Leggit lived in a small spaceship docked at one of the cheap berths on the seedy underside of Jove Station. His ship hadn’t been space worthy in years, however the life-support still functioned. The air smelled a little stale, but at least the system kept the cold vacuum of space from seeping into his now stationary home.
       He went into the kitchen and pulled the usual meal bar from its assigned cubbyhole. Government-issue meal bars weren’t delicious. They couldn’t even be said to be satisfying. In truth, they hardly seemed like food at all. But they contained all the necessary nutrients, so at least Leggit wouldn’t starve.
       He sat at the small table, gnawed at his rectangular meal, and fantasized about the real meal he would have, once some money came in.
       He would go to his favorite restaurant, Luigi’s. It was one of the best on Jove Station. It wasn’t the ritziest, but Leggit didn’t care about ritzy. The food at Luigi’s was always delicious—with large, satisfying portions. As an added the bonus, the waitresses were both beautiful and friendly. In Leggit’s experience, finding those two qualities in the same woman was exceeding rare.
       Leggit liked Luigi’s not only for the food and the pretty girls, but because they always made him feel important. And it had been a long time since Leggit had felt important. It had been even longer since he actually was important.
       Those days were such a distant memory that Leggit wondered sometimes if it had all just been a dream. But then he would see the medals and commendations tucked away in the closet under non-functional ship parts that he had meant to repair but never gotten around to. And he would know that it had been real. Unfortunately, that would make it worse, not better.
       The meal bar tasted even more like cardboard than usual. Leggit supposed it was his foul mood influencing his taste buds. Such things had been known to happen.
       There was a knock at the docking door. Leggit looked up and eyed it suspiciously. He couldn’t imagine who would come calling at his shabby abode. He hoped it wasn’t the dock master coming to throw him out. As he walked to the door, he added up how late he was on his berth payment.  Only two months…yes, that was all. Not enough to get bounced yet. Feeling a little more confident, he opened the door.
       A man in a navy suit stood at the door. Behind him was another, wearing a brown suit. Each held a book in his hands.
       “Can I help you?” Leggit asked. He was unaccustomed to having visitors. Back when he had plenty of money, friends were always stopping by. But ever since the well ran dry, no one had come calling.
       “No, sir,” the navy suit answered with a wide smile on his face. “We are here to help you!”
       “Help me?” Leggit was incredulous. He knew that people only helped other people when they had something to gain. And Leggit didn’t have anything to give, so there was no reason for these strange men to come to his aid.
       “Yes, sir. We are here to share with you the secret of eternal life.”
       Leggit scowled and began to shut the door. “Look, I don’t know what kind of longevity potion you’re selling, but I’m not buying. In fact, I’m not buying anything. I’ve got no money, so just move along.”
       Navy man placed a hand on the door to stay its closure. “Sir, it’s no potion. And we aren’t selling anything. What we have to give is free.”
       Leggit’s ears perked up. “Free?”
       “Yes, sir, completely free of charge. If you will give us a few minutes of your time, we will explain how you can live forever.”
       “Free of charge?” The deal seemed too good to be true.
       “Free of charge.”
       Leggit decided to hear them out. After all, what else did he have to amuse himself with? He had sold his entertainment console months ago.
       He let them in and motioned to a tattered couch. The visitors passed a look between them but did not comment.
       “I am Brother Leonard,” the navy suited man said, “And this is Brother Victor.”
       “You’re brothers?  That’s nice. It’s nice to work with family. I used to have a brother. We worked together for a while.” Actually, it was not a happy memory. His younger brother Martin had been killed in a firefight when a deal went sour. Leggit tried to shake off the blue remembrance. “But that was a long time ago. So, tell me about this living-forever plan you’ve got. I may not have much to live for right now, but given enough time I could probably fix that.”
       “Well, all you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
       “Who?”
       “Jesus Christ.”
       “Is he that guy with the cult about the fishes and the bread?”
       Brother Leonard and Brother Victor shared a horrified look.
       “Back on Earth, right?” Leggit continued. “I heard about it from this old Earthman a while back. He was a little crazy though, kept talking about how there was a palace and crowns waiting for him in the ‘hereafter.’ Hey, I didn’t think there were any of those Jesus types around anymore, especially not out here.”
       “Well, there are, sir. You’ve been misinformed. Christianity is not a cult, it’s a religion—the religion in fact, the only true religion.”
       Leggit leaned away from the men and raised his hand in what he hoped was a calming gesture. “Now, hold on, there, I didn’t mean any offense. We got freedom of choice out here, no state interference like back on Earth. Folks can believe however they see fit, no one’s gonna fault ’em for it. I knew a guy once who believed in the divinity of stars—actual stars. He thought gods lived in the stellar cores and that cosmic rays were their voices reaching out to the masses. Nobody held it against him. He was a nice guy. Loyal and hardworking. You could always trust Lyle.  Except for the whole star-gods thing, he was a perfectly normal, perfectly intelligent guy.”
       “He was a moron,” Brother Victor blurted out. Brother Leonard gave him a stern look, then Victor hung his head and was quiet. His lips moved as if mumbling to himself.
       Brother Leonard turned his attention back to Leggit. “Many will be fooled by false prophets, so says the good book.”  He held up his book for emphasis.
       “You mean that book?” Leggit pointed at the slightly worn volume in Leonard’s hands.
       “Yes, the Bible.”
       Leggit looked puzzled.  “I thought the Bible was thousands of years old. Your book doesn’t look that old. I think you’ve been had. Whoever sold you that supposed ‘antiquity’ lied about its age.”
       “This isn’t the actual Bible!” Leonard spoke in haste and annoyance, then quickly sought to correct himself. “I mean it is the actual Bible, but it is a more recent copy, not the original. But the words are the same. Well, not exactly the same because it’s in a different language now.”
       “So, it’s not the same book at all.”
       “Yes, it is. The words are the same.”
       “You just said they were in a different language, how can they be the same?”
       “They mean the same things.”
       Leggit stared at his odd visitors for a moment. “You have a strange way of looking at things, you know that?”
       Brother Leonard sighed, but Brother Victor actually looked amused.
       “I do not have a strange way of looking at things,” Leonard insisted. “Perhaps you are the one who is strange.”
       Leggit’s brow furrowed. “That’s not very polite. In fact, I’d say it is quite rude to call your host strange. Perhaps it’s time for you to go.” Leggit stood and motioned them to the door.
       The brothers stood as well. Leonard tried to change Leggit’s mind.
       “Please, sir, I meant no offense. We really have come to help you. To show you the way to eternal life.”
       “No thank you. You should leave now.”
       “But Jesus died for your sins.”
       “Yeah, well, he isn’t the only one.” Leggit thought again of his younger brother Martin.
       “You don’t understand.”
       “Of course not, I’m only a crazy old spacer, never even been to Earth. Truth be told, I never wanted to go. Who cares about dusty old ground, anyway? I know I’m not educated and finely dressed like you gentlemen, but I’m a man of my own means, in thick and thin.  I grant you, things is a mite thin just now.  But I’m gonna get them thick again. You can bet your O-2 on that. Now, get off my ship.”
       The men exited Leggit’s craft reluctantly.
       Brother Leonard tried one more time. “Please sir, if you will just—”
       “No means no,” Leggit responded, and shut the door.
       He watched through the portal as Leonard turned to his brother and said, “Well, that could have gone better.” Victor only shook his head in response.
       Leggit watched as the two men made their way to the next berth and knocked on his neighbor’s door. Leggit smiled and went back into his living room. “They won’t get much better from Macton,” he laughed. “That one’s a Martian. They don’t believe in anything but water spirits who hide underground.”

Selena Thomason
...This story came out of thinking about how nonbelievers might see the believers who come to convert them. Being a Christian myself, I often think about how the world in general, and non-Christians in particular, view Christians. I wish I could say that we Christians always make a good impression, but I know we don't. I also know that sometimes the people we want to talk to about our faith are not ready to hear about it. Those thoughts, coupled with my love of science fiction brought this story into being.