Contents: Overview - Backplot - Questions - Analysis - Notes - JMS

Overview

While G'Kar and Garibaldi are trapped in the core of Babylon 5, Captain Sheridan races to save them and stop a Narn assassination at the same time.

Issue 10 (November 1995)

Setting: Between "The Geometry of Shadows" and "A Distant Star"

    Writer: David Gerrold
 Penciller: Rebecca Guay
     Inker: Rick Bryant

Synopsis

Sheridan breathes a sigh of relief as he barely makes it onto the shuttle. He accuses Greegil of trying to kill him; Greegil denies it.

The cleaning robot chases Garibaldi and G'Kar through the station axis. As they somehow propel themselves forward, the robot grabs Garibaldi's boot and pulls it off, slowing down to process it. G'Kar suggests that Garibaldi feed it more; Garibaldi volunteers G'Kar's boots. G'Kar refuses and suggests they play another game of laser-mirror-starweb to decide whose boot will be next. G'Kar cheats. Garibaldi tosses a boot to the robot and grabs G'Kar, demanding to know what's going on. G'Kar reveals that he received a message telling him an assassin by the name of Greegil D'Farkin was coming to Babylon 5 to kill him.

Sheridan manages to stabilize the shuttle, but its diagnostics show "massive decalibration in the external transfibulator phase controllers" as well as damage to the oxygen recyclers. Sheridan dons a suit to go out and fix the transfibulator antennas, and advises Greegil not to waste their air complaining about the situation.

Garibaldi and G'Kar continue to flee the robot. G'Kar notes that he promised his clan he would die honorably; Garibaldi says he intends to die in bed, on his 92nd birthday, in the arms of a beautiful redhead, shot by her jealous husband. G'Kar is puzzled; Garibaldi would be doing the husband a great service. As the robot nears, they play another laser-mirror-starweb game. This time, Garibaldi cheats more outrageously than G'Kar does, and G'Kar tosses a boot to the robot.

Sheridan fixes the problem and finds that Greegil has locked him outside in space. He reminds Greegil that he has the code key to operate the ship, and uses that to bargain for information: why G'Kar fled. Greegil says his job is to stop G'Kar from sabotaging Babylon 5. Abruptly, Sheridan is back inside the ship. He proposes using electrolysis to produce oxygen from the ship's water supply.

G'Kar and Garibaldi float away from the robot in their undershorts; it's still gaining. Garibaldi spots a maintenance hatch and pops it open; the two of them leave the inside of the axis tube and hang by handrails high above the Garden while the robot passes. Garibaldi doesn't let G'Kar back inside until he has the truth about Greegil: he's chasing G'Kar because of a woman, Greegil's wife, in fact. G'Kar refused to have sex with her to seal an alliance between two clans, even though it was his obligation as a high-ranking clansman; that was a grave insult to Greegil, who vowed revenge.

Sheridan's shuttle returns to Babylon 5; Sheridan places Greegil under arrest. Ivanova reports that G'Kar and Garibaldi are still missing.

Garibaldi somehow displays a message on the outside of the axis tube, indicating their location to the security staff and Sheridan. When the two of them emerge from the tube, Sheridan, Greegil, and a security team are waiting. Garibaldi arrests G'Kar for kidnapping him.

In a security station, G'Kar, Greegil, Garibaldi, and Sheridan argue about whether Greegil should be allowed to kill G'Kar. Greegil even presents a license, signed by the council of clans. Sheridan dismisses it as invalid on his station. Greegil pulls out a laser pistol. Garibaldi and G'Kar duck behind a nearby mirrored table, reflecting the laser beam. Sheridan calls out for a starweb, which one of the security staff gladly fires at Greegil.

G'Kar and Garibaldi walk away together. G'Kar explains that sleeping with Greegil's wife would have shifted the balance of power among the five clans... "And besides, she wasn't attractive enough to justify a war."

Elsewhere, Sheridan admits to Ivanova that they can't really press charges against G'Kar... but keeping him busy with lawyers for a while will be punishment enough.

Backplot

• Narn aristocrats consider education beneath them, something for servants.
• There are five main Narn clans; G'Kar belongs to one of them.
• Narn alliances are sealed with sexual liaisons.

Unanswered Questions

Analysis

Notes

jms speaks

• I wasn't terribly pleased with the artwork on 9 and 10, I thought it could've been much better. As for the story, David Gerrold had proposed (and written) that as an outline for an episode; I said I didn't think it worked for our show. Which opened the door for DC to pick it up, and since he felt so strongly that it *did* work, I figured I'd let him proceed.

Last update: June 10, 2018