“And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder” is episode sixteen of season five of Babylon 5.
Sheridan is in bed asleep. He wakes when he notices that Delenn is not there. She is out of bed, staring at a candle. Sheridan tells her she needs sleep, as it will be morning soon. Morning comes, and Delenn is still staring at the candle.
To the council, Sheridan is saying that sometime you have to do something you’d rather not do, know something you’d rather not know. Londo turns up at the council chambers with Vir, only to be stopped from entering by Zack. It’s a closed session. Londo is not happy. He is on the advisory board of the alliance and has every right to be in there. Zack replies that, when they are ready, they will send for Londo. Londo says that they are selling out his people without giving him any chance to rebut the evidence, it’s wrong, unfair and he should be in there.
To the council, Sheridan tells them that, when they began the investigation into the attacks on the shipping lines, once they found out who and had conclusive evidence, they would bring it before the council and pursue the evidence fully, no matter where it led. They now have proof that the Centauri Republic is behind the attack. The Alliance promised to support any action decided to be taken against those responsible, and will honour that promise.
Dr Franklin drops off something for Londo before giving evidence to the council. Although everyone uses similar energy weapons, the signature is unique. Full autopsies were done on random bodies recovered from the attacks, and the damage is consistent with Centauri weapons.
Garibaldi drops off something for Londo as well. The attacks are consistent with Centauri training. He also has the button he recovered in “The Ragged Edge”, one belonging to the Centauri palace guard uniform, and explains how there was a leak. Once Londo was taken out of the loop, there were no further leaks. Also, only one Centauri vessel has been destroyed. An old one, on route to be scrapped, with no cargo or casualties discovered.
G’Kar is the next to visit Londo. No, he wasn’t spying on Londo, nor is he testifying to the council. But G’Kar was there with Londo, in “A Tragedy of Telepaths”, when he saw Londo concerned about the preparations for war, that information on Centauri warships had been classified. Londo knew something was going on then. G’Kar is here to escort Londo to the council.
Londo tells the council he was offended and angry, but now considered it to be a joke. A cruel one. Circumstantial evidence, half-truths, distortions and unfounded assumptions. The Centauri have supplied weapons to other worlds, and left ships and weapons on Narn. That could be used against the Centauri. Londo doesn’t refute the evidence, for there is nothing to refute.
He is leaving when Delenn tells him there is one final piece of evidence. Londo will see it at the same time as the council. In the previous episode, “Darkness Ascending”, Lennier saw a Centauri attack on shipping and recorded it. Londo is shocked. He wishes to speak to his government. Sheridan tells him that, until the Centauri acknowledge and apologise for what they have done, and pay reparations, they will be blockaded.
The Centauri are slow getting back to Londo. Vir suggests that’s because they know the allegations are true. Londo doesn’t believe they can be. He would know. In 500 years, the republic gas never attacked a civilian target. No, the Narns do not count, those were wars and they are not at war. The Centauri do not strike first and do not blow up cargo transports.
Centauri Prime finally gets in touch with Londo. The Regent has said the evidence is a clever fraud. Londo states that Lennier couldn’t have been involved in a forgery, he knows him. The alternative is that it was a show, put on by the Narns using materiel left behind on Narn, specifically to convince Lennier. The Regent has drafted a response for the council.
Which is that the Centauri deny any involvement and say they are victims of an elaborate hoax. They will not be threatened by anyone, and are withdrawing from the Alliance. They also don’t recognise the legality of the blockade, and their transports will be accompanied by warships. Firing on them will be considered to be an act of war. Londo is heading home now, even though Sheridan says he may not be allowed back. Londo tells Vir to remain, because the Alliance will back down and apologise when Londo gets the evidence showing the Centauri are not responsible. That’s going to be far more difficult than Londo thinks.
G’Kar tells Delenn he is accompanying Londo. Last time, Delenn said Londo needed a bodyguard, and she was right. If their assumption is correct, and Londo doesn’t know his government is behind the attacks, Londo will be in even greater danger. Sooner or later, Londo will find out what is going on and G’Kar believes he will try to stop it. Londo alive may be their only chance of stopping it. G’Kar hasn’t told Londo this; he plans to make it a surprise. He’s also booked the seat next to Londo – and plans to annoy him on the way.
Things are going wrong, very badly and very quickly. Londo definitely doesn’t have a clue what is happening, nor has it been revealed who is behind it. Not at the current time anyway. Garibaldi’s drinking finally becomes a problem, and things get even worse.