Rapidly flying toward Earth, the Tarx droid ship plows into the Earth's atmosphere, which quickly slows its momentum. Wasting no time, the newly established United Earth Front (UEF), led up by the United States, dispatches the just completed Rummager II on an intercept course with the strange alien craft. Vastly superior to the old Rummager, the new one packs quite a punch. The ship's skin boasts solid optic construction (similar to fiber optics, but covers a wide area instead of just strands), which allows a very powerful 2.6 terawatt laser to fire in any direction.

Flying over California, the alien robot ejects two small egg-like projectiles, which slam into the ground and penetrate the soil. The Tarx droid moves over Nevada where it slows to a stop. Rummager II rapidly closes in on the alien vehicle through the use of UEF telepresence systems, which control the Earth ship. From the fact that the alien craft hasn't tried to contact them and launched foreign objects into the planet, the UEF controllers quickly conclude the ship's hostile and instruct Rummager II to fire. With a powerful and sustained laser attack, the shieldless Tarx robot rapidly heats up to extreme temperatures and swiftly succumbs to the assault. An immense explosion rips through the air, shaking the Earth vehicle violently. Rummager II's magnetic force field holds it together nicely and it's not damaged. With great celebration, the UEF command personnel cheer at their apparent victory. Still, it's very unclear to them just what the projectiles were that smashed into the ground in California. Rummager II and numerous other craft are immediately sent to find the answer to that question.

Back on Mars, David's found a way to speed up repairs on Taschin's ship. It's coming along slowly, but surely. Unfortunately, it'll still take one more day to finish the job and get started toward Earth. Dave's very nervous about the bio-weapons the Tarx drone was carrying and doesn't have the skills to see what's happening on Earth. His mind's torn between concentrating on Taschin's vehicle and trying to push the limits of his talents in an effort to view what's going on back home. The repair of the ship always seems more practical; still, the lack of knowledge of the events on Earth are constantly nagging his thoughts.