Algol looked at LeAnne when he spoke, “The serums arrived yesterday so the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.”
“When will we start?” LeAnne asked.
“It’s late. You can shower while I cook dinner. After dinner as soon as you feel sleepy, your bed will be waiting for you. We can start first thing in the morning if you are up for it.”
“Yes, the sooner the better. I don’t know if all those treatments they gave me back at the hospital actually did anything but since they are now stopped, I think the sooner we get started with the treatment, the better.”
After dinner LeAnne looked like she was going to pass right out so I helped her into bed while Algol brought two chairs in and set them next to the bed. Algol was a natural storyteller and I could tell he was happy to have visitors who he could speak openly with. He started talking about Arizona and the different Native American tribes that lived there. I listened and watched LeAnne as she tried to keep her eyes open while Algol’s voice became softer and softer. He was intentionally putting LeAnne to sleep. LeAnne looked as peaceful as I had ever seen her. She didn’t appear to be in any pain. I was thinking that hope was a powerful emotion. Her new found hope for the future gave her mental strength that produced physical strength. She was a sick woman who had traveled all the way across the country without any medicine and she seemed to be doing fine. When we were both sure she was sound asleep, we turned out the lights.
***
All CIPE recruits had to pass written and hands-on medical exams before being accepted so any one of us could have administered the serums. It was a fairly simple procedure consisting of blood infusions. The moment of truth had come. It would be a historic event that only a handful of people would know about.
I could hear the TV on in LeAnne’s room the following morning so I knew she was awake. “How’s the patient doing this morning?” I asked as I stepped into LeAnne’s room.
“I’m feeling pretty good actually.” LeAnne paused and looked at me for a moment. “So, today’s the day.”
“Yes, as soon as you eat something. Cooper said you should eat something filling but easy to digest like oatmeal.”
“Oatmeal sounds good.”
As I walked out of the room toward the kitchen, Cooper walked in. “Good morning LeAnne. I just need to get the IVs ready. I set up the software while you were sleeping. As soon as you’re finished eating something, we can begin.”
“Software?” LeAnne asked sounding confused. “What does software have to do with it?”
“I’ll explain that a little at a time going forward. For now, just the realization that this is happening and the acceptance of us, Cooper and I, is enough for any mind, human or otherwise.”
“Do you think there are any risks because this procedure has never been done on a human before?” LeAnne asked.
“No. We’ve done extensive studies back home on human cells. Your cells are identical to ours. It kind of makes you wonder about a Supreme Being doesn’t it?”
“Yea, you come from light years away and you’re basically the same.”
Twenty minutes later as LeAnne was finishing up her breakfast, Cooper appeared in the doorway pushing a compact recliner chair on rollers. “You will need to sit in the chair. You will probably have to urinate a few times during the infusion,” Cooper said.
Cooper attached the IV to a port he made on the back of LeAnne’s hand and started the infusion. “Today will take about four hours. We’ll continue the day after tomorrow and then three times a week until we see some results,” Cooper said. “The idea is to inject as small a dose as possible and then monitor the progress.”
“Were you able to contact the person who you said can get a message to my parents?”
“Yes, he’s the same person that arranged to smuggle the serums here. He lives outside of London and he is going to call your parents from a public pay phone. Anyone who is looking for you would begin there at the pay phone in London so it will be a dead end.”
“Okay great. What exactly is he going to tell them?”
“He will tell your parents that he is a caregiver of yours and you have been taken to a specialist in Europe who has had success with a new experimental treatment that has not been approved in the US. They will ask him where you are and how they can contact you and he will tell them that you will contact them in the near future. They will continue to question him and he will say goodbye and hang up. It sounds cold but it is the only way.”
“Okay, good. At least they will know that I’m alive.”
Cooper brought two more chairs into LeAnne’s room and we sat quietly monitoring her reaction to the drugs. “How are you feeling?” Cooper asked after about a half hour.
“A bit groggy, otherwise I feel fine.”
“Naos and Algol,” LeAnne said suddenly. “Even though we are here in Arizona and this is happening, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole alien concept. We have nothing to do now except pass the time. Why don’t you tell me about your home? Maybe after I have mental images of your home, it will all seem more real to me. Also, can you tell me more about the beings from Andromeda? Do you know what their intention is? Are they kind and friendly like you? Do they look like the aliens that we see depicted in all those hundreds of “UFOs revealed” specials?”
Algol’s jovial facial expression changed. He suddenly looked like he was deep in thought as he slowly turned to me. “Do you want to start Naos?”
13 - Gamma Anadeia and Nemo Eusebeia
“The universe is infinite,” I said. “If there are millions or billions of galaxies out there, then there are billions or trillions of star systems similar to Earth. So the probability of life on other planets has never been in question. Any star system where there is a planet with an atmosphere may sustain life. The galaxy your scientists refer to as Andromeda was labeled Nemo Eusebeia many years ago by Ranjisi scientists. It is one of many galaxies where intelligent, advanced life is known to come from.”
“You mentioned the other day that the beings from Andromeda are weird. What did you mean?” LeAnne asked.
“Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they come from so very far away,” Algol said. “But most likely it is due to their environment. We have no idea what their planet is like. It’s too far even for us to visit but their physical appearance is probably a result of how they have adapted to their environment.”
Algol paused, took a deep breath and continued:
Ranjisan is 9,000 light years away from Earth. It is about 2.5 million light-years from Earth to the closest edge of Nemo Eusebeia/Andromeda. Consider that for a moment. We have tracked the race you call “the Greys” back to somewhere deep in Eusebeia. They are here on Earth. They were here before we got here. We don’t know how long they have been visiting Earth, perhaps for hundreds of years and yet there is still no real proof that they are here. We have attempted to communicate with them but they have ignored us. After a few brief encounters with them near our planet, and a few here on Earth, they seem to have determined that we are of no use to them.
We refer to the Greys as the Eusebeia. I guess it was a quick and easy way of referring to them since that’s where they come from. There has never been any indication that they are hostile or that they are territorial. We don’t believe their intentions are necessarily evil although they don’t have a problem creating fear and destroying lives with their abductions and experiments. So we have determined that their intentions regarding the human race are neither hostile nor helpful and yet they do not seem to be able to feel empathy, or at least they don’t appear to feel it.
They just seem to be singularly focused on reproduction. So, we don’t exactly know what their problem is. On Ranjisan, we started having problems with reproduction over seventy five years ago but our scientists quickly found solutions. Our problem is that on average, 8 to 12 males are born for every female so researchers developed a simple Y-chromosome fertilization procedure to solve the pro
blem. But we believe the Eusebeia problem is much more serious. We believe their race is becoming naturally extinct, similar to an Earthly animal that is in danger of extinction. They just can’t reproduce so they are experimenting with reproductive DNA of other races. They are highly intelligent and technologically advanced. Look how far they travel. Ranjisi are incapable of traveling that far with our current technology due to the simple fact that using our current technology it would take several lifetimes to reach Eusebeia.
Our intentions, Ranjisi intentions regarding the human race should be considered benevolent. It’s very simple. Our intention is to bring the human race into the Gamma Anadeia Alliance. Gamma Anadeia is our name for the Milky Way. So the Gamma Anadeia Alliance is just an alliance of races residing in the Milky Way.
“Are you ready for this LeAnne” Algol asked with a big smile. “I believe you may be one of the only humans to learn what I am about to tell you.”
LeAnne perked up and her eyes widened, “Yes, yes continue. This is all too fascinating.”
“There are currently three races who meet routinely. We meet informally all the time and formally every two Earth years via huge formal conferences. The concept is simple: A free exchange of knowledge that will benefit all. There are some provisions about allegiance and aid if there are attacks from hostile races or natural disasters but so far, thankfully nothing has happened. There haven’t been any attacks from hostile races. Up to this point, we only know of four races in the Milky Way galaxy, plus the human race. So when the time comes that Earth joins us, there will be five races.”
“Who are the other three?” LeAnne asked.
Algol was silent for a moment before continuing:
In addition to us, there are the twin planets of the Ophiuchi Star System. We consider them one race because their planets revolve around the same sun but they are vastly different. We sometimes count them as one race. In addition to the Ophiuchi there is the race of people who live on the other planet in the Ophiuchi Star System but I will first tell you about the race of beings we refer to simply as the Ophiuchi. I hope that someday the human race will be able to study and learn from the Ophiuchi.
It’s the relationship between the two races of Ophiuchi that is amazing. They have a wonderful history. So you know that Ophiuchi is a star system with two planets that sustain higher life. One planet is about the size of Earth and the other is closer to the size of Mars, about half the size of Earth. The smaller planet, Aegialeus was able to advance at an amazing rate, leaving the larger planet Ophiuchi behind. Ophiuchi was not so long ago more like Earth was a few thousand years ago while only existing a few thousand miles away from its smaller neighbor, Aegialeus. While the people of Ophiuchi were struggling to keep warm, little Aegialeus was already conquering space travel while making enormous strides in medicine.
Now based on Earth history, you may think that the people of Aegialeus set out and conquered and enslaved the Ophiuchi. But it was just the opposite. When the Aegiala were able to successfully travel to Ophiuchi they arrived in peace and began teaching the Ophiuchi. They started with medicine and began curing the deadly diseases that plagued Ophiuchi. It wasn’t long before the Ophiuchi began to view the people of Aegialeus as profits and saviors. The Aegiala began introducing art and music to the Ophiuchi and now the two races live in peace and harmony. The Ophiuchi haven’t started their own space travel yet but the Aegiala have established universities on Ophiucha and some of their graduating scientists have been recruited for Aegiala space exploration. So someday you may get to meet both the Aegiala and the Ophiucha. You see, the Aegiala seem to look upon the Ophiucha as their children, or something like that. It is a wonderful story and I love talking about it.
“What do they look like?” LeAnne asked. “Do they also look human, like you?”
“Yes, they do look human, although there are some subtle differences. It makes me wonder about the Greys of Eusebeia. They are from so far away and look so different, I can’t help but wonder what other species of intelligent beings look like that come from even further away than the Greys.”
“Well they also have unusual gravity problems, don’t they Algol? I think the smaller planet has a much stronger gravitational pull. That would make them physically stronger correct?”
“Yes, that is true. The Ophiucha would be like us, here on Earth if they visited Aegialeus or Earth. They would have difficulty walking and they would experience a shortness of breath from over-exertion. Also, I haven’t studied the two races extensively but I believe the Ophiucha are a bit smaller and they have more variation in their physical appearance, probably due to the fact that up until recently they didn’t travel extensively.”
“You mentioned subtle differences. Did you mean just the muscular differences due to the gravity or are there other differences?”
“I think if you came face to face with an Ophiucha or Aegiala person you may think they were odd or that they may even have a severe medical condition but you wouldn’t think they were from another planet. There is a big difference in the temperature on each planet. Aegialeus is cold with average temperatures ranging from what you know here as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 35. The Aegiala have a thick, leathery looking skin that appears to look like a skin condition. So it becomes similar to our own Ranjisi differences. If you see one Ranjisi struggling to walk up a flight of stairs it’s not unusual but if you see six of us with the same condition together, it becomes something strange and out of the ordinary. It’s the same with the Aegiala. If you see one of them with what appears to be a skin condition it’s no big deal but if you were to see a dozen Aegiala together it would be alarming.”
“I would like to learn more about the Ophiucha and Aegiala. Did I pronounce that right?” LeAnne asked. “But first I think I need to close my eyes for a while.”
We left LeAnne to sleep most of the day away and most of the following day. On the third day of her treatment she awoke hungry and alert. “Is it my imagination or does she already look better?” I asked Algol as we both stood at the foot of LeAnne’s bed looking at her.
“I’m right here and I can hear you talking about me. I feel better. You think I look better?”
“It is too soon,” Algol said. “It’s probably some of the other drugs that are included in the serum that will make you feel better while you recover. “Are you ready to resume your infusions?”
“Yes, as soon as I have something solid to eat like a bagel or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
LeAnne gobbled down two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Algol started the IV again. “Okay. Here we are again. Can we resume our conversation from the other day?” LeAnne asked.
“The Ophiucha and the Aegiala?” I asked
“Can we come back to them? I was half in a dream last night, imagining their world but I was also imagining what the other people from the third planet are like. Can you tell me a little about them?”
“Well they are probably even more interesting than the Ophiucha and the Aegiala but I just admire the Aegiala so much I’m always ready to talk about them,” Algol said.
“The third planet is called Tellus,” Algol said. “It is a desert planet with no standing water on the surface. All water is underground. So you can probably guess what makes the Telli people unique.”
LeAnne looked fascinated. “Don’t tell me they live underground?”
“Yes. Note that human scientists are correct in their theory about beings on other planets evolving to fit their environment, so imagine a race of people that lived underground for millions of years.”
“So they are like the mole people from Flash Gordon?” LeAnne asked with a little giggle.
“Yes, sort of. You probably have an image of a primitive people living like prehistoric cave people, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Telli are highly advanced. Beneath the surface of their planet are lakes, rivers and even oceans. They’ve developed beautiful modern cities which glow in the brilliant nat
ural light of the cave formation minerals. And just to give you an idea of how sophisticated they are, they have used the surface of their desert planet for industry. About 90% of their industry is on the surface. So the planet isn’t much to look at from the air but their quality of life beneath the surface is extraordinary.”
“So what do they look like?”
“Humanoid except that living beneath the surface they have evolved accordingly. They can see but here on Earth they would be considered legally blind. They have highly sensitive hearing. Their ears are long and more rigid looking than ours or yours, that is, their ears are more boney and look almost like horns. Since they don’t see very well, they depend on their hearing for everything.”
“Do their eyes look like the eyes of blind people?” LeAnne Asked.
“Yes, they have two eyes but the cornea, lens and pupil are all black. So, the eyes plus the ears makes them look completely alien. They would never be able to blend in, here on Earth.”
“Wow. This is amazing. I would like to talk more about their societies and even their government but I think I need to know more about your people and your world. Can you tell me about Ranjisan?”
Algol talked extensively about Ranjisan. He was a good speaker and storyteller and his words just seemed to come out effortlessly:
Ranjisan is very old. It’s millions of years older than Earth so what were once rugged mountain ranges have gradually rounded out. Ranjisan consists of mostly rolling hills. There is no place on Ranjisan that is as breathtaking as some of the places on Earth like the south island of New Zealand or the American southwest. The orbit around our sun is elliptical like Earth’s orbit around your sun but Ranjisan is tilted at a more extreme angle than Earth. Your Earth is tilted at about 23 degrees which causes your seasons based on whether Earth is tilted toward or away from the sun.
The Good Reaper Page 13