The Good Reaper

by Dennis J Butler

  “Yes I understand Algol.”

  Algol motioned to me to wait a minute while he took a few more bites of some sort of stew-like concoction. After excusing himself from the table, Algol guided me to the outdoor yard that was attached to the far end of the dining room. When I stepped through the large double doors, the heat hit me. We were approaching dschubbas 9 and although it was early in the morning, it felt like it was already well over 100 Earth degrees. “Holy shit,” I said. “I can’t remember the last time I was actually outside during month 9.”

  “Still talking and thinking like a human I see,” Algol said with a smile.

  “Yes, I now speak Humamjisi or is it Ranuman or something like that?” We laughed a little and then Algol’s expression changed to look more serious.

  “How was LeAnne when they arrested you? Do you think she will be alright?”

  “There was no contact with her after they arrested me. I guess she will go back to her family.”

  “So, I guess we have Manny to thank for this. What an asshole,” I said.

  “It’s getting hotter by the second Naos, but I do want to tell you something,” Algol said. “It wasn’t Manny who sold us out. It was Arkab.”

  I was speechless. It took me completely by surprise. “Arkab,” I mumbled as sweat began dripping down into my eyes. “I can’t believe it. I thought he would have been the last person to rat us out. He was so involved in Blair McFadden’s Tseen Ke. I thought he really believed in the group’s mission”

  “Arkab was the first one from the group that CIPE arrested. We still don’t know how they found out. The CIPE police said something during my arrest interview about Blair McFadden’s mother. I think maybe she knew something and she told the police. That may have sparked an investigation. Maybe the human police brought Arkab in for questioning and the CIPE security forces got wind of it and started their own investigation into Arkab’s involvement in Blair’s death. It’s the best theory I can come up with. Anyway, I think the CIPE people eventually coerced Arkab into giving up all the info on the group in return for dropping charges against him.”

  “Well, I guess I can’t really be mad at him. People do what they have to in times of extreme fear. Fear of prison is a great motivator.”

  “I agree Naos. It’s not like we are thieves. We were guided by our consciences to do what we thought was right.”

  “Let’s get back inside before we pass out,” Algol said. “I’ll look for you at dinner tomorrow.”

  ***

  My cellmate Tyl came from Dheneb which was one of the three largest cities on Ranjisan. Naturally one of the first things you do when you are incarcerated is ask the most commonly asked question by prisoners, “So what are you in for?” Tyl claimed that he was in prison for taking the rap for the company he worked for. Etamin is the pharmaceutical company that paved the way to curing diseases of the mind. Etamin’s Tamineisa product had been tested for twelve years before being prescribed by doctors. Tamineisa was first introduced as a series of injections that reversed the effects of dementia and the Ranjisi version of Alzheimer’s. More recently Tamineisa was introduced as a vaccine, similar to human Tetanus shots that have to be re-administered periodically. Etamin was at the time of this writing, one of the top 100 companies on Ranjisan. As one of the Etamin’s top tier of senior accountants, Tyl was accused along with six other accountants of the Ranjisan version of corporate tax fraud. It was something to do with hiding money in the nonprofit research division to avoid paying into the public fund. He still claims he didn’t do anything wrong. It didn’t matter to me. I was just glad he wasn’t a violent criminal, although there wasn’t much chance of coming in contact with a violent criminal at Baten Kaitos minimum.

  When I told Tyl why I was there, his mouth hung open and his eyes widened. “Holy shit. I heard about that on the Daily Event-Cast. So you’re really him? You’re the guy who went to Earth and cured your girlfriend of an Earthly disease?”

  “Yes, it’s me, one and the same.”

  “So what are Earth girls like? Do you have sex the same way?” Tyl asked. My first impression of Tyl was that he had a sense of awareness and that would make him at least somewhat intelligent. His first question was probably something that everyone thought about but not many people had the nerve to ask. No one I had spoken to during my journey through the Ranjisan legal system ever asked me about it but here was Tyl and it was the first thing he wanted to know.

  “How many other races do we know of Tyl, I mean races of beings on distant planets?”

  “Five counting Earth. There’s the twin planets, if you consider them two races and then the other planet where they live underground and then there are those skinny little Grey people from Eusebeia, plus the humans; so that’s five.” Tyl was thoughtful for a moment. “I see where you’re going with this. All beings reproduce the same way, right?”

  “Well I don’t have any first-hand experience with the cave people or the Ophiucha for that matter but I’m pretty sure it all works the same way. However I’m not too sure about the Eusebeia.”

  “But what are Earth women like? Are they sexy? Are they good at it?”

  “I’m not much help to you with this Tyl. I only had one girlfriend on Earth and before I went there I only had one girlfriend here and I never slept with her.”

  “So you’re saying the first time you had sex was with an Earth woman? That’s really something. You’re probably the only person in the universe that can say that.”

  “You’ve got something there Tyl.”

  “But everything is the same? I mean the way it’s done? Do you think an Earth woman would be able to get pregnant by one of us?”

  “Yes Tyl, it works exactly the same. I think it’s universal. Just like the beautiful Haedi flower that sends its seeds out into the night air to find a mate, for a species to reproduce, the seed of a male must fertilize the female egg. And there is only one way for that to happen. But I don’t know what would happen if an Earth woman were to become pregnant by one of us.” This time we were both quiet. Tyl knew what I was thinking. I had only known him for a short time and I was already sharing my deepest thoughts with him. I was thinking that I was lucky my cellmate was Tyl. He was a bit annoying but otherwise he seemed thoughtful and good natured. It could have been worse.

  “I just don’t know Tyl. She is far away on a distant planet and I am here.”

  ***

  Except for Syrma and my family, it seemed I had been forgotten at Baten Kaitos. I had been there for two Earth years and so far my family had not grown tired of the frequent trips to the prison. Syrma usually came in the morning on the “4s” with my sister Alula, followed by my parents in the afternoon. My brothers came randomly on the “8s” at all different times of the day. So when the guard came to tell me I had a visitor on day 10, I couldn’t imagine who it could be.

  When I arrived at the visitor room, it was empty except for a well-dressed man who seemed to emanate an aura of importance. As I approached him, he stood up to greet me. I was still used to the human tradition of handshaking so I extended my hand. The visitor smiled and extended his hand. “Greetings human,” he said with a hardy laugh. “I am Atik Arial-Unukalhai and I’m with the Council of Provinces (CP) in the capital Maasym. Have you been keeping up with the news about the CIPE Q76-P3 Exploration & Discovery Project Phase III?”

  “So far all I’ve heard was that CIPE has opened discussions on Phase III. I have no idea what it means,” I said.

  “Briefly, they are considering moving up the time table to implement Phase III and you are at the center of the discussions.”

  “Because of the Earth woman who my colleagues and I treated?”

  “Yes. The speech you gave at your sentencing has become a meeting opener for leaders of the CIPE and CP. As far as we know, this case is the only one of its kind but letters of support for you and your sentencing speech have saturated the CIPE database. It appears that at least 90% of P3 agents believe that humans ar
e ready.”

  “How can I help you?” I asked.

  “Well, I want to set up a series of interviews with you,” Atik said.

  “I’m ready now. Where do you want to start?”

  Atik reached into a briefcase he had next to his chair and pulled out a printed document and slid it across the table to me. “Before we begin, please take a look at this.”

  I didn’t need to read very far to understand. The CIPE logo appeared at the top of the first page and the title of the document said it all: “Application for Conditional Release.”

  “All we need is your signature and you will be released. We can continue with the interviews at our office in Maasym.”

  18 - Phase III begins

  My first thought when I exited the skycab and saw Syrma standing on my parent’s front porch was, should I tell her about LeAnne. There wasn’t much point since I knew I would never see LeAnne again. I wondered if I would ever feel the same about Syrma as I suspected she felt about me. I wondered if over time, my feelings for her would grow. I wondered if my feelings for LeAnne would gradually fade into a distant memory. All these thoughts raced through my mind in the few seconds it took to reach Syrma.

  “Welcome home Naos,” Syrma said as she took the last two steps toward me. “I am so happy you’ve been released. Now you can continue with your life.” Syrma and I hugged until the crowd of people began stepping out onto the porch. With nine brothers, my parents and my sister Alula it became difficult to remember who I had hugged as I went from one to the other. For a split second I wondered why I had not done a better job of keeping in touch with my friends from my earlier years. I used to have such close friends and we somehow drifted apart. I guessed that I was too involved in my own life and a bit self-centered. In the few seconds it took for my big family to get settled back inside, my mind was racing again. I assumed it was due to the emotional level of getting released from prison. Aside from flashes of LeAnne that quickly snapped across my mind, I was happy for the first time since I was arrested back in Idaho. My time on Earth seemed to be like a dream or another lifetime. It was so far away that it seemed unreal.

  I spent the first few days at home telling stories of Earth. No one cared to hear about my time in prison but the questions about Earth were relentless. At times it seemed I had talked for so long that I was losing my voice. There were questions about food and politics and the wild animals of Africa but most of the questions from my younger brothers were about cars. My brothers were all amazed by the concept that you could jump into a small private vehicle and travel around by yourself or with a few friends while the music blasted from the car speakers. They all seemed to like the big fast cars from Earth’s 1960s and 1970s.

  “Those are known as ‘muscle cars’ because they have big, strong, fast engines,” I told them.

  My brother Minkar was familiar with Earthly muscle cars. He had an enlarged photo of a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS on his bedroom wall. “The Chevelle goes from 0-62 mph in six seconds flat,” Minkar said. “That’s gas powered and it makes a lot of noise.”

  I was growing weary of all the talk and just when I wished someone would rescue me, my wish cam true. My phone was buzzing and when I looked down at the caller ID, I was glad it was Atik Arial-Unukalhai. Atik had made arrangements for me to stay at the Grand Council long-term residence at Maasym. It was not glamorous or fancy like I had expected. My room was just a two-room apartment with a small kitchen on the 18th floor but it did have a balcony with a view of the reddish sunsets of the great moon Ididae. The council commissary food was also not glamorous or fancy but there was plenty of it. I assumed that the high-level senators ate the same food and realized that the media often gave the government a bad rap about wasting money on fancy living. It seemed that a theme of modesty prevailed at the Grand Council headquarters. But the view of Ididae combined with the food made the whole experience more like a vacation.

  My time on Earth had made me a bi-cultural person. My thinking of mundane things like dates and times was parallel like a person raised bilingually. I was still mentally part of two separate worlds. The interview lasted about three hours each morning for two Earth weeks. I narrated my story, beginning with my arrival on Earth and onto the heartbreaking and slow death of my dear friend Eli. The story of Eli was the saddest and most emotional part of my interview. At least the story of LeAnne had a happy ending. I went on to explain how I had met Cooper at the CIPE conference and how I joined the secret Tseen Ke team dedicated to ending human suffering by offering a dignified assisted suicide.

  At the end of the two week meeting I was thanked for my testimony and sent home. I became a news addict, watching and researching everything related to CIPE Phase III news items. A preliminary Grand Council vote on Phase III passed quickly and was given to citizens for approval. It was a simple “yes” or “no” vote, “yes” to proceed with Phase III for planet Earth or “no” to postpone Phase III for at least another five Earth years. On the day of the vote, I was up early and cast my vote. In the evening, as the votes were counted and broadcast, I wasn’t surprised to see the rural areas of Zozma and Alterf were voting against it. It was well into the night when the votes from the largest cities began being broadcast and by the time the sun was rising, it seemed overwhelming. Unless there was some sort of surprise from the smaller cities of Homam or Taygeta which had not been counted yet, Phase III would pass and become a reality.

  The headline scrolled across the bottom of the media screen just before the mid-day break: “Voters approve Phase III by wide margin.” I felt a sense of pride and joy. Not only had I played a part in it but I was proud of the Ranjisi race for their sincere desire to help the human race evolve.

  After a few moments of euphoria, my thoughts shifted to wondering how Phase III would be accomplished. I wondered how we as a race would approach the human race. I wondered how we would make them believe. I knew that they would first reject the concept of our very existence. But then I remembered how I felt when I was living on Earth. I had a strange and constant feeling that there were humans who already knew. Once again I became a news addict, absorbing every detail about Phase III that I could. It was a fascinating and exciting time, especially for those of us who actually spent time with humans.

  Since I arrived back on Ranjisan, I had experienced two wonderful surprises. First I was released from prison and then P3 Phase III was approved. My third surprise came with a knock on the door. When I opened the front door, Atik was standing there. I was always happy to see Atik. He was partially responsible for my being released from prison and he was also a positive force behind the movement to approve P3 Phase III.

  “Atik,” I said. “It is always good to see you. You always bring good news.”

  “Thanks Naos. Once again, I have news and I think it is good news.”

  “Yes, what is it?” I asked impatiently.

  “We will be sending delegations to Earth and we want you to come,” Atik said.

  I was stunned and just stood there with my mouth wide open.

  “Me? But I’m kind of an ex-con with a criminal record. Why would they send me? I wouldn’t set a very good example.”

  “On the contrary, your actions and your emotional sentencing statement have been at the heart of the Council’s decision to move up the Phase III timetable. You are somewhat of a celebrity. I and the rest of the Council believe that you would contribute a great deal to the delegation team. I’ll explain a little more and then you can decide.”

  “I’ve already decided Atik. It would be an honor to be part of the delegation. I accept,” I said. My smile reached from ear to ear. “Now you can explain.”

  “As always, there will be meetings?” Atik said.

  “Of course, meetings upon meetings and pre-meeting meetings?” I said.

  “And more meetings on the three month trip.”

  “Three months? It’s always taken six months.”

  “We’ll be using a newer, faster ship. It’s a
lso smaller. There will be eight passengers and a crew of four. The eight will be divided into two groups of four. We will make initial contact with the US and Russia simultaneously. You and I will of course be with the US delegation.”

  “It makes sense. US and Russia have serious space programs. It makes sense that they would be open minded to the concept of our existence,” I said.

  “Precisely. Our thinking is that we must first get high level officials in US and Russia to believe us. Once we accomplish that, we will probably want to plan the announcement with a contingent of world leaders. We aren’t sure yet, where or how the public announcement will be made. Earth leaders will naturally try to resist telling their citizens the truth. They will insist it will cause a worldwide panic. We who supported Phase III believe they are wrong. It is part of the basic reasoning for moving forward with Phase III. Earth governments have been lying to their citizens about alien visitation for seventy five years. We think humans are ready and we don’t think it will cause a panic.”

  “So how will you convince them? How will we convince the US officials? Where will we start?” I asked.

  “The third person in each of the two delegations will be one of your most well respected cell disease specialists. Our group will have Gomeisa Oriel-Angetenar. He has been studying human cancers. We’ll also bring a media library that will include photos, videos and books about Ranjisan, plus we will have media packages from Tellus and the twin planets.”

  “Sounds impressive. You mentioned four people in each group. So in our group there will be you, me and Dr. Angetenar. Who will the fourth person be?”

  “This will be the big clincher Naos. The fourth person will be an infectious disease specialist. They haven’t named anyone yet but whoever is chosen will bring along with them a cure for one of Earth’s infectious diseases.”