“In the Shadow of Z’ha’dum” is episode sixteen of season two of Babylon 5.
Garibaldi meets Zack at the docking boys and the latter tells the chief that they have got another 200 Narn refugees from Sector 29. They are turning round the refugees as fast as they can and sending them on to the Narn homeworld, but there are too many. Captain Sheridan doesn’t want to send any of the refugees on their way until they are fit to travel, but Medlab is getting swamped. Zack wants Garibaldi to have a word with the captain about it.
Vir – who still has his job; in “There All the Honor Lies” Londo told Centauri Prime that if Vir was sent home, Londo would go with him – finds Mr Morden. Morden was expecting Londo, but the ambassador has been recalled to Centauri Prime. Vir does not like Morden, and the latter knows this and says that he finds it surprising. Morden tells Vir that he and his associates are doing what they can to help the Centauri Republic regain its rightful place in the galaxy, and if restoring the republic means nothing to Vir, what does he want?
Vir says that he hopes he lives just long enough to be there when they cut off Morden’s head and stick it on a pike as a warning to the next ten generations that some favours come at too high a price. Vir will then look up at Morden’s lifeless eyes and wave, just like this, demonstrating. He asks Morden if he and his associates can arrange this. Morden then gives Vir a crystal that he says contains the information that Londo wants, and dismisses him. As Vir leaves, he gives Morden a little wave – just like that.
Garibaldi speaks to Sheridan about the refugee situation. The captain says that he thought that they could handle it, but there are too many, so they need to separate out the injured. Triage, basically. Garibaldi notices that Sheridan has something on the screen; it’s the Icarus, the science vessel that Sheridan’s wife, Anna, was on when she died. Icarus is a truly dreadful name for a ship.
Sheridan is finally sorting through the stuff Anna sent him, including a breakdown of the mission. Garibaldi asks if he can take a look, and Sheridan tells him to go ahead. Garibaldi is looking through the crew manifest when he suddenly says that he knows one of the guys. Sheridan says that he can’t, as he was on the Icarus when it exploded, but the chief says that no, he has seen him. The man in question is Mr Morden.
Sheridan wants to know how a man supposed to be dead can be walking around the station. Garibaldi responds that they don’t get every death notification and Morden hasn’t broken any laws. If he had, security would have run a full check and at that point they would have discovered the discrepancy. Garibaldi checks and sees that Morden is still on the station. Sheridan really wants to talk to him.
Morden is found and brought in and, when Sheridan shows him the Icarus, sensibly doesn’t deny being on the crew. He claims not to know how he survived, and says that he must have been working outside when the accident happened, because he was found floating outside in an EVA suit. Morden says that the shock and trauma of the accident wiped out his memory.
Sheridan is not going to release Morden until he gets some answers. He has him held without charge, pointing out that, as everyone thinks Morden is dead, he has no rights or legal recourse. This starts to cause problems, for Garibaldi says that, as security chief, he is ultimately responsible, so Morden needs to be charged or released. This ends up with Garibaldi resigning his position, as Sheridan won’t let Morden go. When Ivanova confronts Sheridan about this, he admits that he knows how he looks and that he’s behaving irrationally, but he can’t let Morden go without finding out what happened to his wife. Finally, Ambassadors Kosh and Delenn confront Sheridan and he learns the truths he is looking for. They are not good.
A Pierce Macabee is on the station and he speaks to Talia. Macabee says that he’s the regional director of the newly formed Ministry of Peace, an organisation formed so that humans can find better ways to help and work with each other. He invites Talia to a meeting, along with other members of the station crew. There, Macabee explains that the Ministry has a volunteer organisation called the Nightwatch. This organisation is endorsed by Earthdome and will pay the volunteers 50 credits a week. The Nightwatch will look for people who put peace at risk and report them to the Ministry so that they can be helped. Despite Macabee’s enthusiasm, and the glowing way he portrays the Nightwatch, it sounds rather creepy. The armbands don’t help with that.
Dr. Franklin is pushing himself too far and, when Ivanova finds him asleep at his desk, she relives him of duty, sends him to his quarters for at least six hours of sleep, then to the mess hall for a meal, where she will meet him. During this meal, Franklin essentially starts talking about the nature of God.