The Good Reaper

by Dennis J Butler

  “Ranjisi deep space ships are perfectly round and saucer shaped which is the reason humans have been dumbfounded for decades wondering how an aircraft can change directions without arcing,” I replied.

  Alexis and I sat together on the shuttle craft flight. It seemed to move much faster than the large saucer ship. It sliced through the water underneath the mountains of Easter Island and shot out of the surface of the Pacific Ocean like a human designed rocket. I was amazed at how fast it changed directions and flew so close to the surface. “It’s hard to believe that humans haven’t seen this,” I said to Alexis as the ship approached the land mass of Easter Island.

  “These smaller shuttles have a cloaking system,” Alexis said. “It’s simple. Back at the port it wasn’t noticeable but the exterior is made of a reflective material. It’s kind of like a mirror so when you look toward it, you see a reflection of the surrounding area. Flying over the sea, it just looks like water. The craft’s structure is soft and rounded so the reflection is more natural. When it’s flying low over the sea, it is impossible to see it. Over land, the closer the ship is to the ground, the more effective it is. You would really need to be fairly close to the ship to notice it and you would need to be almost on top of it to figure out what it is.”

  I was amazed by the ship design but I was also amazed at how smart Alexis was. She was also quite pretty but she had a kind of cold demeanor about her. She rarely smiled. She had a husband back home but no children. But then I figured she didn’t want to get to be too friendly anyway since we would probably never see each other after we parted ways at the terminal.

  It took about five minutes to reach the rendezvous spot in the middle of the mountains. A plain looking minivan was there waiting for us. On the way to the airport the five of us broke the rules and talked in Ranjisi. I knew it would be the last time I spoke in my native language for a long time. As we approached the airport curbside drop point I grabbed Alexis’s hand and wished her good luck. She leaned into me and gave me a light hug. The four of us walked into the terminal together and then we gradually went our separate ways. Alexis was taking a different flight that was headed toward Houston. My flight was going to Miami.

  I had listened intently to Alexis talking about the ship’s cloaking device while we were on the shuttle going to the rendezvous point. I listened as she told me how she didn’t think that humans had any idea we lived among them but I wasn’t really buying it. I wondered as I boarded the plane at Mataveri International Airport if the coming and going of Ranjisi had ever aroused suspicions. I was thinking that humans may not be too advanced technologically but they weren’t stupid. There must have been some humans that knew we were there. We didn’t appear identical but we all had similar physical traits. I supposed we looked mostly like humans from Earth’s Scandinavian areas. I assumed people thought I was Swedish or Norwegian. There was one other English speaking cadet traveling to Miami but we couldn’t sit together. I had never actually talked to him but I remembered passing him in the hallway a few times at the CIPE center. We honored the CIPE ruling that Ranjisi should not be seen in public together.

  Although the island where the secret Ranjisi base is hidden is part of a Spanish speaking country, most of the people on the plane looked to be from other parts of the planet. A man and woman smiled at me as they took the two seats next to me. They spoke to each other in a language I didn’t understand. After a few minutes the woman turned to me and spoke English with a strong accent I wasn’t familiar with. “Are you on holiday too?”

  It was my first conversation with a human and I realized my very first sentence would be a lie. “Yes, I came to see the statues.” I hadn’t actually visited the famous statues of Easter Island but I had read about them. “Where are you from?” I asked

  “We’re from Germany,” the woman said as she introduced herself and her husband. “Easter Island is an amazing place, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s probably the most amazing place I’ve ever been,” I replied, trying to sound confident.

  It was the first time I used my human name. It felt strange but I forced the words out of my mouth. “I am Luke Riley. I am from the New York area in the US,” I said, a little reluctantly. I realized my speech probably sounded stiff and robotic. I remembered I should be using abbreviations whenever possible. I quickly panicked wondering if they were going to ask me any questions about New York. Fortunately they had never been there and they didn’t ask me anything about New York. It dawned on me at that moment that I should do some sightseeing when I arrive in New York so I am familiar with the area. At that point, the only thing I knew about New York was that there was a big statue in the harbor that was a gift from a European country; that and the fact that they loved a sport called baseball. As the conversation continued, I realized that speaking with someone who spoke English as a second language was perfect for me. I was practicing while gaining confidence.

  When we exited the plane at Miami I caught the glance of the other Ranjisi as he was walking toward the departure screen. I smiled and nodded. It was a quiet way of wishing him luck on his Earthly journey. As he disappeared into the crowd, I felt a sudden loneliness. It was the finality of knowing that I was alone in a strange world that hit me. I knew I was not an outgoing person. I decided I would be myself except that I would be a new version of myself. I would be human. I would start immediately. “I am human,” I whispered in my mind.

  The flight to New York was slow, at least by Ranjisi standards but I knew I would have to learn to be patient with human technology. I was thinking that it could be much worse. I was thinking that there may come a day when we are observing a planet with no technology at all. On those primitive planets, Ranjisi observers may be required to walk or ride exotic animals to get from one place to another. But as I thought about more it dawned on me that it would be a long time before observation of a primitive planet reached Phase II. We would most likely just observe the planet aerially for centuries.

  My contact was standing near the luggage conveyor belt holding a sign that read “Luke Riley.” A momentary feeling of unreality came over me. At first glance he appeared to be Ranjisi although his skin seemed to have more color than we normally did. I assumed that was due to the ultraviolet rays of Earth’s sun. His hair and eyes were certainly Ranjisi. He had the usual non-unique brownish hair and pale bluish, greenish eyes most common on Ranjisan. But as he moved, he seemed more human. He appeared strong. He caught me looking at his legs and immediately knew I was the person he had come to greet.

  “I’m Luke Riley,” I waved as I approached him. As he came closer to me, I became convinced that he was human. For a second I wondered how many humans knew of our existence. I wondered how many humans were assisting us.

  “I’m Frank Hargitay.” Frank extended his hand. I had practiced handshaking many times and the gesture felt natural to me. I noticed my one and only bag moving along the conveyor belt and reached for it. The next thing I knew I was sitting on the ledge of the conveyor belt feeling disoriented. I looked up and Frank had already grabbed my luggage with one hand while he was helping me up with his other hand. A few people were looking at me as I stood up.

  “Just felt a little dizzy.” Frank didn’t say anything. He just looked around to see if people were looking at us. We took the elevator up to the roof of the parking garage where Frank’s car was parked. A stiff breeze was blowing up on the roof and the sky was gray and overcast. I wondered if the sky would always look like that. As soon as we closed the car doors, I couldn’t help but ask, “You’re human?”

  “No, but I’ve been here for four years. I go to a gym where I’ve strengthened my legs. I’m not ready to play football but my legs are a lot stronger than when I first arrived here.” I was thinking as we drove that I would need to learn about football which was just as popular as baseball.

  As the car weaved between the other cars on the highway, I looked out in amazement. It was all so different than Ranjisan where most of
the transportation was done in the air. The people and structures were completely different. Frank could easily see that I was amazed and overwhelmed. “Everything is different here,” Frank commented.

  “The buildings are so block-like. Everything is square and tall. Do people live in those tall buildings?”

  “Generally if you see glass doors and balconies, they are apartment buildings where people live. If the buildings don’t have any outside doors on the high floors, they are most likely office buildings where people work.” Frank paused for a moment and continued, “Actually, you will be living in one of those high-rise apartments with the balconies. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  A few minutes later we pulled into a parking garage and took the elevator up to the 14th floor. “This is it. Apartment 1408,” Frank said as he opened the door and handed me the key. The apartment was sparsely furnished but it looked comfortable. Frank spent a few minutes showing me around and explained how everything worked. We sat at the kitchen table and he explained how I would commute to the hospital and who I would see when I arrived there. According to the Earth calendar, I arrived there on a Friday and I was due to report to the hospital the following Monday.

  “I’m going to give you a very basic explanation of the monetary system here. You should already be familiar with it. Next week I’ll help you set up a bank account but for now I’ll leave you with plenty of cash.” I wondered what I would need cash for.

  Frank stayed for a few more hours, talking about anything and everything he could think of that would be useful. He explained about the biological differences between humans and Ranjisi, in case for some reason I was hurt and had to be admitted to a hospital. However there were very few reasons I would need to go to a human hospital. If I had a non-emergency medical problem that needed a specific procedure done, we were instructed to contact CIPE and a Ranjisan CIPE doctor would be dispatched. For minor emergencies like sprains and wounds, Ranjisi could be treated at a human medical facility without arousing suspicion. However, if a blood transfusion was necessary, we would need to contact CIPE. It was complicated and when I considered all the possibilities, I found it hard to believe that our presence on Earth was not widely known.

  A complete physical exam would quickly reveal all the differences between humans and Ranjisi. They weren’t really dramatic differences. Most of the differences were in the digestive system. While learning about human biology I had also learned more about Ranjisi biology. Apparently we once had organs similar to the human spleen and appendix. Over the course of millions of years Ranjisi organs had gradually adapted. Ranjisi were almost 100% immune to internal infections so the spleen had gradually become smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared. For the most part we believed that if a Ranjisi had to have extensive testing as a result of a medical emergency, the biological differences would be viewed as an oddity but it wouldn’t be anything that would make them think we were aliens from another planet. It’s not like we were reptilian beings like some of the aliens depicted in human science fiction movies.

  Medical research on Ranjisan had been a priority for centuries. Our life expectancy was around 160 for men and 173 for women. I guessed that Ranjisi and humans were similar in many cultural ways. Men always seemed to eat bigger portions of food and usually chose the least healthy thing on the menu. I guessed that resulted in the different life expectancies for men and women.

  Virtually every contagious disease on Ranjisan had been wiped out. There were cures for most biological conditions. Immune disorders were rare on Ranjisan and researchers believed that the sharp increase in blood disorders of humans was due to toxins in the foods. Most Ranjisi would live to their natural expected age. At some point, the walls of our blood vessels thin out and the blood begins to seep into vital organs. The vessels can be strengthened with medication but after a number of years the medication doesn’t do the job anymore. Although organs can be treated and transplanted, even an advanced race such as ours is not capable of replacing a complete circulatory system. When the patient reaches this stage, they begin running a fever that gradually gets higher and higher.

  Most Ranjisi who are in their mid-160s know when it’s time. Rather than suffer with fever and body aches for weeks or months, Ranjisi opt to begin the two-step process of passing over known as Tseen Ke. Tseen Ke consists of three simple medications which are taken at the same time. The first two are powerful drugs that will reduce the fever and body aches for 3 to 5 days. The patient feels fine and it gives them a chance to tidy up loose ends and say their goodbyes. The second medication will cause the patient to fall asleep about 4 to 5 days after they take it. All bodily functions will end and the patient simply doesn’t wake up.

  Ranjisi don’t fear death. We don’t believe in an afterlife or reincarnation. Our basic and simple belief is that if we have lived an honorable and passionate life and we have left our footprint among the living, death is nothing more than a final resting place. Those of us who have lived an unselfish life of philanthropy and service to others will be completely comfortable passing on with Tseen Ke. We don’t worship a creator of all things although we do believe in the possibility that such a creator may exist. No one knows for sure since no one ever returns from death. All things are possible.

  Over the years, researchers figured out how to perform Tseen Ke without the drugs. Tseen Ke can be performed using several long needles which are inserted into precise points on the body. This method takes considerable skill and only Ranjisi with specific clearance are permitted to learn this technique. All CIPE recruits are taught the Tseen Ke puncture procedure. It was thought that if for some reason our identity was exposed while on assignment, we could end our own life. I knew there was a bit of dishonesty and denial with this. Although we were taught how to perform Tseen Ke with puncture needles, we had no idea how or where to obtain the needles. Also, self-administered Tseen Ke is not mandatory and it is intended to be left up to the recruit. At the time I arrived on planet Earth, to my knowledge, no Ranjisi had ever performed the self-administered Tseen Ke puncture procedure.

  By the time Frank and I finally finished our discussions I felt completely overwhelmed. It really hit me that each CIPE recruit was responsible for not only the success of the program but also for concealing our identity. One thing I knew for sure was that I did not want to be the one responsible for accidently revealing our true identity. Before leaving, Frank gave me a cellphone with all the emergency contact information and said goodbye. I immediately felt alone and somewhat scared. It was the same feeling I had when I said goodbye to Alexis at the airport. It was the loneliest feeling I had ever had. I hoped that I would feel better when I began interacting with people at the hospital.

  There was plenty of food in the kitchen so I decided I wouldn’t go anywhere until the following day. Saturday morning I took my first walk out in public. The area I was living in was known as Queens. It was a good location. I could walk to the food store. I didn’t really need any food but I went in and looked around the store anyway. Although I had studied human foods, I didn’t see anything I recognized from the pictures or videos. I got a knot in my stomach as I realized I wouldn’t even know what to buy. Even if I read the information on the packaging, I still wouldn’t know what most of the items were. I let out a loud sigh of relief when I approached the section with fresh fruits and vegetables. I knew what they were. A woman standing near me heard me sigh and smiled at me. “The oranges are so expensive and they have no flavor,” the woman said. I was still having difficulty with human age. The woman looked like she would be around my age if she lived on Ranjisan and she had a punkish look about her. Her black hair was short on one side and long on the other and her bangs were cut short right up to the top of her head. The back of her head had white streaks of hair underneath the layer of black. But it was the rings on her eyebrows that made her look rebellious.

  I suddenly realized that I had been staring at her and she was probably uncomfortable. I immediately
thought of a common saying, “A deer in the headlights.” That’s what I probably looked like as I stumbled to say something. “Is there a substitution for the orange?” I asked.

  The woman looked at me with an odd half-smile and I realized my response was probably too formal or too clinical or something. “Try the honeybells. They’re a few cents more and they are delicious with hardly any seeds.”

  “Thank you mam,” I said as I reached for a honeybell.

  “Mam?” I heard the woman mumble as she turned and walked the opposite direction. She sounded angry and I wondered what I did or said that was wrong. I was disappointed that the woman didn’t seem to want to stay and talk to me and I didn’t understand why so I grabbed three honeybells and a soda and headed for the counter where people were paying for things. I had no idea how much it would cost so I handed the person behind the counter a fifty dollar bill. “Do you have anything smaller?” he asked.

  “How much is it?”

  “Three dollars and sixty cents.” I handed him a five dollar bill. He gave me an odd look as he handed me the change. I realized I needed to get a general idea of how much things cost. That was enough excitement for me for one day. I walked back to my apartment, trying to make eye contact with people. No one looked at me and I began to wonder if my punk hairdo was making people avoid me but I knew I would figure it all out eventually.

  Sunday morning I made a test run to the hospital to see if I understood Frank’s directions. I walked two blocks to the elevated subway and watched people using the token machine for a while. I waited until no one was around before using it. I tried to put money in and I thought I was reading the instructions correctly but nothing seemed to work. I tried another token machine but still nothing seemed to work. I was confused and I began to panic. I was wondering if every simple thing I would have to do would be so embarrassing and frustrating. I tried a few more times before I felt a light tap on my shoulder. “You need help,” I heard a soft voice say from behind me.