Garibaldi peeks in on a raucous meeting of the Interstellar Alliance, which ends with the Drazi leading a walk-out of the assembled races. Later, he finds Sheridan in the observation dome to talk about it. The issue right now is the Declaration of Principles, which some of the races are taking issue with, particularly the Drazi, who say they've never enslaved or exploited their neighbors. Emotions on the Advisory Council are strained; Londo thinks they should drop the whole thing, G'Kar is taking it personally and Delenn is ready to strangle someone.
For Garibaldi's part, he feels the need to take the hardline position, encouraging Sheridan to be more willing to use force in certain matters, but Sherdian thinks that's the very thing he's trying to get away from. Garibaldi tells him they may get there eventually, but they're a long way from it right now and he needs something to get their attention if he expects them to take him seriously. He says the Alliance is at a critical stage and will rise or fall based on the next six months, and sooner or later force will be required.
- Gairbaldi: If I were you I'd spend my time contemplating that nasty reality, and let morality take care of itself.
Sheridan: You came all the way out here just to depress me?
Garibaldi: No. I could do that anytime. I had a couple of ideas I wanted to run by you, but you've got enough to think about. It can wait.
Sheridan: Will it depress me?
Garibaldi: Probably.
On an alien world, the inhabitants are holed up in shelters as raiders are bombarding them. One of them brings a Ranger in. The Ranger will bring word of their plight to the Alliance on Babylon 5 in the hopes that they will intervene on their behalf.
The Advisory Council is discussing worlds that have applied for membership, while G'Kar is tweaking the Declaration trying to make it more palatable for the Drazi and Londo...Londo wants a drink. While they wait on G'Kar, Sheridan turns the floor over to Garibaldi. Garibaldi has an idea for the telepaths Sheridan offered shelter to; he wants to use the telepaths to gather covert intelligence. Sheridan is reluctant, but Garibaldi points out that he's thinking in terms of Psi Corps rules. Non-human telepaths have no such restrictions. Minbari telepaths can do what they wish, the Centauri have militarized telepaths and the Narn would too if they had any ("No offense").
Garibaldi keeps pressing and eventually Sheridan relents and grants permission to at least extend the request. He only tells Michael not to commit them to anything.
In the telepath enclave, Garibaldi looks for Byron and, after some initial resistance, the telepaths bring him out. Byron doesn't even let him make his proposition before declining.
- Garibaldi: Wait a second you didn't hear what I had to day.
Byron: Yes, I did. I heard your proposition, I heard what you thought I would probably say in response, and I heard the counter-arguments you planned to use. I know that you're having some discomfort with those shoes and that lunch is not sitting well with you just now.
He explains what it's like to live among mundanes, that telepaths have to kick down their own abilities all to keep from accidentally hearing what everyone is practically shouting. He affirms that they are willing to work, sell rent, or whatever, but they will not be ordered about by mundanes only to be discarded later. He and the others then leave.
The jumpgate activates and a nearly totaled White Star limps through. The Ranger onboard is brought to medlab babbling about how "They're all going to die", but doesn't get much more out before slipping into a coma. Prognosis isn't good, and the damage to his ship rendered any information it had useless. The only one who knows why he's there is the Ranger himself and he isn't going to wake up again. They bring Lyta in and she reads his mind, seeing the besieged world and its people, the Enphili. They say they have many resources, but ten years ago the raiders came and began seizing their resources. This time they hid what was supposed to be their tribute and in retaliation the raiders began an all-out attack. Soon they will make the final assault and kill everyone. They offer the resources of their world to the Alliance, in return for protection.
Lyta suddenly hears the Ranger ask if he's dying. She looks up to see him standing near his body. He makes a final plea that they help the Enphili, and let his life have meaning. As Lyta watches, a kind of portal of light opens, and the Ranger goes and walks through it. Immediately his vitals all flatline and Doctor Franklin declares him dead.
Later, Delenn is telling Sheridan what they found out. The Enphili are on the edge of Drazi space, but are on their own. If the Alliance helps, it means getting into a fire fight, proving Garibaldi right. How annoying. She's already briefed Londo and G'Kar who agree they need to help, but find the timing irritating. The Enphili asked for help and the Declaration of Principles obligates them to provide it.
- Sheridan: Oh, I can just hear Londo now: (imitating Londo) "I imagine you are finding your principles most inconvenient now, yes?"
Delenn: He went on for a bit longer, but that was the sense of it.
Sheridan muses that this is inconvenient and he was hoping to put it off for a little longer, but he knew they would have to do it sooner or later and it's come up so they might as well get it over with. He does worry about how much they don't know about the raiders, specifically where they're getting the firepower to take on a White Star, and without that, he doesn't know how many White Stars to send. Delenn suggests the simple solution: All of Them.
- Delenn: Dukhat once told me, "If you can create sufficient fear in your enemies, you may not have to fight them. Always remember that terror is also a form of communication."
Sheridan orders as many White Stars as possible to a staging area in preparation for deployment.
- Sheridan: The new Interstellar Alliance, fresh out of its crib and before it's even learned how to walk, is gonna go find the neighborhood bully and pick a fight.
Sheridan meets with the Drazi ambassador to inform him of their intentions and ask for support from the Drazi government. The ambassador seems open to the notion and goes to consult with his government, passing near Byron as he leaves.
Lyta is in the Zocalo looking rather out of it when Garibaldi finds her. She talks a little about what it's like to be in someone's mind when they die. She explains that you see it as a door because there's no other way to comprehend it. As they slip away, part of you goes with them, a part of you that you'll never get back. She says she's seen some telepaths who have done this several times and have seemingly lost themselves to whatever's on the other side. She shares a rumor that Bester kept doing death bed scans, he wanted to see what was on the other side, and lost part of himself doing it. Perhaps the best part of himself.
She then asks what Garibaldi what he came to ask her, and he tells her about his encounter with Byron. She doesn't see a problem there and walks off. Garibaldi chases asfter her, trying to get her to go at least talk to them, as a favor, either to him, or if that doesn't work, to Sheridan and Delenn. Help them make this thing they're trying to build work. He gets a dubious agreement from Lyta.
G'Kar is sitting in the darkened council chamber writing and finally gets up and leaves. He drops the latest version of the Declaration of Principles at Sheridan's quarters. Sheridan, unable to sleep anyway, picks it up and starts reading it. Delenn comes out and asks him to read it to her.
- "The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust. It speaks in the language of strength and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul, but always it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us and the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says, 'We are one. No matter the blood, no matter the skin, no matter the world, no matter the star, we are one! No matter the pain, no matter the darkness, no matter the fear, we are one!" Here, gathered together in common cause, we agree to recognize this singular truth, and this singular rule: that we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one. We are one."
Lyta comes to the enclave, where Byron comes and asks why she's keeping them out. She says she doesn't let anyone in anymore. She begins to explain that Mr. Garibaldi asked her to come talk to them, but Byron already figured as much, and that she's used to being everyone's errand girl. He tells her to sit, but knocks the chair away before she can. He explains that he didn't ask her to sit, he told her.
- Byron: Sit. Stand. Roll over. Bark. Always taking orders, running errands for other people. Good little telepath. Good little lap dog.
She starts to leave, but he asks if it's occurred to her that she deserves better. He picks up the chair and asks her to sit, asking if it feels better to have someone do for her rather than the other way around. He says that's why they're here, tired of being the ones to do the dirty business.
After a long tirade about the brutality of human history, 6000 years of enslavement and violence that his people want no further part in, he asks if it truly matters to her that he help. She says it does and he promises for her sake to find two to work with Garibaldi. To make good on it, he tells her what he picked up from the Drazi ambassador earlier. The White Stars are heading into a trap.
Later Lyta is explaining the situation to Sheridan and Garibaldi. The Drazi supplied the raiders with weapons, ships and equipment and let them run free along their borders and in return, they got a cut of the spoils. The plan is apparently to lead the White Star fleet into an ambush, but before that, they intend to completely wipe out the Enphili and all the evidence. Sheridan has Garibaldi order the fleet into action, telling them to take up defensive positions around the Enphili homeworld. Shortly after, the White Stars jump in around the planet and destroy the raiders guarding it.
In chambers, in the middle of the night, Sheridan has called all the ambassadors in to see something. He brings up a display of the Enphili homeworld, explaining the situation and that they have asked for membership and protection. And those markers around the planet? Oh, those are White Stars. See, they got some intel that a major attack on Enphili was imminent so Sheridan ordered them to proceed to the planet, wipe out the raiders there and take up defensive positions. The Drazi ambassador seems taken aback for some reason. HE asks if any distress signals were sent from the raiders, but no the White Stars are most efficient at destroying raiders milling about.
As the Drazi fleet flies through hyperspace, the White Stars lie in wait just beyond the jumpgate.
- Sheridan: We have offered your worlds advice and technology, offered to help you coordinate food supplies and resources, now we put another of our promises into effect: your enemy is our enemy. Isn't that right ambassador?
The ambassador is at something of a loss for words. Delenn continues, saying they wanted him there specifically to see their fleet in action. Unless there's a reason to pull back?
The ambassador suddenly asks to call his government. Why? The show's just about to start! The ambassador insists, and Sheridan lays out what he knows, that the Drazi have been working with the raiders to terrorize the Enphili and other worlds for ten years. With no way to talk his way out of it, the Drazi breaks down and admits it. He then begs Sheridan to let him call them off.
- Drazi Ambassador: You can't fire on our ships, we're your allies! We fought alongside you during the Shadow War! Were on the same side!
Sheridan: Are we? Ask them. Let them decide.
The Drazi turns toward the other ambassadors as they press in on him. He begs them let him call them off, and Sheridan allows him to. As the Drazi rushes off, Sheridan addresses the rest of them. He says this is exactly why something like the Declaration of Principles is needed. G'Kar passes copies out and the representatives affix their stamps to the documents.
Later, Delenn finds Sheridan alone in the council chamber reveling in their triumph, but also thinking. He starts talking about how Garibaldi was right about the telepaths, but before he gets too far, G'Kar dashes in and begins collecting the copies of the declaration, saying they need to get them signed all over again. He made some changes; it's better now. He shows them a copy of Declaration 2.0. "It's better." Then G'Kar grabs that as well and is gone. Sheridan and Delenn can only sigh in exasperation.
- Sheridan: Some days it's like working in a madhouse. (Beat) Where was I?
Delenn: You were going to call Mr. Garibaldi and tell him that you approve of his idea of working with telepaths.
Sheridan is still dubious about the whole concept, but he doesn't think he can say no after this, but says they need to keep a close eye on this.
Lyta comes down and finds Byron. She wants to hear more of his ideas.
This episode contains examples of:
- All of Them: When the Drazi ambassador asks how many White Stars are around the Enphili homeworld, he's told all of them.
- Almost Dead Guy: The Ranger on White Star 90, who's so far gone they need a telepathic scan to find out what he knows.
- Armor-Piercing Question: When Lyta is about to leave, Byron asks if she ever thinks she deserves better, which makes her stop and face him.
- Berserk Button: When Sheridan learns who is behind the raiders he orders the White Stars to proceed directly to the planet, eliminate the raiders, then destroy any ships that emerge from the jumpgate.
- Brick Joke: When they first meet, Byron tells Lyta to sit, then asks her to sit with a "please", to show the difference. At the end, when she comes back, he says to come with him, adding, "Please?"
- Cavalry Betrayal: The Drazi planned on betraying the White Star fleet to keep their deal with the Raiders from coming out.
- Central Theme:
- The Declaration of Principles
- The Ranger proved that he was the right person in the right place at the right time. His only concern was making sure the Enphili were safe and he died before knowing that the White Star fleet took up position to protect the planet.
- Destroy the Evidence: The other part of the Drazi plan is to annihilate the Enphili before the White Stars are in position and any evidence along with them.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: Byron makes this case while talking to Lyta, and says it's part of the reason why his people don't want to be used by others anymore.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: The council proceedings have Londo wanting a drink...make that two drinks.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Sheridan actually says this with regards to the plan to employ telepaths as members of the ISA Covert Intelligence.
- Moral Myopia/Hypocrite: The Drazi claim the moral high ground based on the fact that they have never oppressed another race. Then it turns out they're the one sponsoring the raiders terrorizing the Enphili and other minor worlds on the edge of their space.
- Plausible Deniability: With the raiders making the actual attacks, the Drazi can claim they have never oppressed or exploited other races.
- Psychic Glimpse of Death: Lyta has to perform a "death bed scan" on the Ranger to find out what he knows before it's lost. She sees him and "talks" to him in his last moments then watches him go through a glowing portal into death.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Byron delivers one to Garibaldi.
- Rubber-Forehead Aliens/Human Aliens: The Enphili look entirely human except for lack of eyebrows and ridges around their eyes.
- Shout-Out: Byron recites the entire "What a piece of work is man"-monologue from Hamlet, from whence we also find the Title Drop: "The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals".
