The Gardens
You have reached ground level in the middle of Green Sector, where you may walk out into the gardens of Babylon 5. The central part of the Carousel is devoted to plant life and is completely open to the core. Looking around, you can see the green swathes of the biome curving upwards at the horizon and then sweeping overhead, as you realise that the gardens cover the interior of the Carousel, which is basically a huge cylinder. You squint as you look up, because the core also contains strip fusion lights, which glow with the strength of daylight, encouraging the trees, shrubs, plants and grass to grow. Looking ahead, you can see the built-up end cap of the cylinder, about one kilometre away.
Enter the Gardens
The gardens in Babylon 5 serve several purposes. Some areas are devoted to hydroponics, where much of the fresh food on Babylon 5 is grown. These areas are marked out in rectangular farms, where the tanks receive fresh water. These areas are out of bounds to casual visitors.
Some areas are managed parkland, created for the pleasure of visitors to Green Sector. These areas have walking routes through grass parkland, bordered by flowers and benches where you may sit. The circular walk around the interior of the Carousel is two and a quarter kilometres long. The longitudinal walk from one end to the other is exactly two kilometres.
Some areas are left to grow grass, shrubs and trees, which help to recycle the atmosphere on Babylon 5 and produce fresh oxygen. These areas are deliberately left more wild, and support a huge variety of insect and bird life, transported from Earth some 18 light years to Epsilon Eridani. The flora and fauna are essential to the health of the station. The air seems sweeter and fresher here.
The Zen Garden and the Maze
Wandering along, you find a place to sit down. This is the Japanese Zen Garden. You may sit and meditate on the carefully brushed and swept rectangle of dry sand in front of you. This contains no plants, but only two large stone pebbles. Ripples have been traced in the sand, radiating out from each of the stones. According to Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari, who visits this place often, the design powerfully expresses the power of one mind to change the universe.
Getting up, you see in front of you the entrance to a series of grass pathways bordered by boxwood hedges. This is a classical garden maze, in which visitors may spend a happy hour or so navigating their way towards the centre. You decide to do this...
A Place to Meet
Eventually, you find a small nook where you can sit down with friends for a meeting. This has a small garden ornament, which according to Commander Sinclair represents the abstract notion of space flight through the universe. Ambassador G'Kar of the Narn Regime comes here to sit and think quietly. He says that the ornament reminds him of tilted axis of the Narn homeworld, which he sometimes misses.
It seems that people come here for different reasons, to rest and contemplate. They take away different things from the experience of nature. You see a small exit ahead from this part of the garden, and follow where this leads...
Recreational Sports
To your surprise, you find yourself in a sports and recreational area. You stand back for a while, watching an off-duty EarthForce officer practising his baseball hitting skills. You never expected to find such old-style Earth sports on Babylon 5, but then, the whole garden is a microcosm of old Earth.
An automatic machine pitches a baseball at the player, who swings his bat and connects with a satisfying crack. The ball flies off into the far field, where a small robot scuttles to retrieve it. In the next moment, the automatic pitcher launches another ball at a different angle, and the player adjusts accordingly, striking this ball to the far field again. This looks like a good physical workout! Maybe you will try it yourself one day.