Chapter 2 (Michael Garibaldi)
Being the second in command of this massive construction facility offered him many perks of the job and he often indulged his old drinking habit -with a little bit of caution.
Sitting in a colourful local establishment, called the "Bolt Hole" by the inhabitants, Garibaldi inspected the latest edition of the Crystal For Order magazine. He often purchased it the moment it became available.
A glass of beer in one hand and the magazine spread out on the table, he eagerly inspected the new releases of Daffy Duck, Roger Rabbit and any other children's cartoons he found interesting.
Only a limited number of video crystals still existed, thanks to the efforts of the evacuation crews who saw fit to download as much as they could before the Earth was destroyed. They came at a price, of course. However, cost was no object for Garibaldi; his salary as second in command of the facility was more than adequate for such extras.
With a contented smile, he drew out a highlighter from his pocket and highlighted the newest material in the magazine. Paper copies of periodicals were a rarity, of course, and almost more expensive than the items available for order within them. However, Garibaldi preferred the look and feel of a real magazine that he could hold in his hands, and again, when it came to his beloved video crystals, he was prepared to pay extra to get what he wanted.
He then heaved a long and disappointed sigh at the black blob that sat on his plate.
He had complained to the chef about the food in the past, but was told to, "Don't like it? Well, then, swim back to Earth and get yourself something else! Take a sweater—space can get chilly." He decided to accept the dull food and keep his mouth shut. After all, pissing off the chef would not be a good idea. Still looks like a pile of dog muck, though.
He brushed the so-called 'food' aside with a brisk wave of his hand. Tilting the chair back on two legs, he grabbed the magazine from the table and began to inspect it in detail for interesting movies and series. With his choice firmly in his mind, he flipped the page and carried on making mental notes.
His concentration was broken when he noticed Zack Allen marching toward him. Zack's navy blue pants were covered with pockets and looked like they'd seen better days. Garibaldi dropped the chair back down to all four legs as Zack came to a stop on the other side of the table. "So, Zack, you wanted to see me?"
His question dispensed with all pleasantries and Zack could not say anything except for what was on his mind. He pulled up a chair and sat down, head held low. "I have to get out of this place!"
Garibaldi closed his magazine and placed it down on the table, forgetting about his food directly under the magazine. He leaned back in his chair and said, "You're chief of security Zack, you can't just get up and leave!"
Zack fidgeted with his eye patch. He knew Zack was about to start his "leaving" speech again. He had done this many times in the past and never took the initiative to actually do it. Garibaldi was getting pretty sick of listening to the same speech again. But Zack was his friend and a jerk at times. Who knows, maybe this time he'll say something different.
"I feel enclosed here. Batastar Asteroid Complex is not for me. I never wanted to come to this place anyway. Okay, I know we're building the Hyperspace Cities…" He held up his hands, as if highlighting his next words. "'Humanity's last best hope for survival,' but I have problems and they can't be solved chasing peasants through the passageways."
Garibaldi straightened himself up in his chair, took a gulp of beer and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What happened to that Narn female? Any success? It's been two months."
"The results came back negative. I even checked when she was sleeping…" Zack paused for a moment, looking disappointed. "I even thought the Narns would be acceptable."
Garibaldi had never imagined himself as a counsellor, but he felt like he was becoming one. As Garibaldi sat listening to Zack pour out his problems to him, he felt his mind drifting back to his magazine, planning his next order. He didn't notice the topic of Zack's complaints slowly changing, until it had already entered dangerous territory.
It was a topic that was widely discussed around the facility and he needed to keep a close eye on it. He had his own plans in motion and didn't want anyone to spoil them. But Zack was so angry he was starting to raise his voice.
"Not only that, but that bastard Elvis has been snooping around. I've been getting lots of complaints about him, especially from the female workforce." Zack leaned on the table. "If you ask me, we should kill the lowlife. Then you could be in command."
His sly tone was a clear indication that Zack was ready to execute his little threat. But that would be a huge mistake and Garibaldi shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from his friend. Even if Zack was a jerk and had more sexual partners than any man alive, Garibaldi did not expect him to act so rashly
He poured himself another glass and replied softly "Zack, I want you to get all ideas about killing him out of your mind. I know Elvis needs sorting out, but I'm working on it. You just handle the security."
Zack leaned back and snorted. "At least consider my request to move to one of the Hyperspace Cities. It's the primary city called Casabianca."
Garibaldi drummed his fingers on the table. He needed to get to the heart of the matter. Zack was one of his best officers and he could not afford for him to leave. "Are you sure the doctors told you everything? You know doctors, say one thing now, then something different the next day."
Zack shrugged and waved his hands over the table. "I don't know. I've been to all the doctors on this facility and they all say the same thing, I have less than one percent chance. I'm stuck. My life has no meaning now!"
Feeling pressed for time, Garibaldi stood up, straightening his uniform and preparing to place his magazine in the machine. His shift was due to start in a few minutes and the last thing he wanted was to be late for his appointment. Zack was a man that was hindered with a terrible problem. Garibaldi could not comprehend what he must be feeling, Might as well give him what he wants. Hell, he'll probably never go anyway.
"Fine, I will pass your request to the Casabianca authorities once we can locate a Vanguard to pass the message on. Until then, you know your duties."
With his magazine under his arm, he shoved the chair under his table and walked over to the Vid-Orderer, with Zack following.
As he studied the machine, Garibaldi gestured toward Zack. "What made you choose a Narn?"
Zack's face flushed. "The doctors told me I should try other species. So far, all the humans I have had sex with failed. They said there could be a chance if I mated with another species."
This was new to him. Throughout his friendship with Zack, he'd never expected him to be so blunt and desperate. But his dilemma had driven him to this and Garibaldi could sense that he enjoyed it. But at the end of the day his friend was stopped cold by a simple problem.
Garibaldi dumped his magazine into the Vid-Orderer humming in the background and faced Zack. "Sorry to hear it. Perhaps something out there will give you a break…"
Zack looked doubtful, but Garibaldi couldn't believe what he said next. "Yeah. I bet, I already kicked the Narn out and it's time for me to do some hunting. What other species do you think I should go after next? I always wanted to try Minbari. "
Garibaldi was troubled. "I would not go down that route -" His expression fell. "-Everybody hates the Minbari especially after what they did over ten years ago…"
But before he had the chance to recite the war and the countless lives the Minbari had killed, the Vid-Orderer suddenly caught Garibaldi's attention as it read out loud the new unselected category that was accidentally marked when he placed the magazine over the black food.
"You have selected: Adult entertainment Inter-species Selections. Selected items are: Narns For Life, Drakh on a High Rod, Who's Your Little Pak'ma'ra…" The list carried on like a supermarket attendant asking for the price of a sensitive item over the intercom. Garibaldi began pressing buttons frantically, trying to stifle the machine.
"Audio off!" He wanted to shout the command, but he didn't want to draw any more attention. "Audio off!"
But the machine carried on with strange and obscure titles. Finally, with a yank from his hand he pulled out the power lead, leaving the stunned bystanders in an awkward silence.
Red-faced, he quickly brushed everyone away. Zack interjected with a grin, "I didn't know you were into that stuff. I have a whole collection of Inter-species material, all in High definition, 3D rendered, closed caption… "
With a jolt, Garibaldi dragged Zack out of the embarrassing situation and away from the crowd of onlookers.