The Good Reaper by Dennis J Butler Read Free Book Online

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