ACT ONE
FADE IN:
MINBAR - TUEZANOR
Establishing shot, it is night time. Blue lights are emanating from the Ranger Headquarters building as seen in "To Live and Die in Starlight".
TUEZANOR - GENERIC MEETING ROOM
President Sheridan is sat at the foot of a long stone marble looking table. The table is fashioned well and its colourers are Whitestaresque. Delenn is sat to the President's right and Captain Elvis Cortana is sat directly opposite Delenn. Sat next to Delenn is Ranger Captain(Human) and opposite her is a BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI. The room is quiet, the CAMERA focused on Sheridan as he's sorting through a series of papers. After a moment the CAMERA changes to face the double doors as they are slowly opened and Captain Martel enters.
SHERIDAN (Looking up)
Captain Martel, please
(beat)
Take a seat.
Martel nods and smiles at the President and takes a seat, we notice all eyes are on him. Martel takes the seat next to the Ranger Captain.
SHERIDAN
We all know
(beat)(Sheridan places his papers on the table)
That there's a new threat to all that we've built here... and it's most certainly a concern we could do without. With the Abbai famine the way it is at the moment and the tensions along the Drazi-Centauri border increasing again our recourses, our Rangers, are spread pretty thin on the ground.
DELENN
The Alliance is here for its member races, but if this new enemy prove to be as formidable as intelligence suggests we may find ourselves unable to conduct matters as usual.
RANGER CAPTAIN
With all due respect Madam Vice President, but the Abbai people are dying in their hundreds... they rely on the support sent to them by the Alliance.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
As representative of the Alliance's member races at this meeting I agree with the Captain here. We cannot divert our aid efforts from the Abbai to deal with a threat there is only loose intelligence confirming even their existence.
SHERIDAN (Shaking his head)
Having reviewing the information we currently have I might tend to agree with you.
(beat)
But may I ask how much information any of us away from Minbar had about the Shadow threat before 2260?
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
I can understand your view Mister President. But...
SHERIDAN
(Interrupting)The only reason we cannot run both operations simultaneously is the limits of the Whitestar Fleet... if the member races were to deal with the Abbai aid effort rather than relying on the Alliance itself to then we could devote part of the Whitestar Fleet to the intelligence gathering.
DELENN
It was always the intention for the founding of the Alliance to allow such practices. For races to help each other in time of need. The Alliance is not here to merely keep the peace and assist with technological advancement.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
Mister President, you make a good plea. I will take your words to the other members.
At this point the BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI politely excuses himself. Speaking continues once we HEAR the door close behind him.
CORTANA
Good, thank god we got rid of the walking politic. No offence mister and misses President.
DELENN (Blushing)
Now we must discuss what is too be done about the greatest threat to our survival since the Shadows.
SHERIDAN
Yes.
(beat)
The Hand of God.
MARTEL
Yes, that's the rather loose made Minister Kafta gave me.
DELENN
Upon reading your report Captain we immediately attempted to contact the ambassador from Minister Kafta's people here... but we found him dead in his quarters -
SHERIDAN
(Interrupting) - Suicide. He'd killed himself to stop us getting anymore information.
CORTANA
And when I led my ship into Isaahi space to try and get some answers we were fired upon and driven back, almost killed.
MARTEL (Sitting Forward)
You encountered the same vessels we did?
CORTANA (Shaking his Head)
No. We encountered only the regular Isaahi military cruisers. Nothing at all of what you and your crew describe.
SHERIDAN
There's a definite connection however between the Isaahi and this race of first ones.
MARTEL
Have we attempted to revisit the planet where the ancient city was found again?
DELENN
An expedition was sent, however they found the planet devoid of all features.
(beat)
As if it had been bombed continuously.
SHERIDAN
We must gather information on this new species. Knowledge is power, and if this race remains unknown they will be undefeatable. And an undefeatable enemy isn't going to go down very well with the Alliance members.
MARTEL
My crew and I are ready to go whenever are wherever we need to.
SHERIDAN
Unfortunately it's not as easy as that Captain.
CORTANA
It never is.
DELENN
We'll need the go ahead from the Alliance members.
SHERIDAN
Once we have that... we can implement our plan of action.
DELENN
It is the reason you have all been called here together. It is felt that a further incursion into Isaahi territory may not prove effective. They have destroyed their own hyperspace beacon to make sure their homeworld remains safe.
SHERIDAN
With the ancient city now destroyed. And all other evident besides video and ship logs of the Hand is gone, the Isaahi are our only link to this new threat.
CORTANA
So we've got to find the Isaahi.
SHERIDAN
Essentially.
MARTEL
But it can't be that easy right Mister President?
SHERIDAN (Shaking head)
Unfortunately no. With the Isaahi beacon destroyed, their ambassador hear dead, and a similar death being endues by their ambassadors on other worlds... we've only heard from Earth, Narn and Brakir at the moment but I think it's safe to assume all their officials are committing this ritual suicide to prevent us from obtaining any information.
DELENN
We were lucky to get Kafta. If Captain Martel hadn't acted so well we might not have the small pieces of information about the Hand we do.
MARTEL
It's just a shame he was killed...
SHERIDAN
Think nothing of it Captain, you did what you had to do. If you hadn't the information would have died along with you and your crew regardless.
CORTANA
So with the Ambassadors and Officials dead. What? We've gotta start finding civilian?
SHERIDAN (Nodding)
Yup. Basically that's our only option left that we can see at the moment. The Isaahi are our only link to uncovering more about the Hand, and though not many of their citizens left their homeworld as they only recently joined the Alliance but they must out there somewhere.
RANGER CAPTAIN
Is that why I have been called here Mister President?
SHERIDAN
It is Captain. If you could explain to the others...
RANGER CAPTAIN
Myself and my crew passed through Babylon 5 less than a week ago. Apart from the Officials, which as the president mentioned are deceased, this is the last place an Isaahi was seen.
SHERIDAN
We've already contacted Captain Lochley, Commander of Babylon 5, and she's checked the station records. There's recorded information of this Isaahi, Kas'Kah, arrival... but a recent riot saw some of the security records destroyed. So there is no record of him leaving. Whether this means he's still aboard the station or not is unsure...
CORTANA
So our first port of call is -
MARTEL
(interrupting) Babylon 5.
We Close up on Martel's expression of determination then we cut,
TUEZANOR - ALLIANCE COUNCIL CHAMBERS
These chambers have never been seen before. They are much grander than the Council Chambers than those seen aboard "Babylon 5". The base decor is noticeably classic Minbari with the marble finish and purple and white artwork. However the room is draped in long robes that display various markings, presumably representing the different Alien Races. The one nearest the door is the Earth Alliance logo. At the front of the chambers is a small desk, behind which is three chairs(This is the security Council), the central one being a little more throne like and is elevated(The President's chair).
The seats are the back are laid out similar to those seen aboard Babylon 5 though on a much larger scale, with the seats going higher up against the rear wall.
The Council is in full session and each species has two representatives. The three main chairs at the front remain empty, as Sheridan and Delenn are in the meeting seen previously and G'kar is aboard Babylon 5. The BRAKIRI AMBASSSADOR seen previously is just in front of the table and main three chairs, he is addressing the rest of the Assembly. Only the first two rows are easily see able, but we can clearly see the seats behind are occupied. The front two rows contain representatives from: Drazi, Abbai, Gaim, Hyach, Llort, pak'ma'ra, Vree, Earth and a new race can be seen(Artist freedom here).
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
I understand your concerns, but I think President Sheridan has a point.
EARTH AMBASSADOR #1 [The Senator seen in Crusade "Each Night I Dream of Home"]
We cannot entertain Sheridan's every will and fancy. Our government has already pissed money away on the Valen Project... and we've already begun financing the Alliance's next Destroyer Development Project.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
I cannot comment on that. All I can do is repeat Sheridan's words and hope they can convince you. We all joined this Alliance for our own good. Let's be brutally honest. But we should all support conjoint efforts when they are proposed in order to help our fellow Alliance members and make ourselves worthy of actually being Alliance members.
A hush goes over the room until,
DRAZI AMBASSADOR (Gingerly)
The Drazi Freehold wishes to know what threats maybe coming externally. But as President Sheridan says, we can solve our own internal problems for now. Whilst the Alliance protects us from external threats.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
Exactly. This is only a temporary fix until the Rangers can delete this possible threat.
(beat)
Do you all agree?
A light cheer of "Yes" comes from the crowd then we cut,
TUEZANOR - GENERIC MEETING ROOM
The room is empty now except for President Sheridan, who is pouring over a mass of papers that are spread out across the end of the table nearest him.
Leave a few BEATS of peace before,
There is a KNOCK at the door,
SHERIDAN (Looking up)
Come in.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI (Entering and closing the door behind him)
The Council has approved your proposal to divert SOME of the Ranger forces to investigate the Hand threat.
SHERIDAN (Rising and shaking EDRAI's hand)
Thank you. Part of the Ranger Fleet is all we ask.
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
You may now order your Captains to take to their ships.
SHERIDAN
I anticipated the Council's positive response Ambassador. The ships have just a moment ago broken orbit.
MINBAR ORBIT -
The planet is as we saw it before, the blue nebula is joined in the background by a series of Minbariesque freighters, a Narn Cruiser and a Vree ship. The background is broken as we pan slightly right to SEE the LIANDRA, Cortana's ship the VALEN CLASS Pandora, and RANGER CAPTAIN's Whitestar coming shooting away from the planet and headed left across the CAMERA.
The CAMERA follows them, panning left, until they draw close to the jump gate and as the gate begins to open we cut,
TUEZANOR - GENERIC MEETING ROOM
BRAKIRI AMBASSADOR EDRAI
You are a confident man Mister President. (joking)I can see why they gave you this job.
(beat)
If they've already left... does this mean you already have a lead? A destination?
SHERIDAN
We do.
(beat)
Babylon 5.
The CAMERA has a close up on Sheridan's face as he says "Babylon 5" as we cut to,
EXT. BABYLON 5
Establishing shot. An Earth Asimov Liner is just coming to dock. Many other Alliance member ships can be seen dotted about in the background.
Put some classic Season 4/5 Babylon 5 music in here as we,
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT ONE