“Learning Curve” is episode five of season five of Babylon 5.
The episode opens on Minbar where a group of Rangers-to-be are being led in a meditation exercise. One finds the voice of the master leading the exercise, Turval, to be distracting. He is told that anyone can meditate in silence. The Ranger thinks that meditation is not a challenge worthy of a Ranger. Standing alone, waiting to die, is a challenge. Sitting and thinking is not. Turval tells him he has mastered sitting, but they will leave thinking for the advanced class. Once he has got the warrior class nonsense out of his head.
Another Ranger, Durhan, comes in. Delenn would like a progress report and Durhan is going to the station. He would like Turval to accompany him. Because everyone else is busy. He considers Turval to be an annoyance, because he is right more often than he is wrong, and thinks he should share Turval with the universe. Durhan asks Turval to bring two escorts with him. One of those comments that they are going to Babylon 5, the home of peace. Where, currently, a crime lord, Trace, is having someone beaten up and killed as a message that there is a new power in town. Babylon 5 belongs to Trace.
Garibaldi is eating and invites Zack over to join him. Zack says that Byron has got the telepaths, as agreed. Then Captain Lochley arrives, and Garibaldi invites her to join them. Then starts quizzing Lochley about which side she was on in the war. Lochley was on the side that it isn’t the role of the military to set policy, depose presidents and fire on their own ships. Zack is attempting to change the subject, but Garibaldi presses on and, overall, comes off second best,
Afterwards, Lochley bumps into Sheridan in a transit tube. He asks how it’s going. She replies she had a frank and open conversation with Garibaldi. Sheridan replies that Garibaldi doesn’t trust her. No, he doesn’t. But it’s Lochley’s problem, she can handle it or she shouldn’t be here. No, Lochley isn’t having second thoughts. Is Sheridan? No, he picked Lochley for a reason. Garibaldi will come around eventually.
Zack and security are examining the body of the man killed earlier. He was killed elsewhere by a single PPG blast at close range, then dumped here. As a warning. Nobody saw or heard anything. Zack tells the onlookers that this is the third death in two weeks, and there will be more unless they are willing to help. Afterwards, Trace comments that Zack is smart and a talker, and looked to have convinced some of the onlookers. So, he wants Zack killed.
One of Trace’s men tries warning him that the big guys don’t back down. They can take over all of the Downbelow rackets, but going after Zack will bring the entire station down on their necks. Trace doesn’t think so. The last place they ran. before being kicked out because of the war, he simply had the local security head killed, then his successor, until the third agreed to deal. Trace believes that Babylon 5 will work the same way. He’s wrong.
Delenn is being briefed by Durhan and Turval. They have had recruits from a number of other races, including a Pak’ma’ra. They have no idea what to do with the Pak’ma’ra. The Pak’ma’ra are slow, greedy and not very bright, and refuse to learn other languages. They also only eat carrion. The smell is notable. Delenn replies that the Ranger training methods were designed by Minbari to benefit Minbari. If there’s any lesson that can be taken from the humans, it is that differences make them stronger. They should use the Pak’ma’ra for what they are.
The other two had considered garbage disposal, but there are some things that even Pak’ma’ra won’t eat. They think. Delenn tells them that the Pak’ma’ra are everywhere, and no-one wants anything to do with them. They are effectively invisible. Which would make them effective couriers.
Garibaldi is with Zack, talking to the two telepath volunteers. Afterwards, Zack asks if Garibaldi is sure that this is a good idea. Not really. Garibaldi wants Lochley’s file. He did the same thing when Sheridan arrived on the station. Zack asks Garibaldi if he’s considered that, just because someone disagrees with him, they might not be the enemy. No, he hasn’t. Garibaldi is sure there is something Lochley isn’t telling. Zack then gets a call; someone has contacted them claiming to know who is behind the murders is Downbelow.
The two Rangers in training, Rastenn and Tannier, are also in Downbelow. They pass Trace as he is heading to set an ambush up for Zack. When the woman who called security finds out Trace plans to kill Zack, she wants nothing to do with it. Tannier decides to go help and gets beaten to a pulp by Trace’s men. If he’d been human, he would have been killed. Delenn tells Lochley that the Rangers are going to deal with the matter, through the application of terror.
There is something being kept quiet about Lochley, but it isn’t revealed in this episode.