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242 lines
14 KiB
242 lines
14 KiB
Description of Babylon 5
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Based on Episodes and JMS notes.
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Compiled by I. Marc Carlson, IMC@vax2.utulsa.edu
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All materials copyright have been copyrighted by Time-Warner and
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Babylonian Productions. Used without permission.
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/\ /\ /\
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-||-||-||----------------
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-||-||-||------------------------------------------
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|\ ||-------------| || || ||| | | | | | ---- ----
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||------|| |----------\ | | | | | ---|--- |
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||------|| |----------/ | | | | | ---|--- |
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|/ ||-------------| || || ||| | | | | | ---- ----
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-||-||-||-----------------------
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|| || ||
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\/ \/ \/
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..........................|.......|...|.....|......|...|.|.............|....
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^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^^ ^ ^ ^ ^
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| | | | | || | | | |
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| | | | Green || | | | Docking bay
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| | | | section || | | Cobra bays
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| | | | || | Med lab/Iso lab
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| | | | || Blue section
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| | | | the Red section
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| +---|-----|-------Garden-------+
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| | Gray section
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| Brown section
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Fusion reactor ^ ^
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+-----Rotating Portion of the Station---------+
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(Initial Source: Cinefantastique Feb 1993. Station sketch is based on
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original
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Ascii art by Richard Meikle and posted by Winchell Chung, Modified by I. Marc
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Carlson to closer match dimensions shown in "Points of Departure")
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Areas of Interest:
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Yellow Sector: Non rotating sections, 0g cargo bays, Fusion Engines,
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etc.
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Blue Sector: Maintenance and operations areas such as the docking
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bays, the Customs areas ("Customs sector"), and the
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Observation Dome/C&C. There are hospitals and
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Medlabs. Some living areas, the Sanctuary and the
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Rotunda. There are 70 Decks in the narrower part of
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the hull.
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Red Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Marketplace and business
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areas such as the Zocolo, Hotel suites, casinos, bars,
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brothels, a bookstore;
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The Garden A large botanical area that runs the center,
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lengthwise, of the station. It is an O'Neill
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environment, which enables an observer to look
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straight up to the other side of the rotating section.
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Lining the circular wall are some farmlands, orchards,
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an open air hedge maze, fields, trees, artificial
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lakes, Hydroponics gardens and other areas for oxygen
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reclamation. There are other areas where alien food
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is grown, as well as an area where food that is
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impractical to grow is synthesized. Other foods are
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imported. Weather can occur in the Garden area.
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Green Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Ambassadorial Suites.
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Gray Sector: Wraps around The Garden. Alien Sector (qv). Waste
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reclaimation area at Hull, Deck 49-51.
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Brown Sector: May or may not partially wrap around The Garden.
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There are at least 90-91 Decks between the Axis and
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the Hull.
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DownBelow: The Slum areas below the main levels (the higher G
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sections?)
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Topside: The main, public areas.
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Dockside: The Cargo handling areas and docking bays.
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Water and Waste reclamation systems are on decks 49-51 of blue and gray
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sectors.
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There are various embassies and diplomatic missions from various worlds.
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Because space on B5 is so tight, complete offices for every single
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ambassador would kill most of the available space; so they have access
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to the station's facilities for business rooms, meeting rooms,
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conference rooms and the like.
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Internal Coordinates:
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These are based first on color, denoting a "ring" or "sector", each
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technically separate, but interconnected. These consist of Blue, Gray,
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Red, Green, Brown, etc.; then one of 36 "sector" numbers (Perhaps each
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denoting a 10 degree region around the station's circumference); then a
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"level" or a deck number (for instance Blue 15A).
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B5 Dimensions:
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According to the Map in "Points of Departure" the station's total length
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is X; the diameter of the largest rotating cross section is .094X; the
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maximum length of heat radiator vanes from "top" to "bottom" is .26X.
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The Fork/stabilizer is aproximately .094X long, although it only extends
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.075X out from the main body of the station. It, and all non-rotating
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sections are coded as Yellow. The foremost rotating section (the face of
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which is .04X in diameter.) is colored Blue, and extends for .189X. The
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next section is Gray and is .019X long. The next, Red, section is .047X
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long. The next section is of a darker color that may be Brown is .085X
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long. The next section is Green and is .075X long. The next section is
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dark, and is .057X long. Thus the rotating section is .547X long. The
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section housing the radiator vanes is .103X long and the final section,
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housing the fusion reactors is .35X long.
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Physical Dimensions (My best estimate):
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Station Length: 8 kms (5 miles)
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Diameter of Rotating Section: 752 meters (.47 miles)
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Diameter of Blue Sector: 319 meters
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Maximum Gravity (based on .5 rotation per minute):
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1.97 G (10,306 cm/s^2)
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C&C Distance from Axis: 125 meters
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Gravity of C&C: .33 G (3,234 cm/s^2)
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Maximum 4.1m Decks: 91
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Deck 12: .27 G (2,646 cm/s^2)
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Deck 15: .33 G (3,234 cm/s^2)
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Deck 25: .51 G (4,998 cm/s^2)
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Deck 40: 1.02 G (9,996 cm/s^2)
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Total Radiator Length: 2 km
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Fork/Stabilizers Length: 752 meters
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Fork Extention: 599 meters
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Blue Sector Length: 1513 meters
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Gray Sector Length: 152 meters
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Red Sector Length: 377 meters
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Dark Sector Length: 679 meters
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Green Sector Length: 600 meters
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Dark Sector Length: 456 meters
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Vane Section Length: 824 meters
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Fusion Section Length: 2800 meters
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-------------
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Total Length 8000 meters
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Station Mass: 2.5x10^12 grams (Minimum)
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4x10^12 grams (Estimated)
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Station's Actual Gravity based on Mass:
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2.7x10^-13 cm/s^2 (Minimum)
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4.34x10^13 cm/s^2 (Estimated)
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Orbital Radius (Estimated): 100,000 km and 100,000 km behind E-3-A
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Location:
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Grid "Epsilon" 470x18x22. The Station orbits a barren, seemingly
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lifeless planet "Epsilon 3" (aka Euphrates*) in the L5 postition
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between the planet and a small, gray moon. The planet orbits
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"near" Epsilon Eridani (Epsilon or Tigris*) in neutral space, more
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or less central to all five of the major governments (nw). [JMS
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said initial that Euphrates was a Binary system (25-30 ly from
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Earth), though this may have changed.]
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B1-B4 were located in roughly the same sector, with B4 using some
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of the materials from 1-3 leftover. B5 was constructed about 3
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hours (traveling time in real-space) from the location of B4.
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[B4 was refered to as being in "Sector 14" (bs) while "Sector 7"
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is "Almost on top of" the station (nw) and "Sector 10" is very
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nearby.]
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Description:
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The non-rotating "fork" portion of the station "over" the rotating
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landing bays sits astride a 0 G cargo handling bay. The "fork"
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extends into a flat non-rotating section that runs the length of
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the station to the heat radiator vanes. Behind them extends the
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fusion reactor section that extends over a third of the length of
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the station. "Below" the reactor, several kms away from the
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station, floats a "Hazardous Materials Storage" site. The station
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is spun for simulated gravity, ranging from 0 G along the axis to
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about 2 Gs on the lowest deck.
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Areas of Interest:
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Yellow Sector: Non rotating sections, 0g cargo bays, Fusion
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Engines, etc.
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Living Areas:
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There are living areas designed to accomodate different
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environments, atmospheres, etc. Some of the alien sections are
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uninhabitable to humans without protective breathing gear or other
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measures. Similarly, heavy CO2 breathers or methane breathers
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have to wear some sort of respirators or "encounter suits" to
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travel among the humans on the station. The station's life
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support systems are capable of handling 250,000 entities, mostly
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in the form of transient population.
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Only the executive suites have sufficient water for traditional
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bathing facilities. The rest of the personnel make due with
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sonics showers.
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The primary means of transportation within the station are the
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transport tubes, similar to elevators moving from level to level;
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and the core shuttle, which travels along the axis in 0 G. The
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station operates on Earth Standard/Earth Mean Time, as well as
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running on human cycles of day and night, with the lighting in the
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hallways and Garden bright during the day times, and dark during
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night.
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Personnel:
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Most of the humans on the station are civilian contractees,
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handling things such as dockwork, food preparation, and so forth,
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under contracts with the government. Operations, such as the
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techs in the Observation Dome, the Medical Staff, and Security are
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Earthforce. There are 1500 Guild Dockworkers, and 6500 Earthforce
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Personnel.
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Defensive Capabilities:
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Until 2259, the station was protected by a low level Defense Grid
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containing a variety of concealed hull mounted weaponry, which
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were supplemented by Starfury wings housed in "Cobra Bays".
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The Alpha, Delta and Zeta wings consist of 12 Starfurys each.
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After the beginning of the Narn-Centauri Conflict, in 2259, the
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station's defenses were upgraded with Pulse Cannons...
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Internal Coordinates:
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These are based first on color, denoting a "ring" or "sector",
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each technically separate, but interconnected. These consist of
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Blue, Gray, Red, Green, Brown, etc.; then one of 36 "sector"
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numbers (each denoting a 10 degree region around the station's
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circumference*); then a "level" or a deck number (for instance
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Blue 15A).
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There are various "locator Graphics", pictograms using dots to
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identify beings (Three dots on a line above and through three
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larger circles for the Core Shuttle; a single dot over a slanted
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bar for licing quarters; six dots to either side of a bar for a
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meeting room; etc.
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Legal Status:
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The Station acts as a free port, a place of commerce, trade,
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diplomacy, where different parties can meet to work out their
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problems so the legal situation can be tricky. Technically,
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outside of the station is in neutral territory, while only within
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the station are EA laws and regulations enforceable. These
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regulations are VERY strict. Anyone coming onto the station must
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be scanned for weapons, since no weapons are allowed on the
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station.
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In most everyday situations B5 operates fairly autonomously; Earth
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doesn't generally get involved unless there's a good reason.
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The commander of B5 is empowered to speak on behalf of his
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government the say that a ship's captain exploring new worlds is
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similarly empowered. He is on equal footing with the Alien
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ambassadors. He is forbidden from using the Station's personnel
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or firepower to, for instance, threaten someone into signing a
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particular treaty, since that would be considered duress, and
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therefore void.
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Financial Conditions:
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The Station is owned and operated by the Earth Alliance, and
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although the EA funded the first few attempts exclusively; after
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they'd dumped all their money into B4, they needed outside funding
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to get B5 going. The Minbari were first to contribute money as a
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show of good faith. Then the Centauri added additional funding.
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Those are the only two other races that've contributed
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significantly.
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Because of this financial "burden", anyone who stays on the
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station pays a fee. Station employees are charged a similar fee
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against their salaries. Even the command staff may be required to
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pay for their "room and board". As soon as a ship enters through
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the Jump Gate, its "signature" is registered and the fee for using
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Gate is debited to the account or taxes of the ship's owner. If
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they don't have an account, they will be asked for payment before
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being allowed to "land."
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