But like humans, Ranjisi are resilient. Time was my cure. After a while I went back to just feeling alone and numb.
The months went by and I came in contact with many humans at the hospital. Some of the stories had happy endings and some did not. Although Eli’s prolonged suffering and death affected me greatly, there were others that were just as heartbreaking. I eventually understood that my own emotions about dying patients generally depended on their age. The younger the patient, the worse it was.
After six months I had not made any real friends outside of the hospital to socialize with. Sometimes I ate lunch with two lab technicians from India but we weren’t really friends. We were acquaintances or colleagues. We didn’t hang out after work. I hadn’t met anyone I really had anything in common with since Eli died. But I was too busy to be lonely. In addition to the work I did at the hospital, there was still the real reason I had come to P3. Discovery reports were due at the end of each month. They had to be written in our Earth language and they had to be written in a way that if they were somehow found by humans there would be nothing in the wording that indicated that the report writer was a researcher from a distant planet. The text of the reports consisted of dry, boring facts and statistics. Wherever possible, I attempted to highlight Earthly illnesses that I knew could easily be cured by Ranjisi medicine. The plan as I knew it was that we would continue to study the human race for at least another five to ten years before another assessment was made as to whether or not the human race was ready for contact. Once contact was made, we could begin sharing our advances in medicine and space travel, but that day was a long way off.
So as it turned out, the exciting life I expected to have on P3 turned out to be less interesting than I thought it would be. I needed to find a way to meet people. I considered volunteer work or maybe joining some kind of political organization. I did follow through on my desire to learn to play the guitar. I bought a used practice amplifier and a used Fender Stratocaster. It was fairly easy to look up chord fingering videos online so I was able to make quick progress.
Aside from work and learning to play the guitar, I did have something else to look forward to. Frank contacted me and asked me to meet him at a diner not far from where I live. I was happy to have another Ranjisi to talk to, even if we had to speak English. The purpose of our meeting was for Frank to tell me about the secret conference that CIPE held once a year on Easter Island. Each CIPE cadet would receive detailed instructions explaining what to do when we arrived at the airport on Easter Island. In order to transport Ranjisi from the airport to the base, each member had to be transported separately and uniquely. My instructions were simple. I would pick up my one travel bag and look for a newsstand in the main terminal where I would purchase a paperback book titled Shanachie by William Burke. I would then tear a half inch piece off the corner of the back cover and sit anywhere near the newsstand reading. They would somehow know I was there. We were required to make our own travel arrangements so I made sure I arrived as early as possible. I hoped it would be more fun than when I did my training there before starting my assignment in New York.
The possibility of traveling with other Ranjisi didn’t occur to me until I boarded the flight from Miami to Santiago. I looked around at all the people as they boarded the plane after me. I picked out three people who I suspected to be Ranjisi but when we exited the plane at the Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport I realized I was wrong. Everyone seemed to walk quickly and no one appeared to be weak in the legs. It made perfect sense since Santiago is a large cosmopolitan city. The plane was full of tourists and families traveling to and from vacations and typical family gatherings. I figured if I was going to see other Ranjisi I would see them on the plane to Easter Island.
After spending the night in Santiago I arrived early at the airport the next day. My flight to Mataveri International Airport on Easter Island didn’t leave for several hours but I was bored and restless at the same time. The departing gate check-in desk was dark and empty. I was the only one sitting there near gate 17 when I arrived so I just sat and looked out at the mountains surrounding the beautiful city. Chile was so different than Ranjisan but I imagined that millions of years ago, some areas of Ranjisan probably looked similar to Chile. Even though the gravitational pull on Ranjisan was much lower than on Earth, so many years had passed that the Ranjisan mountains became rounder and flatter. Ranjisan mountainous areas were beautiful but they weren’t as striking or breathtaking as the rugged mountains of Chile.
One by one the passengers bound for the island appeared in the boarding area. I tried not to be too obvious but I looked closely at each passenger and tried to figure out who was Ranjisi. It helped to pass the time during the long wait.
Easter Island was the perfect place for a secret base. Since it was a tourist destination and an area of study for various scientists and anthropologists, there was always a steady stream of people arriving there. When we finally boarded, there were eight people on the flight to the island and I suspected that two of them were Ranjisi.
Upon my arrival on the island, I followed my instructions and went back to the main terminal. An English version of William Burke’s paperback was on display near the newsstand cash register. It was a collection of stories about a fictional character’s adventures while walking from Belfast to Cork in the country of Ireland. I got about halfway through the second chapter when two feminine arms reached over my shoulders from behind. As I looked up over my left shoulder I was greeted with a kiss and a warm welcome from someone I had never seen before. I realized immediately it was all part of the CIPE methodology to make arriving Ranjisi appear as normal travelers. I glanced over at a middle aged woman who was watching us. She was smiling as she watched us. She assumed we were a husband and wife reunited or perhaps a brother and sister. The one thing I was sure of was that in her wildest dreams she would never suspect us of being aliens from another planet.
After standing up and hugging and kissing some more, I followed my new best friend out into the parking lot. As we drove off, she introduced herself. “Welcome back to Easter Island Luke. My name is Rachel,” she said as she extended her hand for a traditional American handshake.
“I guess we don’t really need to shake hands since we’ve already kissed,” I said while extending my hand.
Rachel laughed a little and then replied, “We can’t be too careful.” Rachel looked the part of an Earthly businesswoman, complete with a conservative dress and mid-sized heels and just a touch of make-up. She was pretty, bordering on beautiful and I kept looking over at her lips thinking I wouldn’t mind kissing them again.
“So, will I always get that kind of welcome when I come here? If so, I intend to come more often.”
Rachel laughed again and flipped her reddish brown hair over her right shoulder. I could tell she was used to compliments and flattery. “No. The arrival plan is customized for each person. It’s a lot of work to make it all seem inconspicuous and natural.”
“So I lucked out then. I kind of liked my welcome.” Rachel was also used to men flirting with her and laughed my comments off.
“After you finish flirting, you will probably want to know if we can drive right into the base,” Rachel said as she turned and winked at me with a big smile. It was her professional way of telling me she didn’t mind the flirting but eventually we would have to talk about more serious things.
“I see you’ve done this before. Although it would seem easier to drive right in, I’m guessing we are eventually going to enter by sea.”
“Correct. There actually is no way to drive right in. The only entry is hidden deep below the sea. It’s about a six hour drive to the rendezvous which changes constantly. It’s always in the middle of nowhere. There are plenty of secluded places here on the island so it’s easy to change the meeting place frequently. From there we take a small craft to the sea entry.”
“But with all this coming and going, haven’t you ever been seen? I know the s
huttles are mirror cloaked but now that everyone has video cameras on their phones isn’t there more danger of being photographed in the air?”
“The sea craft is quiet, small and fast and it is only a few miles from the shore. If we were seen they would only see a ship rising about fifty feet in the air. They would never be able to see the ship entering the water. We fly out a few miles before dropping under.” Rachel was quietly thoughtful for a moment and continued, “I suppose there have been hikers from Europe or America who have seen us. They probably even know we are, you know, aliens, but no one would believe them. If they did believe them, they probably wouldn’t care. The entire question of the existence of aliens really depends on us. When the time comes that we introduce ourselves, they probably still won’t believe it. This is due to a kind of denial. Humans don’t want to believe that there are beings that are superior to them.”
Rachel paused for another moment and continued, “I should rephrase that. We aren’t superior to them. We have just been around much longer and we are technologically superior to them. Eventually they will evolve spiritually too. I guess you can say that I do like them.”
“How long have you been here Rachel?”
“I’ve been at the base for four years. Unfortunately that means I don’t get to meet many humans. The humans I have met I liked very much.”
As we drove north along the western coast it didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of the capital of Hanga Roa, the main town, harbor and capital of the Chilean province of Easter Island. The flat lowlands of Hanga Roa gradually gave way to rolling hills which gave way to mountains off to the east. It was an amazing, desolate and breathtaking area, unlike anything back on Ranjisan.
Rachel passed the time by talking about the mysteries of the island which rival some of the greatest mysteries of planet Earth like the Egyptian Pyramids, Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu. Rachel had a passionate tone as she spoke about the gigantic Moai statues and the different theories about how they were carved and for what purpose as well as how they were transported and positioned. Rachel rambled on for a long time about the great wall at Ahu Vinapu which some people believe was built by the Incas. Rachel spent the rest of the trip talking about the Incas. It was fascinating listening to her. I liked the sound of her voice and by the time we approached the meeting place for the sea craft I decided I was definitely attracted to her. She was smart and beautiful and passionate. I liked her.
“We’re almost there,” Rachel said as she navigated the Jeep around some rugged off-road terrain. We had completely left the poor excuse for a gravel road as the Jeep bumped along the rugged terrain. Finally we reached the crest of a small hill and I could see the little outpost in a clearing down in a small valley.
The sea craft shuttle looked just like the one I traveled in when I left the CIPE center after my orientation and training. It was a remarkable piece of engineering. Even standing about fifty yards from it, it was difficult to see. The mirror cloaking system made the ship appear as an assortment of boulders and trees, similar to the surrounding valley.
I boarded the ship and noticed the woman I had seen at the airport who I suspected was Ranjisi. I was right. I thought it was too bad we had to be so secretive about getting from the airport to the CIPE base. We were two people coming from the same place and going to the same place and we had to travel separately. But since we planned to be there on P3 for many years, I agreed with CIPE’s obsessive secrecy policy.
My second trip to the CIPE base was more enjoyable. I had learned a lot about the human race and I felt much more confident about everything. I was much better prepared to appreciate CIPE’s engineering masterpiece. The docking station underneath the mountain was actually the top level of the base. From there, a three minute ride on a monorail took us east, away from the shoreline and deeper into the inside of the mountainous region of the island. The monorail docked at an enormous arena where I could smell Ranjisi foods cooking. Rachel was saying goodbye and wishing us luck as we stepped onto the ramp leading to the main floor.
“Doesn’t that smell good?” It was the woman from the airport. She was standing behind me looking up. There were six levels of balconies overlooking the monorail docking station. I guessed the woman’s Earth age to be about twenty to twenty five. She seemed on the short side for a Ranjisi. Her eyes were brown and I assumed she was wearing contact lenses and it made her seem even more human. She was friendly enough although she seemed kind of formal and businesslike.
“Yes, it appears this entire first floor is one big buffet, but what are the upper floors for?” I asked the woman.
“I’m Olivia,” she said as she extended her hand.
“You speak English. Excellent. I finally have someone to talk to. I’m Luke.”
“The upper floors are like a hospital and research lab plus some administrative offices. The second floor is just elevators, mostly going down to the living quarters and classrooms.”
“I sort of remember that from when I first came here last year but I was kind of overwhelmed by everything then.”
“So this is your first tour here?” Olivia asked.
“Yes, how about you?” I asked.
“I’ve been here several years. I keep extending my tour.”
“So you are happy here? What kind of work do you do?”
“I’m in the environmental study group. How about you?”
“Medical science research.”
“How do you like it?” Olivia asked.
“I do like it but it is sometimes very painful.”
“What do you mean?”
“I work in a hospital. It’s hard not to care about people,” I said. “It’s also hard not to get attached to them sometimes. I work in patient transport and I often take cancer patients to and from the cancer treatment room. Sometimes they stay at the hospital for a long time and I get to know them. Watching them die a slow and painful death is difficult. It is more than difficult. It is sometimes devastating. It is especially hard for me, knowing that I could end their suffering or in some cases, I could even cure them. But since we are not ready to make our presence known here, I can’t do anything.”
Olivia was quiet and just stood there looking at me for a long and awkward moment. Her facial expression had an odd, thoughtful look and I wondered what she was thinking. “I have a friend who is also in the medical team. He also speaks English. You should meet him. His name is Cooper. I can introduce you to him at orientation tomorrow morning if you would like to meet him.”
“Yes definitely. I’ll look for you tomorrow morning,” I said. “Are you eating now or are you going to check into your room first?”
“I’m heading for my room. I just feel like a shower and a bed in that order.”
I said goodbye to Olivia and headed for the food station. The foods smelled like Ranjisan foods but they were different. Apparently all of the Ranjisi spices were brought to P3 and some of the herbs and vegetables but the meats were replaced with Earthly meats. Everything looked and smelled the same as back home but it tasted different. It was okay with me. I was hungry enough to eat raw fish.
My assigned room on floor S4 was quite different than the room I had stayed in when I first arrived on P3. It had a panoramic screen that ran the entire length of one wall and curved around on both ends, covering about a third of the two walls to the right and left of the screen. The screen slowly came to life so I assumed it was motion activated. A soft blue message appeared in the center of the screen, “Touch or say Menu to begin.” The center of the screen filled with category labels in the form of buttons with pictures in the background. They were mostly educational to help Ranjisi learn about Earth and the human race. “Biology,” was my first command which displayed a list of sub-category buttons. “Human Anatomy.” Another selection of sub-category buttons appeared. “Digestive System,” I stated, “Play.” I could see some differences between humans and Ranjisi right away but I was too tired to pay too much attention and navigated back to
Main Menu where I dug down into the “Music” category looking for “Classic Rock.” I preferred to learn about newer music but I also knew that if I experienced the evolution of Rock & Roll on Earth I would have a greater appreciation for the newer alternative rock. I also knew this wouldn’t help me much with my Earthly medical research but I didn’t care.
The following morning I looked for Olivia in the huge dining hall. She recognized me first and walked up behind me. “Come Luke. I’ll introduce you to Cooper.”
As we walked around the perimeter of the dining hall I could sense that Olivia was looking at me. “I see you like the rebel punkish look.” I got the impression that she didn’t care for my hairdo much. That meant that there were at least two attractive Ranjisi women who didn’t like the punk look, Alexis and Olivia. I figured that if Olivia liked it, she would have said something nicer. “Are you planning on getting tattoos or piercings too?” Her voice had a slight bit of sarcasm in it.
“I may when I learn more about what they symbolize,” I replied.
“I doubt if they symbolize anything. I see young people with tattoos with Chinese writing and I can’t help but wonder if they actually know what the tattoo says.” I had no response for Olivia. I could see that she was on the conservative side and not very open minded so I just let the conversation linger and die.
A young Ranjisi who looked to be twenty years younger than me was sitting at a table smiling at Olivia as we approached him. “Good morning Cooper. I would like you to meet Luke. He also works in the medical division and he speaks English.” Cooper reached across the table and we shook hands in the human tradition.
We talked about the CIPE base for a while and about our lives and families back on Ranjisan for a while and then on to our specific assignments. Cooper worked at a Cancer Center in Tucson so it didn’t take long to get to the topic of death and the suffering that comes with many illnesses found on P3. “Luke here has also had quite a bit of experience with terminal illness,” Olivia said a little apprehensively.
The Good Reaper Page 6