Season 3, Episode 5: The Man In-Between

by Simon-F. Laflamme

At the Centauri Imperial Retreat on Morbis III, Carlson, Enoch and Ta’Ren undergo a scéance with the last wife of Emperor Turhan and leader of the Jaddo Cell, the seeress Lady Morella. They share a forgotten recollection of their past, mingled with visions of Minbari implicated in a battle of the last Great War, and an urge to journey to Thenothk, to meet Dr. Christopher Spears, the mysterious “Man In-Between” they feel will hold the answers to their questions. Seeing how they are haunted by the unanswered questions related to their silenced common past, the Lady Morella releases them of her service until these issues have been resolved.

The trio leaves for the spacedock of Zafran VIII to catch up with Va’Nur of the Ta’Var Cartel who has been tracking the Hurr ship who destroyed BrakEarth’s secret research station in Dilgar space.

From the cover of his docked flagship, the Ni’Ko, Va’Nur has tracked the Hurr to the neighboring system of Thenothk and, seeing the mission will be dangerous, took the liberty of recruiting extra personnel for the Behemoth. One is a Gaim pilot, the other, a mercenary captain the heroes recognize as Mr. Smits.

Together, they raid the compound of Dr. Christopher Spears at the Artasa Hotel in Thenothk City, and first come across a mind-wiped Christian Mendoza. Then, they face his tormentor, Isabel Lovegrave, in battle, to finally meet with Spears himself.

Spears admits being an agent of the Drakh, and having been involved in the heroes’ capture at the destruction of Babylon 3, and their subsequent “reprogramming”. Bloodied, Carlson, Enoch, Ta’Ren, Smits and the Gaim pilot, now revealed to have been Emily Jane Banks in disguise, flee the Artasa after having defeated Spears and escaped the creatures guarding him.

In orbit, the Behemoth is waylaid by the Hurr ship, now overtaken by the Shadow technology its crew had gathered from the BrakEarth station. The Behemoth flees in Hyperspace, but is quickly overtaken. Its weaponry is ineffective, and Carlson fails to hold the attacker at bay long enough for the transport to make its escape. As Banks plots an escape route, Ta’Ren, seemingly under the influence of the Goliath, remembers the way into Quantum space, and the Behemoth jumps, destroying its pursuer in the process.

Depleted the craft crashes upon its arrival at its destination, the Minbari world of Eudu. There, Banks takes the heroes to the man who healed her: a Minbari claiming the name of Valen.

NPC: Dr. Christopher Spears

Played by Stephen McHattie

First Appearance: Season 3, Episode 5: The Man In-Between

There is little fact at the heart of the matter of the mysterious "Man In-Between" of Thenothk City. It was Enoch who, upon his rescue from Quadrant 93, recalled having used the name because it was the only one he recalled from the time before his abduction during the destruction of Babylon 3 in 2253.

Still, during their odyssey of 2265, Carlson, Enoch and Ta'Ren, were continuously referred to a mysterious "Man In-Between", a dangerous power broker operating from the gateway to Z'ha'dum, who might hold the answers to their questions.

When they reached Spears' lair at the Artasa Hotel in Thenothk City, the middle man admitted he had been the designer of their destiny and the architecht of their downfall, plucking them from a burning Babylon 3, submitting them to a mindwipe, and using them as agents of chaos in the dark devices of his Drakh masters.

Spears then proceeded to dismiss his victims unceremoniously, confident they would be crushed under the weight of the revelation. He was dead wrong.

NPC: Isabel Lovegrave

Played by Famke Janssen

First Appearance: Season 1, Episode 2: Not of Minbari

Officially PsiCorps' new resident Commercial Telepath for Babylon 5 following the station's return to Earth control, Isabel Lovegrave arrived on Babylon 5 in 2263 and immediately distinguished herself from her predecessors by the extreme zeal she showed towards the Corps. She also distinguished herself by the particular interest she had taken in one of B5's unique denizens, Captain Thomas Carlson.

When in 2264, faced with the growing popular malcontent with their treatment of Rogues and Sleepers, the Psi Corps sought to curb the trend by delegating the administration of sleeper drugs to the individual taking the medication, Isabel Lovegrave jumped at the opportunity to introduce Carlson to the new technique.

Carlson and his friends only discovered the truth about Lovegrave much later, in 2265, when they raided the compound of Dr. Christopher Spears on the planet Thenothk, where Lovegrave had also holed herself with Christian Mendoza:

Born in 2231, she enlisted at 16 in the GROPOS to fight in the Earth-Minbari War, but never saw any action. By the time she finished Basic Training and her regiment given an assignment, the Minbari had surrendered at the line, but the universe still had surprises in store for young Isabel. No sooner had her regiment been recalled to Earth that her latent telepathic abilities manifested, and she was off to Mars for Psi Corps training.

Isabel was soon evaluated as being a very powerful telepath, and applied for being a Psi Cop. She interned with Metapol under Avis Ames, but her rating was determined to be a strong P-11, not the P-12 required to wear the black uniform. Under the direction of her mentor, she remained in the service of the Corps for special assignments, and was stationed on Babylon 5 to secretly accrue the Psi Corps’ presence, and keep an eye on and serve as a handler for their asset, Thomas Carlson.

Isabel Lovegrave died at the hands of Thomas Carlson at the Astaria Hotel in Thenothk City in late 2265, defending the shadowy stronghold from Carlson’s commando.

Season 3, Episode 5: Known Enemies

ISN presents an interview with Earth Alliance Senator Samuel J. Clemens to discuss his allegations towards Mark Baggett as well his position towards the Earth Alliance economy and campaign financing. Meanwhile, Thomas and Enoch return to Eden and meet several members of Cynthia's group. They are questioned about their feelings towards the Psi Corps. She mentions that the Psi Corps was good to them and that they know of Alfred, Jonas and Avis.

While continuing to repair the Behemoth, the heroes discuss their strategy given their dwindling resources. A plan is hatched to contact Vlur/Nhar, the former Pak'Ma'Ra ambassador for help. A shell corporation, EnTom, is created by Enoch to serve the immediate needs. After setting up a meeting using his new alias of Robert Beck, the stolen Brakiri shuttle is used to travel to Melat, the Pak'Ma'Ra homeworld. Once at the Abattoir, the Pak'Ma'Ra space station, the meeting is held and Vlur/Nhar's assistance will be provided.

After a close call in a restaurant where 2 Brakiri seem to be keeping an eye on them, the Brakiri shuttle is traded to a Grome mining outfit for their old mining shuttle. Enoch then hatches a plan to pull of the greatest heist in known space where 1.5B credits worth of Q40 shipments is diverted to purchase BrakEarth public stock.

The trio then departs the Abattoir for parts unknown...