Babylon 5

Am I going to die?

If it is written in the streams of time, Shon, it will be so.

I'll tell you what is written in the streams if time.

Very soon, you will breathe much easier.

And then you will grow up to be strong, and wise, and bring much honor

to your mother and your father.

Please don't speak that way.

No one knows what is written in the stream until the waters surround him.

I am never wrong about these things.

Dr. Franklin.

My husband would like to speak with you candidly. May he do so?

Of course.

The doctors on our world say that there's no treatment for his watery breathing.

They say that the boy is weak and that he will die.

He's our only son, Dr. Franklin.

He is the last chance for our family's honor to fly on the winds of history.

You must love him very much.

On my world, it would be a sign of weakness for me to

acknowledge feelings to a stranger.

But he has brought such joy and happiness into our lives.

Can you save him?

Shon's condition is very serious, but it is treatable.

His has a congestive blockage in his upper air passages,

it's not uncommon in species with internal air bladders like yours.

We've seen this before.

Usually it happens as a result of an infection or a reaction to an injury.

It's a normal response. Usually it clears up by itself, but sometimes...

Sometimes the mass hardens, or grows.

It's not a sign of weakness. It could happen to anyone.

A simple operation will easily correct the condition.

Operation?

Surgery.

You will cut him open?

Well, that's usually what surgery entails, yes.

There's nothing to worry about though, I-

- Get Shon. We will find no help here. - Thank you Dr. Franklin.

I'm sorry to have taken so much of your time.

Wait, wait. Look, it's a simple procedure.

Afterwards he'll be stronger than ever.

You don't understand. Food animals are cut open.

They don't have a soul, so it's all right. But the chosen of God may not be punctured.

The blockage won't heal by itself.

If Shon doesn't have this surgery, he'll die, very painfully.

- And none of us want that. - That is immaterial.

You must not cut into the child.

Now...

I know what is written.

It was the dawn of the Third Age of mankind

10 years after the Earth-Minbari War.

The Babylon Project was a dream given form.

Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place

where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully.

It's a port of call, home away from home

for diplomats, hustlers entrepreneurs and wanderers.

Humans and aliens, wrapped in 2,500,000 tons

of spinning metal, all alone in the night.

It can be a dangerous place.

But it's our last, best hope for peace.

This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations.

The year is 2258.

The name of the place is Babylon 5.

Confirmed, Azimov . We'll be right there.

Commander, we've just received a distress signal from the starliner Azimov .

They've had a fire in their command and control center.

How serious?

It seems to be taken care of, however they've lost their

navigational computer, and most of their communication channels.

They were en route here, but now they're just flying blind.

- Location? - Grid 471 by 18.

- That's Raider territory. - Exactly.

Recommend we dispatch a fighter wing to meet the Azimov , then escort her back here.

A potential combat situation requires the presence of at least one command officer.

Is Garibaldi available?

I suppose.

- What? - Nothing.

I certainly have plenty of things to occupy myself here. Yes sir!

I think I'll just walk to and fro for a while. Maybe over to my console.

After that, maybe I'll try pacing fro and to, you know, just for the kick of it.

Oh, and there's a view, of course.

Granted it's not quite the same as if you were outside.

For someone who's got over 100 hours of combat flying experience.

- If you'd rather... - No no no, that's okay.

It's fine, don't worry about me. I'm just gonna sit here and knit something.

Maybe a nice sweater, some socks.

Does the term "stir crazy" ring a bell, Commander?

I have an idea, Lt. Commander.

Why don't you take out the fighter wing and escort the Azimov back to base?

Well, if you insist, sir.

So you see, removing the blockage is easy.

And the body's fluid-transfer system will regain it's integrity almost immediately.

After that, it's a very simple matter to reinflate the internal air sac.

He'll need to rest for a day, or two, but he's young and strong.

His recovery should be easy. It's a very simple procedure.

We understand the procedure all too well. That is why we won't allow it.

The veterinarians on our own world perform this surgery on distressed food animals.

So you're just going to let him die? What kind of a god do you worship?

We cannot discuss this any longer. This is useless.

Wait, wait, wait. I think there might be another way.

It will... it will take longer, and it will be far more uncomfortable and it...

and it will cost more.

The cost is not the issue, Dr. Franklin. nor is the discomfort.

We are the Children of Time. We cannot break our covenant any more

than you can cease to the descendant of egg-sucking mammaloids.

My husband intends no offense, doctor.

Of course. I think we can try something here that

that might give Shon's natural defenses a chance to break up the blockage.

If... if we use a-a combination of emollients and microbeams

to provide a physical access for his own internal fluids

we- we might help the body clear itself.

I'm not promising you that this procedure will work as well.

It- it may not work at all.

But I don't think you're gonna find another doctor who will suggest anything better.

And you will lose valuable time if you go looking.

May we discuss this alone, please?

Of course.

- What the hell are you doing? - I was gonna ask you the same thing.

You never insult a patient's beliefs. You work with them.

You try to understand their concerns. You give them a reason to be on your side.

And you think lying to them is going to help?

I didn't lie to them.

You know as well as I that mineral oil and microbeams won't dislodge that mass.

It's rooted!

That kid is going under the knife or into the freezer, those are the only options.

Sometimes you have to heal the family before you can heal the patient.

This isn't some silly superstition to them. This is real!

They're not gonna just let it go just because you tell them to.

It's going to kill their kid!

If we insist on cutting, they will put that kid on the first star cruiser out of here,

and he won't survive the first jump.

I am trying to find a way to save him, Doctor.

Look look, these people, they're terrified,

but they're just not ready to cut to the chase.

So first, first we do a little of this,

- and we do a little of that. - Torturing the patient

with remedies that don't work.

Until they're desperate enough to bite the damn bullet

and let us do what we should have done in the first place.

Now I don't like it any more than you do, Doctor,

but we don't get a vote.

Only-

Our son will not survive another space trip, will he?

No, I don't think so.

Then we either accept the fragile hope you offer...

or we watch our son die in pain.

It is not much of a choice, is it?

- Stand by Alpha Wing, ready to launch. - Roger.

Launch.

We're going into a sector noted for attacks by Raiders.

Suggest minimal chatter until we contact the Asimov.

Don't want to attract any attention. We just want to get in, and get out.

Confirmed, Alpha Leader.

Prepare for jump.

You're gonna have to stay in bed for a while.

It's gonna be boring, but the station has over a thousand

educational and entertainment channels and you can watch-

No. We have seen some of that material.

Those channels demonstrate false belief systems.

We don't want our child exposed to inappropriate information.

He can study the Scrolls if he gets bored.

The Scrolls can be very calming when the mind is in turmoil.

In particular, the Parable of the 7th Declination in the Scroll of Herrel,

where the young Herrel makes his final vow of commitment to the honor of his family.

I've always found that to be a most inspiring lesson.

- I've got something for you. Look at that. - Ooh, what is it?

Well, this...

is a gloppit egg.

Now, the gloppit is a very rare creature from the planet...

planet... Placebo.

The egg has to be held just like this.

And petted just like this.

And talked to softly.

Just like this.

Since I'm going to be too busy treating you to take care of it for a while

you're gonna have to do that for me. Okay?

It is all right, isn't it? Please?

Monnya? Dottya?

The gloppit. It is not a dangerous creature, is it?

Don't worry, it's perfectly safe.

Well then, you may speak to the egg, Shon, but

you may not speak of sacred things to it. Those are only for our people.

Yes, Dottya. Thank you.

Just like this.

- Gloppit eggs? - The boy's terrified, he needs a friend.

So you gave him a piece of industrial goo?

I gave him something to believe in.

What?

You don't disapprove of superstition, if it's your superstition.

- Now what is that supposed to mean? - They worship the Great Egg.

Your god is medicine, and you can do no wrong in his service.

What's the difference?

I produce measurable, testable results. What's your point?

Did you see their eyes?

They're terrified. You didn't solve anything, you just postponed it.

I gave them a chance to think about it. To reconsider.

- You are so certain, aren't you? - All right, look. Look look look.

If you think you can find a better way, go ahead. Research it.

Prove me wrong, if it'll make you happy. You're not gonna find anything.

- And I'll bet a steak dinner on that, too. - Can't get steak out here.

Then I'll import one.

One way or another, I'm gonna save that boy's life, whatever it costs.