BPP Crusade 102 – The Long Road

The Babylon Project Podcast

Things kick off with a large, orange blob threatening some Earth Force folks and they’re calling for help. We quickly learn they’re crew from the Medusa, detailed to guard a planet-based mine on Regula 4. Meanwhile, the Excalibur is tasked to assist with the problem. Turns out the society there has rejected most forms of modern technology and they have… a dragon problem.

While is is the second episode broadcast, JMS intended for this to be episode 6, so if you feel like you might have missed some of the development of the crew’s storyline, you know why.

Why is this mine so important? And is there really a dragon? Turns out an old friend of Galen’s is also on the planet – a fellow technomage, Alwyn, who is doing his best to temper the frustration and anger of the villagers with the desire for the Earth Force folks to stop mining and leave. With a sense of desperation lurking among the Earth Force members, conflict seems inevitable. When additional Earth Force troops arrive, they’re taken hostage, reinforcing the perspectives of leadership on Medusa.

Alwyn pushes for the release of the hostages, and in an almost predictable turn of events, a young girl in the village falls ill, due to dust from the mine, bolstering the attitudes of the villagers about the need to rid themselves of the mine and Earth Force troops. The threat to her health is confirmed by Dr. Chambers onboard Excalibur, and we also learn that this same problem will eventually threaten the entire population. Tensions are definitely high. When Alwyn warns the villagers that holding hostages will only work against them, they won’t relent. He tells them they’ve forced him to take care of the problem his way, and they’ll have to live with the consequences. Without telling them what he’s doing, he goes to the mind and appears to be using his powers to directly threaten the Medusa. Medusa orders Excalibur to fire on him, which they do, destroying the mine and apparently killing Alwyn. BOOM! While the mine is now gone, they must now live without their wise advisor.

Calmer heads prevail and the villagers agree to help Earth Force find a better location to mine for the mineral that might save Earth, and won’t threaten the health of the people on Regula 4. Then, as the episode ends, we discover that Alwyn may not be as dead as he appeared…

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Just remember… No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There’s always a boom tomorrow!

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