Lisa Collins was beginning to wish she had not promised to learn Narn so lightly. Studying a new human language was an undertaking itself, but here she had to learn scripts and phonetic groupings that were entirely alien.
"Where is the library?" asked the computer.
Lisa furrowed her brow for a moment, trying to remember the Narn word for library. Finally she repeated the computer's question in Narn.
"Incorrect." The computer then told her the correct pronunciation. To Lisa it sounded exactly the same as her version.
"Then what the hell did I just say?" she asked rhetorically.
"The spoon walks in space," the computer replied.
"What?"
The communications system came alive unexpectedly, and Lisa almost jumped out of her seat. "This is Babylon Control. You have permission to disembark."
"Thanks a bunch," she said sarcastically. It had been half a day since she had docked the ship.
"Babylon Control out."
Collins found a security guard waiting for her outside of customs. "Ma'am? Zack Allan. I'm supposed to escort you to the Captain's office."
"Lead the way, Mr. Allan." Lisa tried to keep an air of impatience from creeping into her voice, but did not quite succeed. Allan in turn looked very annoyed with her. As a psi cop she was not used to mundanes treating her as if her time was not valuable. Truth is many of them were scared to death of her.
"So, part of the Nightwatch?" Lisa asked as they entered a transport tube. "No offense, but you guys kind of creep me out and I'm a psi cop. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black, eh?"
Her joke failed to lighten the mood. Zack Allan only scowled, and then mumbled to himself. "Fifty extra credits a week they said... Not worth a fraggin' hundred."
After that awkwardness, Lisa felt some relief when they eventually arrived at Captain Sheridan's office. "Thank you, Zack," John Sheridan said. "That will be all."
Zack looked confused by the situation inside, but nodded and left the room. The entire command staff was present, and Collins recognized them from the files she had studied during her journey. Also in the room were Ta'Wher and a crowd of Minbari. Ambassador Delenn was obvious because of her hair, and Lisa concluded the other Minbari were the telepaths Bester had mentioned in his report.
"Ms. Collins, welcome to Babylon 5," Sheridan greeted her. He did not sound very enthused to have her aboard. The second in command, Ivanova, simply glared at her with such hatred Lisa could not block it out entirely.
"Thank you, Captain. I imagine you are about to offer me the same ultimatum Mr. Bester told me about, but before that I'd like to know if you've had any unexplained deaths or comas onboard the station in the past few days."
Dr. Franklin looked to Sheridan for confirmation before replying. "Yes. Several hours before you arrived a body was discovered in Down Below. That's-"
"I'm familiar with the layout of your station."
"After a complete autopsy we have not been able to determine the cause of death. Not long ago security found another lurker in comatose state. The victim died almost immediately after we brought him to Med Lab, again with no discernable cause. It was as if his brain simply shut down."
"Well, that confirms it then," Lisa said.
Sheridan bristled. "Ms. Collins, I do not like being kept in the dark about threats to my station. Now, your associate here has told us there is a rogue telepath onboard who caused these deaths. If this is true we have a right to all the information you have on this person."
"Yes, you do," Lisa agreed.
John Sheridan actually blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"
"Captain Sheridan, you're experiences with Mr. Bester aside, not every psi cop wants an adversarial relationship with normals while investigating a case. I am hoping we can cooperate in trying to stop the killer. I'm willing to share all the information I have with you as long as you understand one thing: the nature and existence of these murders cannot become public knowledge.
"The Corps wants the utmost secrecy on this, but if we lose it there's no reason not to turn this place into psi cop central. If you had this much trouble bringing me aboard, something tells me you don't want Black Omega squadron showing up at your door with orders to turn this place upside down, signed in triplicate by the President."
Lisa caught nervous glances being exchanged by the command staff. "Thank you for your candor, Ms. Collins," Sheridan said. "I hope you don't mind me being equally direct. We find the timing of your arrival a bit suspicious, and we don't have any reason to believe you will obey the rules for telepaths any more diligently than Mr. Bester does."
"I wouldn't put it past the Corps to murder two people as an excuse to smuggle you aboard," Ivanova said. Lisa crossed her arms, and then rolled her eyes at the Commander's display of paranoia. Ivanova looked as if she wanted to follow up on the accusation, but managed to restrain herself.
Sheridan continued. "So as you said earlier, we're giving you the same choice we gave Bester: either take the sleepers, or you'll have to work with the presence of our telepaths."
"The sleepers aren't an option. In order to survive getting close enough to take the killer down, I need my abilities intact."
"Well then, I believe you will be making some new friends during your stay here," Sheridan said, then spread his arms. The Minbari telepaths folded their hands together and nodded their heads in unison.
"We could do things your way, but in all honesty if we work at cross-purposes it doesn't help our chances at succeeding. I'd rather your telepaths were working with me instead of just watching over me.
"And so, I'll go you one better. I'll let your 'friends' scan me to verify that I do not intend to scan any of you."
This was met with stunned silence. Ta'Wher's mouth dropped open in a way that would have been humorous in another place and time. Lisa could hardly believe she had made the offer herself. She had thought it over extensively during her time waiting in the docking bay, and finally concluded that she did not like her chances of apprehending the fugitive without more help. This was the best way to get a telepathic edge over the new Mindblanker.
"Are you willing to consider my offer or not?" After she asked Lisa did not have long to wait for a response.
"I knew you'd try something like this," Ivanova cried out.
Garibaldi, who up until this point had been leaning silently against the edge of Sheridan's desk and scrutinizing Collins, said only "I don't like it."
"Captain, she must have some way to fool a scan," Ivanova continued, then turned to Collins. "You must think we are pretty stupid if you believe-"
"Commander, that's enough," Sheridan said sharply, annoyed with either his officer's outburst or more likely the entire situation. "Ms. Collins, you're going to have to give us some time to consider this. Why don't you head down to Med Lab and take a look at the autopsy reports? I'll call for you when I have made my decision."
"I know the way," Collins said. She turned to leave but then stopped herself. "Oh, and Captain, I suggest you don't take too much longer. Once the killer is comfortable with his surroundings the attacks will escalate." Lisa walked out of the room with Ta'Wher close behind.


The discussion following the psi cop's departure had been less heated than Sheridan had expected. The likelihood of further murders down below had convinced Ivanova that the risks were necessary, even if she was no more enamored with the situation or Ms. Collins. "I want you to go over every thought and memory in her head until she can't think straight. And if you push a little too hard and something breaks don't feel bad about it," Ivanova had quipped to the Minbari telepaths. Thinking the Commander was serious, the lead telepath had only assured her that the scan would not be life threatening.
Ultimately, Captain Sheridan probably would not have been willing to go through with this idea of testing the psi cop's intentions if not for his conversation with G'Kar earlier. There had been something different about G'Kar lately that Sheridan could not quite put his finger on, but he did know the former Ambassador had been very convincing.
The psi cop and her Narn bodyguard returned. The latter was someone John was no less curious about than his Security Chief was. Sheridan was sure that Bester would never tolerate such a presence, and anything that differentiated Collins from Bester was somehow slightly reassuring.
"I've made my decision," the Captain told Collins. "We'll go through with the scan, but of course I'll be reserving judgment based on what is found and how cooperative you are."
"Of course. I have to set the following ground rules: there are specific passwords, facility locations, and the like that are strictly off limits. Everything else is negotiable as long as your people are willing to swear to confidentiality. I'm taking a rather awful leap of faith to try to help you, Captain."
Lucef, the foremost of the gathered Minbari telepaths, spoke. "To use that information would be a breach of trust. Minbari telepaths would never do such thing."
The implication of Lucef's emphasis was not missed by Collins, who looked quite angry. "Well, let's get this foolishness over with," she said. "Captain?" Sheridan nodded.
"Please have a seat, Ms. Collins," Delenn said, indicating the nearby couch. After the psi cop sat the Minbari telepaths crowded in around her.
The Narn Ta'Wher looked somewhat apprehensive. He walked up to Sheridan. "You have accused us of having a hidden agenda," he said softly, but with some menace. "Rest assured that if you have your own agenda to use this scan against my friend, there will be dire consequences."
Over the next half hour not a lot happened, or rather not a lot happened that someone who is not a telepath could observe. Lucef and Delenn occasionally had brief exchanges in hushed voices. The psi cop looked very uncomfortable, occasionally holding her head as if in pain, and at one point John observed a few tears streaking down her face, which she quickly wiped away. The scan itself continued in silence, and the extraordinary length of time it took seem to mollify Ivanova. It seemed the Minbari telepaths really were leaving no stone unturned.
Finally, Lucef stood. "It is concluded," he announced.
"Good job," Collins said sarcastically, though she also sounded a bit shaken. "Human telepaths can scan someone without leaving the subject feeling like she's having four simultaneous brain hemorrhages."
"My apologies for any pain you experienced," Lucef replied, though without much empathy. He approached Delenn and Sheridan. "Captain. Ambassador." The telepath led them both out some distance into the hallway before speaking again.
"I believe it is safe to proceed as this woman advised. However I am rather disgusted by both her past conduct and the Psi Corps in general. Only humans could devise such an organization." Delenn looked disapprovingly at Lucef. "No offense intended, Captain Sheridan."
"None taken," he said, although he did feel annoyed.
"However, she was more cooperative than I expected, given the thoroughness of our search. I am confident that she will not enter the minds of your command staff, or yours, Ambassador.
"I am also convinced of the danger to this station, and as it turns out to Delenn in particular," Lucef continued. Sheridan frowned with concern. "The psi cop intends to explain this as soon as we return."
The three returned to Sheridan's office. "All right, Ms. Collins. We'll do things your way," Sheridan said. "And in exchange for your help in stopping the killer, we'll do our best to keep all this quiet. Nothing about this situation will leave the room."
"Thank you, Captain. I don't doubt this is going to be awkward for all of us, but I'm sure we can make it work," Collins produced a data crystal and placed it on Sheridan's desk. "Here is all the information I have on the murders. I'm sure you'll want to go over it very thoroughly yourselves, but for now I'll give you an overview. What we have is a series of copycat killings that match the MO of the Boston Mindblanker. If you've done your homework I'm sure you've already read up on that case."
Sheridan nodded. "Yes, we came upon it going through your file."
"Officially, the killer is either a P11 or a P12. As unofficially as one can get, I believe he might even be beyond the limits of known human telepaths."
"If that's true then how are you supposed to take him down?" Garibaldi asked.
"I've had a lot of specialized training in psi combat, but beyond that I don't need to beat him at mind games. I just need to keep from frying my brain long enough to get in one clean shot. And while I'd prefer to take him alive, the truth is in a situation this dangerous I'm only worried about taking the suspect down any way I can.
"Keep in mind, Mr. Garibaldi, I could kill any one of your men with hardly a thought, and the killer might just as proficient at that sort of thing than I am. If there comes a time when your people get involved, I wouldn't send them anywhere in groups of less than a dozen. And even a large group of armed normals wouldn't be much more than cannon fodder if he knows they're coming."
"You keep referring to this rogue telepath as a male," Sheridan said. "Do you have a description of him?"
"No. For now I'm assuming he's male because that's what our profilers tell me. Male, anywhere from his early twenties to early thirties. A lot of the profile is standard serial killer material, but there's one piece of information that will be very important to us: besides his obvious hatred of mundanes, he also hates female authority figures. I'm not sure how the profilers guessed that, but the attack on the city Police Chief back home fits.
"Given that, as soon as our rogue is feeling confident in his surroundings, there are two targets I think he'll be irresistibly compelled to: Ambassador Delenn and Commander Ivanova. I'm almost positive an attack on one of you will happen within the next twenty-four hours."
The tension in the room increased considerably. "So you're the expert here on finding rogue telepaths," Garibaldi said. "How do we handle this?" Sheridan was not sure he liked the idea of this psi cop calling the shots, but he had to agree with Garibaldi. His own security forces did not have the training to deal with dangerous telepaths.
"In this case we don't find him; we just let him come to us. I think if he sees me with all these other telepaths it will just scare him off, so instead we set a trap. We'll keep Ambassador Delenn in her quarters, guarded by her telepaths and any other security you think is necessary. Meanwhile I'll watch Commander Ivanova, but keep her in mostly public places.
"The rogue will probably think Delenn will be more easily accessible after he sees me guarding Ivanova. When he shows up he'll run into your teeps and security, plus I'll come running in case you need help. With all that coming down on him, he might even give himself up to save his own skin. I've got a few guns with sleeper darts on my ship that your people can use."
"Instead of spending my days with a psi cop following me around, can I just jump out an airlock now, Captain?" Ivanova asked. John guessed she was still frightened by the possibly of being scanned, but at least now she was hiding it well.
"I wouldn't recommend switching the guards around," Collins said. "If the rogue suspects I'm here he won't feel safe until he thinks I'm accounted for. And if he checks to see which ships have docked here he'll know there is a psi cop onboard. I'd have taken a commercial transport, but by the time I got here it would have been too late."
"Under no circumstances will I trust the safety of Ambassador Delenn to a human telepath," Lucef interjected.
"Hold on a minute," Sheridan said. "How do you even know this telepath isn't going to be looking for more victims Down Below while you're waiting to spring your trap?"
"That's a distinct possibility, but if I go poking around on the other end of the station, it puts Ambassador Delenn and Commander Ivanova in that much more danger. I can't be in two places at once."
"I will look in Down Below for the killer, Captain Sheridan," Ta'Wher said. "If I can find any sign of his whereabouts it could help narrow the search." Collins looked as if she were about to protest. "We'll discuss this later," the Narn told her.
"All right, that will have to do," Sheridan asked. "I can stop all outgoing traffic from the station if you think the rogue might try to leave? I'm sure I could think up an excuse, but then again the Psi Corps has a lot more practice with maintaining 'plausible deniability' than I do."
"Wow, I'm starting to feel the love Bester spoke of," Collins said. "Thanks for the offer, Captain, but that would be premature. There's little chance of his leaving such tempting targets; this is a sick individual who cannot ignore such compulsions. Hemming in our rogue in would only serve to get him nervous, and he won't walk into the trap until he is feeling confident.
"Also, first thing tomorrow I'd like to review the recent security tapes of passengers disembarking from the Asimov."
"Well, if everything is settled then?" Sheridan could tell Garibaldi and Ivanova had objections that would wait only as long as the psi cop was in the room, but no one responded. "It's very late, so I think we should all catch a few hours sleep while we have the chance. Mr. Garibaldi, if you could arrange to move some security discreetly into Delenn's quarters?" Garibaldi nodded.
Collins turned to Ivanova. "This will be over before you know it. And although I'm sure you were about to offer me the bed, seeing as how I'm risking my life to protect you, I'll be happy to take the couch," she said wryly.
"I call the floor," Ta'Wher said glibly. Collins rolled her eyes.
"There is not enough bad luck in the entire Universe to explain why this is happening to me," Susan Ivanova said unhappily.


As promised, Ta'Wher had set some sparse bedding on the floor of the Commander's quarters. Lisa attempted in vain to find a way to get comfortable on Ivanova's couch nearby. Ivanova had already retired for what was left of the night.
"A fine way to get yourself killed," Lisa said without preamble. "'I will look for the killer in Down Below,'" she continued with a surprisingly good imitation of his own voice. "If you want to kill yourself I'm sure there are less painful ways to go about it."
"Two simple things: One, I intend to find evidence of where the killer is staying, not confront him directly. Two, as you told me, I should have been killed in the warehouse back home when this new Mindblanker touched my mind. Yet he did leave me alive for no reason we are yet aware of."
Collins was not one to give up an argument easily. "Three, if you go poking around you may find him by mistake. Four, relying on the mercy of a serial killer is a very unhealthy idea. And from three and four follows very naturally five: you are a moron."
"You cannot hide your concern for me with sarcasm. I am touched. However, there is a more important concern here than my safety: Captain Sheridan was correct that the killer may strike again in Down Below. I'm sure your opinion on when and where the next attack will occur is very well informed, but there are no guarantees you are correct. I cannot stand idly by while others are in danger."
"Does the phrase 'martyr in training' mean anything to you? Or perhaps 'live to fight another day?'"
"I have no interest in human clichés," Ta'Wher replied deadpan.
"You are an insane and annoying individual, Ta'Wher, but I would miss you if you were gone." She took his hand. Despite the impersonal black gloves Ta'Wher found the gesture unusually intimate, especially for one who usually guarded her true emotions like a hand of poker. "I'm asking you to please not do this. It's far too dangerous."
"I know the danger as well as you, but I cannot ignore what I feel is right. Please allow me to take the first watch. I will be leaving as soon you have rested."
"Bah. This is hardly enough time to get rested. And I'm going to insist you grab at least a quick nap before you leave. You've been up a long time already. Good Night." As quickly as she had lowered her guard, it was raised again. Lisa turned away from him and again struggled to find comfort. After a time she fell into a fitful sleep, leaving Ta'Wher alone with many thoughts, few of them pleasant.


Ta'Wher did acquiesce to a brief rest before the local morning came, although he felt more tired upon waking than he had the night before. To her credit, Lisa did not again attempt to dissuade him from his course. She knew that once his mind was made up, he could be every bit as stubborn as she could. Receiving only a final warning to be cautious, Ta'Wher departed.
Besides the danger of being attacked by the copycat Mindblanker, Ta'Wher knew he labored against one other major obstacle. He had never been to this station before, let alone been among its seedier elements. Without contacts or at least a familiarity with the denizens of Down Below, Ta'Wher was essentially taking a shot in the dark.
In lieu of allies he did at least have a small sum of credits to spread around. In the depressed slums of Brown Sector, this tended to loosen tongues. It soon became clear that the killer was keeping a low profile, however. Of the vendors Ta'Wher spoke to, many seemed nervous because of rumors about the recent deaths, but none had any definite information. The humans and other aliens trying to survive among the bleak corridors and squalid habitats were more numerous than Ta'Wher had expected. The task before him seemed more daunting with each area he visited. At least in his wanderings he had yet to see Narns trapped in this place, though given the situation on his homeworld it seemed very likely there could be refugees here.
Ta'Wher should have recognized that the sanctimonious voice ahead of him was Centauri before he even passed the corner of the corridor and took the creature into his sight. "How positively wretched these humans are! And look at all these ugly little trinkets." The Centauri, old and of middling importance judging by the size of his crest of hair and style of dress, stood in front a rundown table where carved rocks were being sold. Beside him was a younger woman who was likely one of his wives, and a teenage child who had the look of what Lisa might have called a "snot-nosed little punk."
"Eww, a Narn!" the little boy cried, and wrinkled his nose. His parents gasped in shock.
"Get back, you awful thing!" the female cried, holding her child as if Ta'Wher might snatch him up and eat him.
Ta'Wher had no intention of going out of his way for the sake of Centauri. "Stand aside," he said, and for good measure put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Not that he could draw it: he would likely be unable to restrain himself from violence if he gave in to the impulse to wield the weapon. And the price for killing a Centauri was too terrible to contemplate. If any Narn murdered a Centauri, the butchers had promised to retaliate by executing ten thousand Narn. As long as their homeworld was held hostage in this way, the few free Narns such as Ta'Wher truly had no recourse.
The Centauri withdrew to the side of the corridor, giving Ta'Wher ample room to continue onward. "My brother will beat you!" the child yelled as Ta'Wher passed before him. When Ta'Wher did not acknowledge the threat, the little monster picked up a rock from the table and whipped it at the back of Ta'Wher's head.
"You miserable little-" Ta'Wher spun back toward the Centauri family, only to find a fourth member had appeared. The older brother had arrived, and a makeshift blunt instrument in his hand was sailing directly towards Ta'Wher's face. It connected with his nose and the impact made a crunching sound he rather wished had not come from his body.
"Gahhh!" The parents of these unruly brats looked as if they feared retaliation, but for the moment Ta'Wher's world was busy filling itself with pain. He stumbled away, off balance from the force of the blow. He was struck several more times in the back.
"Kif, come away from that Narn right now!" the old Centauri yelled. A final blow struck Ta'Wher behind the joint of his knee, and once again knocked off balance he stumbled into one of the makeshift tents the lurkers here sometimes used, knocking it down and landing on something soft but not very yielding.
As the family of Centauri retreated rapidly, Ta'Wher regained his bearings. He realized he had landed on two humans. "I'm terribly sorry," he began, but quickly noticed the humans were not moving. He checked one of them for a pulse. "Oh, son of a bitch!" he cried, unintentionally using one of Lisa's favored curses. Ta'Wher got up and ran for the nearest BabCom unit.