- Delenn: SPOILER:
- [Delenn's fleet arrives after Earth Alliance attacks B5]
- Delenn: This is Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari. Babylon 5 is under our protection. Withdraw or be destroyed!
- Earth Force Officer: Negative! We have authority here. Do not force us to engage your ship.
- Delenn: Why not? Only one human captain has ever survived battle with a Minbari Fleet. He is behind me. You are in front of me. If you value your lives, be somewhere else!
- Captain John Sheridan: May I have your attention please. In the last few hours, we have learned that warships are coming this way from Earth. Their orders are to seize command of Babylon 5 by force. As commanding officer and military governor of Babylon 5, I cannot allow this to happen. President Clark has violated the Earth Alliance Constitution: by dissolving the Senate, declaring martial law, and *personally* ordering the bombing of civilian targets on the Mars colony. He is *personally* responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. Following these attacks, Orion 7 and Proxima 3 have broken away from the Earth Alliance, and declared independence. Babylon 5 now joins with them. As of this moment, Babylon 5 is seceding from the Earth Alliance. We will remain an independent state till President Clark is removed from office. At the end of this current crisis, anyone who wishes to leave for Earth is free to do so. Meanwhile for your own safety, I urge everyone to stay in your quarters until this is over. That is all.
- David Sheridan: What was the first lesson I ever taught you?
- Captain John Sheridan: Never start a fight; but always finish it.
- Delenn: [addressing the Grey Council] Three years. For three years I warned you this day was coming, but you would not listen. Pride, you said, presumption. And now the Shadows are on the move. The Centauri and the younger worlds are at war, the Narns have fallen, even the Humans are fighting one another. The pride was yours, the presumption was yours. For a thousand years, we have been awaiting the fulfillment of prophecy. And when it finally happens, you scorn it, you reject it because you no longer believe it yourselves. "We stand between the candle and the star, between the darkness and the light." You say the words but your hearts are empty, your ears closed to the truth. You stand for nothing but your own petty interests. "The problems of others are not our concern." I do not blame you for standing silent in your shame. You, who knew what was coming, but refused to take up the burden of this war. If the Warrior Caste will not fight, then the rest of us will. The council has lost it's way. If it will not lead, if we have abandoned our covenant with Valen
- [takes staff from council leader]
- Delenn: then the council shall be broken!
- [breaks staff in two]
- Delenn: As was prophesied. We must stand with the others now before it's too late. Between the Worker Caste and the Religious Caste, we control two thirds of our forces. To you, I say, listen to the voice of your conscience. Break the council and come with me. Our time of isolation is over. We move now, together or not at all.
- [Delenn exits, followed by all but the Warrior Caste members of the Grey Council]
- [an acolyte tries to keep Delenn from seeing the Grey Council]
- Delenn: I served the Council for sixteen cycles. I was the chosen of Dukhat to replace him. I held him when he died; his blood is on my hands, his spirit in my eyes, his word on my lips. You will step aside in his name and mine, or in Valen's name I will tear this ship apart with my bare hands until I find them! Move aside!
- Major Ed Ryan: [speaking into the comms] Hiroshi! Get out of there! Get to the lifepods.
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: Too late to get out! Our primary systems are hit. We've got fire on all decks now. There's nothing we can do now except...
- Major Ed Ryan: Hiroshi? HIROSHI!
- [Hiroshi rams her ship into another vessel]
- [last lines]
- Captain John Sheridan: "Thank you" seems poor and inadequate. I don't know how much this cost you personally, and I suspect I never will. But I want you to know that seeing your face at that moment was probably the single finest moment in my life.
- Delenn: It seems that this is the only home we have left. How could I abandon, as you say, my partner?
- [Delenn offers her hand, and Sheridan first shakes it, then kisses it]
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: Ahem.
- Captain John Sheridan: Oh, there you are. So how is she, Doc?
- Dr. Stephen Franklin: Well, we have a stubborn patient, with multiple bruises, a fractured rib and a bump on the back of the head...
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: I'm fine. I just thought there's something you should see.
- [they walk over to the Zocalo, where a large crowd cheers them]
- Drakhen: [awakens in Medlab] Delenn?
- Dr. Stephen Franklin: Take it easy. You're safe now.
- Drakhen: No. None of us is safe anymore.
- [faces Delenn]
- Drakhen: The Shadows are moving. They have made alliances with many in the Non-Aligned Worlds and urged them to go to war with their neighbors.
- Delenn: No. Why would they go along with this?
- Drakhen: They listened to the Shadows out of fear, afraid that if they did not ally themselves with a greater force, they would be conquered by the Centauri. But... an alliance of defense has now grown into the dream... of conquest. They believe that as long as they are protected by the Shadows, they cannot be defeated, and so they go to war with one another.
- Delenn: Has the Grey Council been informed?
- Drakhen: The Grey Council has said... "the problems of others are not our concern."
- Major Ed Ryan: Captain.
- Captain John Sheridan: Major Ryan.
- [looks behind him]
- Captain John Sheridan: Where's General Hague?
- Major Ed Ryan: General Hague was killed in our last firefight. We were coming back from a meeting with some officials on Orion 7 when we were ambushed. He was on his way to the command deck when we were hit amidships by the Clarkstown. In his absence, I've tried to carry on as best I can. Between this and what's been going on back home, the crew is... just stunned.
- Captain John Sheridan: [continues] What's the latest on the coup?
- Major Ed Ryan: A few senators have managed to escape Earthdome, shock troops are out in force everywhere, Paris, London, New York, Moscow, New Delhi.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: How are the folks back home dealing with all this?
- Major Ed Ryan: That's the irony. Most of them have welcomed martial law. It's cut crime down to nothing. On the surface, it's peaceful.
- Captain John Sheridan: Yeah, the peace of the gun.
- Michael Garibaldi: Why haven't we seen any of this on ISN?
- Major Ed Ryan: ISN is walking a fine line. They know if they push too far, they'll be shut down. We have one chance. Mars has rejected martial law. If they can stand up to Clark, they might be able to rally support from some of the other colony worlds and push him out of power.
- Michael Garibaldi: Unless he pushes back.
- Captain John Sheridan: Oh, he's overextended already. Ah, his power base is back on Earth where he has Nightwatch and the bulk of our forces.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: I just can't believe so many people in Earthforce would go along with all this.
- Major Ed Ryan: He spent the last year putting his people in key places. Anyone who raises a voice is immediately arrested and charged with treason, Under conditions like that, it's... it's easier to keep quiet.
- [link beeps]
- Major Ed Ryan: Yeah?
- Bill Trainor: We just intercepted a coded message from Earthforce Command. They've started bombing Mars. I repeat, they're bombing Mars.
- [everyone reacts with disbelief]
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: Major Ryan, Captain, we've just jumped in from Orion 7. They've declared independence.
- Captain John Sheridan: We've heard. What's the reaction?
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: Clark's afraid of losing the other colonies, so he's sending elite forces to seize direct control of any colony or outpost that might move against him.
- Major Ed Ryan: If he finds out we're here...
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: It's too late. He already knows. We intercepted attack orders relayed to the Agrippa and the Roanoke. They're hooking up with some heavy reinforcements on the way in.
- Major Ed Ryan: We'd better pull out before we jeopardize Babylon 5 further.
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: Major, the ships receiving the attack order were already on their way here. He doesn't want to risk Babylon 5 breaking away. So those ships are ordered to seize command of Babylon 5, arrest and detain its captain and the rest of the command staff, and to put the station under the direct authority of President Clark and the Nightwatch.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: The other governments won't stand for it.
- Major Ed Ryan: They won't intervene. All the major powers are divided, distracted, busy with their own wars. We're on our own.
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: I'm sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, Captain, but I thought you should know.
- Captain John Sheridan: How long until they get here?
- Captain Sandra Hiroshi: Six hours, tops. Maybe less.
- Major Ed Ryan: I'd better get back to my ship. I should be there when the others arrive.
- [sets mug he's holding on table and faces Sheridan]
- Major Ed Ryan: If you think it would be any help, we could try to jump, maybe draw some of the fire away from Babylon 5, give you a chance to negotiate.
- Captain John Sheridan: No. Thank you, Major. If this is where we make our stand then... this is where we'll do it.
- Captain John Sheridan: Bad news people. We are five hours away from a crisis situation. I just received a narrow-band transmission from the Alexander.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: That's General Hague's ship.
- Captain John Sheridan: He's suffered heavy damage and they need a place to make repairs. And they're coming here.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: Well, we're screwed.
- Lt. David Corwin: Jumpgate activated. Here they come!
- [Earthforce destroyers arrive through the jumpgate]
- Capt. Dexter Smith: This is Captain Dexter Smith of the Earth Alliance Destroyer Agrippa to Babylon 5 and renegade ships. You are ordered to surrender your commands and prepare to be boarded.
- Major Ed Ryan: Launch fighters.
- Major Ed Ryan: Bring us in closer to the enemy.
- Bill Trainor: How close?
- Major Ed Ryan: Right down their throats!
- [first lines]
- Londo Mollari: This is absurd! Two hours I have been standing in line. "Our staff are overwhelmed," they tell me. "Too many people to get home or escape here. Rumors of rebellion and war. Even the diplomatic lanes are clogged."...
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: Captain, request permission to join Starfury Squadron.
- Captain John Sheridan: Request denied.
- Cmdr. Susan Ivanova: Captain, you're asking those pilots to go against everything they've been trained for and open fire on our own ships! I mean, one of us should be out there with them; one of us *has* to be! You know I'm right.
- Captain John Sheridan: [considers for a second, concedes the point] Go.
- Captain John Sheridan: [blooper reel] Where's General Hague?
- Major Ed Ryan: General Hague... is doing Deep Space Nine. It seems he was double-booked by his agent and there's nothing to be done, so you'll have to do with me, sir.