Though they are cordial to him, Keffer is upset about having to share his quarters. Dr. Franklin is in his quarters, meeting with his father, catching up on current events in their family. While they are talking, General Franklin offers to have his son transferred to Bethesda Dome so that he can be of more use to Earth Force during the Narn-Centauri war. This outrages Stephen, who says his job as a doctor is to heal people. His father tells him that he should heal humans instead, but Stephen doesn't agree.
Life is life, whether it's wrapped in skin, scales, or feathers.
As soon as he says it, Stephen realizes it was a mistake, but the general leaves too quickly for him to say anything else. In MedLab, Dr. Franklin is unhappy to see Ivanova arrive with a large group of soldiers she wants to billet in the infirmary. He initially objects, but after Ivanova quotes to him information from his medical log, saying that the patients in the infirmary can be moved, he reluctantly agrees. She can tell he's upset about something, and he explains to her what he's feeling. I can't control.