Core Shuttle

From The Great Machine

A set of monorail shuttles running down the core strut of Babylon 5. They run from the main terminal in Blue Sector all the way to the final terminus in Grey Sector, with several stops in Red Sector, Green Sector, and the core itself. The only sector not served by the shuttles is Brown Sector, as it lies beneath the core ground level. All shuttle platforms are near transport tube lobbies allowing for quick access to all levels and sub-levels in that sector.

The view from the shuttle is breath-taking, offering a view of the gardens, hydroponic fields, hedge maze, and "outdoor" city blocks.

The shuttles are completely unmanned, and each can hold over two-dozen people in each of two cars. The public address system is used to give information and instructions to all passengers, and the artificial voice can speak in many different languages, such as English, Centauri, Drazi, as well as the Minbari commercial language. The smart-driver system keeps track of each passenger's destination as well as those waiting on other platforms, so the shuttle only stops when someone wishes to board or disembark. The shuttles run twenty-four hours a day for the convenience of all station residents, though one of the shuttles is generally reserved as an express train from Blue to Grey sectors for the morning utility shift. The automated shuttle smart-driver can be overridden by commands from the main computer.

Being so near the axis of rotation for the station, the gravity on the shuttle as well as the shuttle platforms is very low, requiring all passengers to hold hand-rails at all times. Passengers are advised to walk slowly while boarding and disembarking, as rapid movement can counter-act or intensify the rotational inertia used to simulate gravity and thus lead to space sickness resulting from exposure to a zero-g environment.

Captain Sheridan has to override the shuttle's controls when he discovers a Centauri explosive on the shuttle with him. He dives out into the open air, using his legs to propel him opposite the direction of the station's rotation, reducing him to nigh-weightlessness. However, this means that the ground several-hundred feet below him is rotating at approximately sixty miles an hour. Though he would impact with relatively low speed, the lateral movement of the ground would pulverize him.

Kosh takes a chance by revealing himself to fly up and pluck Sheridan out of the air, depositing him safely on the ground.