and below in the packed streets of New York a sea of people turned startled
faces upward. LaGuardia Field loomed with the swiftness of a dream, and the
parachute boomed–the shock of striking the Earth–his feet on the green turf
for the first time in twelve years and a woman’s voice, crying “Greg, Greg!
You’re back! Darling, you came back!”–
The vision closed about him as a hand closes, and there was only the tall wild
grass, and the whispering trees, and the alien bulk of a great spaceflyer. All
hatred was washed from him, and the Earth was empty, for humanity would be
saved, but home as Gregory Marshall knew it was dead forever. Perhaps he would
not even see the final triumph.
Still, man’s chances were better now than they had been before Marshall’s
homecoming. How long would it be before the last monster was driven from the
blue star? It did not matter, so long as they were all driven away; for, after
all, in the midst of the greatest changes, old Earth was home….
He turned and disappeared among the trees.
BOOK ONE
SEEDING PROGRAM
The spaceship resumed humming around Sweeney without his
noticing the change. When Capt. Meikiejon’s voice finally
came again from the wall speaker, Sweeney was still lying
buckled to his bunk in a curious state of .tranquility he had
never known before, and couldn’t possibly have described,
even to himself. Though he had a pulse, he might otherwise
have concluded that he was dead. It took him several minutes
to respond.
“Sweeney, do you hear me? Are you all right?”
The brief hesitation in the pilot’s breathing made Sweeney