
The Brazi disagrees. He knows 6ideon's reputation. Bideon has taken part in more battles during peace time than
most of f icers face in a major war.One of these was with a Drazi captain who lost everything he owns to Gideon in a
card game. The tsrakiri ambassador understands that Earth rnust find a [ure to the plague off-wortrd, bui they can't
let Gideon cross their space until they are sure it won't lead to an incident- The general telts them that Eideon was
chosen personally by President Sheridan to lead the rnission. The Drazi ambassador makes a hrager with EideonThe virus will become active in five years, so they will give Eideon four years to search for a cure. If he doesn't f ind
one in that time, Gideon must spend the f if th year in Earth's orbit shooting down any ships trying to escape.If
Gideon agrees he will be allowed to move through their space freely.
The dreaffr flashes to a shuttle. The generat is not pleased that Bideon agreed to the Erezi ambassador's terms. The
shuttle is approaching the Excafibur. The general wishes 6ideon good luck- Unless they can find e cure back home,
Gideon, his crew and that ship are Earth's last, best hepe for a cureGideon is awakened by a call from 0r. Chambers. Her tearn has moved into the next row of building and everything
is coming along just fine. In that case, Gideon expects trouble any minute.
UNKNOWN PLANET

Eideon records hls personaliournal as he races through an ancient city on a skimmer- Their search for a cure to the
plague has brought thern to a dead world unlike any they've ever seerr before. It's more than just the strange
appearaflce of the buildings- Whoever lived here vanished centuries ago, but the cities are still ia perfect shape as
if they had never dlsappeared. It makes him feel like the city is watching them.

In one area of the city, a lone crewman, Varelli, is working. Suddenly, a shadow passes over him. He turns and is hit
by an energy beam that slices open his body.
Elsewhere, Eilerson, Charnbers and their tearns are warking in one of the buitdings- To Eideon's annoyance,
Eilprson is still working on the same hieroglyphs he started the night before- Eilerson telts him you don't bEcome
an archaeologist if you're in a hurry" It is a disciptine of patience- After working nonstop for the last eight hours,
he's been able to translate much of the entire area. The hieroglyphs are equations. Eilerson becomes very excited
as he reveals what he's learned. The different equations are for describing a whole new way of creating and
conserving energy, a new propulsion system thal will double the speeds of their current ships, and ways of creating
new alloys that weigh almost nothing, but can support tons. That's atlfine and good, but 6ideon wants medical
information. What's frustrating to Eilerson is that all of these equations only contain the first part ef the forrnula in
question- The rest has to be sornewhere, but Eilerson has ns idea where they are. He has his people out searching
the buildlngs for those particular sequencesDideon reminds them that they are on a time limit- They have to put finding a cure to the plague above all other
distractions (including Eilerson's greed). The mission isn't about making a prof it for IPX- It's about saving
humanity. Eilerson says despite growing up on Mars under Earth oppression, he still wants to find a cure as much
as Gideon doEs. Eideon thinks Eilerson wants to find a cure because it wilt make him look good- If Eilerson finds
medlcalinformatian, Gideon will be more than happy to turn the planet upside down to help. But until then, profit
can wait-

Chambers calls Eideon into the next room. She's been studying soilsamples and found something interestingEverywhere they go, they leave microscopic skin f lakes behind. They are too small to see, but they carry our BNA
imprint. 5o far, Chambers has isolated 30 dif ferent types of DNA and soil samplps going back 50 years. Gideon
wonders if they are not the f irst ones to find this place, then why is everythlng still intact? Usually a resource like
this wou[d be stripped bare- Charnbers wonders why the hieroglyphs Eilerson found are out in the open like that.
She puts her books ana shelf- She doesn't take the pages a*d turn them ratae shelf.

Gideon asks if this place could have been similar to the library at Alexandria. A source of knowledge used by various
races over the centuries? Chambers says no. They would have heard about it by now. And why no sign of long-term
excavations? All they know is that this place has been deserted for at least I000 years and the population
disappeared almost overnight. They might have been wiped out by the same plague that hit Earth, but if that's so,
where are allthe bodies? None of this makes sense- Gideon says it's too bad Galen isn't there. He might have some
ideas. Chambers thinl<s it would be much easier if Galen stayed closer to home instead of tal<ing off allthe time.
Gideon: He's a Techno-mage. They're like that. He appears when you want him least and need him

most.
He asks where Dureena is. Chambers was having

trouble getting into some of the vaults so she asked Dureena to

find a way inDureena is crawling through a tight tunnel. The tunnels have circular holes cut into them,letting in light. The holes
lool< like they were cut for a reason, and not from erosion. Dureena's movements cause sand and an alien skull to
drop down in front of her. Dureena throws the skull behind her and keeps moving. Apparently, this is not the f irst
skull she's come across in there. Time has weakened parts of the tunnel- Dureena pushes on the bottom as she
crawls and nearly falls through. Through the hole she sees a large, glowing machine. She is contacted by Gideon
who wants her back on the surface. She tries to tell him what she found, but he cuts her of f . They've found
crewrnan Varel li's bodyGideon and Chambers arrive at the murder site. Security is searching the area for clues- There are no footprints
other than the victims. Chambers examines the body and finds that the crewrnan has been gutted- All his internal
organs are missing. Gideon was told by Eilerson that the scans showed no life on the planet. Eilerson blames
Chambers'people for giving him bad information (garbage in, garbage out). Matheson contacts Gideon from
Excalibur. They've detected movement in the area that isn't part of their group. Gideon peers around a wall and
sees severalsmallalien vessels f lying through the city headed his way. He orders everyone to the shuttles and back
lo Excalibur. He'llstay behind to distract the aliens so the others can escape.
He hops on his skimmer and gets the aliens to follow him. He leads them on a chase through the city, dodging
buildings, bridges and other obstacles. 0ne ship is destroyed af ter bouncing of f the narrow walls of a passage wayOne of the ships f ire at Gideon, hitting the front end of his skimmer- Gideon heads straight for a wall. Looking up,
he sees Galen's ship come right for him and snatch him up before the skimmer and a couple alien ships hit the wall

and explode.

0n their way up to lhe Excalibur,Galen tells Gideon he heard that bit about him appearing when you want hlm least
and need him most.
Galen: Good thing for you I don't hold a grudge.
Gideon: Yes, you do.
Galen: Never contradict a Techno-mage when he's saving your life...again.
EXCALIBUR
Galen's ship docks" Matheson meets them in the docking area- He tells Gideon that allthe shuttles have left the
planet- They're doing a head count now, but he thinks everyone got out all right.
Gideon: Don't think.
Galen: Yes. Suite right.
They enter a bullet car and take their seats"
Galen:

If

you wanted to think, you should never have joined the military in the f irst place.

Matheson continues his update. As far as they can tell, all activity 0n the planet stopped when they lett. They
dppear to be safe on the ship. They are running the scanners, but they stilldon't detect life signs. The ships may
have been part of an automatic defense system. Gideon doesn't think so...an automatic defense system is designed
to keep people of f of a planet" They've been running around the planet for two days without incident. He asl<s Galen
what he thinks- Galen doesn't answer right away-

I was just trying to work out whether a comrnent from me right now would be
"most wanted" or "least needed".
6ideon: I thought you said you don'thold a grudge.
Galen: I don't. I have no surviving enemies-...at all.
Galen: Hmm? 0h, sorry.

BRIDGE

Gideon doesn't want to break orbit yet. Whatever is on the planet killed one of his crew- He wants to f ind out what
it is and make sure it doesn't happen to the next ship. Eilerson agrees, but for a different reason. There is a lot of
valuable data on the planet and if they leave now, they lose everything. He suggests 6ideon f ind whatever is down
on the planet and blow it up. Then they can go back for the rest 0f the data and avenge the death of Crewman
Varelli. Something about Varellibeing vivisected and losing nearly allhis internalorgans catches Galen's interestHe heads for his ship to retrieve something.
BULLET CAR
Dureena is already inside when Galen enters the car. When Galen sees her, he looks like he's having second
thoughts about getting in. He sits down, away from her, at the other end of the car. You can tell there is some
tension between them- Dureena stares at him until he speaks. He tells her his answer is still 'no' - he will not teach
her his ways. She asks why. He tells her there is a tlme and place for everything, and right now is the wrong time.
Dureena wants to learn for the worst of all reasons - revenge- 0f course Dureena wants revenge- The Drakh killed
her entire race, and they will do the sarne to all the humans on Earth. Doesn't Galen want revenge for that?
Galen: When you have reached the end of the road, then you can decide whether to go to the lef t or to
the right, to f ire or to water- If you make those decisions before you have even set foot upon the
road...it will take you nowhere- Except to a bad end.
Dureena: i don't understand.
Galen: fhat's why i said no- When you have grown out of your rage, then we will talk. Not before.
Dureena is visibly frustrated by this.
BRIDGE
A probe is sent down to the planet.It's one of Galen's toys - a homunculus (Latin for'a parallelversion of oneself').
Balen's homunculus is a projection, but with a little more substance than the usual hologram. Dureena, Eilerson,

Galen, Gideon and Chambers watch the video feed from the probe. Il moves through the city and sets down on the
surface, instantly becoming a lifesize, computer generated version of Galen- It is somehow connected to Galen's
movernents on the Excalibur- Galen slowly turns and the homunculus Galen turns with him, looking around the
area. Galen hopes to attract the attention of whatever is down lhere.
The others watch the video feed as homunculus Galen walks around. 0n the Excalibur, Galen over-acts in the
extreme, trying to get the attention of the aliens-

Homunculus/Galen: 0h my. Whatever shall I do? They've all lef t without meI hope something dreadf ul doesn't happen to me.

I knew I'd forget where

we parked that shuttle.

A shadow moves over

him.It's the alien ships.

Homunculus/Galen: 0h look. Something dreadful.

The ship emits an energy beam that slices open the homunculus.

Homunculus/Galen: Stop! That hurtsl 0h, the indignity ol it! The horror!
The ship then uses another beam to remove the holographic organs, sucking them up into the ship- Galen seerns to
be having too much fun.
Homunculus

/Galen 0h, my liver. I wondered where that had got

to.

When the organ-sucking beam is f inished, Galen severs the homunculus' head- The head sneaks into the ship.
Through the homunculus' eyes, Eideon and the crew watch as the alien ship f lies through the city to a large
building. A door opens and the ship enters. Inside, hundreds of alien ship from many familiar races sit- It looks lil<e
a junk yard. We can see Brakiri and Narn warships, a Vree saucer, and many more ships piled on top of each other"
Galen seerns to have expected as rnuch.
Galen is distracted by Gideon's questions and contact with the homunculus is broken. The homunculus wasn't
expected to last much longer anyway (didn't have much lef t in him). Eilerson sees the junk yard as a gold mine of
information, bul Galen knows it's a laboralory for collecting specimens for examination and dissection. Gideon
understands now. fhat would explain all the lormulas they found right out in the open. It was a lure - just enough
to l<eep them there, but never giving them the whole thing- All the while, the aliens were observing them until it
was time to spring the trap. That would also explain the dozens of DNA samples Chambers found - and the bodies
Dureena found.
Gideon asks 0ureena what she is talking about" What bodies? The bodies she found underground in the tunnel.
Most were intact, but others were just bits and pieces. 0ideon thinks the bodies belonged to the original
inhabitance of the planet, but Dureena disagrees. The bodies were from many different species. They were visitors,
sarne as them. Gideon, a tad bit annoyed, asks why she didn't report this earlier. Dureena lool<s directly at Galen
and throws his own words back at him - there is a right time and a wrong time for everything. She was just waiting
for the right time- Besides, by the time she found them, Varelliwas already dead. Her discovery would have

changed nothing,
Galen scolds her" It is wrong to withhold information- She looks right at hirh again and tells him, yes it is wrong,
referring to his ref usal to teach her Techno-mage tricks- Gideon breaks up their little stare down and asks 0ureena
what else she found. She tells him she found an underground cavern hiding a generator, some kind of control
center- It was fully functionaland very big, so big that she couldn't see the end of it.
Matheson scanned the planet and found the generator. He and Gideon view the results on a monitor- Whoever built
sunl< relays into the planet's core to draw power. There are artif icial caverns miles beneath the surface.
Matheson has delected lights, atmosphere and other power sources in the caverns. He doesn't know if there is
anyone alive down there. They could probe f urther, but whatever's down there could pick up the scan and trigger a
response. Gideon orders the scan increased. The scan picks up life signs in a huge chamber filled with light- In the
chamber are billions of stasis tubes holding alien life forms- Matheson informs Gideon that they are detecting
movement on the surface.

it had

0n the planet, a wave of alien ships launch. Eideon orders allhands to battle stations and the Excaliburmoved out
of the area. Excaliburis unable t0 move, They are being held in some kind of enhanced gravity field. Looks like the
aliens don't want them to leave with what they know. The alien ships are coming in fast- Fighters are launched and
Matheson tries to f ind where the gravity f ield is coming from. The f ighters engage the alien ships and an assault
team is dispatched to the source of the gravity f ieldThe f ighters don't seem to be have any problems with the alien ships. Two f ighters move to the planet's surface and
launch their missiles at the gravity f ield generator- There was only minimal damage so they will swing around for
another shot. Aboard the Excalibur, Matheson reports that gravimetric forces are increasing, pulling Excalibur
down toward the planet.If they don't shut down that generator, they will crash and burn up in the atmosphere.
Even with engines at maximum thrust, they have only ten minutes until they hit the atmosphere. Gideon orders the
Excalibur to turn so they're facing the planet, and the main gun online. The fighters 0n the surface take another
shot at the generator then get out of lhe way- As soon as they are clear, Exca/iburfires its main gun at the planet.
Any alien ships in the way are vaporized. When the shot hits the planet, it looks like a nuclear bomb was detonated,
Galen wanders onto the bridge. Gideon had told him to stay in his quarters, but if Galen is going to die, he'd like to
do so in a room with a view. Gideon is surprised he's still on the ship. With the technology of the Techno-mages, he
could easily escape a gravimetric f ield. So why is he still here? Galen reminds him that ten years ago, he rescued a
certain slray cat. That brings with it a degree of obligation- He can't exactly go wondering of f every time he gets
stucl< up a tree-

Matheson tells Gideon that gravimetric forces have decreased. Excaliburis rising. An ear-splitting shrill hits the
ship. They are being scanned from f ive miles beneath the planet- Someone is downloading their data and language
f iles" 0utside, the squad leader reports that the enemy ships have stopped their attack and are holding position.

They pick up a transmission. A hologram of an alien appsars on the bridge. His name is Kulan. He is keeper of this
planet for this generation. Gideon wants to know why Kulan attacked thern and killed his crew. Kulan tells him it is
the responsibility of each keeper in each generation to run the tests on those who discover their world- Gideon asl<s
about the tests, but Kulan tells him it is better if he shows Gideon. He hold up a large red sphere and tells 0ideon to
touch it. He hesitates for a moment, but 6alen assures him he always has his back. Touching it, it shows 0ideon
what happened to the aliens. 0ne thousand years ago, the Shadows came to their world wanting to build a base.
The aliens said no so the Shadows seeded the atmosphere with the same plague the Drakh released on Earth.

i* Excalibuls records that Earth suffered a similar fate- That's why he decided to contact Gideon. Since
l(ulan is standing there talking to him, Eideon assumes that they found a cure. 6alen doesn't think so- The test, the
dissections, turing people frorn other worlds to study.-. Kulan's people are still looking for a cure. Kulan tells them
his people struggled for three years and failed to find a cure. They didn't have enough ships capable of star f light.
They couldn't look elsewhere for a cure like Earth is. So they put their population in cryonic freeze. They now only
have two years lef tKulan saw

This makes perfect sense to Eilerson- 0nce you freeze the body, you freeze the virus- It stops advancing until it's
thawed- They freeze their people and put the machines in place to Eenduct biological tests on anyone who came by.
He says it's perfectly logicatand reasonable. Gideon looks disgusted by this- He wouldn't call the systematic murder
of innocent civilians logical or reasonable.
Kulan's people had hoped that one of those they brought to their world would have encountered the virus and
found a cure or were naturally irnmune. Gideon is angry. He tells Kulan he can't rnurder someone because it's a
convenient way ta find a cure- Kulan protests. Those who are tested are but a fraction of the billions of his people
who sleep, waiting for a cure- He asks Gideon if he would sacrifice one hundred lives to save a ten billion hurnans?
If one hundred, why not one thousand? 0r ten thousand? Gideon says there are other ways. Kulan agrees and
believes he can help. Kulan and his people will continue to conduct the tests here and give Gideon access to
anything they f ind if Bideon will bring him more test subjects and share a cure if they f ind one first.

Eilerson, back in insensitive jerk mode, thinks there is rlo reason why they can't share the data since Kulan's people
are going [a do the tests anyway.It's nst like their doing it themselves. Bideon, making sure Eilerson gets his point,
say yes, why not, it's cleaner that way.

Eilerson:6ideon, wouldn't you gladly sacrifice a few hundreds Narns to save Earth?
Gideon just looks at Eilerson.

6ideon: I-ieutenant,-- Are those enemy ships still within fir-ing range?
Matheson: Aye, sirEveryone looks at 6ideon, wondering what he will decide. He gives Eilerson and Kulan his answer.
Gideon: I want them out of my sky-

Excalibura*d the fighters destroy the remaining enemy ships. Gideon tutns his attentisn back to Kulan.
Gideon: No deal. If we find a cure, we'll bring it here, no charge. And then we'll make sure that you
and your people are brought to account for everyone you murdered with your testsKulan:.I/you f ind it before your own people die.
Gideon: We will. You'llsee us again, I promise,
Galen doesn't think they wilt ever see Kulan again. Kulan had spoken about being the keeper for fr?igenerationHow long does a generation [ast? Kulan rerninds Ealen that his people tried for three years to find a cure before
they were put ln cryonic freeze. All but one person sleeps. The one person stays awake to maintain tha rnachines
and monitor the tests- Every two years, another is awakened to continue the work of the sne bsfore him- There
have been five hundred keepers so far. Kulan has about six months lef t. He will never know if Gideon has found a
cure, but if he does, Kulan wants him to rernember his people. Gideon will as an example of what they should never
do themselves. Kulan says Gideon speaks well now, but he would like to see how proud Gideon is in three years.
Af ter the hotograrn sf KL,lan disappears, Eilerson tells Gidesn, all things considered, Kulan offered thern a good
deal. Eideen loaks like he'd love to smack Eilerson right about now.

Sometime later, a White Star is parked along side Excalibur. Ealen's ship sits nearby. In the conference room, a
human Ranger finishes briefing Gideon on potential planets. Galen walks out of the room and activates the
holographic viewer. He watches an image of the Milky Way galaxy. Gideon joins him. He knows Galen is going to
leave soon and asks where he goesEalen: Walking to and fro in lhe Earth, and up and down in it.
Gideon: Job?
Galen: In the end, it's all the story of Job, isn't it?
6ideon: Some days it feels like our faith is being tested, same as his6alen: Where do you put your faith, Matthew? In science? Your luck? This ship?
Gideon: I haven't decided.
Galen: Well, then, if this is the story of Job, a great deal of people are being inconvenienced for your
benef it. Hope you appreciate it- By the way, I understand the planet we have just lef t was not on the
list of largets provided by the Rangers. How did you come to choose that one?
Gideon: I have rny sources6alen: Yes. I'm sure you have.
Galen leaves and heads for an elevator. Again, Dureena is there when 6alen steps inside. They stand in awkward
silence for a rnoment. Then Galen tells her she made a good point earlier before the f ight. If he is withholding
information, he can hardly blame her for doing the same. But his answer is still no-..for now. Then there is stillhope
for Dureena- Galen tells her there is always hope because that is the one thing ne one has figured out how to kill
yet. Dureena believes Galen only says that because he hasn't seen the things shE has. Perhaps Galen has seen rnore
than Dureena can imagine. As he steps off the lift, she asks him when he'll be back.

6alen: In the f ullness of time. Expect rne when you see me.
Ealen's ship takes off for places unknown.
EIDEON'S OUARTERS
Gideon opens a secret compartrrrent and removes the wooden chest that hotds the Apocalypse Box. He opens the
chest and finds a playing card, the ace of spades. He tells the Box that the last choice was not a good one. The Box
speal<s, its voice both melodic and mechanical.

Bor Things change. Long time gone.

Gideon: Maybe- Maybe you're stitl holding back. So where to next?
The Extatiburheads off to iL's next destination.

Visitors From Down the Street

(May r3,h, 2267)

Written By: J. MichaelStratzynski

EXCALIBUR

EridaniSector, May 13 2267 2:37 PM EST.

BULLET CAR

6ideon and Matheson sit. It look like they are waiting for something to happen- Matheson is about to speak but
Gideon cuts him off, telling him they're not there yet- Suddenly, Gideon asks Matheson if he smells it. Matheson
doesn't smell anything. Gideon says he thought all Matheson's seflses were enhanced because he's a telepath. They
are, but Matheson won't use his abilities unless required to by the new regulalions. Maintenance has checked three
times and found nothing.
Gideon gets a call from the bridge- They've picked up a distress signal. Gideon orders Matheson to send out another
crew and to locate and remove the smell.

IN SPACE
A small, saucer-shaped vessel with blue lights drif ts in front of lhe Excalibur.

BRIDGE
Matheson ID's the craf t as a lifepod, I2 meters in diameter with short-range engines.It's like no ship they've ever
seen before. It's a first contact situation. Matheson reads two life signs. Gideon orders them brought aboard and a
translator to stand by.

0utside the Excalibur, two yellow maintenance ships grab onto the lifepod and head for Excalibur.
FLIEHT DECK
Gideon, Matheson and several security guards move into position and stand ready as lifepod's door is opened. They
move their f lashlight around until they f ind two aliens hiding in a corner, one male and one female. The male
points a weapon at them and tells them in English if they take one more step, he'll kill them.
The aliens exit their ship with a guard as a hostage. The male orders everyone to back away and drops their
weapons- He wants his ship recharged and cleared to leave. Gideon can do that- The alien wants to take the guard
with him- Eideon can't do that. If not the guard, then he'll take sorneone else, but one of them is going with him.
Matheson slowly moves around the guards, getting a clear view of the alien. Gideon wants to know why he's doing
this. They saved his life. The alien tells him he's not going to make him disappear like the others- This time he's
going back with proof. Gideon asks what proof?

fhe alien's attention is drawn to Matheson. The alien [ooks down at his weapon, which seems to have turned into a
snake.The alien panics and drops his weapon- The hostage turns and pins the alien against the wall. The other
guards rush in to help. The female alien tries to pull a weapon, but is rushed by guards and subdued. Gideon orders
the two aliens to be taken to the brig for questioning. The male alien, 0urkani, begins shouting at 6ideon as he's
tal<en away-

Burkani: Suestioning? Is that what you call it now!? is that the latest code word for torture and
murder!? You can kill us, but you can't kill the truthl
Gideon notices that Matheson looks ill or hurt. Matheson tells Gideon he's not used to contact with alien minds.
Gideon asks him if he saw anything while he was in Durl<ani's head. Matheson says no. Projection is allowed as a
defensive measure, but human or alien, unauthorized scans are not allowed- Gideon didn't expect Matheson to do a
full scan, just get a sense of the room, so to speak. Matheson looks annoyed that Gideon keeps pushing the rnatter.
Matheson: Showing that we can obey the new regs is all that stands between us and the creation of a
new Psi Corps.I'm nol going to be the one to mess that up. Atl I got from them were emotionsThey're conf used, desperate, determined and deeply frightened-

Gideon:0f what?
Matheson:

Us-

CORRIOOR

Durkani and the female alien, Lyssa, arc being escorted to the brig" They pass many curious crew members" The
aliens stare back with equal curiosity and sorne fear. They speak to aach other in their native language"
Durkani: Maybe that call was a rnistake

af

ter all.

Lyssa: No. Whatever happens,I'm glad we did it.

They f lashback to a dark off ice, Lyssa walks in with a f lashlight. The sffice has been trashed. Files and paper have
been burnt- Lyssa hears footsteps and quickly hides Someone, possibly a guard, walks by, testing the door to see if
it's locked" The guard rnoves on- Af ter the guard has lef t, Lyssa receives a callfrom Durkani- He tells her he's not far
away. She tells him she came back to the off ice to see if they lef t anything behind. Whoever was there earlier burnt
the f iles. There's nothing lef t except what they grabbed on the way out, She asks what they'll do now.

Durkani is standing by a wall, lool<ing out a window at sornething we can't see-

0urkani: Wetl, you always said you wanted to go to places you've never been. Now's the time.
Lyssa: What are you ialking about?
Durkani: Look. We can't go home, and we can't go to the authorities without proof, but there's one
place we cdn go where we cdn f ind the proofLyssa: Where's that?

0urkani:0ut thereHe tells her to rnee[ him in the usualplace. He'lItake it from there- He looks out the window al a spaceportshuttle-like craf t sits on the launching pad-

EXCALIBUR
1n the conference room, Gideon pours himself a cup of coffee and watches the aliens on a rnonitor. Matheson
enters, commenting on how the aliens have calmed down- Bideon tells Matheson to save him from himself and
have the last cup of coffee in the pot. Another cup and he'll be up all night agairt staring at the ceiling. Matheson
pours himself a cup- Eideon swears the rnakers are adding caf f eine to it just to rness with him. He doesn't like the
cof fee, It isn't as good as the real thing, but it'll do.

Besides real cof fee, he also rnisses wind" He's not talking about fans moving pressurized air through vents, but real
wind. The ebb and f low of it. From breeze, to nothing, then wind agaln. You never get wind on a starship or space
station. It's strictly a planetary artifact. Whenever he got leave, the first thing he'd do is go home, out to thp bacl(
of his house, close his eyes and jusl sit there. A glass of iced tea, with his feet up, and feel the wind on his face.
Thai's paradise to him.

Getting back to off icial business, Gidesn asks aboul the aliens. Matheson tells him that Dr. Chambers has just
f inished going over the latest readings from the brig's med scanner. Despite their appearance, the alien's biology,
especially the cardio-pulminary and neural systerns, is very diiferent from humans. Gideon is puzaled- Why do they
dress like hurnans and speal< English? Malheson tells him it's not their native language. EEG readouts indicate a
high levelof neuro processing whenever they speak to the guards. This proves lhat the aliens are translating their
own language into English. Matheson has gone over all the alien conlact logs and wired back to Earth for rnore
inlormdtion, but so far, lhere's no record of a species like this on their charts. As far as he can tell, this is the first
time their races have ever met. if that's so, then why do they speak English? Gideon decides to ask the aliens
himself

BRiE
Lyssa asks Durkaniif she should apologize now or later- Durkanijokingly says that since they may not have a later,
now is probably best. She tells him she's sorry she didn't believe him until now. All this time she though he was
deluded- She was wrong- The aliens (humans) really do exist. Durkani has always l<nown lhal" But now, they must

keep existing themselves until they ran f igure a way out-

The door opens and 6ideon enters- He came by to see how they're doing, if they're being treated alright. Durkani's
been in worse places, but then Gideon would l<now all about that. Lyssa wants to know what Eideon will do with
them. He tells her that depends on them- He could put them back in their lifepod, but it only has one day of
breathable air left and he's not in a position to tal<e them home. So far they haven't given him a reason to recharge
their lifepod. Durkani is moved by Gideon's desire to help them. It almost a convincing change of heart. But given
their past history, Durkani doesn't believe him- 6ideon asks, what history? He's checked their f iles and there is no
record of prior contact between their species, Durkani is sure there wouldn't beGideon asks how he knows English. Durl<ani tells him that top secret recordings found their way out of f ile cabinets
buried half a mile under their capitol. He spent years going over them, decoding them and learning English. He's
played tapes to his colleagues, but they said it was just random noise. Gideon stops him, feeling a bit lost. He wants
Durkani to clarify that humans have had rontact with his people. But there's no proof of that other than 0urkani's
knowledge of English. They could've intercepted broadcasts that lef t Earth hundreds of years before. Durkani says
there's proof , it's just erased every time it's found. He knows the truth just as well as GideonGideon asks, what truth? Durkani tells him that humans have been visiting his world for centuries and have ruined
lives, devastated his planet and helped create highly placed agencies within the government to help ronceal these
facts. Durkani has dedicated his life to exposing these conspiraries. Gideon tells them if any of this were going on,
he would know about it. Gideon makes a deal with them. If Durkani can prove these allegations, he'll take him back
home to investigate f urther. Durkani agrees to it for now. Gideon will have someone go to their lifepod and get
whatever he needsDurl<ani and Lyssa talk about their situation af ter Eideon leaves. Durkani saw in Gideon's eyes that he genuinely
doesn't know. Maybe Earth is covering all this up like his world is- Lyssa dopsn't trust him" Durkani doesn't trust
anyone, but must take the chance or he'll never get home aliveMAINTENANCE TUBE
A maintenance worker crawls through a narrow tube near the bullet car tracks looking for Eideon's phantom odor.
He's been through there three times and has still found nothing. Af ter poking around for six hours, the only thing
that smeils bad is him. Matheson doesn't think Gideon will accept that and tells the worker to keep looking.
CONFERENCE ROOM

0urkaniis showing Gideon his proof" He tells Gideon that so far, all his people's attempts al space travel have been
limited to their own solar system. They've sent probes to neighboring stars, but officially they didn't f ind any sign
of intelligent life in the universe. That's always been the party line, but then sightings started. Ourkani tells him
strange craf ts have been spotted in the sky hovering over ruralareas by reputable people - farmers, businessmen,
law enforcement" Durkani shows Gideon a photo of a blimp. Gideon tells him what it is. He's never seen one in
person, but they're in their history books- According to Durkani's government, the picture is swamp gas.
He shows Gideon another picture drawn by a witness when one of the ships crashed in the desert area 0n his world.
The drawing is of two humans (destribed as six feet tall with hair and small round eyes) next to a burning ship.
Their government dismissed it as a weather balloon. Gideon's heard this story before- His government tried to
cover it up, but this time Durkani had evidence- He pulls out a mangled, charred golf club. They believe it ls either a
weapon or a recreational device. Gideon say's it's both, depending on how the garne goes-

Burl<ani continues- Strange drawings have been cut into their crops, music no one's ever heard before coming over
the radio- And the suprerne insult to their intplligence - a picture of Mount Rushmore that was supposedly taken as
one of their probes passed over Earth. Durl<ani's governrnent says it's not real, that it's a tricl< of light and shadow,
an opticalillusion. Durkanitells him the lie was too transparent so he forced the government to send out anolher
probe for a second look. He shows Gideon another photo of Mount Rushmore, but this lime the faces arp gone.
6ideon admits that the picture is from Earth, but denies that Earth is involved with Durkani's government. Gideon
doesn't understand where Durkani fits into this. Durkani tells Eideon he's been on the trail of these sightings for
years, trying to prove that aliens are interfering with his world. His partner Lyssa joined him a few years ago- At
f irst she didn't believe him. But then the proof started mounting up untiI lhey had to go-

FLASHBACK

In another dark off lce, 0r.rrkani and Lyssa were work late, going over reports of abductions by humans whan they
came for them. They hide as two people enter the room holding f lashiights. Burkanijumps one intruder whilB
Lyssa shoots at the other, They fight and the intruder is l<nocked out. 0urkani kneels down and sees that the
inlruder is wearing a mask. He pulls of f the mask to reveai a human face. Taking a closer look, he notices thal the
hurnan face is also a mask. He pulls that one of f to reveal one of his own people. Durlsaniwasn't sure what it rneant,
but sorneone obviously thought they were getting too close to the truth and their lives were in danger" Af ler they
rush out nf the room, another alien male enters the of fice, looks around, and srniles.
CONFERENCE ROOM

Since lheir lives were in danger anyway, they decided to go the whole way- They slowed away on a ship bound for
the edge of their system and ejected, hoping to f ind humans. And they did, Gideon tells him it's a hell of a story. But
there's still one question. Why? What's the goal? And how have humans been interfering with his world? Durkani
lells him that whenever rnofley for iheir children's education is cul, it's because outsiders wish them to rernain
ignorant so they can be used and manipulated more easily. When public f unding for housing is cut back, it's
because they need the money to build rnore secret underground bases, Crime and poverty and crirne have
increased to keep them off balance. Every facet of their lives has been affected. His suite isn't their native style of
dressing. It was pushed upon them by designers working for the government so the aliens would feel more at
home and move freely among themDurlcani pleads for Gideon's help, asking him to orne to his world and give his people the proof they've been
waiting for- Gideon will look over the rest of Burkani's evidence and give him a decision in the morning. Alter
Durkani leaves, Gideon looks at a photo of a crop f ield with the American f lag cut into it.
6IDEON'S OUARTERS
GidEon is looking over Durkani's material when he receivas a call from Matheson. Long-range scanners have piclted
up another ship heading their way.

6ideon: Getting kind of crowded out here, Lieutenant- How am I supposed to sleep? I expecl you to
f ind a quieter sector next time.
Matheson: Aye, sir. If they begin firing on us, should I tetl them to come back in the rrrorning when
we're allfresher?
0ideon heads for the bridge, leaving behind a photo of the olher alien from the dark off ice"
BRII]CE

fiideon and Matheson watch the alien ship rnove closer. The alien ship hails them-..in English. Gideon thinks that it's
either more of the same race 0r there's one busy English leacher hiding out there somewhere" The alien identif ies
himself as Special Agent l(endarr. i(endarr knows Eideon has intercepted Burkani and Lyssa would like them both
returned. He plans to execute them.
FLIGHT NECK
Gideon and Matheson wait for Kendarr's shuttle to dock. Gideon asks Matheson to refresh his mernory and tell him
how they got inlo this mess. Matheson sdys it vyas an act of mercy. Eideon tells him to remind him never to do that
again.
Matheson: No good deed goes unpunished.
Gideon: I'll have that embroidered on a sampler when we have time"

I(endarr is escorted of f the f light deck by security guards. He telis Gideon that the Excaiiburis a remarl<able ship,
far ahead of anything in his f leet- Sideon offers him a tour. Then Kendarr can tellhim why he wants lo killDurl<ani
and Lyssa.

BULLET CAR

Kendarr tells Gideon he wants to see thp prisoners as soon as possible. 6ideon will have them brought up, but just
t0 talk. He has a slight problem turning them over knowing that they'll be executed. Kendarr says that even 0n
Earth, there must be sorne crimes that are punishable by death. Gideon tells him those crimes are usually punished
by death of personality, not physical death" Kendarr pushes him on the subject and Gideon admits that mutiny,
treason and a couple other crimes are punishable by physical death- Kendarr tells him that 0n his world, there are
very few crirnes that merit the death penalty- One is to commandeer a spacecraf t and go beyond their own solar
system- There are rnany dangerous races who are far rnore advanced than they are. Even his own ship is one of few
that have been built s0 far, and none of them are capable of entering hyperspace. Without the presence of a
jumpgate, they are limited to their own srnall systern"
Gideon understands now - Kendarr's people are at a tactical disadvantage- Until they catch up, it's his responsibilily
as a law enforcernent officer to see that n0 one goes out and attracts the wrong attention" Gideon asl<s how they
can justif y penalizing their citizens for contacting aliens while at the same time denying the existence of life
outside their world. l(endarr says the denial sprves a purpose that would take to long to explain. Kendarr's
explanation is cut of when he says he smells something. Gideon's odor strikes again. Gideon looks at Matheson as if
to say "see, I told you so-"
CORRIT]OR

Gideon, Matheson and Kendarr exit the car- As they walk, Bideon tells Kendarr there is one thing he doesn't
understand. Kendarr's race has been aware of other races besides there own for years, and they have been
monitoring and recording these transmissions- 5o why humans? Why Engtish? if , in fact, there hasn't been any
prior contact between their two races, why all the sightings on their world? Why do so rnany of them relote
specif ically ts Earth and humans? Kendarr's story sounds good on the surface, but something doesn't add up.
l(endarr tells Gideon that it willallbecome clear soon enough,
BRIBGE
As they walk onto the bridge, Gideon tells Kendarr that his answers better become clear. That is why he decided to
see them all together. He figures that if he puts them in the same room, maybe the truth will wander in by

accident.
He gives Matheson the helm and 0urkaniand Lyssa are brought to the bridge- Lyssa tells Kendarr they were

wondering when he would show up. l(endarr tells them they chose this (in their native language). They knew this
was inevitable. Durkani turns to Gideon, angry. He thinks Gideon sold them out. Kendarr has tried to kill them three
times, 6ideon says he just brought them there to talk, he hasn't sold anyone out.
Kendarr: (indicating Gideon) My f riend here has done his part- We wanted to find out how much you
knew about our organization. Now that we've done that, it's over.
Eideon: Wait a rninute. What are you saying?
Kendarr ignores Gideon and continues baiting Durkani and Lyssa.
Kendarr: Neither of you willever see home again!
Durkani attacks Kendarr, taking his weapon and threatening to kill him if Sideon tries anything. Gideon tries to
reason with them, but Durkani won't listen" Matheson rises from his chair, but Durkani stops him and tells him to
stay out of his head- Eideon asks where they are going lo go" This is his ship and he controls every way in and out.
Durkani wants his pod recharged and ready in one hour. If it isn't, l(endarr will die. 0urkani drags Kendarr of f the
bridge, Lyssa foilows. Eideon and Matheson watch them down the corridor.
Matheson: Well, should

I get started embroidering that sampter, sir?

Gideon's not amused. He wants them tracked. And he wants to know how Kendarr's weapon got past the scanners.

SOMEWHERE IN THE SHIP

Lyssa compliments 0urkani on pretending to be a dangerous nut" Durkani wasn't pretending" Kendarr tells them
this won't work, there's no way to escape- And this is no way to treat a former employer. Burkani's tells him he's
right, but he doeso't see any barbed wire lying around so he'lljust have to wait. They climb through a rnaintenance
tunnel and exit into the bullet car tube- A couple of cars pass by at high speed. Durkani chooses to look on the
bright side - if they die here, at least they'll take Kendarr with them. Lyssa doesn't see it at a bright side. Durkani
tells her it may not bE much, but a quick death is about all they have left to hope for.
CONFERENCE ROOM

Gideon is holding a securlty brief ing on their situation. A security guard reports that teams are moving through
every deck and will f ind them soon enough. Gideon says f inding them is less of an issue than what they do once
they f ind them. Matheson tells him their lifepod is almost recharged" He asks Gideon if he is sure he wants to give
into [Jurl<ani's demands. Gideon says this is not their fight. They got dragged into this mess- It has nothing to do
with them- As far as he's concerned, they can wall up the lot of them and let them f ight this out to their hearts

contentGideon asks a tech about the landing bay scanners. The tech tells him they went over them three tirnes and found
them in f ull worl<ing.If that's so, then how did Kendarr smuggle a weapon past it? The tech doesn't know. The
scanners are set to detect any known kind of weapon - slug throwers, energy weapons, plasma guns- Then this
must be somp new kind of weapon, something they've never sen before- Matheson disagrees. The aliens are less
advanced they they are and doubts that they could build a more advanced weapon. It doesn't make sense.
The security guard reports that they've found them in the level i4 tube- Gideon orders a tactical team to go in a
bullet car while he and a team go through a work shaf t and catch them in the middle. He wants to make sure they
can contain the situation this time

BULLET CAR TUBE

Durkani, Lyssa and Kendarr sit and wait" Eurkani points his weapon at Kendarr. He tells l(pndarr that if he has any
last thoughts to share, in case this doesn't work, now would be the time. Kendarr says nothing, only smiles and
pfays with a tentacle/dreadlock- Lyssa is surprised that Kendarr seerns ok about dying with all this on his
conscience. Kendarr says he has nothing on his conscience. All this is for the best. He's just a soldier doing his jobDurkani angrily asl<s if all the lies, the betrayals, and the conspiracies to hide the truth is part of the job as well.
l(endarr tells him that the truth has never been in anyone's best interests.
ACCESS TUBE
A teem of security guards climbs up a ladder. Gideon and Matheson follow behind. Gideon stops as he passes a
pipe. He smell's the odor again- He's found the source of thp smell. The seals on a waste disposal tube are loose- He
guesses that every time a bullet car passes, it shakes the whole thing loose a little more. Gideon hits the pipe,
knocking it out of alignment. A brown sludge pours out. Everyone reacts to the smell- There's not rnuch they can do
now, so the keep climbing-

BULLET CAR TUBE

0urkani and Lyssa smell the odor. They get up and only get a few feet down the tube before they are slopped by
Gideon and security. Gideon orders Burkani to put the gun down. 0urkani doesn't think they'll get away without
l(endarr. Bideon prornises Durkani that he will make sure they get away if he complies. He also promises to take
care of Kendarr's ship if he interferes. Kendarr tells Gideon that 0urkaniwillkill him, but Eideon won't allow that,
not 0n his ship. Suddenly, a bullet car rushes up from behind and stops. A security team is inside. Durkani is
surrounded. Gideon tells him that if they wanted to kill him, they could without harming Kendarr- AllGideon wants
is for allof them to get off his ship and take their conspiracies with them. Not really having a choice, Durkani lowers
his weapon and lets Kendarr go. Burkani and Lyssa are taken into custody. As Eideon watches them being led away,
a strong breeze blows through the tunnel. He closes his eyes and enjoys the sensation.
FLIEHT OECK
Durkani and Lyssa's tifepod is charged and ready to go. 0url<ani lhanl<s him, but Gideon doesn't want thanks. He

just for them to go. Durkani turns and tells Kendarr they're not done yet. Lyssa says they are going to telI everyone
what's happened. Kendarr asks, without proof , who's going to believe them? Durkani tells him that it doesn't
matter if they believe us, sooner or later the truth will come out- Kendarr only says the truth is out of fashion. The
lilepod launches.

Matheson reports that Eilerson has just f inished his analysis of Kendarr's weapons. It's useless, no charge
whatsoever- That's why it wasn'i detected by their scanners- Kendarr laughs. He was never in any danger- He
wanted Durkani to grab the gun and for Gideon to think the threat was serious. He was not about to put his life in
danger- Gideon doesn't care for l(endarr's garnes- If he doesn't get an explanation, Kendarr is headed for the brig.

Kendarr explains that his people have a long history of suspicion and paranoia, which have led to an equally long
history of wars. Big wars, little wars, but mainly civil wars that started when the governrnent failed to live up to a
promise, 0nce his people found someone to blame, they usually end up dead. Gideon wants to l<now what that has
to do with humans- Kendarr tells him that about 200 years ago, his world began picking up communications from
other worlds. At f irst they kept the specif ics quiet, but then they realized something. Aliens were the perfect
scapegoat for their internal problems. Matheson gets it. All the sightings and evidence were created by Kendarr. He
set humans up. Kendarr tells him it was nothing personal. They chose a race at random and it just so happened to
be humans- Af ter a race was chosen, they created a consistent feel to the sightings they staged and then adamantly
denied everything af ter. The more you make a big deal out of denying something, the more people lhink it's true.
0nce the conspiracy was created, they could relax- When the budget is cut, it must be the aliens. When something
goes wrong, it's those damned outsiders again. Humans are the ones pulling the strings. Kendarr's people are just
innocent puppets forced to obey. Since the people can get to the aliens, and the government is not to blame, they
haven't had a single civil war since they instituted the new policy"
Matheson asks why he's going af ter Durkani- Kendarr tells him it's because conspiracies need true believers out to
unmask it, and true believers need to feel persecuted- They don't want him dead- They need him to feed the f ire, to
l<eep alive the story that everything is being caused by the aliens. Lately, Durl<ani has been feeling frustrated.
Nothing ever leads anywhere- So they let him get this far and were about to stage an event that would revive his
interest when the Excaliburinlercepted his distress signal. Kendarr never imagined they would run into the real
thing. Now Durkani is even more convinced that they're working together. Gideon has done them a great service.

Kendarr must leave now, his work done- One thing he must say, though- In order to create the illusion of
interference, he had studied Earth culture very carefully.It has much to commend it - pizza, ice cream.lhey've all
becorne quite addictive- He pulls out a cigarette and lights it, then thanks Gideon for alt his help.
UNKNOWN SPACE
The Ercaliburexits hyperspace above an Earth-like planet.
BRIOCE
They tracked Kendarr's transmission to this location and are now in f iring range. Matheson asks if they are going to
altack. Gideon tells him the only thing they're going to attack is a lie, He's loaded up 20 of their planetary surface
probes with the latest version of the interstellar encyclopedia and a fullrecord of what happened af ter Kendarr
and the others carne aboard. He's going to blow this so-called conspiracy wide open. He orders the probes
programmed to set down just outside major population areas- He doesn't want to f latten anyone when they land-

0utside the ship, the probes are launched, encased in protective shells to survive reentry and landing.
Back on the bridge, Gideon thinks it will create quite a stir when it's revealed what has really been going on.
Matheson asks Eideon why he's doing this. Eideon says maybe because it offends his sense of honesty. Maybe
beceuse sooner or later they'll have of ficial contact with them, and he doesn't want Earth blamed for something
they didn't do- But mainly because he doesn't like being played with, used, or manipulated, and this should
communicate that lesson very well.
Matheson feels that others may think by doing this, they're interfering with another culture-

6ideon: Probably. Screw'em. We let the truth back into the room, Lieutenant, and the truth can tal<e
care of itself.
Gideon hands over the c0n to Matheson and orders the Excalibur to jump back into hyperspace and continue on
course to the next target- Bideon is going where he can feel the wind on his face for a while"
BULLET CAR TUBE
Gideon, wearing civilian summer clothes and sunglasses, sits on sorne cargo containers, with his feet up, enjoying a
cup of iced tea as the wind from the bullet cars blows through his hair. It's paradise.

Each Night

I Dream of Home(May2r", 226l)

Written 8y: J. MichaplStrarzynski

BRIT}GE

the Excaliburis sitting in orbit of a rBd planet, waiting for sorneone who is two hours late. Gideon passes the time
by playing cards. They don't know who they're supposed to be waiting for or the nature of their mission. They were
only tald by Earth to wait at their present location. Eideon is getting annoyed.
Eideon: Point of logic- If we don't know who we're waiting for, then how are we supposed to know it's
thpm when they arrive?
Matheson: Well, sir, if they start shooting at us, it's prebably not one of ours6ideon: Congratulations, Lieutenafit. You're qvn rnore naive than I gave you credit for.
An officer informs Matheson that a distortion f ield has been dtected- A jump point is opening" A Warlock-class
destroyer, lhe Foxfire,exits hyperspace and asks permissicn to send over a shuttle with two passengers. Eidean is
arnazed- 0nly a handfulaf Warlock destroyers have come off the constructi$n line so far" Whoever is on the shuttlp
rnust be pretty important to get the Foxfireas a taxi. After leunching the shuttlp, the Foxfirere-enters hyperspace"
CONFERENCE ROOM

6ideon welcomes Senator Jacob Redway and a civilian, Bavid Williams. Gidaon would have rolled out the red
carpet and piped hirn aboard with full honors if he had known who was coming. Redway doesn't llke the secrecy
any more than 0ideon does, but sometirnes it's unavoidable.0f the 120 mernbers of the Earth senate, only a dozen
of them were off-planet when the Erakh attacked. The 0rakh wsuld love tg wipe the rest of thern out, and leave
Earth6ov isotated behind the quarantine zone.
This missien has risks of it's own. Redway gives Gideon is orders- ThE Excaliburis to set cour$p for Earth where
they will make a pickup, then head for a iest area. With luck, no one will know what they're doing untiI it's done.
Dideon asks what the mission is, but Redway tells him all he needs to know now is that this mission is urgent and
rnust not be delayed. 0nce undar way, then will not stop for anyone, anything, or any reasonSOMEWHERE IN SPACE
A badly damaged Starfury tumbles dead in norrnal space. The unfortunate pilot, Ceptain Lochley, is trying to
rontact Babylon 5- She sends out a distress signal to anyone who can hear it. Her helmet is cracked, she's wounded,
and running aut of oxygen.

Sorne time later, Lochley is in a bad way. She only has a bout an hour and a half of oxygen rernaining. She has the
cornputer decrease sxygen flow by l0% so she ran stretch it out as far as she can. Thp computer warfis her that her
oxygen supply is already at dangerous levels.
HYPERSPACE

The Excaliburspeeds toward Earth.0ideon watches as Eavid and Senetor Redway are glve* e tsur of the bridgeRedway is impressed. The ship rost d tot of rnoney, but given what's happened, he says he's glad he supported the
project. Actually, Redway voted against it Bfid Sideon reminds him of thatChambers arrives and Gideon introduces her to their guasts. Bavid wants to talk with Chambers privately so they
head to her off ice- B*fore they go, Redway gives 0avid a security accsss code and instructs him on it's use.

While they talk, Eideon asks Matheson if their guests went through the usual ID protocol. Matheson says yes, but
Redway insisted on only togging his name and paiat of origin. Eideon wo*ders why a civilian is traveling on a
classif ied mission with a high-ranking Earth senater along Es a nursemaid.
Matheson: Are you suggesting that

I log onto EarthNet and find sut what I tan about him - profession,

ege.-.?

6ideon: I'm not suggesting anything, Lieutenant.

Matheson: Because that would be e significant breach in protocol.
Eideon: I understand.I wouldn't drEam of asking-Matheson: David Williarns,32, bsrn in Patterson, New Jersey, American state. A Flumber.
Gideon: A plumber? As in fixing drains? The sen*tar must be awfully insecure ab6ut our facilities.

Matheson tells Gideon they're picking up a weak distress signal in norrnal spdce. It's barely gelting through. It
could be a Starf ury or a military transport. 6ideon orders them to jump bacl< [nto normal space- Redway protests.
They are not fo stop for any reason. Gideon remlnds Redway that he is required by Earthforce regulations to
investigate any distress beacon frorn one of their ships. Redway is welI aware of the regulations, but this time
someone else will have to deal with it. Gideon argues that by then, whoever is out there may die from lack of
oxygen. Redway tells him it's an automated beacon, Whoever's on board could already be dead, or it could be a
trap. Reaching their destination on time is more important. Gideon ref uses. It's his responsibility to check it out.
Redway is lnsistent, but Gideon tells him he cannot issue orders to him or any of his crew- It must come through the
chain of command. Angrily, Redway tells Gideon his orders came straight f rom the Joint Chiefs.
Gideon finds away to investigate the distress beacon without disobeying orders- He was ordered not to stop for
anything, so he won't. The Excaliburenters normal space and locks onto the slgnal- They cut speed to 1/3 and head
right for Lochley's f ighter. They are going to picl< her up without stopping. Matheson warns Gideon that even at I /3
speed, if they launch a rescue team, they won't be able to catch up and docl< safely- They'll have to come to a
relative stop. Bideon just orders him to maintain course, speed and heading. Redway asl<s Gideon what he is doing-

6ideon: The Excalibur uses a gravetetic propulsion system. As a byproduct of that, we have artif icial
gravity and inertia dampeners in the landing bay that help a damaged or out-of-control fighter land
safelyMatheson: But, sir?
Gideon: Yes, Lieutenant?
Matheson: That system was designed to be used with ships under sorne power and coming in on an
approach vector- To get that Starf ury inside the landing bay, we're practically going to have to run her
over.
Gideon: Then you're just going to have to drive caref ully.

In her Starf ury, the computer sounds a collision alert- Lochley is alarmed to see the Excaliburheading right for her.
0n the Excalibur, the landing bay doors open. Emergency crews are on sland by and they brace for impact.
Nervous, Redway suggests that maybe they should stop- Bideon tortures Redway a little, telling the senator that he
keeps reminding Eideon to follow his orders, so that's exactly what he's going to doFhe Excalibur literally swallows Lochley's ship. The f ighter f loats through the landing bay and is gradually slowed
by walls of energy that eventually bring it to a stop. Gideon tells Redway that, just for the record, he was once at the
other end of a distress beacon like that, wondering if someone was going to come for me. He was lucky, someone
did- So he wlll never turn his back on a distress beacon. Not for him or anyone- Not ever- Redway wisely keeps his
mouth shut as they jump back into hyperspace.
MEOBAY

David is tall<ing to Chambers. He tells her he was worl<ing in a mining colony on 0mega VII when the Dral<h
attacked. He was due to go home in a few days- Chambers thinks he was lucky. If he had gone home just a few days
earlier, he would have been infected. Now, no matter what happens, at least he'll survive- That's why David wants
her help. He wants to be infected with the plague-

In another part of medbay, Gideon visits Lochley- He asks her what happened. Lochley tetls him they had set a trap
for some Raiders that had been hitting civilian transports, but they underestimated the enerny's numbers. Gideon
tells her she's been out for a little over two days. She was in pretty bad shape when they found her, She wants to
contact 85, but because of lheir mission, Gideon can't allow that. They've been running silent since they started
their approach to Earth. He can't tell hpr about the mission or how long it's going to take.
Lochley: Is there anything you can tell me?
Eideon: Never eat anything bigger than your head- Never shoot pool at a place called "Pop's." Never
eat food at a place called "Mom's."
The mission is classified and even he doesn't have the fullstory. As soon as he can fitlher in, he will. He's going to
have her moved to the inf irmary- It's more comfortable and he's been told they need the space. He'll drop her of f at
B5 as soon as they can. Meanwhile, she can consider this a surprise vacation- Gideon receives a call from Matheson.
They are approaching the rendezvous point. Before he leaves for the bridge, 8ideon invites Lochley to dinner once
she's up and about.

Lochley Will you be serving anything bigger than my head?

6ideon: Not on a first date, CaptainBRIDGE

The Excaliburapproaches Earth. The atmosphere looks much improved- it doesn't have the hazy, dingy gray it had
right after the Dral<h attacked. Gideon tells Matheson how strange it is that he can close his eyes and see every
detail of the Earth's surface, just tike they're seeing it now, but he couldn't remember his father's face after he
died. He wonders why that is. Matheson say that maybe it's because we can't decide which face to remember. The
face of our father when we're children, lhe face of our father the first time we left home, the face of our father the
last time we saw him. They all blur together, we lose the details. Earth is constant. Earth is forever.
Gideon: You're too y0ung to be having thoughts this old, LieutenantMatheson just smiles" He informs Gideon that they have an atmospheric shuttle on approach vector-

0utside, we see

shuttle lEave the Earth's atmosphere-

Redway arrives and tells 6ideon that is their package. Gideon is conf used. Standing orders from the president
require that any ship trying to leave the quarantine zone be shot down" Redway telts him that's already taken care
of.

0utside, the shuttle ejects a lifepod then explodes"

Redway says that the off icial record will show that the shuttle malf unction during a test of it's automated systems.
He wants the lifepod brought aboard. 6ideon protests. The lifepod is contaminated. He refuses to endanger his
crew. Redway had told him there were certain risks involved. They've made sure that those risks were kept at an
acceptable limit. The outer skin of the lifepod has been completely steri[ized and certif ied free of contamination.
Gideon asks about the person inside. Redway tells him he's just going to have to bring it aboard and open it

somewhere safeGideon orders Matheson to send out maintenance bots to retrieve the pod and take it to medbay isolation, using the
negative pressure bays and highest decontamination protocol. Then they are to jump to the secondary area. Gideon
has yet t0 meet a politician who would endanger their own life when they can gpt sorneone to do it for them. If
Redway is staying sn board when the pod cornes in, then it must be reasonably safe- He wants to f ind out what is

going onDAVID'S BUARTERS

Breaking lhe Excalibuls silent running, David uses Redway's security codes to contact sorneone on EarthISOBAY
The tifepod is decontaminated and opened. 0r. Stephen Franklin steps out and is introduced to Gideon and
Chambers. Franklin asks where the patient, David Williams, is, Gideon is slightly panicked. What does Franklin
mean by "patient"? Franklin guesses that Redway didn't tell Gideon about the mission and becornes angty. Gideon
was suppose to be told everything. Redway felt it was too much of a risk. They had interplaneLary security to think

about
Franklin explains to Gideon that before they can stop the virus, they f irst need to identif y it- That rneans tracing the
course of the infection from the moment of contarnination to see how it spreads though the system. 0nce released
into the Earth's atmosphere, the virus infected every air breathing creature.0nce inside the host's body, it mutates
quickly and they can't f ind it again" They need a baseline study to monitor the transmission of the virus, and the
only way to do that is to infect someone and follow the virus as it enters his system. That someone is Eavid
Williams.
DAVIB'S OUARTERS

0avid's call is connected" A wornan is on the other end. He telts her that he is coming home.
HYPERSPACE
A small f leet of Drakh ships pick up David's catl.

the f leet.

fhe captain orders a soldier to set a course to intercept and notify

EXCALIBUR

f he Excaliburjumps back into normal space when they reach the test areaOAVIB'S OUARTERS
David is still talking to the woman back on Earth. She begs him not to go through this just for her. David tells her
he's not doing it for her, he's doing it for himself- His door chirnes so he hurries and ends the call.
Gideon enters. When he asks about the voices he heard, David lies and says he was just watching a vid. Gideon
wants to know why Bavid volunteered to be infected. David doesn't want to tell him, but Gideon insists. Because
this is happening on his ship, it'llbe on his conscience. He won't sanction this unless he knows why. David shows
him a picture of the wsman he was just tatking to. Her name is Carol Miles- They met when they were both working
on the 0mega VII mining colony and fell in love. Seven rnonths ago she was reassigned back to Earth. right before
she lef t, he asked her to marry him. She said yes. Then the Drakh attacked and Earth was quarantined" f heir
wedding is sel for next week, and the only way he can get past the blocl<ade is to be infected- He will not breal< his
promise to herGideon reminds him that if he does this, he could be dead in less than f ive years. David isn't worried. He could die
tornorrow. We all die. He can't live without her- He'd rather live f ive years with her than one hundred years without
herMET]BAY

Chambers and Franklin concentrate on their work. Franklin tells her that when lhe time comes to push the button
that will mix his and David's air, he'll do it- He doesn't want Chambers to have that on her conscience. Chambers
asks if there has been any lucl< with animal experiments. Franklin tells her that the virus works differently 0n every
species it infects. A cure for 0uinea Pigs wif t only save Euinea Pigs, nothing else. The one thing they alt have in
common is that it infects all air-breathing mammals. They haven't even been able to isolate the virus. They know
it's airborne, but finding something so small in such a huge body of air is nearly impossible. They've gone as small
as a 50 micron screen, but they still can't find it. But they l<now it's there.
Gideon walks in- Having heard the tail end of their conversatlon, Gideon asks how they know the virus is there.
Franklin tells him the day the virus was released, 850 people around the world died of rare strain of Ebola virus.
One they'd never seen before- they all got sick at the same time, and they all died roughly at the sarne time. Two of
the dead were on an island in the Pacif ic where the virus couldn't possibly have reached because no ons had come
to the island for two weeks due to a hurricane,48 hours later, another 7I2 totalstrangers in different parts of the

world all died of

a previously unknown strain of Hepatitis

B.0thers followed.

Chambers says this is how they knew the same virus was operating around the world at the same time, going
through progressive changes, mutations, as it adapts to our biology.It keeps popping up in different forms. That's
how they got the f ive year framework- 0dds are it'll hit the right mutation within that time period or so completely
decimate the entire population through trial and error, there won't be enough people lef t alive to merit being

called humanity"
Gideon realizes the possibility that they may have several dif ferent viruses on their hands. Franklin has thought of
that. If it's true, they might as well start lighting ten billion f uneral pyres because we can kiss the human race good
bye- Things are getting a little desperate back home which is why David is being allowed to be infected. As doctors,
they've sworn an oath to do no harm. Now he has to push a button and sentence a man to death. Franklin doesn't
know if he can live with that.
CORRIDOR

Lochley is slowly making her way through the ship with the help of a cane- You can tell she's in pain, Gideon cornes
around the corner and sees her leaning against the wall- He thought she was supposed to be resting comfortably,
She telts him she got tired of being comfortable. She's f ine.6ideon doesn't beliave that for a second.
Gideon: 0f course, You're just holding up the wall in case of ernergency.
Lochley: Yeah, well, I thought it looked kind of weak. I try to do my part.

Lochley comrnents that he's looking a little pale himself - He tells her he just had one of those conversations that
rnakes you want to lie down for a year. Matheson contacts him then, telling him that Chambers is ready for him.
Before he leaves, he asks Lochley, if he should run into any medical staf f , if he should tell them where she is.
Lochley would rather he didn't. She didn't tell them she was going for a walk.

ItIEBBAY

David is being prepared for infection- He has been sealed in a isolation bay across the hall from Franklin. He lies on a
bed equipped with scanfters overhead. Franklin's isobay has been scrubbed af ellparticulate matter and sterilized.
The only thing in hls bay is him and the virus, which he releases pvpry time he exhales- In a mompnt, he wi[[open a
vnt between his isobay and David's. The series of Injections they gave Eavid earlier willallsw Franklin and
Chambers to s{an him on a rnolpcular level- Everything has been accounted for in, en, and around David, so the only
thing that should show up on the scanners is the viruE. They'll get an image of it and traqk it through his body"

0utside the isobays, Chambers monitors the readings as Gideon and Redway watch- Franklin is about to open the
vent when the cemputer warns hirn af a rnalfunction. There's a problem with the vent and he is unoble to open it.
Ehambers apens it for him. Air hisses into David's isobay and he breathes it in. 0utside, Redway is impatient- He
wants to know how long this is going to take (as if the slow death of a fellow human is cutting into his busy
schedule)^ The monitors start beeping...it would seern it doesn't teke long at all.
Franklin repsrtt that the virus entersd Barrid's system at 20 microns- It doesn't reprnduce, it decompresses like a
zipped file- It spreads dt an impossibly fast rate- trt's heading right into [he brain, the lymph nodes, the bone
strufturB, the livar, the kidney, everywhere- Charnbers says it's not spreading everywhere. It's nct penet.atiflg any
of the non-criticalregions. A virus Iike this should be systemic.Once it's in ths bloodstream, it should go whrre
ever the blood goes- It's deliberately bypassing all the non.critical areas of the body. it's directed. It knows where
it's going.

0ver theship's intercom, Matheso* Is heard calling the crew to battle stations and GidEcc to the bridgeRedway asks how a virus can know where ii's going. kanklin says it's because the vi!'us is a nnachine, It's a nanotech virus like the onE Chambers carne across a while ego- It thinks.

BRIBEE
Matheson tells Sideon that three Drakh heavy*attack ships justjumped out CIf hyperspae. He has no idea how they
faund Excalibur- The lead ship f ires on thern- Their jump engines won't be recharged for another five rninutes.
Behind them, three more $rakh ships jurnp in- Thq Fxrcliburshoots bark as thE [rakh launch their fighters. The
Excatibulsaute-targeti*g system is hit, accuracy is down 30%. They are rocked by anather hit- Hult integrity is
down by l0%- Bideon srders them to switch tc rnanual control and launch fighter wings.
COBRIOORS

Lochley watches the Erew scramble around her. They fight to keep their balance after every hit.
MEBEAY

Ehambprs recomrnends to Redway that he get to a lifepod just in case" They cnn't afford to lose one of the few
senators 0n this sidg of the blockadp. Redway is mora then happy to comply and runs out of medbay. Franklin
finally gets the first image of the virus. The ship is rocked by another shot snd an alarrn sounds. The fail-safe
system in Bavid's isobay has been activated- It guarantees that cofltarninated materialwon't spread through the
rest of the ship. Medbay hasn't been cornpromissd- Tha last hit must have jared the sensors, giving a fglse reading.
The computer begins a three rninute rouotdswn to sterilization" Ehambers tries ts shut it dawn.
Panicking, Bavid asks what's going on. Franklin tells him that, unless they can shut it dow*, his side sf rhe isobay
will be sterilized - flash raising the ternperature to 1200 degrees centigrade.
BRIDGE
The battle continues outside- Matheson tells Eideon that they've destroyed two rnare Brakh ships, but they're
being replaced by the mathership. The ship-to-ship romm system has been hit- They've lost [sntact with the
Starfuries- Sideon has him r?route- They need ts coordinate the Ettack tffith the fighters. Lochley enters the bridge
wearing her f light suii, She valunteers to coordinate the attack Gideort refuses, she's injured. She tells him she'll
be dead if they lose the battlE- She has the experience, he should let her use it. Gideon rplents.
MEBBAY

Chambers can't oyerride the fail-sefe or open the doers- Devid gets off the bed and ask what hg can do. Franklin
tells him tu rpen a panelon his side that will manually open the doer. Anather hit rscks the ship, throwing David
against a well and rendering hirn unconscious. Time is running out.

SPACE

Lochley launches in a Starfury and leads the attack.

BRIO6E
The Drakh are coming around for anther attack- Gideon orders a course set straight for the mothership- He explains
that the Drakh mothership is built for one reason only - to jump in, deliver it's fighters and jump back out again. It's
jump engines are built with a quicker recharge than the Excalibuls.It the Excaliburcan't use their own jump
engines, them they'll use the Drakh's. He's going to fake a ramming and hope that will encourage the mothership
into jump to hyperspace.
MEOBAY

Franklin uses the manual csntrol lever in his isobay to open the airlock enough to crawl under. 0nce out, he uses the
manual control lever outside of David's isobay to open his airlock.
BRIDGE

They are ready to begin their plan. Gideon hopes that Lochley can figure out what he's up to.
SPACE

Lochley sees what Gideon is doing and orders the other f ighters to rnove in close lo lhe Excalibur.
MEOBAY

With 30 seconds

lef t, Franklin mandges to open David's airlock

just enough to crawl under.

BRIDGE
The plan works. As they get closer, the Drakh mothership opens a jump point hoping to escape. f he Excalibur
follows the Drakh into hyperspace. Straggling Drakh f ighters are destroyed when the jump point closes on them.
MEDBAY

Franklin pulls Bavid under the door and hits the ernergency close button a second before a bright f lash of light fills
the bay.
BRIDGE
Gideon f ires the main gun, destroying the mothership.
MEDBAY

Chambers, Franklin and David sit in the dark, happy to be alive.

SPACE

Two maintenance bots ferry a lifepod

with David inside to a shuttle.

MEDBAY

Gideon tells Franklin that a shuttle will pick him up soon. Franklin noticed that Gideon didn't lell 0avid that it was
his signal that nearly got them all killed- Gideon could have pressed charges, but it didn't seem the right thing to do
given the circumstances. Franl<lin shows Gideon the wedding invitation Bavid gave him. It seems bizzare. The
planet is on the verge of extinction, maybe none of them will be around in four years, but people still get married
and still have babies. Chambers says it's just a way of saying life goes orl, even when maybe it won't- Maybe that's
the tirne to believe in it most so you remember what you're f ighting for.
Matheson cails Gideon to telt hirn they're ready for Franklin. Gideon wishes Fraoklin luck. Franklin is about to step
into the pod when Gideon asks him, now that he's seen what he's seen, does he think there's a chance to beat the
virus? Franklin tells him he just doesn't know, then steps inside the pod.

Lochley enters medbay. Gideon wanted to thank her for her help during the attack. Without her, they could have
lost half their pilots. He offers to buy her a drink to celebrate. Lochley agrees. She notices the lifepod and asl<s
about it, but Eideon still can't tells her about it yet- Af ter Gideon leaves, Lochley stares at the pod- If she only knew
who was inside--.

SPACE

Franklin's pod is delivered to a waiting shuttle aslhe Excaliburapens

jump point and disappears.

CHAMBER'5 BUARTERS
Chambers is relaxing when she receives a call from Franklin. He couldn't sleep. He was thinl<ing about the other
nano-virus she's using as a virus screen. She tells him it has sorne surface similarities to the Drakh virus, but
nothing they can use as a cure. He looks over her report that states the nano-virus was controlfed by a central
c0mputer. The Drakh virus is more sophisticated. They never landed a central cornputer system on Earth.
Chambers wonders what if the virus can comrnunicate with itself? Like a hive mind. What if it's testing them just
like they've been testing it? If it's true, then it's bad. Real bad.
BABYLON 5

the Excalibur exits a jump point in BE space.

EXCALIBUR

Lochley thanks Gideon for the lift home. She tells Gideon he is welcome to stop by the next time they're in the
neighborhood- Gideon smiles and thanks her as she turns to leave, 0nce she's of f the bridge, Matheson turns a
wide, knowing grin on GideonMatheson: You're smi IingGideon: No, I'rn not.
Matheson: With respect, sir-Gideon: It's gas.

Matheson looks at him doubtfullyGideon: Look, who are you going to believe here, rne or my face?
He says they should think about coming back to 85 for a break. The crew could use one. Anyway, it's doctor's
orders. Life goes on- Indeed it does.

Excaliburenters

jump point, heading

of

f into the proverbial sunset.

Tried and

True{Jury206, zz6t}

Written By: Fio*a Avery

SPACE STATION
,An

otd, derelict space station is orbiting an uninhabited planet.

MAFEEK's EUARTERS

Inside the station is much mere dttractive than its outward eppearence would suggest- Though stilI run down, the
exquisite and rich ddcor sf the roorn immediately pull any visitor's attention away from the auter walls" Sitting
behind his desk is Mareek of Tripani VII. He has a dangerous yet elegant look. Mafeek is talking to a client over a
Stellarcam audio link sitting on his darkly stained desk. They talk about hitting Vega Colony's suppty run, Mafeek
assuring his nBrvous client that the Thieves'Guild has paid off all the right people. His door chimes and he gets up
t0 let Dureena in, telling his client since this iE his flrst contract with the Build they have to take 13% as opposed to
the 1B% thay'll take in the futureBurBena seprns impressed with all of the expensive items in the room, but questions the flowery language he was
using talking to his client. Mafeek explains it makes new clients more cornfortable until they get used to the ways
0f ths Euild- He thanks her for coming so quickly, but she seys it wasn't a problem, lfue Ercaliburwas in the arpa.
Mafeek tells her that's what he wanted te talk to her about,lhe Excalibur---a*d if she'11 be allewed to return to itMafeek says he invited hEr to find out what she's deing en that ship in the first place. Dureena is confused, her
reasons have always been in the open- She wants revenge against those whe killed hEr people and the Excaliburis
the most powerful weapon 6t her disposal to get that revenge. He starts to quiz her about the ship and its
defenses, putting her on guard. 0ureena asks what he really wafits and he tells her that he wants her back-

They're interrupted by another Stellarcsm audio, A different client says he's checking ir': fram Delta flrop as
instructed- He tries to ask a queslion, but Mafeek teils him he's busy, te cail back later. He apologiaes to iluraena...
she assurnes For the interruption. She notEs he's busier than she rarnernbers, he's moving up in the Thieves'Euild.
Mafeek says he wasn't apologizing for the interruption, but for hsw the two of them left things when she left.
Eureena says it doesn't matter, he was better off taking Trolinn under his wing, the two of them had more in
cornrnon" They were both in it for the profit and Fower. This doesn't seem to bother Dureena, her only goal is the
destruction of the Drakh. Any power or rnoney she might happen t0 acquire would bB used on that goat, not for her
own wellbeing" Mafeek can't understand her, theugh he claims he's been tryingDureena: Look,I am the only one lett frem ffiy race. But when I speak, it's with the veice of a billion
murdered souls. And when I move against the 0rakh, it will be the force of a billion angry spirits. Don't
you see? It's not me wanting revgnge. It's...it's them. So until you experience what it's like to have your
entire civilization destroyed, I don't think we ran understand each otherHe admils that may be true, but he's heen trying harder aow that Trelinn has rnoved ofi" Hs's an accornplished con
artist making good {noney. Hp's been gone for about a year and its tef t Mafeek teeling empiy. Dureena csnfides in
him that she feels empty too, rnaybe living wilh the stars beneath her feet instead of e planet- He asks if she has
anyofie sn the xalibur,but she's saved from answering by another cal[. It's the same client as last time.
Apparently a White Star has discovered the loration of the drop and is giving chase- Mafeek orders him to evade as

Iong as possible, thEn calls in a destroyer to help out-

[ureena who points ol,t that lhe Rangers are the best pilots out there. Is his cargo really worth
tangling with one? Mafeek is calm,5aying It's nothing they can't handle. She tries to make an excuse and leave, but
he insists she stay a while longer. She agrees, seeing he's imported some sake frorrt Earih (which f,osts a fortune
due to the quarantine). l.le blarnes her for hooking him on the stuff in the first place, but says he can afford the two
thousand credits. The Guild has made him an Uncle now, and he's beginning to feel older because of it. Dursena
faughs, he's only ten yers older than she is- She says it can't be all bad, getting the trust of thieves, but the only
person whose trust he's worried about getting is herHe cornes back to

Mafeek tells her he's worried that the crew of lhe Excaliburis using her. She admlts they probably are, but since
she's using them, what does it rnatter? Everyone uses everyone. Mafeek asks if that comment is directed at him,
or the world in general. He wants to know who she's loyal to. He reminds her the he was her Patron into the
Thieve's Guild. He found her beaten and bloody and still wilting to live in the fighting arena on Talos 29, almost
dead but enough hatred inside to keep her going- He spilled his own blood getting her out of there. She means
more to him that any other could^ He doesn't want her to throw it allaway.
Dureena tries to csnvince him she's where she nEeds to be. Traveling to all the dead worlds, stepping places no one
else has for millennia, it's made her feel alive. Mafeek says that's all well and good, but does she have to do it with
EarthForce? They could use her to inf iltrate the 6uild. She resents having her loyalty questions and demands to
leave. Mafeek won't open the door, telling her that until she can convince him that she can be trusted, she's his
prisoner. Dureena is furious, she thought she was brought for a visit, not to have her loyalty questioned by the
6uild. Hsw dare he use her. He points out that she just said she was f ine with the Excalibu/s crew using her, why
does him doing it make her so mad? 0ureena says she was wrong, the crew didn't use her, they weren't the type.
They were her friends.
0ne friend in particular makes the Guild nervous, President John Sheridan. She laughs, revealing that she tried to
kill him when they f irst met---he's not much of a friend- Mafeek already knew that and also knows that he found out
Bureena was in the Thieves' Build - She admits it, but tells him it was because she was exposed and had no choice"
But now that he knows, Mafeek and others are afraid he'll use that to try to lnf iltrate them. Dureena says he's not
the type to do that, he was a big picture kind of guy. She can't believe Mafeek is twisting everything this way.
He asks her to answer one question and if he's satisf ied with the answer the rest will attend to itself- The question
is--.Why? She tells him because lhe Excalibur is a powerf ul weapon in her quest for vengeance against the Orakh.
Mafeek is not satisf ied. Frustrated, she says it's also because she f its in, whether she likes to admit it or not. She's
the only one who can do for the mission what she can and for the f irst time in her tife she feels respected- lle's
sorry she feels he doesn't rpspect her, but there's stitl the question of what happens if she is ever captured or

interrogated? She could reveala lot about them.

They're interrupted by his client again, The White Star has caught up with them, but the cavalry arrives just in
time. Dureena tries to speal< for the Rangers, Lhat they're not bad people- That's the problem.-.her sympathy
toward the enerny. They lnterfered with Build business and now have to be dealt with" She watches helplessly as
the White Star is destroyed. His client thanks him and signs of f . Dureena asks if he's heartless. Why didn't he try
to stop the senseless destruction of that ship? It's oot his place- He has enough power to be cornfortable, but the
power she's talking about would make his life a burden-

trust of the Guild, but it would require her to give them information on the
Interstellar Alliance and the Earth Alliance Health Organization. That kind of intelllgence could buy her a position
in the Guild even higher than his own. It's not her only option, but it is one way to get herself back on the Euild's
good side. She ref uses, saying she has a responsibility. He asks her to who?

He tells Elureena she can gain back the

Dureena: I have a responsibility to...that ship and her rew. To Eilerson, Chambers, Gideon, Matheson...to
Galen. They have the same responsibility to me. They have exercised that responsibility. They have saved
my life, too- Many tames. If you base my worth on who has saved my life, then they are just as entitled to
my Presence as you are.
Mafeek wants to know if she still has a responsibility to the Guild, but she no longer feels she does...because she's
resigning. He's about to reply when the Stellarcom goes off again, his client thanking him for the rescue. He's
short with him, telling him he's busy. The client tries to use the outburst as an excuse to not make the drop, but
Mafeek threatens to have him killed within thirty seconds of changing course, then signs off . Turning to Dureena,
he warns her if she does resign, because she is living with the enemy the Guild would put out a hit and send
rnercenaries af ter her. The f irst time she set foot of f of the Exalibur,she'd be dead" Dureena says better that than
havlng to lool< over her shoulder and prove her loyalty at every turn.

Bureena fin*tly snaps. ShE accuses hirn of asking her here to let her know what a hateful, spiteful persos she was.
How the fruitd's promises te take care af her are only them wanting her on a short leash to protect their secretsAnd he personally wants h?r back because it helps him ernotionally" as wellas his stature,within the Guild. While
in his care she learned the value of [ies, but after she lef t she learned the value of the truth. The truth as she sees
it, is that she isn't on trial before him, he's on trial before her...and he's failed- She won't be staying with the Guild.
She will resign. And if that means having mercenaries on her heels the rest sf her life, it's better than living in a
cage. He broke har free from one before and she won't let him put her back in another one nowHer anger spent, she apologizes that things fiBver seern to wsrk out between them and asks to leave. Mafeek
surprises her by saying she's not leaving either his quarters or the Guild. He wanted the truthful Boswer to a single
question and he got it. It was always about making sure she was still a person who's loyalty and word meant
something. By turning her back on power and money, even risking death itself to stay loyal to thp xralibur,he
now hftows what her loyalty is worth. If she can bE that loyal facing those choices, he can trust hpr word to not
betray the Thieyes'Guild. As she leaves he thanks her for coming..-and for showing him that she's f inally outgrown
her anger. Surprising hersElf a littlE, she says I know, taking her leave af her past t0 head into her future.

Editor's Note: This unaired episode was originally slated to air closer to the end of the first season. Howlver, no
matter how I worked the chronology aut, I had a huge gap in the timeline at about this point. Since the whole
uniform situation doesn't really apply with only 0ureena being sltown, I thought it fit here as wellas anywhere
else. If it doesn't feel quke like a umpleted episode te yau, it was only a first draft- Auording to JtlS, Fio*a Avery
was planning on opening it up, creating a sub-plot to include same af the other chara$ers- Having no idea what
that might be though {and wdnting ta stop thk fi-on turning inta pure fan fiction} I've left the episode as is-

To The Ends of the EarLh

(septernber s'd,zz6t)

Written By: J. MichaelStraczynski

TXCALIBUR

In his quarters, 0ideon records an entry in his personal journalstating how today...everything changed. Pulling on
the jacket to his gray uniform, he contacts Matheson on the bridge and asks for a status report. Matheson tells him
that Dureena and Eilerson have made another trip to the planet, but have still found nothing. They want another
day to check things out. Gideon agrees, but only one rnore day. He then asks Matheson how long they've been
stuck with the new uniforms and if there's been any sign from Earth that they're improving morale. Matheson tells
him for six months and n0, so Gideon srders that they go back to the original black uniforms because the new ones
were...destroyed in a laundry accident (clearly the first lie he can corne up with off the top of his head)h{atheson: Wilt do. But what happens when they check the computer logs and find out there was no

accident?
Gideon: There will be,

John.I'll make sure of it.

He goes back to his closet lo retrieve his black uniform and sees the Apocalypse Box glowing from it's hidden
compartrnent there. It informs him that the ship he's been looking for is on the move again. He asks if the Box is

certain it's the same ship, and it tells him yes. Gideon contacts the bridge and orders Matheson to recall the
shuttles imrnediately, he's f inally found the bastard that destroyed the Cerberus.
UNKNOWN SPACE
An alien ship is under attack by a ship that looks identical to the Shadow-like vessel that destroyed Eideon's old
ship, the Cerberus. Thp alien vessel manages to launch life pods, but their attacker destroys them with ease. All
but one, which slips away behind an asteroid, unnoticed.

SHUTTLE
Dureena and Eilerson circle over the alien city they've been lnvestigating. Eilerson wanls to know why Dureena is
so certain thdt the big buildings don't hold the valuable items when his extensive education and multiple degrees
all tell him they will. Eureena says that's the point, to fool the people who think size is the most important thing.
Max f lippantly tekes that as a compliment when Matheson interrupts on corns, ordering them back to the Excalibur
immediately. WhBn Eilerson objects, Malheson tells him if they don't head back now, they'll be lef t behind,leaving
him no choice in the matter.
EXCALIBUR

0n the bridge, Matheson reports all the shuttles are on their way bacl<" Gideon, now dressed in his black uniforrn,
gives him the coordinates he received from the Apocalypse Box and orders them t0 jump to that location the
second the last one is on board. Matheson tells him both Eilerson and Chambers have corne to him with questions
absut what's going on, which dcesn't surprise Gideon. He tells Matheson to assemble thern in the conferenEe ro6rn
once they're underway. Matheson asks his he's sure it's the same ship, they've been disappointed before- Gideon is
SUTP.

CONFERENCE RT]OM

Galen, Oureena, Chambers and Eilerson are gathered when Gideon enters. He fills them in on what really
happened Lelhe Cerberus- He tells them he reported it back horne, bul no one would believe him- Charnbers
wants to give them the benefit of the doubt, but Eideon says at the end of the day their reasons don't matterWhat does rnatter is that he's sworn on lhe lives of his former crew to aveftge thern, and now [hey have the chance.
Chambers tells him the Drakh plague is the priority no$, and Bureena questions if It may not even be the same
ship. Knowing this affects them tos, he asks them to vote sn their next course of action. Nothing short of a
unanimous decision will put them on this course. He leaves them to discuss it.

BRIBGE
js

Matheson asks Gldean how it went, but he's not sure. He can only hope for the best. In the meantime he
concerned that even if the others all agree, they have the slight problem of how going of f mission will be seen back
home. He doesn't want any of the crew f iling fake reports to cover for him Matheson says he has that covered.
He's already sent a message lelling Earth they suspect hostiles in thp areaGideon, Based on what?
Matheson- Well, it seerns like everywhere we go there's somebody who doesn't like you, so it's a fair

assumption.
Eideon. Granted. Go on.
Matheson: So to avoid trouble, I said we'd be maintaining radio silence for the next few days"
Gideon: And at the end of [hat time, if we don't f ind any hostiles?
Matheson- 0oesn't prove they weren't there. Just means we were successf ul in evading them if they were
thereGideon relays his gratitude at leaves as Galen walks up to Matheson and questions him about how Gideon learned of
this in the first place- Given the urgency he's showing if he'd heard last night they would have acted then, so he
must have gotten il this morning between the time he awol<e and a half hour iater when he started recalling
shuttles- When Galen asl<s him if any messages arrived (lil<ely already l<nowing the answer), Matheson calls the
matter privileged. As he wall<s away, 0ureena joins Galen wanting to know what that was about. Galen tells her
nolhing is rnore telling ihan the silence of an honest man.
GiDEON'S EUARTERS
Gideon lies is bed staring at a picture of lhe Cerberus crew and having f lashbacks of their last moments, memories
which have haunted him every day since then. His reverie is broken when Matheson contacts him on his wristlinl<
to tellhim the others have made a decision"
CONFERENCE ROOM

if the vote has to be unanimous" Since they're going AWOL, Eideon reaf f irms that
decision. When he hears il's three yes and one no, he immediately suspects Eilerson" Eilerson tells him he
understands and supports revenge, he voted yes. The no carne f rom Chambers. While she understands his need
and might support it under different circumstances, the search for the cure to the plague has to corne firsl- Before
he can respond they are sumrnoned to the bridge by Matheson, grave urgenry apparent in his tone.
As he enters Dureena asks

BRIDGE

They've arrived at the wreckage ol the alien ship. They all stare out in horror as Matheson tells them even the
lifepods were targeted. They f ind the one surviving pod and move to bring it on board. Gideon confronts
Charnbers, telling her his past has no become a problem for the present. Af ler a momen['s hesitation, she changes
her vote, giving him carte blanche io hunt thal ship down.
MEDBAY

The alien survivor has been brought aboard. While Chambers examines him Eilerson leans in close with a notepad,
translating his statement. While he didn't get everything, he tells Gideon the alien describe the ship as something
out of a nightmare. Gideon can't help but agree to that. The alien beckons to Gideon, pleading with him lo avefige
his crew- Gideon just has time to agree before the alien dies. He orders Eilerson lo get the last known course of the
attacking ship (given to him by the alien's statement) to Matheson immediately.

BRiDGE

Arriving at the coordinates, they f ind the ship long gone. Matheson tells Gideon that considering they have a two
day head start, finding them is going lo be nearly impossible. If they stay in normalspace they'llnever catch up,
but if they go into hyperspace they could shoot right by it- Gideon cornes up with the idea to conduct a series of
micro-jumps, staying in hyperspace just long enough to get to the end of scanner range, coming oul, then
repeating. Matheson tells him that'll be murder on the engines, but complies"
MEBBAY
As the ship surges in and out of hyperspace, Chambers wonders what's going on, then decides she's better off not

l<nowing,
ENGINE RT]OM
The engineers are becoming concerned as the engines began laking on an ominous glow, overheating due to the
extreme pressures being placed on them.
BRIDGE
They f inally arrive at a point where they can jusl detect lheir target (though it tal<es a minute to determine this as
lhe engines are using power normally set aside for scanners)- They press forward at f ullburn in normalspace. As
they approach, the Shadow-liire vessellaunches f ighters against them. Gideon believes they've been launched as a
slalltactic,l<nowing that if the Exca/iburlaunched f ighters in response, they'd have to stop to retrieve them before
they could give chase. Againsl the advice of his crew, he pushes through the blacl< f ighter swarm, tal<ing damage
to the ship as it passes them. Seeingthe Excalibuls strategy, the last fighter they come to veers into a collision
course. The Excalibuls guns rnanage to wing il, but the remainder of the f ighter slams into the side of the bridge,
causing some demage and seriously injuring a crewrnan. Gideon calls for medbay to send someone to the bridge
immediately. Finally past the fighters Matheson locl<s scanners bacl< onto the main vessel, but it's gained a
substantiallead. They can catch up, but it's going to lal<e at least eight hours.
MEDBAY

Chambers is barl<ing orders at her staff , mal<ing sure everything that can be done is being done. Gideon enters
asl<ing if there arp any casualties. She tells him no.-.then pointedly adds, not yel. He asks if she regrets changing
her vote, but allshe'llsay is now isn't a good time to ask her that"
MESS HALL

Galen enters to find Gideon nursing a coffee and comments that it's cold. Gideon tells him in times lil<e this,
everything seems lo drop ten degrees. He questions whether he is doing the right thing. Galen points out he can
always back down, but he won't- Gideon feels he needs to honor the lives lost on the Cerberus.

Galen: Pity no one ever asl<s the dead what they would want to have said on their behalf . It might sound
like "Honor us by staying alive, so that at least one living person might remember us." But I understand
what you're feeling, Matthew, I have settled my own debts with lhe dead, I once gave you my word lhat I
would stand by you in your own quest for justice, and i have no inlention of breal<ing that promise, I will
accompany you into any darkness and down any road you deem necessary.
But he does have concerns about where Gideon gol his information. Being a techo-mage, he knows things that
seern unknowable. To him it appears that Gideon is using somelhing he shouldn't be,-.or that same something is
using him" Gideon assures him he has it under control, but turns to f ind out Galen has already vanished (as he
tends to do). Matheson contacts him from the bridge, telling him the last thing he wanted lo hear. They've lost
contact with enemy ship.

BRIOGE
As Gideon enlers the bridge Matheson reports that they iost rontact with the ship shortly af ter it enlered the
asteroid field they're coming up on- Gideon realizes that the only explanation is that they've cut they're engines
and are running cold to avoid showing up on scanners- And that's exactly what he wants the Excaliburlo da.
Matheson points out that by doing that they won't be able to navigate through the f ield, putting them at risl< of
colliding with a large asteroid, which could cause serious damage. Gideon's willing to take that chance, they're
going to play chicl<en with the other ship.
As time passes the crew is getting increasingly edgy lrom the sounds of repeated asteroid strikes against their hull-

Everyone except Gideon of course, who seems to be tal<ing it in stride. The navigator comments under his breath
that Gideon is crazy, which to his dismay is overheard by Matheson. Matheson pulls him aside and reads him the
riot act, Returning to his station, the navigator tells another crewmdn he'llnow happily face whatever's outside lhe
ship to avoid whal's standing behind him- Gideon asks if there's a problem, to which Matheson replies, no, sir.
ASTEROiD FIELD
An asteroid large enough to pulverize the Shadow-like ship is heading
engines to gel out of the way.

right loward it, forcing it to reengage its

BRiBGE

them. Gideon orders evasive

objects are ejected behind the
of
small
cryslalline
maneuvers and counterrneasures. Hundreds, rnaybe thousands,
just
notes that if that had
the
attacl<Malheson
but
tal<e
the
brunt
of
ship
as the enemy f ires. They shatter apart,
give
ordering weapons
chance,
Gideon
won't
them
another
they'd
be
deadhit them without countermeasures,
f ire, but only on the other ship's navigation and weapons systerns- They f ire, but the asteroids belween them
absorb most of their f ire, causing minimal damage. Suddenly they read a power build up in its jump engines. It's
f inished its repairs and is preparing to escape into hyperspace. Gideon orders the main guns [argeted on the
massive asteroid in front of it and to fire"
The crew reporls they've picked up lhe thruster f ire"..the enerny is directly behind

ASTEROID FIELD
The Excalibuis main gun f ires, completely blowing apart the asteroid (although it might better be described as a
smallmoon given its size)- Debris f lies in alldirections, but the Shadow-like vessel is caught by its fullforce,
shreading through its outer skin and causing substantial damage"
BRIDGE
As scanners begin to come back online f rom the one minute power drain, they read the enemy is completely
incapacitated, their navigation destroyed. Pleased, Gideon orders a boarding party assernbled- Matheson ashs if
that's really the same ship that destroyed lhe Cerberus. Gideon is certain, although he sees several modifications
that have been made over the last nine years. Matheson reads a coded signal corning from the ship, nol directed at
the Excalibur, but away f rom them. A crewman reports that he's reading the jump engines coming online again,
which doesn't make sense since they can conf irm its navigation is down. Gideon realizes it's going to seif-destruct
and orders a retreat...one they rnust rnake in normal space since they can't open a hyperspace window this soon
af

ter f iring the main gun.

ASTEROID FIELB
The Shadow-like vesselis glowing ever hotter from its overload, untilit f inally erupts in a massive expiosion.
Fortunately, the Excalibur has put another moon-sized asteroid between itself and the expioding ship, which takes
the brunt of the blast wave. Still lhe Ercaliburis soundly shal<en-..it was a close thing.

BRIDGE
Gideon asks for a damage report- Matheson tells him power is coming bacl< online allover the ship and Dr"
Chambers is coordinating med leams, although their don't appear to be any casualties- Gideon looks to the
navigator who sustained injuries during the battle, both of them knowing Gideon's vendetta led to themCORRIDOR

0ureena and Galen meet, talking about how the baltle is f inally over. Dureena noticed that Galen didn't involve
himself during lhis whole thing, though with his ship he could have easily done so. Galen points out that there are
some battles people have to fight for themselves.
Bureena- But you didn'i leave, either. If we'd been destroyed, you would have died right along with him.
Galen: We are entwined- It is our path,
0ureena: Great. So where do I f it in?
Galen: Squarely in the middle of the fire.
Galen walks away,

Bureena:I really hate it when you do that.

CONFERENCE RBOM

Matheson reports to Gideon that the EVA teams searching the wrecl<age have found nothing--.it blew itself into
dust- Eideon orders the ship back to the coordinates the alien gave them to see if they can find anything else. As
Matheson leaves, Eilerson enters, showing Gideon side-by-side pictures of the ship they faced and a Shadow vessel"
Gideon's heard of the Shadows, the Drakh worked for them, but f ilerson is adamant it is def initely Shadow, not
Dral<h. He says ihe Shadows have gone, but wonders what if someone has taken over where they lef t of f .
ASTEROID FIELD
As the Excaliburmoves away, we see an old l(ennedy half-dollar

loating through lhe wrecl<age, unseen by the EVA

crew during their search.

UNKNI]WN PLANET
The Excalibur approaches the world at the coordinates given to them by the alien. As they get closer their
attention is drawn not toward lhe world, bul to it's mocn" A fair arnount of blast damage can be seen on the surface
even at a distance.
BRIDGE

Noting the damage to the moon, Gideon says they have to go down to investigate. Matheson says he'll prepare a
a single fighter- Gideon willpilot and Matheson will

shuttle, but Gideon countermands him, saying he only wants

ride behind himTHUNDERBOLT

Circling the blast site on the moon, Malheson notes ihe remains of some heavy equipment sticl<ing out from lhe
f used glass now covering the entire area. He theorizes rnaybe this is where the ship was built. Gideon says that's
one of ihree things bothering him, a siie this big wouldn't have only made one ship. Matheson asks what the other
two things are- Gideon tells him the second is that if there are rnore of those ships f lying around, he may not have
got the one he was after. As for the third, he asks Matheson to really lool< at lhe blast pdttern.
Matheson: It's the same signature blast made by the main guns on the Excalibur,
Gideon, Exactly. That's why I didn't want anyone else on the crew to see this. It appears thal we have an

opposite number, Lieutenant.

MEDBAY

Dureena enters and Chambers comments on how she's been wandering around during this whole chase. Dureena
confesses that she feels useiess during big ship fights like this, there's not much for a thief to do. She asi<s
Chambers if they lost anyone, which thankfully they did not (a good thing since according to EarthGov they were
supposed to be peacefulfy exploring this whole time)- Chambers asks where Galen is since the two of them are
usually close to each other. She says he's in his ship, and one thing she's learned is to never bother him when he's
in lhere" Never.
GALEN'S SHIP
Galen is speaking to the holographic irnage of another techno-mage, Dirl<. He f ills Dirk in on what's happened over
the last day and conf irms it was def initely Shadow Tech. Dirl< says il appears Ealen was correct to leave them, He
then asks if Gideon knows of their involvement- Galen tells him, n0, but he soon will. When Dirl< tells him to mal<e
sure that doesn't happen, Galen willonly say he'lldo what's right (which Dirk notes is not really an answer)- They

sever the communication.

GIDEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon continues his journal entry" He now l<nows for a fact that what he believed happened to the Cerberus was in
fact what truly happened. But l<nowing it isn't the same as proving it, and he stillneeds to gather evidence before
he brings this back to EarthGov again- Ending the entry, he orders the computer to continuously scan lor a match
to the coded signal the Shadow-iike vessel sent out before its destruction.-.and to notify him and no one else. The
computer conf irms his order and he lays back on his bunl<, lislening to the signal over and over, burning it into his

rnern0ry.

The RUles Of the Bame (seprember LL'h,zz6t)

Written By: J. MichaelStraczynski
BABYLI]N 5
The Excaliburis parked along side the station.

In the Zocalo, Chambers and Eilerson watch the crowds of human and alien residents come and go- 85 is
everything Chambers expected - noisy, crowded and in constant trouble. She has to give it credit, though. It's
lasted ten years. No one thought it would last even one- Eilerson is not impressed- He thinl<s it's lasted too long,

lil<e

the measles or poison ivy....or Chambers. Eilerson [et's her l<now in his own will-someone-please-smacl<-this-guy
way that he wants to explore on his own- Chambers starts teasing him about wanting to explore the seamy side of
85 when they are approached by a woman- 5he's Cynthia Allen, Eilerson's ex-wife.
LOCHLEY'S OFFICE

Gideon Is arguing with the Brakiri ambassador. Gideon is angry because the Brakiri won't allow the Excaliburlo
land on Lorka VII, a planet in Brakiri space. The ambassador explains that while sorne of the worlds in that area of
space are Brakiri colonies, others are under their jurisdiction for the purposes of mutual defense. The Bral<iri
ensure that they are not attacked or invaded in exchange f or I0% of their annualincome.0ther than that, the
Brakirileave them alone and do not interfere in their internalpolicies.One such policy is that outsiders are not
allowed to land on Lorka VIL There's nothing the Brakirido. Gideon willhave to negotiate with the Lorkans.
Gideon is not satisf ied- They only have four years to f ind a cure for the plague. That's why they signed treaties with
every major government in the f irst place - so they wouldn't have to stop and negotiate at every step along the
way- The Brakiri tells him there are exceptions to every rule, this is one of them.
Gideon: Greatl How many other exceptions are there? Because if we can't move faster than this, we'll

never f ind a cure in time"

Brakiri: Then your people willjust have to die, won't they?
Sometime later, Lochley returns to her

of

fice to see if Gideon has made any progress with the ambassador.

Gideon: Progress? Let's see, how do I put this? Plato once said that for everything that exists, there is
a perfect form of it somewhere- A perfect human being, a perfect chair, a perfect sticl<. So that
everything is a shadow of that one perfect form- Now, if we follow that train of thought, that means
that somewhere in the universe, there exists the perf ect form of an absolute and complete idiot. And
he left here an hour ago-

Lochley may have some good news for him. Because the Lorkans are in Bral<iri space, they don't have an off icial
ambassador, but they do maintain a smallpresence on the station. She's tall<ed to the Lorl<ans on Gideon's behalf
and they've agreed to meet with him. Lochley advises him not to hold his breath about being able to land. The
Lorkans can be very stubborn. Gideon reminds her, so can he.
Lochley asks why Lorka VII is so important. Gideon tells her it's a long story. Lochley would love to hear it over
dinner- She knows a good place and because of what happened the last time lhey met, it's the least she can do.
CYNTHIA'S SUARTERS

Cynthia pours Eilerson a drink. He asks how the cat is doing. She tells him the cat is f ine- Her neighbors are
watching him while she's away. He cuts the small talk and asks why she contacted him. She tells him she needs
100,000 credits- Most of her income came f rom selling alien artwork and pottery on Earth. The quarantine
completely l<ilted her business. She tried to take out a loan, but wilh the impact on the economy, everyone was
short. Earth credits were falling on the exchange rates, the banks wouldn't give her anything" She had to go to
another source for the money - a loan shark. She didn't have any other choice. She borrowed 50,000 credits, but
the interest was I00% compounded every six rnonths.

But that's not the worst of it. The loan shark, Rolf Mueller, has been following her ever since they made the deal"
Everywhere she goes, he's there. She gets the feeling that even if she paid him off, he won't go away- She doesn't
l<now what to do. The police won't get involved untilsomething actually happens, but by then it willbe too lateThere was no one else she could turn to. Mueller is on 85 now. He showed up shortly after Cynthia did. Eilerson
agrees to help, but he'll only pay the original 50,000 credits" This upsels Cynthia more. How can he put money over
her safety? Eilerson tells her it's the principle of the thingECLIPSE CAFE
Gideon tells Lochley why Lorka VII is so important to him over dinner. Lorka ViI is a resettled planet" The original
inhabitants died of f a long time ago- 500 years ago, colony ships arrived from another planet in the area, and the
current population has moved into the abandoned ruins and made it their own. 6ideon doesn't l<now if the original
inhabitants were l<illed off by the same plague because the Lorl<ans won't release any information on that subject"
That's why they have to land and f ind out. But even if the original inhabitants didn't die from the plague, who
knows what kind of technology they lef t behind in the ruins. That explains a lot to Lochley. 0n a personal level, the
Lorkans always seerned less advanced than their technology would imply- They didn't invent the stuf f, they just

found it.
Gideon is f rustrated. He says some days it's like trying to nail smol<e to the wall. His job is hard enough without
others mal<ing it harder. Lochley tells him the bigger the job, the more of a target you become. Saving Earth is a
pretty big job. Gideon is handling it better now that he's there with her. Lochley looks a little uncomfortable about
that and quickly changes the subject. She asks what he willdo if the Lorkans refuse his request. He tells her he'll
f ind another way. He didn't get this far by giving in-

While they talk, a hovering camera watches them- Gideon and Lochley are oblivious to its presence.
Gideon continues. He tells Lochley that he learned a long lime ago that if you can't get in the front door, you go in
the back door. Go over them, tunnel under them, go around them, but you get the job doneLORKANS' OUARTERS
Two Lorkans, Ris and Polix, watch Lochley and Gideon's discussion on a f loating, bubble-shaped, holographic view
screen. Ris turns [t off and tells Polix that Gideon and Lochley cannot be trusted. Ris can't tolerate the risk of
exposure- Polix agrees, but what are they to do? Ris suggests the problem is Gideon. If they eliminate him, perhaps

another won't be determined"

DARK STAR BAR

Eilerson wall<s in and conf ronts Rolf Mueller, who is sitting at a table with two wornen and two other men who are
most lil<ely his enforcers- Eilerson gives Mueller the 50,000 credits and tells him this settles Cynthia's account.
Mueller figures out who Eilerson is and proceeds to dissect Eilerson's personality- Mueller does a pretty good job
too" He tells Eilerson that he's good at reading people just by looking at their faces- Also, as he sees it, Cynthia still
owes him another 50,000 credits- Eilerson has no intention of paying his extortion. He warns Mueller to stay away
from Cynthia-..or else. Mueller is amused by the threat, but Eilerson tells him he doesn't mal(p threats.If Mueller
doesn't take the money and go home, he'll end up in a world of hurt. Af ter Eilerson leaves, Mueller has one of his
enforcers get him a link back home.
LOCHLEY'S OFFICE
Ris and another Lorl<an are telling Gideon and Lochley why they can't land on Lorka VII. The Most Holy appeared to
lheir people 500 years ago. He declared that those who were without sin and corruption would be led to a promised

land. Lorka VII. There they found the great machines and secrets and mysteries that werp to be revealed only to
them- The Most Holy had turned his anger against the original inhabitants and deemed them unworthy of his
bounty- Prophesy states that the planet is theirs as long as they remain pure and without corruption. They have
maintained their purity by insuring that no outsiders come to their world. If they were to allow Gideon to land, they
would risk destroying all that The Most Holy has given themLochley ask how, if they fear corruption from other races, they can live on 85. The Lorkans tell them they are not
worried about that because they are not at issue here. They are above corruption and temptation. Because of their
purity, they can wall< amongst others without being af fected. But if Gideon was to land on their world, with all of
his impurities and innate corruption, he would taint Lorl<a VII and destroy the covenant of The Most Holy- The
Lorl<ans would fallfrom grace.

CYNTHIA'S OUARTERS

Cynthia is f urious with Eilerson- Atl she wanted was the money, not for him to interfere. This makes him mad. She's
the one who got herself into this mess- She's the one who asked for help. He handed over 50,000 credits of his own
money. So why is she beating him up over this? They are interrupted by a call. Cynthia's neighbor has called to tell
her that her cat, Mr. Kitty, was stolen- She got a message from a man who said he would kill the cat, then come
af ter Cynthia if she didn't give him another 50,000 credits.
Cynthia's anger f lairs up at Eilerson again as he is walking out the door. She accuses him of walking out on her like
he did before. Now Eilerson is angry. He's not the one who walked out, she was. And Mr. Kitty was his cat long
before she came into his life...or walked out of it- 0ut in the corridor, Eilerson calls the Excalibur. He asks for DrChambers and a shuttleLOCHLEY'S OUARTERS

Lochley is going through a stack of papers on her counler when her door chimes- Gideon walks in, out of uniform.
She called him to tell him that she was in contact with Sheridan's of f ice. Sheridan couldn't promise anything, but
the Alliance can bring political and economic pressure to bear against the Lorkans. It might be enough to make
them change their minds- It'll be a few days before they hear anything- She asks him if there is anyplace the
Excaliburcan go while they wait. Gideon has a few leads from the Rangers, but he doesn't want to head out only to
be called bacl< a few days later. He'll stay at 85 until they get word.
He's of f duty now and asl<s if she wants to g0 out and do something. She can't right now. She has paperworl< three
levels high. Gideon understands. There are things they both should be doing...it's just this thing with the Lorl<ans.
He wishes they weren't so damned unreasonable- Lochley doesn't thinl< they're unreasonable. She says 6ideon just
doesn't understand their culture or social dynamics-

Suddenly they swlng into f ull competitive gear. They acruse each other of living in a bubble when it comes to
dealing with other races- She says he's isolated out there on his ship, whiles she has contact with aliens everyday.
He says she's isolated on 85 by severalhundred levels of bureaucracy, closed doors and her uniform- 85 is a safe,
controlled environment, while he actually deals with aliens on their homeworlds" Gideon bets her 100 credits that
no one would even recognize her without her uniform- Lochley takes the bet and changes into civilian clothesDOWN BELOW
Gideon and Lochley walk through the darl< corridors. Lochley asks what they should do now. Gideon tells her to
watch as life happens allaround them.
LORKANS' OUARTERS
Ris and Polix are spying on Gideon and Lochley in Down Below. Ris plans to kill them both. He opens a box and pulls
out a small red jewel and attaches it to his palm. The jewel glows-

CYNTHIA'S OUARTERS

At Eilerson's request, Chambers stops by to act as Cynthia's bodyguard while he takes care of Mueiler. Cynthia is
irritated that, as usual, he sent someone else to do what he should be doing. Chambers thinks she is being a bit
hard on him. He did help her after all- Cynthia is certain she'llneed a mortician, not a doclor, if she can't fix this
mess" Chambers is sure she can help- While they wait, Chambers wants to hear all the dirt on Ellerson.
EXCALIBUR

In his quarters, Eilerson gathers a few alien items he'llneed to dealwith MuellerDI]WN BELOW
Gideon and Lochley continue thelr little hike through BS's underbelly- He says it's good to get out and see things
you wouldn't ordinarily get near. This is life the way he has to deal with it, the way he prefers to deal with it. Raw,
unfiltered and in your face. The way people really live- Lochley listens quietly. A little smirk on her face- They stop
at a Drazi food cart- The Drazi vendor offers them a sandwich. Gideon tal<es one look at the food and passes- There
are some things even he won't touch- Lochley tells the Drazi she will have her usual- Gideon is surprised. She tells
him it's always a mistal<e to make assumptions about people you've just met- She comes here all the time.

Gideon: Then why didn'l you-Lochley: Because i could use the 100 credits, which, as of now, you owe rne.
Gideon: That's only if you got recognized.
Drazi: Here it is, Captain Lochley.
The Drazi hands her a sandwich and she gives him some coins.
Lochley: That'll be i00 credits.
Gideon: You cheated"
Lochley: Absolutely.
Gideon: I like that.
They move on. Ris and Polix [ollow-

In another area, Eilerson hands

credil chit lo

a couple of Draz[-

Lochley tal<es Bideon to a deserted area. This is her secret hiding place. When the politics become too rnuch, she
buys a sandwich from the Drazi and comes here for an hour of quiet. No one can find her and no one can bother her.
After her one hour of peace, she can handle anything. Gideon calls that sleep- She says sieep doesn't count. She
of fers Gideon half of her sandwich. She says when you sleep, you close your eyes on trouble. When you wal<e up,
the trouble is still there- You need conscious time to really appreciate silence.
Gideon: So if you always come down here and you could've shot down my routine at any time-Lochley: Which, by the way, was pretly transparent.
Gideon: Then why didn't you?
Lochley: Because it was more f un to play it oul, Because the look on your face was worth it. And
because I thinl< people lil<e you and me need to make up sorne excuse to do what other people do
without even thinking about it. So we get to be co-conspirators for a little while. I can live with
that.-.given the company.
Then they both smellsomething s[range, Gideon recognizes it as ozone and yanks Lochley to safe cover just as an
energy bolt hits the spot where they sat- Lochley asl<s what that was. Gideon tells her that some alien weapons use
a lot of energy. The build up right before they f ire and it srnells lil<e ozone. Lochley lries to c0ntact C&C while
Gideon tries to call the Excalibur, but all they get is stalic. They're being jammed- Neither of them are armed. They
smell ozone again and jump out of the way as Ris and Polix f ire al them using the red palm jewel.
CYNTHIA'S OUARTERS

Cynthia is telling Chambers aboul her life being married to Eilerson- Af ter a while, she and Eilerson had nothing to
tall< about. The silence became too much so she left. Silence is not something Chambers would associate with
Eilerson" Cynthia says it's just a smoke screen- He'll lalk y0ur ear off about worh and trivial things, but noI about
things that matter" She says he was one of lhose too-bright kids who jumped through all the academic hoops, but
never had any friends. He spent his life either alone or getting beat up for being too smart.
Cynthia: They'd pound him and he'd come back with some smart remark, and they'd pound him again,
and he'd be this smear on the pavement stillmouthing off.
Chambers: Thal sounds like him.
He never really had anyone but her and IPX. With IPX, he had sorneone who f inally appreciate his intelligence for
what it was and he became a company man, That's when she lost him.

The door chimes. She asks who it is and hears Eilerson's voice- But when the door opens, Mueller enters, He used a
recording device to tricl< her. He pulls a PPG. He's there to negotiate. He's sure he can find something for her to do
to pay of f the debt. Chambers catches him by surprise and punches him, knocking him down- Unarmed and ou[matched, he runs.
DOWN BELI]W

6ideon and Lochley continue to run and hide from Ris and Polix, but they're running out of places to go. Gideon tells
her they're going to have to make their stand where they are. They have one advantage. He doesn't thinl< their
attackers are professional, or they would have l<illed them by now. Whal they lacl< in accuracy they make up for in
enthusiasm. Lochley has an idea.

MUELI-ER's BUARTERS

Mueller is just coming out of his quarters when he is jumped and dragged off by the two 0razi that Eilerson hiredI}OWNBELOW
Lochley comes out of hiding and surrenders to Ris and Polix. When asked where Eldean is, Lochley points down the
corridor. Ris heads in that direction but stops when he discovers a trip wire, Believing Lochley is luring them into a
trap, Ris decides tc search fu'l the other directisn- As they pass by, Eldeon swicgs down frorn the rafters and kicl<s
Ris and Polix, catching them by surprise. A tist fight ensues and Lochley and Gidesn rnanage to knock or-rI the
Lorkans-

Elsewhere, Muellpr wakes up in a dark room- Eilerson sits nearby, watching. He tells Mueller that when the Drazi
asked how much force they should used to bring him here, he told them to use their own discretion. But he forgot
that in the Drazi language, there is no equivalent word for discretion. Mueller tells him he's had worse, and if
Eilerson thinks this is going to get him to back off, he's wrong. He wants what's coming to him end unless Eilerson
kills him, he's goiag to get what he wants. Eilerson asks how Mueiler kncws he won't kill him- Mueller feels Eilerson
would have done it by now- lle reminds Eilerson that he can read a rftan's face, and Eilerssn is no killEr. All he's
donE is rnade the situation worse for hirnself end Cynthia. Sooner or later he's coming after the both of them and
there's nothing they can do about itEilerson is not one bit scared- In fact, he looks amused" He holds up the alien artifact he retrieved from his quarters
on the Evcalibur-It looks like a cornbination gun./stingshot with a wide half-circle in place of a barrel. He aims it at
Mueller and pulls the trigger. A narrow, silver band flies out and wraps around Mueller's neck like a collar- Mueller
pulls on it trying to get it off- Eilerson advises he stop pulling on it- Fer starters, it's searnless. It's made out of some
alien rnaterial that he hasn't been able to analyza yet. It's resistant to lasers and acids sc anything Mueller might
do to take it off would kill him in the processMueller asks what it is. Eilerson tells him he found it on a world out on the deep range. It's at least 1000 years old,
dnd from what he can tell, it was probably used to control prisoners during transportation. He dernonstrates on a
pipe by shooting a collar on it- Then he pulls out a smalI detonator from his pocket- One the collar taras in place, the
guards set the perimeter with the little detonators- If a prisaner came wifhin ten feet of one, the cctlar would
explode. Eilerson throws the detonator at the pipe. The collar explodes, slicing through the pipe- Mueller gets the
idea.

Eilerson will give one of the detonators to Cynthia and will keep one for himse[f. If Mueller tomes near either of
them, he's dead, The coltars can also be detonated manually by entering a four-diglt code on the detonator.
Eilerson taps i* three of the four digits on the detonator, making Mueller sweat. Mueller is righl, Eilerson is n0t a
killer- But then, he doesn't have to worry about Ehat.If Mueller gets near them, he willbe his own executioner.
Eilerson tells Mueller to leave him and Cynthia alone, and to return his cat, bathed and grcorned. Then he lets
Mueller goLOCHLEY'S 8UARTERS

Eideon and Lochley return frem their encounter coversd in sweat and grime. Lochley can't wait to take a showerGideon thinks it'lt take hours te vibe off all the dirt. Gideon is arnazed to learn that Lochley has a real honest-to-god
hot running weter shower. He's practically drooling. He'll have to wait for il to recycle, but he's free to use it. 6ideon
doesn't mind waiting. He has to get his adrenaline down anyway. Lochley is still on an adrenaline high too. Eidesn
comments on how it makes you feelalive-

All it takes is a [ook and the next thing they know, they're all over each other. They rush to the bathroom, strip off
their clsthes and share a shcwer.--arnong other thingsCYNTHIA'S &UARTERS

Cynthia's neighbor,/friend has called to let Cynthia knsw that Mr. Kitty has been returned safe and sound...and
bathed.
Cynthia thanks Eilerson for his help and apologizes for being angry at him" She hates asking him for help all the
time. She wsnders why he even takes her calls. He tells her he aoswers her calls because in his entire life, he's
loved only three thlngs - his work, the cat and her- He bids her good bye and leaves.

0ut in the corridor, he stops and leans a hand against the walf" He's going lo rniss her more than he thought.

LOCHLEY'S I]FFICE

Lochley and Gideon are meeting with a Lorl<an representative- The Lorkan tatl<ed to Ris and Polix and discovered
why they tried to kill Lochley and Gideon- For severalyears now, Ris and Polix were selling the alien technology
they found on Lorka VII to alien governments and keeping the prof its for themselves- They were afraid Gideon
would discover this if the Excaliburwere allowed to land. Lochley is sorry to hear that, but not as sorry as the
Lorl<ans are. Ris and Polix were sent to 85 as emissaries, not just of their people, but of The Most Holy, as two
examples of their own moral and ethical superiority" If the leaders of their religion can't maintain their vows in the
face of temptation, if they do not embody all the principles they tell others to obey, then maybe it's time to
question whether or not the whole systern is f lawed.
Gideon asks about Ris and Polix's temptation. The Lorkan tells Gideon that Ris and Polix are saying it was being
exposed to his corruption that led to their downfall. This doesn't help Gideon- They are right back where they
started- They can't land on Lorka VII because they are not morally perfect. The Lorkan tells him that they willbe
allowed to land on his world- He spoke to his government and they want Gideon to come and land on their world
and move freely among them.
Lochley: [to Gideon] See? They've decided we're not as bad as they thought_
Lorkan: Not correct, much the opposite, in fact- What is moral superiority without temptation?
Without something to test our faith, we have grown complacent and we have seen the results with the
two who tried to killyou. No.Interacting with a species as corrupt as yours willbe the supreme test of
our faith6ideon: [with a touch of sarcasm] Thank youThe Lorkan leaves to prepare tor Excalibu/s arrival-

6ideon: Can I smack him, just once?

Lochley: flaughsl No.
Gideon: I never get to have any fun- 0h, sorry- Almostnever get to have any fun_
Speaking of which, Lochley thinks they need to talk about their..-activities. She doesn't know how things went so
last between them. It's really not like her. She doesn't regret what happened, neither does Gideon, but she doesn't
want him to get the wrong impression, She's responsible lor the station and doesn't want to get into a relationship
right now. Gideon understands. He's in the same situation. She's relieved he feels the same way. She invites him
out to eat before he leaves (she l<nows a good place)- He's up for that.

Sometime later, the Excaliburpulls away from B5EXEALIBUR

A package f rom Cynthia is delivered to Eilerson's quarters- He opens it to f ind a picture of a cat. 0n the back reads:
"I didn't l<now if you had a picture of Mr. Kitty. Figured you'd like one." Eilerson chuckles and props the photo up on
his desk and returns to his worl<.

Patte|nS Of the SoUI {Seprernber zsu,,z?al}

Written By: Fiana Avery
GIBEON's OUARTERS
Gideon is arguing with EarthForce Eeneral Thompson- The Excaliburis only minutes away frorn their destination
(Lorka VII), but Thompson wants Gideon to turn around and head fsr Theta 49. Thompson has received permission
from Fresident Sheridan to use the Excaliburta determine if a group of hurnans who escaped Earth during the
Drakh attack are infected with the plague. Sidesn is to contact Robert BIack and his calonists and take whatever
steps are necessary to make sure they do not leave Theta 49 untii Gideon can deterrnlne whether er not they are
infected- If they are, he is t0 transfer them to an EarthForce ship near 0rion VII. Gideon asks why- Theta 49 is
uninhabited. Why not just leave them there? Transporting them out will create a lot of problems. Thompson
doesn't feel he needs to explain his reasons to a subordinate. He wants the colonists in custody.
EILERSON's GUARTERS

Eilerson is also having problems with his employers bacle home- IPX hasn't received any recent topographical
readouts, samples of alien technology, ar reports on anythirlg he's found out there- All this information would be of
use to IPX's archaeological expeditions- They need profit margins. Eilerson knows, but he's been busy. The IPX
off icial tells him he is behind schedule in his corporate updates. Eilerson tells her to trust him. The next place
they're going promises to be a gold mine. IPX will get a full report.
BRIDGE

Eilerson rneets up with Eideon. tr-le's heard they are changing csurse. Sideon tells him they are golng to Theta 49 in
the Orion sector. Eilerson wants to know why. The original course prornised io be a gold mine of alien technology.
Theta 49 and the 0rion sector look incredibly dull to him. Gideon tells him it was an order from EarthForce.
Eilerson: That would explain the dull part,
6ideon: If this isn't a planet IPX can exploit for profit, then maybe this is your cue to take a vacation.
Eilerson: IPX daesn't give paid hotidaysGideon: For a cause like this, I think we'd all happily chip inChambers arrives, She just heard about the course change and asks Gideon what's on Theta 49. Eideon tells her
about the 30 people who escaped Earth during the Drakh attack. If they didn't get sut in time, they cauld be
spreading the plague all over the galaxy.
THETA 49

Robert Black, the colony leader, rneets with an old man sitting at the base of a cliff. The eld man teils Black that hp
expects to die soon and that his peeple rolled the stones and they carnp up blank. Never betore in their history has
there been such a terrible sign. Black tells the man that he and the colonists mean them no harm. He asks the old
man to roll their stones again and he will see Black is telling the truth. The man ref uses. The stones have spoken.
He hears whispers of a terrible curse. A tragedy was brought to his people from the outside. By coming to the
plane[, Black brought doom to his people- There is nothing rnore to say that the stones haven't atready said, He
begs Black to take his colonists away so his people can live.
EXEALIEUR

Eideon, Chambers and Dureena are in medbay. Gideon is worried about the procedure he's about t0 go through.
Chambers assures him that it works. She telts him the nano-virus shield has performed f lawlessly in all their tests.
It lines the lungs, sloughs off anything that comes in contact with il for 48 hours. Just don't eat or drink anything
0n the planet- They can't guard against secondary csntamination, Gideon is still not convinced- The tests werp
perforrned on rats. How does he know it's going to work on him?
Dureena: Well, to answer that, we'd have tc figure out the difference between a rat afld a starship
captain, and, well, I don't think we have that much time.
Not really having any choice, Gideon goes through procedure so he can safely land on the planet. He steps into a
sealed roorn to begin sonic decsntamination to neutralize all bacteria, rnicrobes and pathogens. Whan that's done,
he msves to the next roorn. A white nano-virus mist fills the roorn and Gideon is instrueted te breathe deeply. Now
the nano-virus shield is cornplete. He can new be exposed to the plague without becoming infected-

THETA 49

Gideon, Chambers, 0ureena and a group of soldiers have landed- Gideon confronts Tirn, an uncooperative colonistBlack hasn't returned yet, and until he dees, the others won't talk. Tim doesn't believe anything Sideon says about
them being infected with the plague.It took them six months to find this planet and they're not leaving. They are
only wanted back on Earth because they ernbarrassed the politicians. Eideon argues that there are only 30
colonists- That's not enough t0 warrant a propaganda campaign. Tim accuses Gideon of having his own propaganda
campaign. Running around, pretendi*g to have allthe answers- Running off to anather missisn, another war. He
says that the human race doesn't rneasure the quality of what it's accomgllshed, only the quantity -* how much can
they do before ssmeone else can? They left Earth because they ruerE tirEd of having their futures dictated at a
breakneck pace. The Earth hes been spinning out of control for a fong tirne, but their world willremain consfant
and their quality of life is something they are proud of- They'll be there long af ter Earth is nothing more than a
rnemory. Maybe that was the lesson of the Brakh plague -- slow down and enjoy life or it will be taken from you-

Black returns and Chambers tells him of their suspicions- She wants blood samples frorn eyeryofie. Black will only
allow a sarnpfe to be taken from him- If one of them has it, then they'd all have it by now. If he tested positive, he'll
let her take sthers, but he's sure they haven't been infected. Black is sorry about the plague, but says ii has nothing
to do with them- They carne to Theta 49 to start over, and Gideon's presence is interfering with that- If cooperation
will get rid of them faster than opposition, they will cooperate"...for now.
Elsewhere on the planet, Dureena is exploring and finds the old man Black was talking ts earlier- He's mumbling,
delirious. She asks if he's all righl, if there's aaything she can do for him. He says no, he'il dle scon- It's the way of
things. Dureena tells him this way the way of her people as wel[. She always wondered if it would be hard to die
alone when her time came- When she was young, she was afraid of the "journey inta night"- She didn't want to die
alone. But nsw she has no choice. There's no sne left to watch over her. She's the last of her kind- If he wants, she
will stay for him. Dureena helps the man pull back his hood. She is surprised to see that he is one of her people. He
asks who she is berause she's not from his village. He thinks she must be the guide who cornes to take the dyingShe asks where he came from and he points up the cliff, telling her to seek the cave on the moor- Then the Old One
diesBLACK'S TAMP

Chambers has just f inished examining Black when Gideon enters the rnakeshif t lab. She'll have the results in a few
hours. He tells Black that he should, just t0 be on the safe side, start packing his bags for Earth. Black has no desire
to return- Gideon says he has no choice- Black tells him to destroy their ship. That'll guarantee that they won't
leave, Gideon can't take lhe risk that other races rnight find them and they don't have the resourres to pest troops
t0 guard a handful ef people. They're just lucky they carne to an isolated locatisn and there's ns one else to
contaminate. Blaek looks away from Sidsen" He knows they've already contaminated the 0ld 0ne's people, but he
doesn't say anything to Eideon about them. Gideon wilf be back in a few hours- He tells Black to gel his pesple
ready-

Tim enters the lab af ter Gideon and Chambers leave. He's been listening in on their conversation and asks Black if
he's going to let Gideon take lhem back Blaclt iells Tim that Gideon is right, if lhey are infected, they're a threat to
everyone. Tim esks Black not to allcw it- They barely escaped Earth. Does the freedom they fought so hard for
mean nothing? Btack tetls him he met with the Btd 8ae, that he said they bring destruction- He didn't know what it
meant until Eideon showed up. Tim suggests they leave. Why wait for an escort? EarthForce willjust use them as
lab rats again. Gideon probably knows who and what they dre" Tim refuses to be locked up anyrnore. Elach tells him
if they're infected, they shouldn't go anywhere" They still have time to think of other strategies.
EXCALIBUR
Gideon and Eilerson are in the conference roorn- Eilerson cornments to Gideen that it must be tough being & career
military officer. Having to play the rolEs of jailer, ferrymen and executioner. That's where they're different.
Eilerson just does what he's totd. The corporation knows all, sees all, and tells very littlp. If he makes a bad call, he
can honestly say that he's acted in good conscience based on the information available. Absolution in absentia-Ihe
blessed state of being able to say "it's not my fault". Gaining the knowledge of good and evilwas the first original
sin- How much better of a world it would be if they hadn't forrned an opinion, if they had just eaien of the forbidden
fruit of knowledge- 0pinion doesn't enter into it- Recently, he's even gotten a perverse pleasure out of that.

THETA 49

Eureena is climbing up the ctiff face. When she reaches the tap, she sees a group of her people praying. 0ne of the
people sees her as well. She is contacted by 6ideon who tells her the cofonists are infected. She asks that
Chambers meet her on the surface. She's found some "indigenous" lifeforms Chambers might want to examine.
EXCALIBUR

0n the bridge, Gidesn is inforrned of

a signal

from EarthForce.

In the rnap rsorn, Eilerson is studying a hologram of a topographicaI map- It looks like it's the ctiff where Dureena's
people are praying- He must have listened in to Eideen's call.
GIBEON'S OUARTERS
General Thompson is on the line. He wants to know the situation. Gideon tells him the colonists are infected. He's
given them three hcurs to get their equipment together. ?hey aren't in irnmediate danger- In fact, they are
wondering why they can't be quarantined en the planet until they find a cure. Thompson refuses. The tirne and cost
to maintain a quarantine isn't viable- Before the colonists muve out, Thompson wants their ship's history uplinked
t0 his office. He wants to know if anyone else needs to be quarantined along the way- After Sideon uploads the
records to Thompson, he is to erase the logs. God only knows what other nonsense they put in it. Gideon looks
suspicious. He knows there's more to this than rneets the eye.

Chambers enters and tells Eidesn she's headlng down ts the surface. Before she goes, she though he should know
that she came across a cyber-organic cornpeund in the colonlsts'bloodstream. She's fiever seen anything ]ike it,
and she shouldn't see it in human biology- She has a couple of ideas of what caused It. She's runoing sorne tests
now, but she won't have any answers lor a couple of hours-

ter Chambers leavss, Gideon contacts a team 0n the surface, ordering them to download the colonists'ship logs
and upload them t0 Excalibur. He wants to see what was so important that the General wanted them erased. He has
the computer cross check Black's name against all EarthForce records- The files require restricted ultravlolet
clearance to access- He uses the code narne "Benedict" and the password "sharks". The compilter infarrns him of a
security violatisn. The code narne is registered to another user- Using the code narne as a secondary access, and
the new password "dnte up", Eideon is able to view the tile on Black.
Af

THETA 49

Dureena is sitting with her people in a cave. An old woman thinks Dureena has come in answer to their prayersThey waited for a sign at the sacred cliff. Dureena is that sign- She walks among them, but is not one of them0ureena tells thern they are mistaken- She just came on a starship- She doesn't see how they can be her people. It
doesn't make sense. The old woman tells their story. One thousand years ago, they were taken as slaves to help
form a colony by the starship Sualtham. It was when their people were f irst taken to the stars by others. There was
an accident before they could arrive. As the woman talks we see their ship exit hyperspace over Theta 49. Threp
Shadow ships are already there and attack the ship. Escape pods were launched before the ship was destroyed. The
pods landed on the planet, and EhcsE who escaped gathered there- They had ns comrnunicdtions or record of what
happened, so they were forgotten. Bureena has discovered a lost tribe-

Chambers'shuttle is on the way dourn to the planet- She is contacted by Gideon who asks her to stop by the
colonists'ship and check out the waste disposal system0n the ground, Chambers, wearing a protective suit, loola around the colonists'ship- She complains to herself that
she could have been the chief medic of the science vessel 1lympus, but no, she had to take this mission because it
was honorable- She has a hand held scanner with her that begins to beep faster as she gets closer to a broken crate.
She reaches in and pulls out a food pack dripping with brown goo. She uses the shlp's comrn system to contact
GidBon- She tells hirn that she found a food shipment they picked up en route and even thought the package hasn't
been opened, she's detecting the plague. 6ideon tells her that confirms what he's found. According to the log, the
colonists did get out before the plague was released- If the plague had brokea out at the supply base the food came
from, they would have heard about it by now. The food is definitely contaminatpd. That's not possible unless it was
de liberatety contaminated.

If

the colonists were deliberately contarninated, who did it and where did it conne from? Charnbers tells hirn the
package [abel says it was manufactured by the Pro Zeta Eorporation. She's never heard of it- She speculates that
it's probably some low-grade food or black market drop that could be sold quick and cheap without any guarantine,
Gideon is going to find ou[ more about Pro Zeta and he thinks he knows just the person to ask.

EILERSON'S EUARTERS
Gideon asks Eilerson what he knows about Pro Zeta Corp- Eilerson tells him Pro Zeta is a protein manufacturing
company that rnakes synthetic rneats. They distribute thrsughoul lhe Earth Alliance and beyond. Gideon asks how
far beyond? Eilerson tells him as far as they want, That's a lot ol permits and some serious government
connections. Serious connections. Eilerson tells him their headquarters are on Seti Gamma II. If they've done
something bad, Gideon won't be able to trace it back. He was lucky ts get as far as he did. He won't get any further.
Eilerson warns him if he tries, he'll end up deadTHETA 49

The old wornan continues her story fsr Dureena. 0ut of nearly 1000 workers absard their ship, only 108 survived.
Dureena is pleased at how well they've done and that they've kept their traditioos alive. The old woman says
they've always kept their reverpnce for the stones. If Dureena has corne to take them back to Zander Prime, they
won't go. This is their home now. Bureena hslds back tears- 5he wishes she could offer them that much.

5he's abaut ts tell them what happened to their homeworld when Chambers arrives- The doctor can't belleve what
she's seeing- She thought Bureena's people were all dead. Bureena wants Charnbers to test them for the plague.
fhe old wornan tells Dureena it's too late - lhey've been in contact with the hurnans. They've rolled the stones and
they know they are marked with doom. Dureena knows that it is not their custom, but they are that last of their
people" She travels 0n the Excaliburbecause Zander Prime has been destroyed- Until today, she thought she was
the last of lheir race.If they don't seek true help for the plague, it will mean the true end of their civilization.
Sometime later, Chambers has taken samples frsm Dureena's peeple- It'll be a few hours before shE knows the
results, but she's certain that they are infected" When they get back te the ship they can arrsnge to transfer them.
Dureena angrily tells Chambers that they are not leaving, this is their home. They already lsst one homeworld and
she won't have them lose another. Chambers tells Dureena to be reasonable. 0ureena demands that Chambers
keep quiet about her people even being there. She must double their efforts for both their people. if Charnbers
does report their existence and EarthForce endangers her people, Dureena will hold her personally responsible.
Dureena storrns back to the cave and Charnbers heads back to the shuttle.
Unbekncwnst to Chambers, she's being foltowed by Tim- He is very quick and silent. She dsesn't notice him until
he's right behind her. He tells her she shoutdn't have come. They don'i want to go back to Earth and he's golng to
make sure they don't go back. Chambers runs, but Tirrr is faster. He catches her before she can call Gideon for help.
Dureena hears her cries and runs to help. She spots them and attacks Tim from behind. Tim is [oo strong and
throws 0ureena against a rock wall. Chambers manages to contact the Excalibur,but is caught by Tim who has her
by the throat. I{ot wanting to get killed, Chambers tel[s Matheson on the other end that she was just trying to
contact the shuttleEXCALIBT.IR

Bideon's computer has finished downloading Black's EarthForce personnel records. He was an active GR0P0

during the Earth-Minbari War and participated in the Battle of the Line- He was awarded the Medal of Honor in
2248-ln?249he received a personnel file change- Blackwas tra*sferred to EarthForce bio-weapons division, code
name: Tarsier.

It

goes oft te state he v'las an undercover member of EarthForce bio-weapons division" Cumutative

testing resuited In failure- The project was abandonedGideon has the cornputer cross reference any classif ied files on Seti Gamma II, Pro Zeta Corporation and bioweap0ns division with other EarthForce personnel, specif ically General Thompson.
THETA 49

Tim takes Chambers to their ship- His followers are preparing for launch. He is told that Black is still trying to
negotiate a way out of their situation. Tim tells them they can't negotiate with them- EarthFerce wilIdo anything to
get thern back, to keep their cyber-enhancernents out of the wrong hands. Chambers teils them it's too tate to fight
back now, they're already infected. She is told that if they only have five years to live, they'll live free, not in a cage.
Their ship is powered and they can make a run for it. With Chambers as a hostage, no one will try to stop them.
BLACK'S CAMP
Dureena limps inte one of the shelters and tells Black what happened. Outside, they hear the ship launch.

EXCALIBUR

Alarms go off when they detect the colonists'ship. Dureena calls and tells them Chambers is a hostage. Gideon
contacts the f leeing colonists. Tim tells him he's too late for negotiations, they have Chambers. Eilerson suggests
Gideon lets them go, EarthForce can track them. They're f ugitives now. Gideon won't do that while they have
Chambers. In a few more hours, her virus screen will wear off and she'll be infected. Gideon tells Tim there is
another way. Tim asks why he should believe Gideon and he replies that if they don't, they're dead- Tim tells him
they're already as good as dead- What can Gideon say that will change that? Tim's image is replaced by a targeting
screen- The computer informs Gideon and the crew that they are ready to f ireBLACK'S CAMP
Dureena and Black tall< about their people, how both have suf fered and want to stay on the planet. Black tells her
aboul the cybernetic implants his people were given- They cause sicl<ness, convulsions, body shocl< and trauma. It's
hard watching people he cares about go through it, but they did it because they were young, and career military
and they believed. The operations were illegal - deep, covert stuf f . When it started to leal< out, the prograrn was
shut down. EarthForce tried to shut them down with il. Even when they'd been lied to, given hush money and
forgotten by their own governrnent.-.they always had each other. And he had EmmaHe and Emma went in together and promised to go out together. Black describes Emma as the l<ind of person who
l<new your soul from the first time she looked in your eyes. She died undergoing a procedure to give her enhanced
night vision and ultraviolet spectrum receptors. The brass thought it would give them an edge on alien worlds.

When she died, it took away his hope and everything he believed in. Tim and the others helped him f ind it again. He
wish he l<new what was happening. Oureena is unable to contact Excalibur. The cornm systems have been turned
of f so they'lljust have to wait.
Suddenly, the night sky is lit up by an explosion in space. Blacl< and Oureena look up and see the colonists'ship
explode.
EXCALIBUR

In his quarters, Gideon is talking to General Thompson- Gideon plays back a record of his conversation with Tim
and the destruction of their ship for Thompson- Gideon tells the generalthat the colonists were not infected when
they lef t Earth, they were deliberately infected later" Gideon l<nows more than he lets on- He tells Thompson that
he doesn't have anything substantial enough to prove who did it or why and asks if he should investigate f urther.
Thompson (no doubt hiding something) tells Gideon it's a moot point now, but he'll have someone look into his
theory of deliberate contaminationA shuttle leaves the Excaliburfor the planet-

BLACK'S CAMP

Tim and the others return. Black is happy to see them alive- Gideon is with them and tells Blacl( that he was right,
they made it off Earth uninfected- It was EarthForce that infected them- General Thompson used to be the
commanding off icer of an advanced bio-weapons testing center on Seti Gamma II, which also happens to be the
center of operations for Pro Zeta Corporation, the source of their food supplies, Gideon guesses that Thompson was
af raid of the truth getting out when Black and his people did, so he covered his butt by infecting their tood- What
EarthForce couldn't have they wanted to destroy. Despite the fact that Earth was dying, all they cared about was
keeping their dirty little secrets.
Gideon doesn't want to give them that satisfaction, so he's giving Black and his people a chance. He's put a
reconnaissance satellite in orbit and Dr. Chambers can get authorization to quarantine the planet now that the
plague has jumped species and infected native fauna- Anyone approaching will be warned away. Black asls about
their ship. He saw it explode. Tim tells him Gideon used a sub-channel to send them information he discovered
about their cybernetic enhancements and their infection by EarthForce. They lelt the ship before it was destroyedGideon's orders were to make sure the colonists didn't spread the infection. Without their ship, that problem is
solved. As far as EarthForce is concerned, they are officially dead. But if they try to leave, he'llknow. The satellite is
set up to monitor any attempt to leave the planet.

0n the shuttle ride back to lhe Excalibur,Dureena asks Gideon if he was going to tell her how he found out about
the cybernetic enhancemenls. Gideon asks why when she wasn't going to tetl him about f inding her people on
Theta 49. Chambers told him- She's a doctor, so she has lo do what she thinks is in their best interests.-.even in the
face of certain threats made in the heat of emotion- He understands why she'd want to keep this from him, but
they've got to trust each other- Dureeoa trusts Chambers as a doctor, but not who she reports to. Gideon tells her
Chambers reports to him. Dureena says that's not the point- She doesn't trust his generals any rnore than he doesWhat Gideon rneant is that she should trust him enough to decide who needs to know what.
6ideon: Granted, I'm a blt eccentric, as captains go"
Dureena: Yeah, you gamble.
Gideon: Well, yeah.
Dureena: Yeah, you cheatGideon: That's subjectlve.
Dureena: You never tell anyone the whole truth.
Gldeon: And who does?
Dureena wants a secret for a secret. She wants to know how he found out about the cybernetic implants. He tells
her he has an advantage. He's always been one to associate himself with troublemakers....lil<e her- There's a benefit
in knowing people in high places" Some of them he considers friends- One day he was playing a garne of sharks
against one of these...individuals.--they were both drunl< and decided to raise the stakes. The played for access to
his security codes. His opponent lost. He's never c0mpromised the man's position, but they do come in handy.
The shuttle docks with Excalibur. Gideon tells her she now has something as collateral, but even without it he'd
never cornpromise her people. He may palm a card off the table from time to time, but killing of f her trust isn't fair
garne.
MEDBAY

Chambers and her staff are working- Eilerson is pacing around the room. He tells Chambers that hE happened to be
in the map room and he noticed a number of lifeforms very similar to Dureena's on the scanner when she called
Chambers to check out the fauna- Doesn't she think she has an obligation to inform Gideon of who she found? She
asl<s him what mal<es him think she hasn't? He says then she won't mind if he tells IPX. She says that is her call, not
his. He thinks the folks back home should know about it. This is a decision that could mean the continuation or
extinction of an entire race. She realizes this and doesn't need him to help her make a decision like this. He's the
one butting in where he doesn't belong" She appreciates his concern, but she knows f ull well what's motivating it
She accuses him of just wanting to take credit for f inding them. He has no real compassion, just a wallet where his
heart should beSometime later, Dureena walks in. It's late and Chambers wasn't expecting her to come by. She apologizes for the
threats she made on the planet, She asl<s how long her people have. Chambers tells her they only have one year.
The plague uses a template as a base- While it works slow on hurnan biology, it worl<s fasler on Dureena's species"
Chambers tells her she was right aboul doubling their efforts. She swears that she willdo everything she can to
save them- Dureena tells her she better, now the future of both their people is at stake.
EILERSON'S OUARTERS

Eilerson is f inishing dictating his report for IPX- He includes a note about the fal<ed deaths of the colonists and the
existence of Dureena's people. He's about to send it, but then decides to delete the last note, saying instead that
there is nothing of [nterest on Theta 49. Dureena's people...and Blach's...are safe from EarthForce.

The Well of Forever(gcrober Lxt,z?6t)

Witten By: Fiana Avery
EXCALIBUR
An Earth shuttle bearing the Psisymbolarrives althe Excaliburand preparps to dock.

Matheson catches up with Sidesn in a csrridor arrd lells him that it's bringing Mr- Jones from the Bureau of
Telepath Integration- Eideon ask if it's the same Mr. Jones that was on board six months before. Mathesen tells
him they're allcalled Mr- Jcnes and it's their way of making the examination less persona!- $ideon asks how can it
notbe personal- they root around inside semeane's head looking for dirtMatheson: 0nly one telepath can watchdog another. It's like Internal Affairs of a police forcePrsmotion and advancernent are tied to finding other people breaking the rules. 0r in my case, poking
through other people's minds without their permlssion. Anyrrtray that's lhe trade-off we made fcr
being able to live and work beside norrnals- It's a moot point. l"le's corning by my quarters at 180u
hours- The standard procedure is a deep scan to make sure I'm not violating the new rules for

telepaths.
Gideon: I don't need someone like him to tell me that you can be trusted not to go snooping around in
somebody else's mind.
Matheson: And I wouldn't...not intentionally. But you see, when the Senate disbanded the Psi Corps
there were conerns that accidental scans were inevitable once telepaths were integrated back Into

normal ccmmunitiesGideon offers to talk to Mr- Jones on his behalf, but Matheson declines" It's just him, Mr. Jones and the rules.
Gideon wishes him good luck then leaves for a rneeting- Matheson turns around and is surprised to see Mr. Jones
standing behind him. The look on Matheson's face is one of fear and dread.
CI}NFERENCE ROOM

Gideon is in the rniddle of a meeting wlth Bureena and Eilerson. They're trying to decide where to go next. Ealen
walks in- l-le has e sr.rggestion" He putrts a basebal!-size rsck out from behind his back and shows it to the others- He
says it may look like an ordinary rock, but in reality it is part of a much greater whole. He rnoves a hand over it and
it begins to glow. The glowing rock generates a holographic map to an area in hyperspace. Galen has looked for it
for years. Other techno-rnages have spent their entire lives searching for it. The map will guide them to a hidden
place called the Wellof Forever- It's a focalpoint of irnmense power like Stqneherlge or the Oracle at Delphi on
Earth- It's powerful because it draws its essence from hyperspace- For centuries, wizards have sought out
crossroads because they represent the point where powerful energies intersect. There's no greater crossroad than
hyperspace.
Dureena is concerned. Her people are taught to avoid crossroads.-.along with beaches, cliffs, pits, cavsrns and wells,

Eilerson: Where do you go on vacation? Another part of the room?

Eilerson thinks he's funny, but no one else daes. Balen tries to reassure Dureena. He takes her hand and places it on
the rock. He tells her she fears these places because they are not entirely one thing or at|other. But to a rnagp,
these places are an open book f ull of answers for those who are willing to listen. The Well could help in their search
for a cure. It will take them several days to get there, but he's certain it will be wsrth the risk" Eilerson is skeptical.
Gideon has a few concerns of his own.
Eilerssn. So you have a rnagic rock that provides you with a mystical place that is a metaphorical book
that gives you arrswers to quEstions that we haven't asked yet, and you want us to spend days in
hyperspace besed on that?
6ideon: Even if your information is correct, those coordinates are days outside known hyperspace
routes- No one is stupid enough to travel that far off the beacon. We could wind up forty light years
from any known systern.
Ealpn: Not if rny ship's navigational systems are rnerged with the fxcalibuls.
Gideon: trf your ship can find it, why do you need us?
6alen: My instrurnents rnay be rnore sophisticated than yours, but my ship eannot rnaneuver in the
strong gravitational eurrents that far out- I need lhe Excalibur.

Gideon thinl<s about it for a moment, He decldes to go along wilh Galen's plan since they have nothing else to do,
much to Eilerson's dismay- But if they get to those coordinates and there's nothing there, they're turning around
and heading back. Galen agrees. He turns to leave to prepare his ship when Gideon calls him back.
Gideon: Has anyone else ever found this Well of Forever?
Galen: Absolutely.It's just that no one has ever returned- Consider it an adventure.
GALEN'5 SHIP
Galen's ship is docked in lhe Excalibur.Galen sits within il, in the darl<, holding a small glowing sphere. The sphere
seerns to be some l<ind of computer display, lil<e a monitor- He isolates the Excalibuls navigational systems and
merges ii with his ship's controls,
EXCALIBUR'S BRIDCE
Gideon and Matheson watch a display readout f rom Galen's ship. They are amazed at its power- Galen's ship can
picl< up the faintest signal and amplif y it to usable form. No wonder lechno-mages are never seen in hyperspace,
they can travel completely of f the beacon. Dideon would love to get inside his ship to see how it does what it does.
He asl<s Matheson if it's possible. Matheson says they can try. They'llhave to bacl< checl< the connections from time
to time, rnal<e sure it's allworking properly- And they can lool< bacl< a little further, just to be thorough- Gideon lil<es
that idea. The main reason he went along with Galen's proposal was the chance to learn a little more about his ship,
Matheson will get right on il. But for now, it's time to see Mr" Jones.
MESS HALL

Dureena wall<s in and f inds Gideon relaxing with a deck of cards- She wants to tall< so he invites her to have a seat
and he'lldealher in for a quicl< game of poker- She's wsrried about Galen. Gideon guessps that she doesn't thinl<
she can trust him- Dureena says that she was taught two things growlng up. One - don't go loohing for trouble
unless you l<now what you're going to get out of it. In this respect, Galen is hiding something from them- She can
feel it and she suspects Gideon can as well.
Gideon asks her if she wants any cards. She'llstay with her hand. Gideon discards two cards and takes two from the
deck" He has a straight, queen-high.
She asl<s Gideon if Galen's secrets bother him, Gideon says that they allhave something to hide. He lays down his
cards, very pleased with himself . He asl<s whaI was the second thing she was taught"

Dureena: Never gamble with a thief

She lays down her cards - a 9,10,jack, queen and king of hearts.
Gideon: That's a good trick, considering one of the cards that

I tossed away was the queen of hearts-

Dureena smiles at him. He turns over one of the cards he threw away, a two of spades.

It wasn't

one of his cards.

Gideon: Show me how to do that some day?

Dureena: If we live that long.

Before she leaves, Dureena asl<s about Matheson. Gideon tells her he's in his quarters with his guest. Gideon
obviously doesn't like the whole situaiion.
MATHESON'S OUARTERS
Mr- Jones is prowling around Matheson's quarters. He tells Matheson that he felt the ship jump and hopes they're
not going too far off the beaten tracl<. Matheson admits they are, a little, but they willdrop him off at the

rendezvous point when they're done,It'll be a few days. Mr. Jones tells Matheson thal he's become something of a
role model to a number of telepaths bacl< home. Many of them have dreamed of being career military- Matheson is
the first to have a realshot at it. Matheson must understand that they need to be even more strict, even more
thorough, given his position. Poor Matheson l0olts lil<e he swallowed a bug. Before he can respond, Mr, Jones
pushes into his mind.

try and relax. No one lil<es deep scans. They're painf ul..-uncomfortable. Sometimes
even embarrassing- But-.-necessary.
Mr- Jones: Just

Matheson begins to sweat. This is def initely painf ul for him, physically, mentally and emotionally- Mr. Jones pushes
deeper than he's supposed to and discovers the Exralibuls destination- Matheson begins to protest...that
information is duty related. Mr. Jones feels that it concerns him because it's going on while he's aboard, so he's
making an exception. Matheson is angry, Mr. Jones had no right. Mr. Jones push back into Matheson's mind, but
this time, Matheson looks like he's trying to f ight it.
Mr- Jones: My job gives me the right. At the moment, you would do well to be more concerned about
youriob, Lieutenant... Because I can see more than a few mistakes you've made along the way.
Yes"..most disturbing, indeed.

BUREENA'S OUARTERS
Dureena is wrapping leather around a knife when Galen stops by. He's surprised at what she's done to her quartersShe's redecorated. Fabrics are draped around the wails and hanging from the ceiling- Galen has to stoop a little so
his head doesn't bump them. The higher sitting f urniture has been replaced with ones set low to the groundDureena can't understand why everyone makes rooms so huge- She likes them small. She invites him to sit, but
with his cloak wrapped so tightly around him, and the chair being so low, he has trouble sitting gracef ully.
He comments that she's been keeping to herself since this mission began. She says that people only wonder where
she is because they're af raid their valuables will disappear. That's not something that troubles Galen. She asks him,
if he trusts her, then why won't he tell her where they're going? He said that this place holds answers, but that
doesn'l tell her anything. He asl<s if she thinks he's hiding things from her. She relays what Gideon told her, that
they all have things to hide.

Galen: Does he? How unfortunate. I was hoping he'd come f urther than that. 0h, not that it isn't true,
of course. It's just that one simply doesn't have to say itDureena would lil<e to believe what he said, would love to trust him, but she needs a reason. What is the Wellof
Forever? He tells her it is a great rnonument, a place where races through the ages have brought offerings- It's a
sacred, spiritualplace- When they f ind it, she willhave allthe answers she requires- She only has to listens and asl<

the right questions,

Galen: Matthew is right- We all have something to hide. And we all have something to tell. We all have
a secret name. We allhave a question.One question thal unlocl<s our heartsDureena: What is your question, Galen?
He pauses, looking sad, then answers her.

Galen: "Why?"
CORRIDOR

Gideon f inds Mathpson leaning his head against the wall. When he asl<s Matheson if he's ol<ay, Matheson tells him
what Mr. Jones did- He went right through his brain and learned their destination and everything about the
mission, Gideon asks if Mr. Jones can do that" Matheson tells him Mr. Jones has discretionary authority to go
anywhere he needs to, but he didn't need to. It was a violalion of his privacy. Matheson regains his control and
apologizes lo Gideon- He shouldn't have said anything, it's not Gideon's problem.
BRIDGE
Matheson tells Gideon they're picking something up on the long-range scanners" Gideon ashs if it's the Well.
Matheson doesn't think so.
HYPERSPACE

A large group a creatures that look like giant jellyfish f loat ahead of lhe Exralibur.
BRIDGE
Gideon, Matheson and Eilerson watch the creatures out of the window" Eilerson tells them that IPX has had sorne
unsubstantiated reports about lifeforms spotted in hyperspace, but never any proof- He wants to send out
minicams and get close ups, but Gideon nixes the idea. He wants to f inish their scans and he won't risl< having the

creatures notice them if they're a threat.

Galen arrives and teils them Ihe creatures are called the Fenn and are barely sentient. They are drifters, attracled
to bright, shiny objects, but lose interest quickly. They won't do anything if they stop engines and drif t through
them quietly. 0n Galen's assurances, Gideon stops the engines. But when they drif t through, one of the Fenn
reaches out its tentacles and grabs onto the ship, reeling it in like a fish. Galen thinl<s they're just curious and
suggests lhey play dead- Gideon asl< what if they thinl< we're lunch? Galen unconvincingly tells them he's never
heard of them consuming a ship. The Excaliburstarls to creekHYPERSPACE
One of the Fenn is wrapping itself around the top fin of the

ship.It begins to pullthe ship towards it, slackens

up

and repeats.

BRIB6E
The ship and crew are being rocked by the rhythmic thumping. Eilerson f igures out pretty quickly what's
happening, but it takes Gideon a few moments, and a glance at Galen's face, to realize what the Fenn is doing.

Bideon: No, it's not! It's mating with us?

Galen: Well, it's not exactly the f irst contacl siluation that I'd envisioned, but...
Gideon: I want it off my ship.I want it off my ship righl now. Navigation, f ullpower lo thrusters.
Galen: Thrusters? Look, Captain.-.you're giving il all the wrong signals.
HYPERSPACE

They manage to pull away from the creature. As they near another one, it attempts to grab the ship without
the Excalibur clears the group of Fenn, vlrtue somewhaI intact-

success.

BRiDGE

6ideon: Any, uh...damage?

Matheson: No sir.
Gideon: "Just drif t through them." Galen, if that thing has gotlen anything on rny ship,

I--

They look over, but Galen is gone.

Gideon: Looks lil<e he didn't sticl< around for the pillow talk.

Eilerson voices his concerns. Things could get worse the longer they're oui there. What if there are more
dangerous lifeforms out there? It would be a mistake to assurne that there is only one lifeform living ln hyperspace,
Based on an ocean model, the Fenn might have been at the lowest level of the f ood chain.
Dureena arrives and asks what just happened.
Gideon: 0h, nothing major, Just a few pesky lifeforms getting f resh wilh my ship.
She asks if there's any sign of the Well. Gideon says no, their scanners are totally dead- He's beginning to wonder if
she was right, that this was a mistal<e"

Behind him, the channel to Galen's ship opens. They are unaware that Galen is listening to everything they say as
he wall<s through the corridors to his ship.
Dureena tells Gideon she thinks it might be a mistake, but she doesn't thinl< lhey should turn bacl< just yet" Gideon
asks what rnade her change her mind. Galen had told her this is imporlant and that it means something to him- She
doesn't lil<e having to trust anyone because she's always disappointed. Just once she'd like to know that she could
actually just trust someone. That for at least one person, everything wasn't aboul money or power. That's a benef it
for her. The consequences are that they may die out lhere, but she's used lo that, She feels we have no control over
when we die, only how and why and in what cause.
Gideon will give it another day. He owes her and 6alen that much.

If

they don't f ind anything, they'll turn around-

GIDEON'S BUARTERS

Sideon is playing chess by himsell when a call from Matheson csrnes through" They-ll reach their destination in a
few hours. Preliminary scans of the area show nothing there. It's not hiding behind any hyperspace bubble or
shielding. Belween Galen's f lyer and their own enhancements, they have enough technology to detect any
shielding. There's just nothing out thereEideon makes a decision- He puts his jacket on and prepares to head out his door to find Ealen, but Galen is there
waiting when the door opens. Galen knows that Eideon was just told that there was nothing at their destination.
Eideon tells him they have to go back, but Galen says going back is no longer an option. Gideon argues that he has
gone out of his way for Ealen, he's put his ship and crew at risk. They have to tut.n around before they go to far out
and something goes wrong- Galen reminds him that he still has control of the Excalibvls navigational controls. It is
impossible to change course until he returns control over to Gideon. He won't release them until they've found the
Well. Ealen leaves with an apology- Eidean chases af ter him.
He catches up urith Ealen in a csrridor. Hs wants tq know why 0alen is doing this- Galen tells him the Wetl rnay have
shif ted in hyperspace Bve. the years- His ship will automaticaily cornpensate and plot a new course. The connection

belween his ship and the Excaliburis very delicate. If Gideon tamFers with it before they reach their destination,
they will be lost in hyperspace- Gideon says he didn't ask how1alen screwed him, he asked wlty. He agreed to turn
back if there was nothing there. He accuses Ealen of deliberately programming this in case he was wrong and there
was nothing out here. He would force them to keep looking for it. He says Ealen had once told him the Excaliburwas
his famity and that thay were lhe only people he trusted- What made him belray their trust?
Ealen: A promise--- One that I must keep...no mattEr the cost.
6ldeon: Ealen- If you take control of my ship, everything you do after today-".you do alone6alen: It won't be the first time lhat I have been alone.
BRIOOE

Mr. Jones is waiting for Eideon.lle needs to speak to hirn about a problem with MathEson- He compfeted his scan
and found 56me gray ar"ees. Eidesn lhinks Mr- Jones found just what hE wanted to find- Maybe he's just a liltle too
eager for that next promotiCIn. Mr. Joces says that Matheson has used his abilities to sense emotions of certain
individuals who have come through in the last few months, raught the random stray thought. No serious breaches
of conduct, but enough to have him recalled for further questioning and training- Gideon can't allow that, he needs
Matheson right where he is. Gideon tells Mr. Jones lhat Matheson is answerable only to him. Mr. Jones disagrees.
He says that Matheson is answerable to the Senate Committee on Metasensory Abitities f irst, even above Gideon.
In anyone else, these gray areas wsuld be small enough to overiook, but Matheson must be held to higher
requirements- That soucds like discrirninatisn to Eideon - holding ene person [o a higher standard than the rest.
Mr. Jones says it is what is and Gideon cannot fight what is.

Later, Matheson is having problems with the trace on Galen's ship- When he tried breaching Galen's defenses to
regain control af lhe Extalibur, he was locked out by some kind of manual control- Galen shut everything down - he
knows they were snooping- Gideon tells him to let it go, they're not going to get anywhere. All they can do now is
wait. Matheson asks Sideon what he'll do if they find the Well. Eideon wiltsend out EVA tearns and investigate. He
asks Matheson if he wants to heed the expedition. Gideon encourages Matheson to go if hs's never been out in
hyperspace,It's nothing like being out in norrnal space. Matheson wishes he could, but exposure to hyperspace
increases a telepalh's abilities- The longer the exposure, the greater the effsct. In the Excalibur, the shielding
keeps out most of the telepathic boost. But out in hyperspace, even in an EVA suit, there's no telling what might
happen. He could casually scan all of the crew with just a glance- And since safety prpcautions prevent anyone
going out into hyperspace alone, he'll never know what it's like- There's always a price to pay for sornethingA message comes in through Matheson's headset. They're coming up oB e dense hyperspace veil and lhe Excalibur
is beginning to slow. Galen enters the bridge and tells them they have arrived.

0utside, the redish-orange of hyperspace is blocked out by a white cloud*like curtain. The Excaliburglides through
it and we see the Well of Forever. The Wellis huge and looks like dirt or lint magnif ied 1000 times through a
microscope. The white cloud surrounds it-

Eilerson rushes onto the bridge and is amazed al what he sees. Matheson reports that the Well seems to have a
self -contained atmosphere bubble" Gideon wants to do this slowly, f irst dropping probes" He turns to address Galen,

but f inds 6alen long gone. Matheson spots him in his ship heading for lhe Well, Gideon decides io go af ter him.
Eilerson begins to protest at being lett behind, but Gideon cuts him of f , telling Matheson to restrain him if he tries
to leave the bridge-

If

he can't go down, then he wants Matheson to do a surface scan of the Well-

THE WELL

Getting closer to the Wellwe see structures on the surface - square buildings, pyramids, dornes, monoliths,..all
l<inds of architecture. Galen's ship lands. Inside, Galen holds a large medallion which he looks at it for a moment
then puts around his necl< before leaving his ship. 0ideon's shuttle lands next to Galen'sEXCALIBUR
Dureena arrives on the bridge- Eilerson is drooling over the readings from the scans - steel, iron, nicl<eland
deuridium hybrid alloys, allworth millions across known space, The entire core of the Wellis pure, solid Quantium
40 - worth billions to any jumpgate cons[ruction company. And above that, gold and precious metals veined all
through the upper strala. There are caveTns f illed with jewels and metals- A treasure trove. Dureena disagrees. It's
not a treasure trove, not the way Eilerson means- The Well is a mausoleum, The caverns and monoliths are
gravestones that marl< the passing of a highly advanced race 0r culture.0n her world, they laid their chieftains to
rest at crossroads, as the Wellis a crossroad, in burialmounds that resemble the ones on the Well- The gems,
precious melals and artifacts were lef I behind by lhose few who l<new how to f ind this place. Over the centuries,
new gravesites and offerings buried the older ones, iayer af ler layer.It's a place of glory and memory.-.and good
byes.
THE WELL

Galen has found the perfect spot. He takes off the medaliion just as Gideon arrives.
Gideon: Now wiilyou tellrne whal's going on?
6alen: Her name was Isabel--- And she was the best of us" Every techno-mage l(nows the fourteen
words that willmal<e someone fallin love wilh you forever, but she only needed one.
Gideon: What word?
Galen: "Hello." She would sit across from me on cold nights in the study, her tiny frame lost in an
enorrnous overstuf fed chair, her feet curled beneath her.In my dreams I stillremember the pattern
of runes hand-stitched into the hem of her gown-..even though I never really studied them- At night
when l read alone,I still hear her sighing over passages on the pages which troubled her. We spent
the nights in study like lhat- Sometimes never saying a word...and never needing toGideon: She was your wife?
Galen: No. Not in those terms,It's diff icult to explain the kind of relationships that def ine our order,
but she was my love...to the breadth and depth that my soul can reach. And second to this place, I was
hers. She spent her life searching for this- It was her dream, and because I loved her, it became mine,
too. Af ter I-.,lost her, I devoted my life to f inding it.
Gideon: You put us through all this just because of a promise to f ind this place?
Galen: Not just to f ind it. I promised her that somehow, someday, whatever the cost...I would take her
here to rest.
Galen shows Gideon the medallion. From it he pulls a smalltube and kisses it" It holds the ashes of his lost iove"
Gideon understands at all, he wiillet Gaien f inish it. Gideon leaves Galen alone. Galen I<nees on the ground and
opens the tube, spreading the ashes in the shape of a "C" while he recites a quote from William Shakespeare's,
"Cymbeline" and lays ihe medallion in the center of the "C",

If

EXCALIBUR
Dureena and Eilerson are arguing over what to do with the Well. Eilerson wants to tow it back to Earth and plunder
lef t alone. Gldeon brealts it up by ordering the ship turned around and headed back io the last
l<nown hyperspace beacon, Eilerson is stunned and a bit angry. They come all this way and now they're turning
bacl<? Gideon tells him to lust shut up. He tries to enlist Galen's aid.0ut of all of thern, Galen knows how valuable
the Well is,Isn't he going to say anything? Galen just looks out the windnw at his love's finalresting place and says

il, Dureena wants it

"good-bye"-

DUREENA'S OUARTERS

Gideon calls asking if she can do a favor fsr Matheson" He needs someone absolutely single-minded.
BULLET CAR
Mr, Jones is riding in the car when Dureena enters. At f irst he ignores her, but something draws his attention t0
her, She concentrates, not lool<ing at him- He scans her.
GIOEON'5 OFFICE
Mr. Jones rushes in- He absolu[ely must speak with him. He warns him that there is a bomb attached to lhe jump
engines, set to go of f at any time now. He says "she" wants to destroy the ship to gel revenge on all of them for
something- Gideon casually asl<s Mr. Jones how he heard about it- He begins [o answer when he remembers how he
gol the information.
Gideon: Let me see if i can picl< your brain for a change. You got this from the thoughts of a woman
that you saw in lhe bullet car.
Mr- Jones: How couldGideon: Her name is Dureena and I've never seen anyone focus on revenge and death as compleLely as
she can when she sets her mind to it" Ll" Matheson told rne you probed part of his mind to f ind out
where we were going. A small inf raclion because you had your own reasons for it, so I f igured that
you'd have even more reason to protect your own skin. You said certain people should be held to a
higher standard. What is the standard for Watchmen lil<e you, Mr. Jones? 0r more to the poinl, what
are the penalties? You forget about what you saw and I'llforget allabout this. Deal?
Gideon has him right where he wants him,
MATHESON'S OUARTERS

Malheson enters to f ind an EVA suiI on his bunkwith a nole that reads, "Probiern solved. Here's a gif t to celebrate."
Matheson lool<s very happy.
BRIBGE
A crewrnan reports to Gideon that he's picking up an open airlocl<. on deck fourteen and wants to know if he should
alert security, Knowing that it's Matheson, Gideon tells him to ignore it.

0utside the ship, Matheson f loats in hyperspace, a tether connecting him to the ship- He's thoroughly enjoying
himself,
GYMNASIUM
Gideon is exercising. Galen enters and tells him he'll be leaving for a bit and wanted to hnow if he should bother
coming back again. Gideon reminds him he hijacl<ed his ship and betrayed his trust,".what higher insult could you
pay to a friend? Galen didn't trust him enough to tellhim the realreason they were going- Galen lhinl<s il he did tell
the truth, Gideon would never had come. Galen didn'I give Gideon the chance, so they'll never f ind oul. Galen
admits that ihis is the f irst time he's put his personal agenda ahead of the mission, but Dideon did the same. He
used it as an excuse to examine the technology in Galen's ship. Neither can claim altruism this time.
Galen saved his life ten years ago and many times since. Gideon feels he owes Galen for that. His importance to the
mission outweighs the offense, so Gideon won't put it on the record, but he was stillwrong- Galen says they may be
[rue on a certain level, but on a higher one he f ulf illed a promise and now he gives Gideon another- He willnever
again betray Gideon's trust.If he's honored one vow, then Gideon should know he willkeep this one. He carried out
his love's last request, honored her memory. Can Gideon say the same? Gideon says he has, times three hundred.
Galen asl<s if he's l<ept iL. Gideon says no, not yet" Then when the time comes, Galen will help Gideon l<eep his as
Gideon helped lteep Galen's Then perhaps they can both forgive themselves lor their cornmon crime - being aliveCORRIDOR

Dureena finds Galen, who tells her he's leaving for awhile, She reminds hirn that he said the Wellwas dn open bool<
ull of answers for those who would listen. They were there-..so where are the answers?

6alen: For Max Eilerson, the question was, "Is there anything in all the universe I cannot have?"

In Eilerson's quarters, he commands his computers to download the coordinales lo the Welland allthe data
concerning it to his personalfiles. The computer is unable to comply. A technostatic disarray has erased allthe
information they gathered- Galen has obviously cast one of his little spellsGalen: That answer has been delivered clearly and unequivocally-

0n lhe bridge, Matheson

lool<s out the

window into hyperspace.

Galen: Lt- Matheson-.-he would have had his answer too had he gone to the

Wellwilh Gideon.

In his quarters, Gideon looks at a group pirture of the crew he losl.

Galen: Matthew did receive his answer, but because he was not listening, he will have to look

elsewhere.
Back in the rorridor, Dureena asks about her answer. Eideon tells her she has to learn not to talk in front of an open
link to his ship. He opens his hand and plays a holographic recording of her conversalion with Gideon about how she
doesn't llke having to trust anyone because she's always disappointed and just once she'd like lo l<now thal she
could actually just trust someone and that for al least one person, everything wasn't about money or Power"
Dureena is embarrassed at being overheard.
Galen. I think you've received the answer to your question, Dureena"
Dureena: Maybe... But what about your question, 6alen? Did you f ind your answer to "why"?
Galen: (looking sad) That one may take a little longer-

VE

g Judgmen ts (0ctober Ltrh,zz6t)

Written By: Fiona Avery

The Exralibursits next to a rotating space station in orbit of Tariff 's Colony.
EXCALIBUR BRIBEE

0ideon is engaged in a heated argumen[ on the main viewscreen with the governor of the colony. It seems
while IPX had negotiated the rights to study an ancient relic found on the surface, EarthBov had not. The
governor, staying true to the laws and customs of his little world, tells Gideon a bribe will be required if he
wants any of his people (eutside of their IPX contingent) to set foot on the planet. 8ideon makes him a
proposal instead..-they'll play a game of poker for it. If Gideon wins, they go down for free, but if he loses
they'll pay the bribe. Having never garnbled with an EarthForce officer before, the governor agreesMatheson: You'd better winGideon: It's Friday. I never lose on FridaysTARIFF'S COLONY _ ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Eilerson and his team from IPX are investigating the relic on the planet. From the outside it is a giant vault
door in the center of a greal, bowl shaped depression- Eideon contacts him for a status report. Eilerson lells
him because of the mineral makeup they can't risk uslng explosives on the vault. What language he's
translated promises to enrich anyone's life, which could mean anything from buried t.easure to something to
help with the plague. Gideon tells him to keep trying to get in a signs off- Two ef Eilerssn's technicians,
Miller and Thompson, approach the door and somehow trigger a huge shock-wave which knocl<s them both
to the ground. Eilerson calls the ship, telling him to prepare for two wounded men.
MEDBAY

Eilerson tells Chamber he needs those two rnen back at work, but she break il to him ftat they've both
suf fered rnajor strokes and are on life-support- The closest thing it resernbles to her is a telepathic mind
blast. Eilerson asks if that rneans a telepath was behind that door when Matheson enters- After studying
Chamber's data for a few seconds he discounts that possibility, saying that there's no psychic imprint
present, indicating a person wasn't responsible. In all likelihood it was a telepathic defense systpm put in to
protect the vault- Eilserssn asks if he can disarm it, but he can't know until he check it eut personally- He
tells them he'llprepare to head down right away.
Chambers: Lieutenant. I thought no onp can go planetside until the captain works out a fair
bargain.
Matheson: That's right- But it's Friday, so I expect to hear we can come down at any time.
SPACE STATION

At thp poker game, Eideon is quite easily beating the governor at their game. The gevernor is surprised, he
says he didn't expect that from an officer. In fact, he gets suspicious that Gideon may in fact be a lelepath,
which Eideon denies, offering his records as proof. The governor backs down but makes it clear that
telepaths are not well liked here. There's only one 0n the whole colony, a man narned Al, and evetyone
steers clear of him. Having lost lheir bet, he gives Gideon perrnission to send his people down. He warns him
to be carefut though, his deal to go down was with the governor, not with the entire colony. As Sideon leaves
Matheson contacts him on his wristlink to report the accident with the vault. He sffers to comp down to
check it out, but knowing how the people feel about both EarthForce and telepaths Gideen orders him to stay
on board until he checks it out himself.

ARCI.IAEOLOSICAI- SITE

Gideon is examining the vau[t when Eilerscn arrives, cornmenting on hsw Gideon ordered him to csme alone
for now. Gideon says for safety resons, that was the order, so what was Dureena during here? Eilerson
turns in surprise to seg Dureena, who says she was in the same shuttle he was, hidden from him the whole
time. He accuses her of taking after Galen, but she says Ealen's been taking after her- Galen has rnachines
and magic to help him, alt she has is her wits. Enough being said, she goes up to investigate the vault, not
realizing they're being rnonitored by one of the localsBRIBGE
Matheson and Chambers discuss his frustrations with Gideon ordering him to stay 0n board. Matheson feels
that if the problem down on the planet is telepathic, he's the logical choice to go down. Chambers says she
feels it's better to have a hands on captain, but Matheson says he wonders some days if Gideon actually has a

dealh wish
ARCHAEOLOEICAL SITE

Dureena has found that as she suspected, all of the tocks that are visible lead *swhere and do nothing.
fhey're traPs ls get people close e*ough to get hit be the letepathic weapon- The only person who can get
past the door is a telepath, Gideon reluctantly orders Matheson to the surface.
SPACE STATIBN - SLUMS

The local watching them earlier meets up with a group of his buddies. He reports they're trying to get into
the veult and they decide whatever's inside should belong to thern, not a bunch of Earthers"
ARCHAEOLOEICAL SITE
Matheson arrives with 0r. Chambers, saying he could feel the [elepathic energies from this thing from two
miles away. Gideon tells Chambers to keep a close eye 0n him as he telepathically feels around inside the
device. He's hit by a telepathic blast like the IPX techs, but being trained fights most of the effect off- The
lsck is powerful, needing at leest a P10 to get through it, and Metheson's only a P6- 0ideen remembers the
governor teitring him about ihe other telepath living here, A!, and says they're golng to have to see if he'll
help. Eilerson is sure he will, after all, rnoney talksAs they wall( away, Matheson confronts Gideon about always leaving him on the ship and facing these
dangerous situations himself . Eideon confides that the reason he does it, is that he has absolute faith in
Matheson's ability to keep the Excalibursafe while he's gone. With everything else Gideon has on his plate,
that's no small thing to hirn- Appeased, and somewhat proud, Matheson nods-

AL'S CIUARTERS

Inside, Al is having f lashbacks to his days in court, where a judge reads off charges against him of abusing
his powers with Psi Corps and MetaPol. He pleads not guilty, accusing the authorities of using torture and
coercion to get the evidence against him- From the angry shouts in the gallery, it's clear those observing the
case don't buy this for a second- His reverie Is interrupted as he telepathically hears tfie Excaliburcrew
walking up lo his quarters. Not knowing how strong of a telepath this mystery perssn is, El[erson asks if
rnaybe he and Matheson can ccrnbi*e thein powers, but Matheson says it doesn't work that way. They
prepare to knsck but Alopens thE door at that secand, greetlng them all by nerne. He specifically comments
on how it's nice to see Matheson again. In hsrror, Matheson realizes that Al is none other than Alfred Bester.

Matheson points sut tCI the others who this is, a wantEd war crlrninalfrorn the Tetepath Crisis that the
governrnent's been after for years. Eesler's only response is to say it should be called a war, rlot a
crisis.-.why downplay its irnportance? l-[e invites them all in for tea, Eilerson readily agreeing, Eideon
reluctantly stepping in, but Matheson refuses to enter on principle. Bester tells them that he ran from trial
because it was rigged against him- The Psi Corps lost the war and the victors needed to rewritp history to
make them the bad guys. He's adamant that he's not guilty, that telepaths are family and needed to stick
together and that he never harmed a mundane- Eilerson butts in, saying this doesn't apply to why they're
here...they need his help, plai* and sirnple. Bester agrees, but oa[y if they agree to take hirn away from
Tarriff's Calony and drop hirn somewhere- He fears his enemiEs are closing in and the locals don't rnake
things very cornfortable here- He reminds thern they're on a clock with the plague and 6ideon agrees to talk
to the others about what thay're going to doSPACE

Two ships contact sor*eone cade named Top Dog, telling him that they have reason to believe lhat Bester is
at Tarriff's Cofony and tFrey're preparing to head their fsr an extraction-

BESTER'S SUARTERS
Dureena asks Matheson if he's certain of Bester's guilt, but all Matheson has is a gut feeling- He reveals he
applied to be an intern with the Psi Cops years ago and met Bester" But something about him was empty,
not quite vuhots, plus all the rumsrs of what he did to mundanes who got in his way. Dureen6 and Charnbers
both feel they can't condernn hirn on rurnors, but Metheson is insistent that this gr.rt feeling makes it more
than that. It's less than a scan, but the closest thing you can get withraut directly entering sorneone's mindGideon tells him that since it involves his people, he's going to leave the decision up to him.

Inside, Bester is waiting for their verdict when he gets a coded message telling him a retrieval team is on
the way to hirn- He interrupts the others saying he's run out of lime fer them to rnake a decision. Eideon
tells thern one has already been made, they're bringing hirn in. Bester tells them that's a mistake. If they do
that he'll impticate Matheson as one of his co-conspirators during the Telepath Crisis and rnake certain hp
suffers every bit as badly as Bester doesARCHAELOOICAL SITE

Bester leads the others in, telliog thern he needs a rnsmenr to prepare- Gideon takes Matheson aside and
tells hirn to never let hirn doubt his instlncts again. Matheson agrees- Bester tells them all ta stand back.
When his mind makes cofttact with the fock, because of his P12 status the radius of a potential attack zone
witl be rnuch greater- With much concentration, he bypasses the lock and the vault opens. Inside they f ind
nothing but a stream 0f water, disappointing Eilerson greatly. Dureena tells them among her people they
avoided doctors, looking for answers in nature instead- 5he says the water is what's being protected"
Gideon says they can't afford to overlook anything and has Chambers take a sample. As she does, the vault
starts to clese and Eideon ordens everyone out- Eilerson almost doesn't rnake it, irrtent on getting a scroll he
found stuck in the ground next ts the water- He slips through at the last second, scroll in hand, sayi*g he
hopes he got the instructiens for the water- They head back to the shuttle, br.lt get e transmission saying the
governor wants to see them 0n the space station before they leave orbit.
SPACE STATION

* CAREO BAY

As they leave the shuttle on the station, they are assaulted by the locals who were watching them earlier.

They're not about to let EarthForce and their telepath pets leave with "their" treasure- Gideon lries to tell
them nothi*g of value was in there, but they don't believe him. Knowing they're not getting out oi this
without a fight, Gideon hits the leader, causing Mathpson and Dureena to spring into action as well.
Matheson cornes to Bideon's aid, but fails to see the man with the knife coming up behind him. The man has
a clear shot and Mathessn is as good as dead when the guy is hit with a powerf ul mind blast from Bester.
Seeing this, the other attackers f lee, leaving Matheson to face the fact that Bester just saved his life.

MEDBAY

Chambers has begun the analysis of the water sample, but it'll tal<e another 48 hours to process- Dureena is
already confident it willhelp, her faith in the healing powpr. of nature much greater than the others. Eilerson
enters having translated most of the scrolls. They tellof a race that evolved beyond their physicalforms, but
lef t this wellbehind for those who came after lhem- They don't know how it works, but it prolongs life and
soothes the sicl<.
FLIGHT DECK

Bester is waiting for his shutile out when Matheson approaches. Besler asks him how he likes working in
EarthForce. Matheson tells him in the Corps he always felt watched and suspected of wrong-doing. Here,
he's trusted by his fellow of f icers and other friends. Bester thinks Matheson is naive in his belief that times
change, that mundanes can irust telepaths- He's seen how false that was for longer than Matheson's been
aiive. Matheson asks why Bester saved his life. Bester tells him because he's family-- and even though the
Corps has been disbanded, he'llalways be a PsiCop, protector of his people. Matheson again asks if lhal's
true, than how can he have done all he's accused of in the war and before.
Bester. I did what was necessary. There were casualties on both sides of the war- The dif ference is,
when you win the war, you're a hero" When you lose, you're a war criminal- I did things the currenl
administration disapproves of , because they are the heroes, and I am the war criminal- But if the
tables were turned, i could easily accuse them of the same crimes, So,I willnot turn myself in- I did
what was right. They'llnever prove I did anything else. In the end, everything I did was for my
peopleHe's not running because he's guilty, he's running because the mundanes are looking to make an example

out of him. Matheson points out that if he's running, he must be guilly of something.

Bester: I remember being your age- Things seemed fairer then. I once had a mentor named
Sandoval Bey- You may have heard of him- He never learned when to run and when to stand his
ground. He was innorent, so he didn't run from the mundanes who l<iiled him. He was so vulnerable
and he never even realized it- No, John. I'm running f rom the mundanes - the wrong people with
the wrong intentions towards telepaths. We can no longer understand each other- Because we are
no longer the same beast.
MEDBAY

Gideon meets with Chambers lo hear the results ol her tests on the water sample. She says it is the most
potent pain-reiiever she's ever sepn and may end up even prolonging lifespans by up t0 six months if the
worst happens wilh the plague. Gideon says ihat at the end of ihe day, they did the right thing thenChambers agrees, but isn't so sure about what they're doing now (dropping Bester of f with a shuttle)"
Gideon is determined to follow through and l<eep his word, even if it's the only honorable thing they've done
since they got here-

BRIB6E
Matheson and Gideon watch Besler's shullle just sitling outside with only 24 hours of life-support available,
Gideon wonders what wili happen if no one cornes belore that time. Maybe they should just use the forward
guns and put him out sf his misery- Matheson remembers Bester's story about his mentor, about how he
was helpless before the mundanes and didn't even realize it (just as he is now, sitting in the shuttle)- Gideon
expects agreement on the sentiment given Matheson's previous views on Bes[er, but he instead tells him no.
That would make them as bad as him. Justlce will catch up with him soon enough"
SPACE

f he Excalibur has lef t the area, leaving the shuttle by itself

. Suddenly a jump point opens, revealing

Psi Corps Mothership- The shuttle moves in and docl<s with it.

a blacl<

PSI CORPS MOTHERSHIP

Bester leaves the ship and is met by another rogue Psi Cop- He tells Bester they were growing concerned,
he'd been out of touch for three years- Bester is his conf ident self, telling him that he's just happy the
remaining motherships are in good hands- Since EarthForce can never admit to having supplied the Psi
Corps wilh them, they can't exactly go out hunting for them---.and that is a beautiful thing,
BESTER'S OUARTERS - TARRIFF'S COLONY

The two pilots lrom the retrieval team sent for Bester search through his quarters- They know the Excalibur
was investigating something here, but don't tie that to his disappedrance. They get a link from their boss,
demanding an immediate status report. The second pilot volunteers his partner, he hates giving the boss
bad news...he gets cranky-

ttl: Thanks, Computer, begin recording transmission tc MarsDome. This is Under Dog to Tog
Dog. When we arrived at the colony, Al Bester was not here- There are no records of him leaving the
planet. I'm sorry, Mr Garibaldi. He gol away again.
Pilot

Little Bugs Have Lesser Bugs (November t4'h,zz67)

Written By: Peter Woadward
The Excaliburis in orbit around Savo iV, a brown, drab planet.
EXCALIBUR

CORRIDOR

6ideon is wall<ing out of his quarters, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he rounds a corner he collides with
Ensign Tate,lirst shif t helm off icer, who spills the cof fee he is carrying allover Gideon's pants. Gideon is annoyed,
pointing out that it's against regulations t0 carry unsealed liquids in public areas- Plus, Tate's supposed to be on
duty now. Tate tells Eideon that he has Trace Miller covering while he ran to the bathroom, Gideon points out that
Trace isn't a miiitary pilot and shouldn't be covering for a coffee run. Tate apologizes profusely, saying he'llhurry
to the bridge, but Gideon tells him f irst, he'd better go to the laundry and bring 6ideon a clean pair of uniform
pants" Ai that point, they'llrneet on the bridge.."and talk about this f urther. Tate f lees as quicl<ly as possible as
Gideon looks down at his stained pants in disgust.
BRIDGE
Ma[heson and most of lhe crew have their attention drawn to one of the com screens where the popular soap opera
Lovestar is playing. 0n it, Brad accuses Louise of cheating with Mitch.
GALEN'S SHIP
Galen is in orbit of Savo IV as well, a short distance from the Excalibur" He's studying his sensors and notices
something unusual in orbit with them. Curious as to why lie Excaliburisn't reacting to this, he switches to a probe
on the bridge, showing them all focused on Lovestar. He orders his ship to change course to intercept them at
maxirnum burnBRIDGE
The crew is stillentranced by their soap opera when Gideon arrives, demanding an explanation. Matheson tells
him that the new episode of Loveslar just came in last night.

Gideon: Lovestar, huh? So what's new?

Matheson: Well, sir, Brad seems to be having dif f iculty with Louise.".
Gideon: With the ship, lieutenant!
Matheson immediately clears Lovestar f rom the screen, teliing him there's nothing else to report, Gideon
comments lhat nothing has happened on this planet since lhey got here ten days ago. He orders Matheson to get
Eilerson on the link f rom the planet's surface-

Matheson: Sorry about Lovestar, sir.

Gideon: Why? You think Brad and Louise should divorce?
Matheson: Sir?
Gideon: Joke. (Matheson forces a laugh) Forget it.
Eilerson contacts them from the shuttle on the surface, wearing a breathing mask over his face, He tells them [hat
he stillhasn't found anything and isn't even sure why they're still here. Gideon tells hirn that his source is certain
the Dral<h were once very interested in this world, Eilerson presses him, but he won't reveal who his source is or
what Eilerson should be looking for. Gideon asks about the breather, this place has a breathable almosphere.
Eilerson tells him there's so much rotting vegetation here, the stench is unbearable"

As Eilerson signs of f , Gideon hears a beep coming trom the console and demands to know what it is. Matheson
reports that Galen's ship is coming at them at high speeds. They didn't see him earlier because the long-range

sensors were down for rnaintenance. They try to contact him but he's bloci<ing communication and coming in
faster ihan should be possible. They can't f ind anything chasing him to explain his behavIor, so with f if teen
seconds to impact, Eideon orders emergency override on their order. Unfortunately, Trace is still manning the
slation, and while he's an excellent civilianpilol. isn't familiar enough with the console to know whpre the override
is- Gideon gets to it at the last second, sending them all spilling onto the decl<, but avoiding the irnminent collision.
Matheson reports only minor injuries, but Gideon orders all hands to Medbay just in case sorneone was more
seriously injured- Trace is f razzled by the whole thing and Gideon dismlsses him from the bridge- Matheson
reports that Galen is now communicating with them, requesting permission to board. Furious, Gideon grants it and
storms of f the bridge to meet him.
SAVO

IV

Eilerson approaches Dureena, wondering how she can stand the stench without a brealher- Being from a rnore
primitive world, she thinl<s nothing of it- She puts down the book she was reading, a text on Earth history, She's up
to the twentieth century and can't believe allthe pointless wars his people were involved in- Eilerson says they're
not hripeople, he doesn't thinl< much of Earth history, having been raised on Mars- Dureena says she's only been
reading the boohand then volunLeered for this mission because things have felt off on Excaliburlately Eilerson
tells her its just boredom, going from one seemingly pointless planet to the next- Dureena believes finding a cure
should keep everyone focused, but he says in reality it's not so simple. He just wishes they'd leave this ballof
rotting plants and bodies and go someplace more valuable. 0ureena hasn't seen any bodies, so Eilerson reaches
into the ground beneath them and grabs a handf ul o[ what looked like dirt. Upon closer inspection we can spe
husks and shells, the remains of some kind of bug, Aside from the planls they're the only signs of life he's lound
here-

FLiGHT DECK
Two marines meet Galen outside of his ship, telling him they have orders to escort him to Captain Gideon. They're
prepared to simply walk with him, but he insists he be placed in handcuf f s, Af ter all, if he's under arrest he doesn't
want them to gel in trouble for not doing their duty. Incredibly conf used, the guards do soCONFERENCE ROOM

Gideon, Matheson are waiting when Chambers enlers to give them her report. Aside f rom a few bumps and
bruises, Galen's little display doesn't seem to have caused any damage. Gideon wants an explanation for how they
carne so close to disaster" Matheson doesn't l<now why Galen did it, but that's not what Gideon meant. He wants to
l<now why they both failed in their duties- Matheson apologizes, having no exruse other than the boredsm that's
been getting to them all. Since the ship was on automatic he figured it wouldn'l hurt to let Tate leave for a few
minutes. Trace might not be trained on all of their systems, but the ship was locl<ed in orbit. He admits it was an
inexcusable mistal<e. The way Trace cracl<ed on the bridge wasn't just lacl< of training, he's a good enough pilot to
not lose his head in a crisis. Chambers says she knows he received some bad news from bacl< home a week or so
ago, but didn't think he was that bad of f . Gideon asks about her family bacl< home, but she replies it's none of his
business. He says it is if it interferes with her doing her duty, and making sure the crew is f it is her duty. She
apologizes as well, promising to reevaluate everyone immediately. He lets them both of f the hool<, believing to be
just as guilty as either of them- It's his job lo stay on lop of things lil<e this and he's let the rnonotony distract him
too, They plan more drills and Chambers tells him he needs to stop shutting himself away from his crew. They
need to know he cares about them individually.
CORRIDOR OUTSIDE CONFERENCE ROOM

The marines escort Galen to the door, telling him he's to go in and they're to wail for him outside the door"

Galen: Goodness me, you tal<e your orders seriously, don't you? Lighten up, sergeant- (he reaches out to
the marine's stomach) Ticl<le, ticl<le ticl<le- (the guard lool<s down, Galen's handcuffs now on his wristsJ
See you later,

CONFERENCE ROBM

Galen enters and Gideon immediately demands an explanation for putting all their lives in danger. Galen is not
intimidated at all, swinging the accusation back around to them. He says just because they're orbiting a dreary
little planet in the middle of nowhere is no excuse to be lax in their attention. Gideon is f urious he almost rammed
them to get their attention- His tirade is cut short when a pinging noise his heard- Galen draws images
representing the planet and their ships in the air using his f inger. Then he adds another figure, a smallblip circling
the planet at amazing speeds. He explains if they hadn't moved when they did, this object would have sliced right
through them. He has no idea what it is, so Gideon orders Matheson to bring it on board and Chambers to prepare
the decontamination chamber. Somewhat mollified, Gideon still wants to know why Galen didn't just tell them
over corns. Galen points out that given the relaxed state of the crew, he doubted they'd have reacted quicl<ly
enough. When Gideon says he should have trusted them, Galen says he did. If the Excaliburhadn't moved when it
did, the impact would have killed him.
SAVO

IV

Dureena cornes up behind Eilerson, who's now fascinated by the same dirt he was dismissing earlier.

Dureena: I thought you wanted to get of f this planet. What about the smell?
Eilerson: You get used to anything odious af ter a whileDureena: I never got used to you-

Ignoring the comment, Eilerson draws her attention to his sample containers. He's found the ground is made up
almost exclusively of a combination of the bugs, their Fecal matter and their food source. The scanners show the
same soil mal<eup going down a thousand feet before they hit rock. And the most recent layer of bugs allseem to
have died about one year ago. He's only found seven species as opposed to the millions found on most worlds.
Looking at them more closely, 0ureena tells him he's wrong- 0n her world they ate bugs, so they studied them
closely. What he has here are the different growth stages and genders of a single species of bug- Dureena grows
angry- A world that evolved the perfect symbiosis between a single species and the environment, and the Drakh
came and wiped it out. Eilerson points out they don't know for sure that's what happened, but she's seen enough to
convince her.
BRIDGE
Gideon joins his crew who are already worl<ing to bring the high speed object on board without damaging it.
Seeing an opportunity to boost morale and push his crew a little, he has Matheson tal<e the center seat for the
operation. The objects gets closer and closer with each orbit- Galen enters the bridge behind Gideon, restraining
his natural impulse to jump in as Matheson gives the orders on a task that could destroy the ship if not done
correctly. At the last second Matheson orders weapons fire, knocking it out of its f light path, then twice more to
stop it. As it hovers before them, Galen notes that their mystery object is in fact a cof f in.
MEDBAY

The cof f in is sitting at an angle in an isolation bay, but scanners can't penetrate whatever it's made of . Having no
other way to figure it out,Gideon tells Chambers to open it. If something hostile cornes out, she's to stun it if she
can,l<illit if she has to, but not to put her life at risl<. She gets the coffin open and once the mist clears, a Drakh is
visible inside- She says it's dead, but it at least validates 0ideon's source who said the Drakh had an interest hereDureena and Eilerson corne up behind them, the smell making Gideon gag- 0ureena wants to stick a knife through
the Drakh to make sure it's dead. Eilerson wants to make his report, but Gideon orders them both to take a bath
f irst, then leaves the room for some fresh air. Galen turns to follow him, sniff ing the air around them f irst.

Galen: (lo Dureena) Hmmm- Whatever it is, it smells better on you than on him.
Eilerson: Very amusing.

Chambers continues her exarnination af ter the others leave and linds some kind of moving parasite inside the
Dralth on her scanner. She culs the body open, taking a sample of the white sacl<s wilhin and not noticing the
handf ul of f ly-like bugs that have landed on her back. She leaves lhe isobay, getting sprayed down with
disinfectant mist as she leaves, and brings the samples over to her rnain lab. Somehow surviving this, the f lies on
her take off, disappearing into the venls above her,
MESS HALL

Gideon joins Trace in the mess halland asl<s him how things are going. Trace apologizes again for losing il on the
bridge, but Gideon assures him he doesn't blame him- Trace conf ides that his mom and dad got hit in the last
round of plague mutations bacl< home, The doctors said it was quick, but... Gideon understands lhis pain very well
and tells him if he needs any time off , he'llset it up for him. Trace is gratef ul, but says wilh them gone, he doesn't
have any family left to go to. He's just not sure where he belongs anyrnore. Before Gideon can respond to that,
Chambers pnters and shows them the bugs she pulled out of the Drakh's body (costing both men their appetites).
Dureena and Eilerson then enter, smelling much better, and recognize the bugs from the bodies on the planet.
They add to Chambers' report, the bugs are incredibly virile as well as having not evolved f rom their present form
in millions of years- Chambers is telling lhem she has no idea how they got into the Dral<h's body (he would have
had to swallow them) when the table behind them erupts in surprise as a larger version of the bug lands on one of
their plates. Chambers is conf used where they came from, she went through f ull decontamination, but Eilerson
says anything lhat doesn't evolve over that much time must be impervious to almost anything, The crewman
swats it with his plate, showing there's stillone sure f ire way to l<illa bug.
BRIDGE
Gideon orders Matheson to conduct a life sign scan over the whole ship and to bypass human life signs- 0n the
screen they see hundreds, possibly thousands, of bugs roaming lhrough the ventilation shafts. Since they're
resistant to pesiicides Gideon orders the decks around those areas sealed off, to smohe them oul of the vents, then
for the crew to swat them as fast as they can when they come out- Dureena is horrif ied---the bugs aren't hurting
anything and with the planet dead, they're the last survivors of a life form wiped out by the Drakh- Galen points out
it happens all the time, one species killing off another, but Dureena lhinl<s that rnakes them no better than the
Orakh- Gideon isn't moved, they have too many legs and lhey f ly"..he wants them of f his ship- Plus, f rom Chambers'
report it looks lil<e they killed the Dral<h somehow, which could make them dangerous- To raise morale and give
the crew some focus he tells them to break into teams and whatever team l<ills the most bugs wins a prize (a job he
gives to lhe less than thrilled Galen)-

EXCALIBUR. INTERIOR

All throughout the ship the crew race from one section to the next, trying to kill more bugs than anyone else,
DUREENA'S AUARTERS
A smallswarrn of bugs has gathered there and Dureena tells them they have nothing to fear lrom

her- Not

expecting a response, she's surprised when the swarm begins to form itself into a variety of glyphs and symbols,
She grabs a notepad and begins copying them all down.
MEDBAY

Chambers enters to f ind Galen standing over the Dral<h's body. They're planning on vaporizing him as soon as the
"Great Bug Hunt" is over, but Galen can't figure out why the body was placed in orbit in the first place, 0ureena
races in, revealing her notepad ol symbols shown lo her by the bugs- She doesn't l<now what they mean but 6alen
recognizes them instantly. Distress symbols in Vorlon, Drazi, Narn, Brakiri.... He urges her lo bring these to the
captain, face-to-face, so he can't deny what she's saying. When he's alone again, he picl<s up the grub from inside

the Dral<h.
Galen: Little bugs have lesser bugs upon their backs to bite'em and lesser bugs have smaller bugs and so
ad infinitum-

With that, he places the bug in his mouth and swallows.

BRINGE
Dureena races onto the bridge to convince Gideon of the bugs' intelligence- He argues they haven'i evslved for
miflions of years, how smart can they be? Dureena thinks maybe they valued things like living in peace with their
world over evolution. They're interrupted by a call from Chambers. She's just entered the Drakh's isobay and
found Galen...dead.
MEDBAY

Sideon, Charnbers, Bureena and Eilerson all stand over 6alen's body. Chambers doesn't understand it. The last of
the alien bugs from inside the Drakh is gone-..Balen musl have swallowed it but she can't fathom why he'd do
something like that- Suddenly, 6alen's body jerks into the sitting position, its mouth wide open letting out an
inhuman wail. Checking the rnonitors, Chambers conf irms Galen is still showing as dead, but there's substantial
activity from [he bug inside him. Dureena says she can feel it's the bugs trying to comrnunicate and asks Ealen's
body what they want. The Galen/Bug cries for its lost children, of how they survived the Drakh but eould not
survive the humans, demanding they bring back those taken for their owrl arnusetnefit- Eidesn says they can't
undo the death they caused, but orders all crew to stop kitling the bugs immediately- Matheson acknowledges the
order, but says he thinks it's too late.
Ourepna: Humans are not cruel beings. Not usually. Sometimes they lapse into madness. They kill
without thinking, without knowing why.
Ealen,/Bug: You knew- You have lost your people.
llureena: Yes.
GalenlBug: YcLr were alldeceived by our bodies. So were the Drakh. They carne a thor:sand generations
in our past, but lived beneath the ground, so we paid them no mind. Until they found our group-thought
and decided they wanted it for their own. Their presencp arnong group-lhought was unbearable, but in
time they lef t and we were at peace. Until they returned with the death mist. We resisted it at first as we
have altr disease before it, but they changed it again and agein, until it finally struck us down- But we found
the way to survive itEilerson ashs how they survived, but the Galen/Bug doesn't want to help the murdersrs sf its brethren. Bureena
begs it, for Galen or herself who trusted them, but it is too distraught to listen. Matheson reports one section
showing dozens of survivors- They pull up the screen to find Trace guarding the bugs. He saw this family of bugs
and for sorne reason couldn't bring himself to follsw the order. They were as innocent as his family and he couldn't
be the cause of their death. He apologizes lor nst carrying out orders, but Gideon instead curnmends him en his
humanity- Gideon tells EalenlBug that regardless of whether it tells thern about how they survived, the Excafibur
will help them repopulate. Eideon begs them to lst his crew help and in return to help thern so they won't tace the
extermination the 0rakh brought to their world.

Galen/Bug: The group-thought they stole fsr themselves is still a part of them. We took control of those
whs carne down, forced them to kill each other. We tried ts force them to cure us, but they did not know
how. The death rnist was given te them by another race, one that made thern immune to it. We were
sirnply a rneans to test it fer use sn another enemy" Our peaceful nature and disease rEsistance made us
perfect victims. The snes above our world left, so we used their immunity and technology against them"
We bred our children into the body of the one you found and had them send us around the world, to return
to the surface when it could once again sustain usGideon: Your world is harsh, but scans show it has enough vegetation growing again for you to survive.
You have my word we'lldo allwe can to help- My ignorance caused this, and I'f tdo whateve!- it takes to

make things right, As right as I can.

Balen./Bug: Then we wiltjoin our brEthren with the Protector. Take your friend back.

With that Galen's body drops to the ground and begins to convulse. A few seconds later a large bug emerges, lool<s
over thern all, then disappears into the vent. Eidpon orders Matheson ts make sure it gets where it's going and
Trace to guard them all with his life. 6alen pulls himself up on his elbows, looking completely wrung out.

tr once had a terribte hangover. Felt Iike an insect had crawled into my motrth and done something
very nasty. (looks to Dureena) Eureena, I'm sorry" I never really understood your pain. To feel the agony
of another species as its children are slaughtered one by one.-"is alrnost unbearable-

Ealen:

SAVO

IV

6ideon and Trace stand 0n the surface watching the swarm of bugs take off into the sparse vegetation, Gideon aslts
Trace if he's sure he wants to stay here, but Trace has found a purpsse- Soon, lhis world wiil be crawling with
excavators, archaealogists and scientists looking for the ancient Drakh cities and any evidence they can find about
how they tested the plague here. In fact, Eilerson and a group from IPX have already started setting up carnp now
that they knew what to leak for- While he trusts Eilerson-.,to a peint...it would be too easy for the new people to roll
right over this species in their desperate search for answprs and he's gotta make sure that never happens. Gideon
tells him if he ever changes his mind, there's a place for him on the Ercalibur. Trace thanks him and says he may
take him up on that, but for now, his place is here. Gideon shakes his hand, thanking him for the reminder of what
being human really shoufd mean.

Editar's Notes: For those wha dan't knoW this episode was originaf ly the one and only stript that was created for
the never te be seen second season of Crusade" Originally slated far the latter half of the first seasan, JMS decided
it f it better there and pulled it fram the shaoting schedule.
When I startEd this project though, I didn't want to leave it out.-.it was a fantastit script! Another large issue I had
for the project was the lack of a resolutian to the Dureena trilogy drc. Rather than write an entirely new, purely
fanfic episade to wrap up that arc, I wondered if I could use this script to put together another laosely based
trilogy. Personally, I 4ike the way they tied together, and the modifications made to it are minor at best.

l) The planet was ariginally unnamed" By raf ling it Savo IV (the name given to the warld in the next episade
already) it pravided the first thread to tie the new trilogy together2) Trace was not in the script. For Trace, read 'Ensign James', a generic character created to fill the role.

3)

4)

While karc was fleyer ny favorite character, I decided I didn't have TNT forbidding his use, so he should
get at least a good seod off. After all, the trilogy was originally supposed to be about him. The original
sript had'James' join Gideon an the planet to release the bugs, then they all leave. Why did I have Trace
stay? Read the next scr-iptThe frrakh connection- trn the originaf, the Orakh came ftere to test the plag$e, but that's their only
connection. The bugs took them over by crawling inside them- By having this be where the Drakh lived
before the Shadows toak them off to Za'ha'Oum, it provided a reason for EarthForce to have a serious
interest in this planet. The whole stealing the telepathir bugs mental connection angle I just liked. The
0rakh suppasedly use genetic engineering extensively on thenselves, what if that was toward the
beginning of that trendWhen the bug releases 6alen in doesn\ trattel to Trace/James. It returns to tt're ceffin, as do all the bugs
that James was protefti*g. They seal it ug briog it to the planet and release them-

ninar alterations allowed me to fit this episode in here. If you don't like it,
description of the changes gives you a feel for what the originalseason two episode would have been.

So, all in all, only a few very

I hope the

Waf StOfy (November z5th,zz67)

Written By: Richard Mueller
SPACE

ABOVE SAVO IV

The EarthForce 0mega-class ships Romulus and Hector orbit the dead looking world.
ROMULUS BRIDGE

A lieutenant approaches Captain Ward, saying what an easy assignment they'd drawn, guarding this dust ballof a
world. Ward reminds him that not only was this world the testing site for the Dral<h plague that devastated Earth,
there's a buried Orakh colony down there. That alone could provide all the answers about their most deadly
enemy, especially now that they've confirmed those buggers are immune to the plague. The officer is saved by a
signal from the surface...but it isn't coming from one of their teams on the surfaceSAVO

IV

Eilerson scrambles over to where one of his people is freal<ing out over setting of f some kind of Drakh equipmentHe hits a switch, disabling it and reiterates his instruction.-.excavate, don't touch. The Romuluscontacts him and
Eilerson assures him everything is f ine. Some of the equipment is just a little touchy, being a few thousand years
old and all. Ward tells him to watch it, the last thing they want is the Dral<h to l<now what we're doing hereEilerson can't agree more, he's had more than enough work interrupted by their weapon f ire.
ROMULUS BRIDGE

ThecaptaintellsthelieutenanttocontactlheHectorandhavethemmoveoff
alittle. If anythingdoesgowrong,
he wants to give them the maximum coverage possible. His counterpart on the Hector agrees and they starl to pull
apart- As they do so, multiple jump points open belween them. Both ships go to battle stations, but it's too late.
The element of surprise on their side, the Drakh cut right through both ships, then disappear back into hyperspace.
ABOVE MARS
The Excaliburis in orbit along with another vessel, the civilian liner Chaumont.
EXCALIBUR

CONFERENCE ROOM

Gideon is being debriefed by General Thompson. They're leaving orbit three days early for their return trip to Savo
IV. Gideon is conf used, they were called all the way bacl< to escort a convoy of three ships f ull of miners and
archaeologists from IPX to dig down and search the Drakh cities buried beneath the surface. By leaving a f ull two
days early, two of the ships willbe lef t behind. What's the rush? Thomson tells him that the two EarthForce ships
left behind to guard their interests there haven't checked back in for twenty-four hours and can't be reached on
any channel. fhey're assuming the worst. Gideon is taken aback, he knew Captain Ward, he was a good man- He
asks about his team on the planet, but Thompson says they have no way of knowing. The world is too far away for
any equipment they have on the surface to reach any of the com relays between them and their nearest outpost.
He needs Gideon and the Excaliburto leave now with the Chaumont and a platoon of marines and to hold the planet
until reinforcements arrive with the rest of the convoy- Gideon's unsure whether sending the Excaliburalone into
this situation is wise, but the Eeneral tells him in no uncertain terms Ihis isn't debatable and dismisses him.

FLIBHT DECK
Matheson watches the shuttles dock, dumping row af ter row of 6R0P0S onto the deck. They're under the watchf ul
eye of Captain Stubbs. Stubbs comes forward and salutes Matheson, who's a little uncomfortable with the military
stif f ness. He's served with Eideon since he signed on and is used to the more relaxed atmosphere he promotes. He
shoots bacl< an awl<ward salute and tells the captain his security people willshow the GR0P0S where to berth and
once they're settled in, he'll take Stubbs to see Gideon.

[ORRIt]OR OUTSIDE CREW OUARTERS

The GR0P0S are stowing their gear as lhe Excaliburgets under way. Stubbs mal<es sure [he Troop Sergeant knows
to keep everyone in line and he returns a grin in the affirmative" Under his nech are a multitude of scars"..he's

mule.
BRIDGE
Matheson reports thatallof lheir passengers are settled in and from the looks of them, he's glad they're on our
Gideon tells him thaI he wants him to be in charge of keeping order on the ship untilthey get back to Savo IV"
He doesn't l<now Stubbs and needs someone he trusts implicitly to l<eep things running smoothly. And to watch
Dureena, their biggest potentiallose cannon with this many warrior-types on board. Matheson agrees, then tells
him they have an incoming transmission from lhe Chaumont. Captain Croonquist reports they have alltheir
passengers and equipment stowed and lhey're ready to get underway" Gideon orders their best possible speed, he
doesn't want to l<eep his people on the ground waiting a second longer than he has to. The two ships jump

side

together.
MEDBAY

Dureena enters and goes unnoticed for a few seconds with all the chaos of the extra bodies on board- She tal<es
special not of the new medical telepath, Gwen Tracy, who has long blonde hair" When Chambers nstices her
slaring down her new staf f member, she's curious. Dureena simply says she doesn't understand yellow hair. It
makes you too easy to spot- Shaking her head, Chambers asks if she can help her with anything and Dureena asl<s
if she can get a shot of call<ilona. Chambers is reluctant, it's a stimulant for ref lexes, visualacuity and sense
memory" For any of her human patients she'd never recommend it- Dureena points out she's not human and has
used it on many occasions where she might be battling for her life. With the coming Dral<h battle, she wants to be
at her best- This is the first time she's heading into a situation where she can plan for combat against the l<illers of
her world. When Chambers hesitates, Dureena asks if she hates war. Chambers tells her that as a doctor she's
sworn lo protect and save lives---she's even been studying Drahh anatomy so she could help one too if the situation
called for it. Dureena promises to try to save her enough pieces big enough to continue her studies- Chambers is
saddened by her attitude, but ultimately agrees to have Dr- Tracy give her the shot. Tracy does so and Dureena
points her finger lil<e a pistol, pretending to shoot at her hair as she leaves.
MESS HALL

Stubbs sees Gideon enter and invites him over- Gideon joins him, asking if he and his men have settled in. Stubbs
assures Gideon he gave allhis men the usualspeech about being on their best behavior, bul Gideon's not
worried.,.he's served with marines before. He asl<s Stubbs if the unit has been together long. Stubbs telis him his
senior rnen have been with him for over two years, the res[ are straighl out of boot- The Dral<h plague stranded a
lot of good soldiers on the planet and they've been worl<ing hard to build the ranks bacl< up. The last time he and
his men faced the Dral<h the ship that dropped them hit the wrong landing zone and fourteen of his best were killed
in under a minute, Gideon assures him they don't mal<e those l<ind of mistake here- Suddenly both their wristlinks
go of f simultaneouslyREC DECK
As Gideon and Stubbs enter, one of the GROPOS hits the wailhard right in iront of them. Looking around they see
two more already down and Dureena circling a third with a menacing glint in her eyes. As ihe Troop Sergeant
blows a whislle, Gideon orders Dureena lo stand down. Stubbs approaches his men, demanding to know who

started this. 0ureena proudly

tal<es credit.

Dureena: One of them called me a narne I didn't

Gideon: He called you a thief?
Dureena:He called me a girl.

lil<e-

WhilE Stubbs dresses down his men for their behavior, Gideon tells 0ureena they have to talk- She ref uses to
apologize to hin'1, she won't be called narnes. Gidesn tries to explain they weren't calling her narnes, she is a
female. She says a girl [s a young thing that needs to be protected, and that's fiot her. Ptus, he had two different
cofored eyes, a sign of evil among her people. He explains to her that he lost an eye in combat with the Brakh and
the replacement eye doesn't match- She says she'll apologize, but he's worried she's acting rnore aggressive than
usual. This is the first timp she has a chance to kill Brakh with her bare hands, to avengp those they rnurdered on
her homewor:ld. She sees his disapproval and says Chambers gave him the same look when she tried to explain this
to her- Gideon corects her, saying that he's sure Eharnbers does understand...ss does he- No sfie who's been a
victim of the 0rakh can honestly claim they don't want revenge- But they all have to temper that feeling with their
duty. If the situation sf Savo IV calls for thern to kilt Drakh, she has his blessings. However, if diplomacy can win
the day and he decides it's best, he needs t0 know she'll stand down, otherwise he can't afford to send her
planetside. She reluctently agrees and gives her word, which is good enough for him- Gideon's wristlink goes off
and he's summsned to the bridge.
BRID6E
The Excaliburand Chaamsntjump out of hyperspace o\rer Savo IV and irnmedlately read the wreckage in orbit.
Matheson confirrns it's enough for two Omega-class ships. They've scanned the surface and found no signs of
Drakh ships or weapons fire, so there's that to be hopeful for. They contact the surface and an annoyed, but
relieved Eilerson responds, wanting to know why no one's answered them for days. Bidaon explains the situation
and asks if he wants to corne back up, but they've just started Lo make some progress, s0 as long as everything
looks sale for the moment, he'd jr-rst as soen stay. Shaking his head at Eilerson's stubbornness, he agrees, but tells
him to expect company in the form of Mstheson, Bureena and a who[e bunch of rnarines" Now knowing he has a
small arrny watchlng his back, Eilerson gets even rnore cocky. Before he can becsme too annoying, 6ideen closes

the channelon him mid-sentenceAs the GR0P0S prepare to head down, Gideon orders all of their fighters to be launched immediately. The ooly way
two well trained and urell arrned 0mega-class ships could have been destroyed was a sneak attaclq, and he wasn't
going te let them pullthe same t.ick twice. Captain Croonquist contacts him and asks for permission to land her
ship and is extrernely annoyed when frideon insists she wait until lhe GR0POS have set up a perimeter and secured

the areaSAVO

IV

The shuttles land on thE surface and Matheso* and ilureena are rnet by Trace. He poinrs out they've come tull
circle..-thay first met when the Drakh and EarthForce went into battle on Ceti IV and now histor-y seerns to be
repeating itself. Matheson points out that at least this iirne they don't have a Drakh fleet in orbit and Drakh
soldiers on the ground. Trace looks over at the dozens of ER0F0S disembarking the shuttles and guesses they're
expecting thaI to change shortly. Matheson can't disagree and reports to 6ideon that the area is secure if he wants
to send the Chaumoof down.

BRIEEE
Sideen is sitting in the captai*'s chair, just staring at the viewsereeo when another rnessage corrlss in frem Captain
Croonquist. She heard Matheson's alI clear and demands to know what the hold-up is. Eideon has a bad feeling
about all of this and against her very vocal protests tells her to stand-by. Af ter a minute the Chaumonf begins to
move toward the planet anyway and Bideon orders the com off icer to get Croonquist bacl< on the line. At that
rnornent multiple jump points appear and six Drakh ruise.s corne streaking out, weapons already blazing- 6ideon
orders lhe Excaliburto dive down lo keep its hulI between the Drakh and the defenseless liner. He orders all
fighters to open fire and for the Exratiburta let loose with everything she's got (short of the rnain guns af course).

SAVO

IV

One of the Drakh ships has broken through lhe line of fighters above and is preparing a strafing run past the

marines. Stubbs orders his men to tal<e cover, but many are stillkilled in the first salvo, which also tal<es out both
shultles. The ship cuts to the lef t and swings bacl< around,l<illing severalmore GROPOS who can't get out of thre
way fast enough. Matheson has his PPG drawn but Stubbs says that won't even dent the hullof a cruiser" He pulls
ouI a rosket launcher, but there's no way he can hit a ship going that fast. The Drakh swing around and mal<e a
third pass, this time missing everyone, the GR0P0S have successf ulty dug into cover.,-for now. Stubbs says he
doesn't have to hit it while it's moving thai fast and aims [o a spot in the distance, Sure enough, the Dral<h turn
back, angling lef t at the same spot, making their trajectory easy to predict. Stubbs f ires the missile, sending the
cruiser plummeting to the ground af ter impactBRIDGE
The f ight in orbil isn'l going nearly as well" Nearly a third of their fighters have been destroyed and they've only
managed to take out another two Drakh cruisers. Gideon orders the f ighters to stop protecting the Chaumont
realizing he could be sentencing everyone on board her to a f iery death, but also knowing he can't win this fighting
a defensive
SAVO

battle.

IV

The surviving GROPOS, Matheson, Dureena and Trace crest the top ol the hill to survey the crashed Dral<h ship- In
horror, Trace realizes that the crash site is where the sentient insects he'd sworn to protect had set up their new
colony. Without thinking he grabs a weapon and runs down toward the crash. Dureena hops over the hill.
Matheson: Where do you thinl< you're going?
Dureena: Af ter him. (pulls out her l<nife) And if
Matheson: The captain wants them alive!

Dureena:

happen to spot any Dral<h along the way.-.

If possible- Wait here" If they're laying a trap,

no point in

allof

us falling into it.

Before he can stop her she bolts after Trace, gaining on him at an impressive pace" She reaches him just as a Dral<h
soldier appears out of the top hatch of the ship and tal<es his shot. Dureena tacl<les him to the ground in the nicl< of
time,l<nocl<ing him out in the process. She checks and sees he's stillalive then picks up the gun he was carrying
and picks off the Dral<h in one shot. Seeing the GROPOS coming over the hill, she decides to lead the charge and
heads for the shipwhen suddenly the ground slarts to shake uncontrollablyBRIDGE
The battle is stillgoing poorly when suddenly the read another energy spike, bigger lhan anything they've ever
seen before. From behind the planet a blinding white vessel the size of a moon has appeared, presumably from
hyperspace but no one sees a jump point having formed. The Dral<h ship break formation and scatter, not waiting
around [o see what its intentions are.
SAVO

IV

The ship is almost blinding in it's so bright- It shoots a light beam down onto Dureena, stopping her momentum
toward the fallen 0ral<h ship. She screarns into the sl<y, wanting to l<now who they are and what they want, In a
f lash the light beam vanishes, tal<ing Dureena with it. As Matheson and Stubbs run toward her last position, the
ship turns on its side and seems to shimmer out of existence- Both it..,and Dureena-.-are gone.
BRIDGE
Back on the ship sorne time later, Matheson tall<s to Captain Croonquist, who has f inally been given permission to
land. She wishes she could speal< to Gideon, to apologize for her actions. Maybe if she would have stayed in
position he wouldn't have had to improvise so much" She asl<s how many casualties they had, but Matheson isn't in
the mood to talk numbers"

MEOBAY

Stubbs and Gideon both stand and solemnly watch as their men are brought in. The GR0P0S seem to outnumber
the Excaliburdead, but mainly because most of the ship's losses were f ighters, leaving no bodies behind in their
destruction. Gideon says he's sorry about Stubbs' men, but Stubbs tells him they got them to the right place at the
right time. The rest was war. Stubbs returns the condolences, even about Dureena, but Gideon is quick to point out
she's only missing. Stubbs says he liked her, she had the soulo[ a marine. Gideon tells him he'llrelay the
compliment when he gets her back"
CONFERENCE ROOM

with Gideon and asks if the offer to come back aboard is still good- Gideon says he thought that af ter
the Drakh ship was cleared it found the insect colony in one piece. Trace is thankf ul for that and still thinks he can
do some good here, but Dureena saved his llfe down there. Because of that she got taken. Gideon says they can't
know that's true, but Trace says they can't know it's not either, When they f ind her he mighl need a good pitot to
get them to where ever she's being held.
Trace meets

Trace: Wait.."we are going af ter her, aren't we?

Gideon: We can't start turning the universe upside down in a blind search for one crew member, no matter
how badly either of us may want to. We have to stay focused on the mission.
Trace: I can't believe you're leaving her to that...that thing"
6ideon: I never said that- We might have to go to our next assignment, but I'll use every resource at my
disposal, call in every favor I have and sell my soul to the devil if I have to f ind where she is. And when I do,
heaven help anyone who tries to stop us then-

Editor's Notes: For those who don't know, this episode had a writer's draft of a script made, one that was not seen
nor approved by JMS. While reading it you can see a few places where the charailers,/plot don't quite feelright,
but let's cut it some slack, it was only a first draft. As for alterations.".

1)

2)
3)

The reason for EarthForce being interested in this world is because there's a mineral called ditillium that's
used in the production of medicines that's found in great abundance there. The Excalibur is escorting a
group of miners to dig it up. ?verall, I think the change to bringing archaeologists and miners to help dig
out the ancient Drakh cities upped the ante a bit. After a/1, Earth is already digging up a medicalmineral
(The Long Road). And having part of the Excalibur crew having been left behind adds some urgency to our

mission.
The 1rakh come barreling in not because Eilerson's IPX people tripped an old signal, but for some reason
the Drakh had launched a burglar alarm beacon onto this planet- When they arrive, Matheson, 0ureena
and the Marines go down to secure the area and wipe out the beacon (instead of securing the IPX team).
Trace-.-well, not much of a rale to play here. He's still here, protecting the bugs and helping the IPX team
where he can. In the originalscript Dureena is simply running to the ship to break in and killDrakh. Having
her ga save Trace I think is a better angle. Quite honestly, the originalscript's biggest flaw, in my opinion,
is that it paints 1ureena as a crazed warrior woman, only out to slit as many 1rakh throats as she can. She
talks at length about the gory things she wants to do to them. She shoots herself up with drugs to become
a roided out killing machine- Earlier in the series this might have flown, but I think she's grown some- Yes,
that's stilla big part of her, which is why I left it in as a strong theme, but she's far more than that. In the
origina/script after her fight with the marines, her talk with Gideon is simply, let me go kill them, and he
basically says, yeah, go for it. Like I said, overall I liked the script, but it definitely had some roam for
character improvement, which I hope I provided-

The Walls of

Hell(December 6th,z26t)

0utlined Ey: Larry DiTillio

UNKNOWN LOCATION
Dureena is alone in an alien-looking room, strapped face down to a table. As a foot long needle enters her back, she
lets out a primal screarn of pain and rageEXCALIBUR

GIDEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon and Matheson discuss their lacl< of progress on the search for Oureena. Matheson mentions that Trace is
working on modifying a shuttle with faster engines, more sensitive controls and even sorne weapons to distract
himself- Bideon is being pressed by Earth6ov to continue search for the cure. His superiors believe (and even he
has to concede) that the giant ship could be anywhere, so there's no reason to stick close to Savo IV. At least 6alen
is stillout searching, whlch gives him hope. Gideon laments they tried everything- Matheson says not everything
and indicates Apocalypse Box- Gideon shocked Matheson l<nows about the Box, he was certain he'd kept it a secrel
until now. Matheson is emphatic that he never once violated the new laws on telepaths, he was just being good
f irst of f icer. They take out Apocalypse Box and ask it if it knows where Dureena is, but it will only tell
Matheson.."alone. 6ideon reluctantly agrees and steps outside. A mere few seconds later Gideon hears a scream
inside his quarters and opens the door to f ind Matheson---unconscious.
Matheson is starting to stir, but is still very out of it- Gideon demands the Apocalypse Box explain what it did, but
gets no answer- He grabs it and asks again...forcef ully, but it remains dark and silent- Matheson suddenly sits up,
telling him it worked- His eyes are pulsating with the same light usually in the Apocalypse Box- He knows where
Dureena is and they must get to the bridge immediately- Gideon insists on medbay, but Matheson says the location
is already fading. They have to hurry or it'll all be lor nothing.
BULLET CAR
Gideon helps lead Matheson onto the f irst car, one already occupied by three other crewman. Matheson begins to
scream again, saying he can hear all their thoughts- He can't block them and it's too much. Gideon orders them out
and they head to the bridge.

BRID6E
Matheson says the bridge must be cleared or he won't be able to focus- Gideon hesitates, but acquiesces when
Matheson begs him to let him help Dureena.0n the bridge Matheson approaches the helm, but says Gideon's
thoughts and worries are stillblocking him. He asks him to wait outside. When Gideon hesitates again, Matheson
reminds him there's a security station just outside the door where he can monitor everything. He just needs
Gideon out of line of sight. Gideon steps out and Matheson turns to the helm, touching it with his f ingertips. We
see a strearn of energy arcing from them into the console and a small smile form on Matheson's lipsFLIGHT OECK
Trace is working on the shuttle when he receives a com f rom Matheson. He tells Trace that they've found where
Bureena is and will need him and the modif ied shuttle when they arrive. Trace is thrilled but anxious...his
modif ications have been set up but he hasn't really tested them. Matheson tells him he has faith in his abilities.
Trace thanks him and says he'll run checks on the alterations unlil the last possible second, but will be ready to go
as soon as twenty rninutes. He asks for an ETA, but Matheson has cut the connection-

SECIJRITY STATION

Just outside of the bridge, the medical tetepath, Dr. Gwen Tracy, arrives and asks r*hat's going on. Gideon vamps
about Matheson coming into contact with an alien artifact thai apparently enhanced his abitities. Tracy is pissed,
she was brought on board after Tarriff's Colony because along with her Psi Corps med training, her dissertation
was on genetic manipulations and telepathic artifacts of the First 0nes- She's also spent the years leading up to the
Telepath Crisis studying the telepaths captured by the Shadows to use as processors for their ships, until-..she
stops, the Ioss and sadness on her face enough for Gideon not to push- Sideon says they didn't know the artifact
was telepathic in nature then slops her from cutting him off with more qtrestions he can't/won't answer. Tracy
yields, but wants to know what he's doing alone on the bridge. Eideon tElls her he thinks he can find Dureena, but
the thoughts of the crew are hurting him, hence the privacy. She's worried, if a trained Pb like him is being that
overwhelmed, this could be doing serious damage to his brain. She's sympathetic about finding Dureena, but asl<s
if he's willing to risk crippling 0r even killing Matheson on the off chance he's right.
BRIDBE
As they talk, Matheson is listening to every word- As she speaks abeut brain damage, a drop of blood forms in the
corner oF his righl eye, only to be vaporized a second later in the strange Apocalypse Box style light pulses still

happening in them.
SECURITY STATII]N
As the blood evaparates, nEither Tracy or Gideon notice. Their chief engineer, RandalI Singleton, rushes up out of
breath and covered in sweat. Gideon's curious why he didn't take the bullet car, but finds out it and all the elevator
shaf ts are out of service. He's had to worm his way through service tunnels t0 get here as most of the main doors
are sealed as well. Gideon losks at the monitor with a sinking feeling. Singleton says that's not the worst of it-

Apparently the causp of the problem is the little understood Vorlon tech that enhances their engines and scanners
and is the rnain power behind their weapons. The Vorlons taught the Minbari how to grow and replace these parts
as needed, but no ene has any real understanding of how they work, only that they do-

Eideon: Thank you Mr. Singleton, but I have read the booi< on myshipSingleton: Sorry, sir- I just wanted to make sure you understood the gravity of the problemGideon: Which is...?
Singleton: The Vorlon tech is sornehow mutating. Being organic, it's grown within the system, but is
supposed to stop utrhere thE Vortons programmed it to. Either by accident Br design, something's making it
expand again, snd it's spreading intc other systerns and takieg over their tunctions.
Singleton is beyond nervous, the crew is no longer in charge of the ship. Matheson's vcice breaks through over the
coms, rnaking it obvious he's been monitoring every word being said. He tells Gideon to trust him, he's doing
what's necessary to get the Excaliburwhere it has to go. He's in complete controf of everything, so sit back and
enjoy the ride.
FLIEHT I}ECK
Deep into his work, Trace gets another Fnessage frorn Matheson. Trace assures him everything's put back together
and all the checks he's run s0 far show everything should work perfectty. He asks if rnaybe an EarthForce pitot can
corne dswn end check the newly installed weapon upgrades since as a civilian he's a little sut of his depth thereMatheson tells him atlthe pilots are occupied, but that's a good idea. He teils Trace to form a hardline connection
between the shuttle and the flight deck computer and they'll run the checks remotely- Trace says that isn't
necessary, a wireless com should work just f ine. He hears a little f rustration in Matheson's tone when he comes
back on again, telling him that lor something like this, a hardline connection is rnore stable- Trace has never heard
anything like that before, but has rio reason to deubt him, so tells him he'll do it immediatety-

SECURITY STATION
Gidecn, Singleton and the crew mernbers who were on bridge duty can't seern [o find a way to override thE door,
Mathessn's instituted the lockdown routines for when the ship has been invaded by hostiles- Gideon says that
much is clear, but from his understanding he should have command codes to override this. And even if Matheson's
gone s0 far as to override those, Singleton should be able to bypass the system, this is his bailiwick af ter all.
Singleton's ernbarrassed by his lack of progress, but says he sees evidence in the coding that the Vorlon
components have reached the security sub-roulines down in engineericg and are now overriding thern. CIn the
bright side, Sing[eton has managed tc cut the cs,Tr feed s0 Matheson can't heatr them anyrnore- Tracy points out
that only may be true, with hls enhanced rnentalabilities, he could be reading them even thr.ough the bulkheadGideen says they'll have to risk it. They feel the ship surge then shudder, both immediately identifying the
sensation as forming a jurnp point and entering hyperspace. Tracy whispers oh no behind them and GidBon asks
"what now?". Tracy reminds him that hyperspace dramatically increases a telepaths abilities- Gideon doesn't
understand, from whal MathEson's told him in the past the shietdiag sn the ship negates 99% of that- Is she
worried that such a srnall boost will push hirn over the edge? She says normally that's true, but if what Gideon
suspects is happenlng actually is, then Mathessn is directly connected to the ship and there's a chance he's drawing
ln those enhancing energies through the entire length al his new mile and a halt long body. Sideon says he needs
onto the bridge...now! Singleton tells him if he cross connects some of the systems from the security panel in front
of him into the environrnental relays running through the wall behind him, he should be able to get a big explosion.
He can't guarantee how controlled it'll be, but shauldbe big enough to blow a hole through the door- 0f course it's
possibte it could aiso darnage a prirnary system being this close to the bridge, there's rlo way ts know wlthout
running cornputer rnodels first- It's a risk that he's not sure he'd take, but 6ideon's riever ooe to shy away from a
game of chance. He srders the rest of the crew to ga down the halI and around the corner as Singleton gets to
work. Before she leaves, Tracy notes that he enjoys this kind of thing fartoo much to be heatthy and should
consider seeing sorneone. He f ights back an evil grin and orders her to get movingBRINEE
Matheson is intent on his work---whatever his endgame nnight be- Eehind him the door blews but he doesn't move
from the hekn, Eideon and the resl enter arnred vrith FPE's (except for Tracy who won't take one). Gidpon tells
him it's over, he needs to stand down. Matheson slowly turns, the energy connection from his fingertips to the
console being severed" For a brief second 0ideon thinks he's complying until he tells him the connection is strong
enough that he no longer needs physical contact to maintain it- He's disappointed that Gideon wouldn't trust him.
He'll get over it, but he won't let 6ideen's lack of faith in him endanger Bureena- Bideon tries to talk hinr down,
telling him he knows that he feels responsible to what happened to her. He uren't try to convince him it's not true,
though FYI it's not, he's lived with enough of his own guilt to know your hEad doesn't lead when it comes to guilt,
your heart does. And he urants to save Bureena as much as Matheson does, but he won't sacrifice the best first
off icer...hell, the best man he's ever known on the of f chance he's somehow received divine providence revealing
her location. Matheson insists he knows, it's not a delusion or guilt. Eideon tells him if he knew for a fact that it was
Matheson talking and not the--.he hesitates.--artitact-.., he might evpn consider letting him make the sacrifice. As it
stands, that's not gofirla happen. Matheson asks him what makes him think he has a shoice. With a wave af his
arrn, Singleton, Tracy and the other srew mernbers drop to the f[oor uncoftscious, leaving only Gideon and
Matheson. Gideon says the real Matheson would never have done that aod asks if he's naxt. Matheson says no, for
you I have something special. The room fades..EAS PHOENIX

BECEMBER 2266

Gideon suddenly finds hirnself slanding eleven mcnth in the past, watching ISN on the monitor as it shows a live
feed of lhe Drakh plague being released lnto the atmosphere of Earth. He's 90% sure it's not real, but il's more real
than any drearn he's ever had. Crewman Jensen (the Mouth) turns on hirn and yetts that we could have been there.
We were scheduled to be home in three weeks for a refit, there was no reason to take the com system down for
repairs" If not for that they would have gotten the call to Earth in time and maybe made a difference. Eideon is
shaken, but trying not to buy into it- He turns and storms away from Jensen and the others and as he rounds a

corner is hit with another f lash-

InstBad of continuing dcwn the corridor, he's efitered the bridge, with Jensen calrn[y manning his station sff to
one side- He pleasantly nods a greeting to Gideon, who is completely cocfr.lsed. Matheson cornes up behind him
causing him to turn and demand to know what's the purpese of making him relive this- From his reaction we can
tef I this isn't possessed ExcafiburMatheson, but the PhoenixMalheson sf a year ago. He tef fs Sideon that the
maintenance crews are ready ts take the com array off line. Gideon realiees it's days earlier and is thrown- If this is
a drearn, it's a cruel torture, unlike the man he knows Matheson to be, but possibly in line with whatever entity lives
in the ,{pocatypse Box. But not knowing the extent of Matheson's new abilities, there's a chance this is real. And if
it is, maybe he gets a ds-over for one of the biggest regrets of hls life. He figures in either case he has no idea how
to get back to that rnornent sn the bridge sf the Extaliburso decides to play it out- He orders a confused Matheson
ts recall lhe malntenance crew and once they're secured to set course for Earth, maxlrnurn bur*.
BRIDGE
Matheson faces his own demon...in the form of a figure that looks and sounds just like him" It says with the
enhanced power from hyperspace he's finally been able to worm hirnself free of the telepathic prison he was
placed in. He tries to figure cut who's in coatrol af his body, asking questions about whether it's a trapped alien
and even considering that it I5 a mutated form of himself, with this undamaged one acting as a conscience. The
Matheson Entity tells him that in the end it doesn't rnatter, the only thing that does matter is Dureena. The
Matheson Spirit asks if that includes his crew and captain, gesturing to their bodies on the f loor- The Entity tells
him that the others are simply sleeping and will awake when this is ovpr. As for Gideon, he's giving him a chance
rnost other people would kill for, to right one of the most horrible wrongs of their lives. The Spirit wants a better
explanation, but the efitity says he doesn't have tirre, he has to oncefitrate- They're here.
HYPERSPAEE

The Excalibur pierces what should be an impenetrable hyperspace veil with the help sf Matheson and the extensive
Vorlon enhancements now running through the ship. f he other side is nothing like hyperspace, it's a purple zone
with green electrical lightening igniting all around them...Dark Space. At the tpnter of all this chaos is sorne l<ind
of staticn- It's not quite as big as the *calibureven, but frcm the design aspects ef it, it at least appeers to have
been created by whoever built the ship that took Bureena.

BRIt}BE
The Entity tells his Spirit form that now they can get Dureena. The Spirit says that may be easier said than done.
From the other side of Bark Space, a trio of similarly designed ships is heading right for them.

EAs FI.IOENIX

I}EEEMBER 2266

They arrive at Earth just ahead al the Vktoryand *catt'bur. Matheson is right in character, having ns clue what
kind of ships those are. Having studied every scintilla of data available on this battle, Drakh ships and the Death
Cloud, Gideon tries to contact Sheridan, but he's tied up conversing with Eeneral Yuri Benisov of the Hermes,
trying to convince him of the incoming f leet. He opts to contct General Thompson instead. Thompson is in no
rnood to talk right now, bul Gideon uses his f uture knowledge of the Tarsier project to get his attention- He tells
him of a secondary attack wing and tells the Seneral to scramble everything they have into low Earth orbit.
Thompson is appalled, nothing on planet c&fi even help with what they new see on the screen- Eideon knows, but
says that's nst their jab. Leave the main fleel and the Beath f,toud to the fleet. If that fails, the 0rakh will launch a
plague using small craft that can sneak through the blockade- Thompson wants to knsw where he's getting his
information, so Gideon makes up a story about stumbling across a damaged 0rakh ship left behind the f leet on the
way here. Thompson pushes for more but Eideon doesn't have time- He says if he's wrong they wasted a little f uel.
If he's right, 10 billion lives can bE saved befsre they become infected-

Cutting the channel, Matheson is confused, but Sideon just tells him he didn't have tlrne to argue. Matheson, being
his trusted right hand, needs no convincing. If he needs to know, Bideon will tell him- Matheson st&rts to bring the
ship into formation but Eideon tells him they've got this covered without us. We need to be in position in case
Thompson is an even bigger self-serving idiot than 6ideon already thinl<s.

BRIBGE
Matheson is holding his own single-handedly battling the three enerny ships. Each one is a third the size of the
Excalibur, but without launching fighters or having a crew to keep up with every detail, more shots are getting
through than the average battle they've been in- His Spirit form is checl<ing the readings coming in, saying that the
crystalline hullis showing damage in the red in some areas. They can't take rnany more hits. The Entity simply
says, then we won't- The Spirit sees him arming the main guns and is terrif ied. He tries to convince the Entity that
it'll take all of their power for almost a minute.,.they'll be a sitting duck. The Entity tells him his information is out
of date. He targets the f irst ship and obliterates it, the lights dim, but everything comes back to f ull power in about
three seconds. The Spirit is stunned as the Entity targets the second ship and takes it out with a shot- The third
ship wisely turns tail and heads back to the edge of Oark Space- The Spirit asks the Entity, what now? The Entity
smiles and contacts Trace, telling him it's go timeMODIFIED SHUTTLE
Trace is ready to go and heads for the station" Matheson gives him detailed instructions on where to go- Trace
approaches area but says he can't see an airlocl< of any kind- Matheson reminds him of the transport technology
these beings had, they'd have no use for an airlock- He tells Trace to line his hatch upat certain coordinates. Trace
is baf f led but complies. From the side of the shuttle a very Vorlon-lil<e tendril comes out, connecting with the hull
and burning right through it. Matheson tells Trace he has a hard lock, to open the airlock. Sliding on his breather
he takes a chance, seeing the inside of the station-

ALIEN STATION
Trace grabs an assault rifle and heads in. Inslde the base are several scabrous looking aliens who are shocked to
see him. He shoots the f irst and demands to l<now where Dureena is from the second. It doesn't seem to
understand, but it's a moot point as he hears her scream f rom down the hall. He hits the alien hard enough to
l<nocl< him out, and runs into Dureena's room. She's strapped down to a table with an alien hovering over her-..who
Trace shoots without hesitation when he sees it holding a saw-looking thing. He cuts her loose and helps her up,
not paying attention behind him. Dureena goes from needing Trace for support to a warrior, shoving him aside and
rolling as an approaching alien shoots at them- She comes up by a wallfullof ornamentalobjects and weapons and
in one f luid motion grabs a sword lrom the center, swings around and decapitates the alien" Trace pulls himself to
his feet in shock and says it's time to go. Before they leave she turns again, driving the sword through the headless
alien's chest with a roar of rage. She pulls it out, turns and tells him nowit's time to go- f hey hop bach in the
shuttle, but he doesn't have any controls to disconnect the tendril" He contacts Matheson who says it's taken care
of

Sure enough it has withdrawn into the shuttle. They head back to Excalibur.

EAS PHOENIX

* DECEMBER2266

In Gideon's "time loop" Matheson reports that the last of the Drakh plague shuttles has been destroyed- He does a
scan at Gideon's request. Matheson says one moment, completing his scan. Gideon asks well? With no response
he asks again to f ind himself alone on lhe Phoenils bridge. His face drops as even that background fades away...
BRIDGE
Gideon opens his eyes on the Excaliburagain. Tracy is already awake, hovering over Matheson who's unconscious
on the f loor- Pulling himself together he sees Dark Space for the f irst time on the viewscreen and asks for a status
from the crew- They tell him controls aren't responding, but they are moving out of this area in what's apparently
an exact reversal of the course that took them to...wherever here is. Gideon says that's something and orders
Singleton to get back to the engine room and get him control of his ship back. Lool<ing at an unconscious Matheson
he's hoping that may be easier now. He asks Tracy how he is and she says he appears to be sleeping but his pulse
and respiration are normal. She asks what the point of this all was but Gideon isn't listening- He's staring in shock
at the blown open entry to the bridge- There stands Trace and Dureena, still holding her sword dripping with alien
blood-

MEDBAY

Matheson and Dureena areboth recovering, neither one objecting to being told to stay in their beds. 0ureena
remembers nothing of her time on the statisn, or so she claims. Matheson says he knows the feeling. He has a few
hazy half rnemories, but everything else from the time this insanity started is a blur. He hopes that maybe
someday she'llget some answers, that she can make sense out of allof the insanity (though the way he phrases it
you can tell he's lhinking as much about his situation as hers)" She rolts over onto the bed and tells him she's sure
of it, her eyes never ieaving the sword {which is nsw gtowing)GIDEON'S EUARTER5

Gideon is staring at the Apocalypse Box- He asks what exactly is it? Boes it have an agenda of its own? The glow
and voice back home inside of it, it tells him their goals are the same- His door chimes and he says just a minute,
stashing the box back in its hidey-hole. Trace is at the door asl<ing to corne in. Bideon thanks him for what he did.
Trace is confused about pretty much all of it, bul is glad it allworked oul" Gideon asks if he's hed enough of planet
living and wants to cejein the mission. He's clearly proven he's an asset to the tearn. Trace thanks frim, but says he
has obligations back on Savs IV- Gideon shakes his head, saying to the bugs. Trace smiles and says yeah, to the
bugs- He thinks hurnaniiy's continued existence is well in hand with the tearn assembled here. The Drakh won't
win. The bugs however have already lost to them once and with how they're seen by most other aliens, he thinks
he can do more for their f uture than humanity's.
He tells Eideon he siepped by for another reas&n thaugh. Ever since Trace saw him en the bridge, he's recognized
the thousand yard stare- Something is tearing hirn apart. Siven how he fell apart a few weeks back, he think he
may be able to offer a sympathetic ear. Gideon declines, saying he'tl be just f i*e" but Trace doesn't let him off that
easy" He says as 0f now, he's not a mernber of Bideon's crew. He understands why he can't show what he might
perceive as weakness in front of them, but since that doesn't apply, he wishes Dideon would reconsider, He may

not have finished seminary training, but he got the listening part down. 6ideon's about to decline again but
something about Trace's sincerity gets to him. He nods, saying it allstarted lhe day before the plague was
released--"

Editor's Notes: 1kay, this one by far drifts furthest toward the realm of fanfic. Why? Because the ariginal was
simply the first half of a rough outline. Also, it was ta be the second part of the trilogy, not the third. Howevec
after reading whqt was planneQ all of the piercs were already in place, so the modificatians dt'dn't end up being as
severe as I'd feared.

fhe origina! has most of the sane story as my version{withaut the Trace subplot of course}. The Apacaiypse $ox,
the possession af Matheson, his blending wkh the sh[p, the traveling to'Dark Spa*', the medical telepath and
engineer...all there. InstEadof resolring the Rureena kidnapping though, it planned oo basically doing a 'Path of
Sorrows' rip off. Mathpson's powers would suck both him and fiideon into tlteir memaries to relive a mament from
their past- 1ideon, a card game where he must play to save a friend, but costs his oppanent her life. Matheson a
story about how his emerging telepathy turned his parents against him. Interestirtg.".maybe.."but I felt we'd been
there, done that. The trip to '0ark Space'---basically done for no other reason than to show off some CGI effects.
was to be a remnaot left aver by the First $oes and Eince Bureena was taken by a ship of the same style, it
seEmed to be a logical place to find hBr. Matheson originally just took ovr the {naifi ship componeots- I thought
using the not quite understood Vodon tech was an interesting twist- I kept a Oideon ffasltback, but changed it to
something I liked better- I thought, 'What if some decision he made prevented him from getting to Earth when
the Death Cloud arrived?'. Thinking he may have the opportunity to undo that mistake-..in the end Even having to
fae samething he tries not to tltink about-.-hapefully made it a gripping subplot-

It

be henEst, I thought abaut killing TraR aff to resolve the character, but considering he was ariginally written to
have parts of a chapfain tharacter, giving Eideon someane no langer in his crew to canfess ta seemed nice. |he
rest of the ending was basirally what was revealed about the original trilogy conclusion.-.Dureena returns with no

I'/l

memory and a mysterious, magialsword that will begin to change her.

fail, I chsse the names of the two new chararters from early drafts of the Crusade treatment- Gwen Tracy was
the original name for Chambers and SinEleton was one of the nanes considered for 6ideon.

Fun

End Of the Line

(December 3orh.zz6t)
Written By: J. Michael Straczynski

BRIB6E
Gideon races onto the bridge asking if they stillhave the signalthey've been tracking. Matheson says for now, and
Galen is trying to lock on nowGALEN'S FLYER
Galen is in his ship, staring at a silver pool in front of him, seemingly controlling it with a small ball he's rolling
between his f ingers" Eideon continually asks if he's locked onto it, causing Galen to shush him. As he hears
Matheson say the Excaliburhas lost the signal, he proudly reports he has a lock. With his system, no power on
heaven or Earth can break his lock nowBRiDGE
Gideon orders the navigational data from Galen's ship to be transferred to navigation"

Bideon: There it is, John. The long road, as Galen says- At the other end could be another one of the ships
that killed the Cerberus... or the base that built them..- or a whole ileet of them- Last time we went af ter
one of those things, we damn near got destroyed. You still up for this?

Matheson: Just give the word.

Gideon: Then let's do it. And let the devil take the hindmost.
Matheson: Aye, sir.
CORRIOOR

The crew his hustling through the halls when a crewmember, Jensen, stops another to asl< what's going on. The
other crewman tellhim that Gideon found his white whale again and they're on the way to hunt down the ship lhat
killed the Cerberus. He moves off to his station along with everyone else-..except Jensen, who moves with purpose

in the opposite direction.

BRIDsE
Gideon checks with Galen to make certain they're still tracking the signal, which 6alen confirms- He asks Matheson
what's in this sector, but Matheson says according to the records, their should be nothing. But if there is a base of
some sort here, there has to be a jump gate..-unless all of their ships are jump capable- Gideon notes a secret jump
gate means money and power. What are they getting themselves into?
Galen asl<s how close he wants to get to the signal and he decides just inside the system would probably be safestGalen tells them when to jump and they enter normalspace about tour hours from their target planet. Gideon
orders them to take it slow, hp wants to know ten seconds before anyone launches a ship at them. Galen interrupts,
saying they should be looking for things much smaller than an approaching ship- He points out a f ield of marblesized spheres in their path. Gideon calls for full stop and orders a probe launched into the f ield. As it makes
contact the screen is f illed with a giant explosi0n, as the impact against one marble triggers a chain reaction to the
restThey track the marbles back to a nearby planetoid- Matheson says it could have been an automated defense
system, but Gideon points out it took them time to drif t this far- Doing a few quick calculations, Matheson f igures
they were launched four hours ago, which means someone knew they were coming. They have a leak. He tells
Matheson he has exactly ten minutes to f ind and plug it.

Galen: Why exactly ten minutes?

Gideon: Last time we did this as a drill, he ran the whole com system in twelve minutes, which I believe
was a record. What good's a record if you can't breal< it?
Galen: I'm sure ihe f irst rnan to run the Greek marathon felt the same wayGideon: Why? What happened?

Ealen: He died.
JENSEN'S OUARTERS

Answering a chime at his door, Jensen opens it to f ind an empty hall. Suddenly a group of marines break through,
tahing him into custody. Gideon enters with Matheson, congratulaling him on f inding the ieal< in nine minutes,
twenty-f ive seconds. He reads Jensen's f ile, showing he was transferred on board [wo months eariier. He asl<s
why he was planted here and who exactly it is he's worl<ing for. Jensen says it doesn'I matter that he's been found
out...they're both dead. With that he activates a trigger on a prosthetic hand, triggering a bomb. Everyone (but
Jensen) manages to clear the room before it goes off.
MEDBAY

Gideon enters to see if Chambers can

tellhim anything abouI the bomb, Unfortunately, she's never seen anything

self -destruct as thoroughly as this bomb. She can't tellif it was made by humans, aliens or leprechauns. She did
notice something inleresling though. His service record is clean-..completely clean. Gideon says some people can
do that- He did...for about a week" She susperts it may have been planted, but she has no proof . Gideon is
unnerved. if she's right, thal means sompone high enough in EarthForce [o creale and plant a falte f ile is somehow
involved in this thing- He thanl<s her, but she says she didn't really give him any answprs. He points out that

sornetimes interesting questions are better than answersBRIDGE

They've arrived at a nearly featureless brown planetoid, Matheson says they've picked up a couple of unmarl<ed
domes on the surface, but nolhing else- And the signal the led them here has been turned off. A squadron of
f ighters is launched f rom the surface and Gideon orders their own to be deployed as well- As both sides tal<e up
position, Matheson gets an ID on the shuttles...they're starf ury and ihunderbolt designs. This is apparently an
EarthForce base. The pilots asl< if they're supposed to open f ire on their own ships, but Gideon tells them to stand
by for now while he tries to f igure lhis out.
A message comes in from the planetoid- The visual reveals a middle aged man in a major's uniform who orders
Gideon to stand down, Gideon reluctantly recalls his squadron and asks what an EarthForce base is doing out here.
0ver an open channel the major won'I even give his narne- Gideon invites himself down [o the planet for an
explanation but is again ordered away" Trying one last thing, Gideon says he has no way of knowing if this is a valid
order, the major could be a renegade or an imposter" He'llcallin a few more ships to arbitrate, Not wanting
anyone else to breach his space, the major agrees to let Gideon and one pilot come down- Matheson doesn't like
it..,what's an EarthForce base doing at the end of the trailleading to the killers of lhe Cerberus? Gideon doesn'L
know, but he's damn sure going to get scrne answers, whatever the risk,

PLANETARY BASE
Gideon mee[s with the major, Lee, in his of fice" Lee again orders Gideon out ol the system, telling him this is a top
secret weapon development base. It is f ranl<ly above his pay grade and he's not supposed to know about it or to be
investigating anywhere near this sector. If he doesn't leave, Lee willhave him replaced with someone more
compiiant before he knows what hit him. Mal<ing his position clear, he dismisses Eideon, this time expecting him lo
obey without question.
EXCALIBUR

CORRIDOR

Arriving back on the ship he tells Matheson to talie the system away from the base and once they're clear of it to
jump to hyperspace. Then, f ind him Galen"

GIDEON'S OUARTERS

Gideon f ills Galen in on what Lee told him on the surface. He still thinl<s Lee is hiding something- Galen points out
it rsa secret base. Gideon l<nows it's more than that, the trail from the Cerberusleads righl back here- Maybe
they're trying to dealwith the killer ship. Maybe it was stolen from here- Either way he needs answers. He needs
s0meone to sneak him onto the pianet and help him get around unseen once he's there" 0n both counls, that's
Galen, Galen asl<s hirn not to go, there's a point of no return in these types of things. Gideon says he understands

the danger.

6alen: I was not speaking of the physicaldanger, although that's part of it. You could be killed if you are
found in ihe wrong place at the wrong time. But more than that, if you 90, you rnay learn things you do not
wish to l<now. See things you should n0t see. There is very little innocence lef t in you.. are you sure you
want to sacrif ice the last of it?
Gideon: I have the lives of three hundred and sixty nine of f icers and crew on my conscience, Galen. When
they died, my innocence went with them- I have nolhing else to loseGalen: There you are wrong. But you will have to learn that in your own time; I only hope you do not learn

it too late. We will go.

DUREENA'S BUARTERS

Dureena is inside, studying the sword she brought bacl< with her af ter her kidnapping ordeal- As the door chimes it
begins to glow. Wanting lo heep her new prize hidden, she [hrows a blanket over it and answers the door to f ind
Gideon there. He tells her he needs a favor- If anything happens to him on the planet, she's lo break into his
quarters and f ind a datacrystalhe lef t there- It has allof the information he's been able to gather on the Cerberus
destruction- He can't give it to Matheson directly or it'll lool< like he was involved. She ashs where in his quarters,
bul he tells her if he wanted to revealihat, he wouldn't need a thief- She should mess the place up, maire it obvious
il was burglarized, then give the datacrystal to MaLheson. She agrees and lhe two say goodbyeGALEN'S SHIP
Gideon and Galen approach the surface, unseen by any l<ind of sensors. Gideon lells Galen he ordered scans run of
the planel, without telling anyone why, and found the base was twice as big underground as i[ was above. if they
go it ihere, hopefully there won't be any opposition" Galen ashs whal if he's wrong- Then he'llbe spending a long
time in a jail cell somewhere. Suddenly il dawns on Gideon thal if they're both back here, who's f lying the shipGalen tells him it f lies itself , However he has it protected against intruders and since it takes forever to take those
wards down, he suggest Gideon not wander about while he's on board.
CAVERN

* RESEARCH BASE

Arriving underground, Gideon makes his way through the tunnels- The place is huge and intimidating. Giant
conveyors move Shadow-style parts through various parts of the base. He can see darl< figures moving in the
distance, but can't mal<e out any details. The size and scope of it astounds him. Suddenly he comes upon one of
the darh f igures and f inds it's a woman-,.0r what was once a woman. She's complelely coated in Shadow black,
then screams in alarm as only a Shadow ship should be able to. Gideon tries to bolt back to Galen's ship, having
seen enough, but is stopped by a group of EarthForce rnarines..-very well-armed marines- l(nowing when not to
f ight, he puts up his hands.

BRI6
Major Lee confronts him, telling him this conversation is going to end one of two ways. Either he'll be recruited in
their ranks, or he'll be reported killed in a hyperspace accident. And Gideqn gets to choose. Gideon uses this offer
Lo get some answers. Lee asks if Gideon actually believed the Alliance, blending Vorlon and Minbari technologies
together, was the only race trying such things" 0r those were the only options to combine. Ten years ago Earth was
given Shadow technology, and they've been experimenting with it ever since- Gideon asks if his captain on the
Cerberusasked too many questions, but the answer is far more tragic. Being organic tech, their ships needed a
human host to act as central processors. Sometimes the blending went well, that time the person inside went
insane. Before they could stop the ship it got eway, destroying lhe Cerberusalong the way. It was a horrible
accident. Eideon is appalled they work with Shadow tech if that's the drawback, but Lee tells him not to judge
ihem so harshly. Af ter all, sorneone he's very close to has been using it for years. Gideon tries to put it together,
guessing Eilerson, but Lee reveals in is in fact Galen.
Gideon can't believe 6alen would ever use Shadow*tech, but Lee insists it's true- He asks hirn to really consider it0rganic tech woven into their bodies,..ships that think for themselves...it's obvious. The techno-mages didn't go
into hiding all those years ago because they were f leeing the Shadows, they left because Earth wanted what they
had and they refused to shars. If Eideon decides to join them, he rnust also lay a trap for Galen once he's on board,
He tells Gideon to make his choice. Gideon says he's not stupid, this place is the future, he agrees to help- Lee says
he'll send in a telepath to conf irrn his sincerity.
PLANETOID SURF,ACE
Galen's ship comes barreling toward the base, bursting through the walls.
CAVERNS

At the same instant his ship crashes, Galen blows the door t0 Gideon's cell apart, knocking Lee and two of the three
guerd unconscious- Bideon leaps onto the third, using the element of surprise to take him down. Ealen asks if he
waited long enough. Eideon says it'lldo. They nrake their way back through the tunnels, Ealen telling him he
ordered his ship to park at the same location he dropped Eideon off at" He asks Gideon to remain close, he's
providing a cloaking shield to hide their presence, but it takes a lot ef energy to expand it to fwo people- Sideon
comrnents that the thinking ship and cloaking field are so advanced, one might think they're organic tech. 6alen is
not happy Gideon learned as much as he has.
As they move through lhe caverns, Ealen sees the Shadow people workiag aerd is

horrified. He hands Sideon his

staff and tells him to head to the ship...he must end their misery. Gideon contlnues on as Galen works his way up
the catwalk into the center of the Shadow people. As they coriverge on him, a black skin simi[ar to their swn grows
over his body-.-then explodes outward in great force, killing them all. The explosion is so strong it knocks Bideon of f
his feet and he turns back to see Galen staggering toward him. The techno-magp loses consciousness and Gideon
drags him back to the ship.
EAi.EN'S FLYER
Back sn bsard, Salen confirms much of what Lee told him- Earth's quest to rnaster Shadow-tech was indeed one of
the reasons they went into hiding all those years ago. Salen was sent back to the outside world to see how far
they'd gotten, but he never suspected anything as perverse as what he just saw. Gideon tells him he rnust have
been a new kind of stupid not to have put this together before now. He asks if the only reason Galen saved him
from the Cerberuswas so that he'd have someone who could lead him to this. Galen is hurt and asks him what his
heart tells him. Gideon says it tells hirn never to trust anyone, ever again, He has Ealen set a course for Mars and
send a coded message to the Excaliburtelling them to meet him there. He plans on blowing the lld off of this entire
conspiracy- Galen asks what he should do once he drops Eideon off- Gideon tells hirn te just go away. Galen asks
for how long, but Gideon admits he just doesn't know.

MARS

Gideon is at a public com booth dressed in civilian clothes. He makes a call to the Excatiburand tells Eilerson he
needs his help to set up a meeting with the provisional governrnent. Given how deeply this cancer has spread into
EarthForce he can't trust using his own connections. Eilerson has the the clout and connections to pull this off. He
stresses it must be done in the strictest of conf idence, hp doesn't even want any of the crew to know. This is his
duty and he'll do it alone. Eilerson asks if Ealen will be there- Gideon gives him a terse no and severs the link.
Some time later Gideon is waiting to meet Eilerson when he's both pleased and annoyed to see Matheson, Dureena
and Chambers approaching with him. He's so focused on this he doesn't notice Galen keeping a discreet eye on him
frorn around the corner. Gideon meets up with the group and tells them again he doesn't want them to be any part
of this. Matheson tells him they talked it over and decided if he's going to do this, they're all standing with him.
Gideon appreciates the support, but only he can testify as a f irst hand witness to the atrocities. Eilerson says
they'd better hurry, it took a lot of doing to pull this of f on what little information 8ideon provided him and they
don't want to miss their windowFar above, a sniper takes position on the top of a neighboring building. At the last sEcond Galen catches a glimpse
of the gun and runs out, determined to stop another tragedy. He rushes forward, knocking people ovpr as he goes.

Balen: No! MathewlMathew! Get down!

Gideon hears him and turns, but it's too late- Multiple bullets strike hlnr in his chest, sending him to the
ground...and his death?