“Well Commander, the short answer is I’m human.”

  “What's the long answer?”

  “ I’m huuuuuuuuu-mahn” I failed to hold back a laugh. Sisko’s nostrils flared. Rough crowd.

  “Sorry, bad joke. Couldn’t help it. Here it is. I am a human. I am from Earth. However, it is not exactly your Earth. Our planets share a history up until about 1967. I left my 2049, hopped around a few other universes and eventually arrived here. I don’t choose where I travel to or how long I stay. However, I would love to stay here. It is nice.”

  “2049?”

  “Yeah, my 2049 was very different from yours. I did a bit of reading. My Earth had no eugenics wars, World War III only threatened to happen. Yours happened in 2050, I have no idea if mine did too.”

  “How are you traveling universes?”

  “Im not allowed to tell exactly. Lets just say a Non-linear being took interest in me.”

  “A Q?”

  “I don’t think so. No.”

  “So all of this,” Sisko gestures to all of the restaurant, “All of these little miracles. Explain.”

  “They were a gift.”

  “A gift?”

  “Well, yeah. Languages, some health perks, and a cart with a pretty large storage space. I have pretty much my entire house stored back there.”

  “What did you have to do for this gift?”

  “Travel wherever and whenever they want.”

  “What does this non-linear being get out of it?”

  “Dont know, what do the wormhole aliens get for being nice to Bajor?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you want a hotdog? I've got grilled onions and peppers. I can load it up.”

  “Sure why not. These books, are they real or just decoration?”

  “Oh they're real. Those books are some of my favorite pieces of literature. You’re welcome to look through them while I cook up your food. What sides would you like? Sweet potato fries or French fries?” I said as I moved behind the counter and tossed a hot dog on the griddle.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “How much for both?”

  “This one is on the house. Do you want a beer?” I threw a handful of each kind of fry into the frybasket, and lowered them into the hot oil.

  “Is it real or synthahol ”

  “Real, never encountered synthahol before showing up here.”

  “I’ll pass, I am still on duty. I do have another question for you. You know about the rules of acquisition, and about people on the Enterprise. How?”

  “Oh, yeah… that.”

  “Yes, that.”

  I plated the dish and brought it out to the table. “ You might want to try this first, I'm not sure how hungry you will be after I tell you the next part.”

  “I’ll risk it. Tell me.”

  “Here is the bit you may not like so much, and that I would highly recommend not telling others about. I sort of have a bit of non-linear-ness about me too. Before I arrived, I had seen glimpses of your universe. Kirk, Spock, McCoy. Picard, Riker, LaForge. I saw O’Brien’s wedding. I got a bit of a highlight reel of important events of the last 400 years.

  First Contact with the Vulcans, The encounter at farpoint station. I’ve even seen bits of the Q’s civil war, that's a tricky one because it hasn't happened yet and yet is already over.

  I also saw your conversation with the prophets. The beach, Wolf 359, all of it. I won’t share that with anyone else. Your past is your personal business, If I had the choice I would have not intruded.

  I still sometimes exist on the day my wife died too. Car accident. A drugged out teenager stole a car and went on a joyride.

  I try to move on. But at the end of the day there is an angry old man inside of me that just wants another day with her, and would do terrible things to get her back. So instead I try to wear my smile on the faces of other people. I serve good food. Perhaps if I make enough other people happy. I might feel happy too.

  So. That commander is what I am. A broken man who cooks to make others happy.

  I would appreciate it if all the things about being from another universe,time travel, and the highlight reel could stay between the two of us who have been moved around by Non-linear beings. If anyone other than you asked, I would have told a lie close enough to the truth to make them happy. For the emissary gets the raw truth, as painful as it might be for the both of us.”

  “I see. You're right, I’m not very hungry now.”

  He sat there and looked at me, then at the restaurant. He then looked down at his hands and let out a long breath.

  “Do you want that beer after all?” I asked.

  “Maybe next time. Perhaps then we can tell each other the pleasant lies.”

  “Oh, you mean when someone asks how we are, and we say ‘fine’?”

  “Yes, those. Like when I ask you what you are and you end the conversation by saying a human from a very isolated part of Earth.”

  “Ahh, right.”

  “Who are you Egman?”

  “Just a human from a very isolated part of Earth.”

  “Thats what I thought, thank you. I’ll take my hot dog to go.” Sisko took a moment and looked at the menu screen.

  “I heard your sliders put one of my security officers into a food coma.”

  “Eating sixty-two of them and three beers will do that.”

  “I think I need a box of those to share with the senior staff”

  “Coming right up.”