The Babylon Project
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Thomas Jordan, also known as Jinxo, was a human who worked on the construction of all the Babylon stations. He believed he was the sole reason for the fate of the first four, as he left just prior to their destruction or disappearance, a so-called "Babylon Curse." This belief made him stay aboard Babylon 5, even at the risk of his own life.

History

From a young age, Thomas Jordan wanted to help mankind's pursuit in space. During the Earth-Minbari War, he was too young to enlist in Earthforce, so he was motivated to help construction projects in space. He started working on the Babylon 1 station. However, when he took leave and left the station, it was destroyed by terrorists. He also worked on and took vacations during the construction of the next two stations, Babylon 2, and Babylon 3, and, each time, terrorists struck. He then gained a reputation for being jinxed. When he started working on Babylon 4, he was determined to stay until the end of the construction of Babylon 4, not taking any leave at all, only to see it "dissolve" as he departed the station.

By the time he worked on Babylon 5, he became a Grade 10 zero gravity constructor, a high-skilled profession in great demand in the sector. He was afraid to leave Babylon 5 because he did not want to see it succumb to the same fate as the previous 4 stations. Unfortunately, as there was no need for a zero gravity construction worker, Jinxo ended up becoming a petty thief and indebted to an underworld boss named Deuce. When Deuce asked Jinxo to help him find ways of smuggling things aboard the station, Jinxo turned him down. Deuce responded by demanding his debts be paid with interest, or else he would feed Jinxo to a Na'ka'leen Feeder whom he had disguised as a Vorlon.

Soon afterwards, Jinxo was arrested for the third time (all three incidents involving "gross incompetence"). Upon this arrest, Ombuds Wellington originally sentenced him to be removed from the station and not allowed to return for a period of five years. Jinxo protested, warning the station would surely be destroyed like the others. Watching the trial was a man named Aldous Gajic, who had come to Babylon 5 searching for the Holy Grail (having spent most of his life searching all the known worlds for the Grail). Gajic offered to rehabilitate Jinxo, and the Judge agreed to release him into his custody. While others saw a crazy lurker, Gajic saw huge potential in Thomas, and was impressed that he would sacrifice his livelihood to stay on the station rather than allow the curse to act by leaving.

Thomas accompanied Gajic as he visited the alien ambassadors to ask about the Grail. They ran into Deuce's men, and Thomas was surprised to see Gajic fight them off. Thomas warned Gajic that that action would come back around. When they went to visit Ambassador Kosh, Thomas immediately fled, believing him to be the Feeder working for Deuce. Gajic pursued him and they literally ran into Deuce, who was preparing to feed Ombuds Wellington to the Feeder. Thomas managed to escape and alert station security, but Gajic was captured and brought to Deuce's lair. Thomas went with security and witnessed the firefight. The Feeder was killed and the judge rescued, but not before Deuce shot Gajic, fatally wounding him.

With his dying breaths, Gajic moaned that he failed in his quest, but then Thomas, finally believing in himself as Gajic did, offered to continue it in his stead. The elder officially designated him his successor with Jeffrey Sinclair as a witness. Thomas left the station with Gajic's staff and body, confident that his "curse" was over, and now taking up his friend's quest for the grail as his own.[1]

References

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