"Mr. Garibaldi, could I ask for your help with precautions for the upcoming Centauri celebration?" Ambassador Delenn asked, "I'm sure you are aware of how forceful their people can be when it comes to their celebrations, sometimes in ignorance of diplomatic realities."
Garibaldi stood up from his seat, "Oh, sure, Ambassador. What kind of precautions are we talking about? Cultural, medical…?"
"Medical, primarily," Delenn replied, "Alcohol. It reacts poorly with the Minbari nervous system."
Garibaldi tilted his head, "Really?"
"Yes. As strong as my people can be compared to humans, our biochemistry is rather...unique," Delenn replied, "We cannot consume alcohol without suffering a serious reaction. Our unique biochemistry means that they cannot imbibe alcohol without suffering a drastic psycho-chemical reaction. Those that consume even a small amount suffer from sudden and extreme psychotic impulses accompanied by violent rage."
Delenn knew this would be difficult. Human and Centauri cultures had certain similarities, and she'd heard rumors of difficult conversations in embassies on occasion. There had even been an incident long ago around first contact between the Centauri Republic and the Minbari Federation. Few spoke of it, like many secrets in the republic. And the Minbari did not, to protect another's honor.
Garibaldi frowned, then grinned, "Oh, don't worry. The same thing happens to me."
That hadn't been something she'd expected. "I'm sorry?"
"Some humans don't do well with alcohol either. Homicidal rages? Yeah, I've seen that." He sat down and input commands into his computer, "You'd be surprised what you see in bars at three in the morning."
"I've heard stories of such things, but Centauri can handle alcohol far better than my own people. So humans are not as adept as they are?"
Garibaldi nodded, "Yep. We can drink it no problem, it's just..." he paused and looked up at her, "Some of us don't know when to stop. I've got some arrangements with Londo. I can add you to that list, though I doubt he's going to remember by tomorrow."
Delenn smiled a bit, "Minbari are quite familiar with that reputation." As Garibaldi typed, she moved closer, "Can you tell me more about humans like yourself?"
Garibaldi shrugged, "Not much to tell. The doc can probably tell you more."
"You seem to have personal experience with this sort of thing."
Garibaldi's eyes widened a little in that way he had to emphasize a statement, "Yeah, I certainly seem to."
Delenn noted his posture and tone of voice. "I apologize if I've violated some boundary…"
Garibaldi looked back up at her, "Don't worry, I get it. One teetotaler to another, right?"
Delenn tilted her head, unfamiliar with the word.
"Some of us don't drink because we can't take it. Some of us don't drink because we can take it too well. If people like them take one drink, one becomes two, then three, then five, then ten. Trust me, psychotic rages happen all the time in alcoholics."
"Then why do humans consume it?"
"Good question. It doesn't hurt us as much as it does Minbari, and some can drink a lot without many problems. It depends on the person. We used to have bigger problems before the miracles of modern medicine. A lot of people used to die of alcohol poisoning. It got so bad once that they tried to ban alcohol about two hundred or three hundred years ago."
"I have heard of such things among Centauri, but to have such a prolific epidemic that it requires...such extreme measures…" Delenn sounded disbelieving.
"Well, that comes with a species that has a little too much blood in their alcohol system. I swear if Londo needed a blood transfusion they'd hook him up to a bottle of Jack Daniels and that wouldn't be enough," Garibaldi said, "And prohibition didn't even really work. We humans are a little attached to this stuff."
Delenn tilted her head once again, "Really? How long did that restriction last?"
"Ten years. Not long," Garibaldi scoffed a bit.
Delenn thought for a moment, "In recent Minbari history, such a short-term result has been unheard of, or at least, very rare," The war with the humans came to mind.
"In that country? It was considered a wild success up until it wasn't," Garibaldi scoffed again, looking to the side, "Ah, North America."
"The Centauri place great emphasis on alcohol even in their religions," Delenn said, "Are humans much different?"
Garibaldi shrugged, "Depends. I haven't done Communion in a while so it may have changed, but some of our religions drink wine as parts of rituals," he smiled a little, "Now that I think about it, I wonder if the Greeks are why the Centauri liked us. Now those guys," He made a pointing gesture for emphasis, "They're nuts. Some gods are nice, some are like Jehovah, and then there's the ones where it's a good day if you're just bored out of your mind when they're around. I swear they're the ones harassing me. These gods are the sort who get hammered and go play with the mortals as a joke. They'll smash a city to punish someone, or just for fun. Some days it seems like a bunch of hooey, but considering this place? They're just somewhere laughing at us and making the next Ikarran war machine to throw at us."
XXXXX
After Londo's dramatic communion with his inner self(or passing out), Lennier and Delenn made their way back to the ambassador's quarters. Unfortunately, Mr. Garibaldi was held up with the security arrangements for the next religious display, and they had to postpone their next meeting.
"Lennier, I'd like to make a few notes to send to the Grey Council," Delenn paced around her quarters for a long moment before she spoke again, "It seems as though we may have discovered more Minbari souls in human bodies."
Lennier looked up at her in surprise, "Are you sure?"
"According to our intelligence, humans match the Centauri for their prolific love of alcohol, but it seems this is not the case. Mr. Garibaldi stated that some humans, himself included, can suffer extreme reactions to even a small amount of alcohol. Some cannot 'handle their liquor', as he described, while some partake in self-destructive behavior once a small amount is consumed."
Lennier tilted his head.
Delenn kept pacing, "Mr. Garibaldi suggested that psychotic rages are common among human alcoholics. While many humans consume the substance, some are not allowed. He claimed that if he drinks some, he won't be able to stop."
Lennir nodded. "I have heard descriptions of such a thing happening among those Minbari who have consumed it."
"Yes. I wish to make a recommendation that we look into this matter immediately."
