It must have been quite a jolt. They had earth all pegged down to the last improvement in a self locking nut. And suddenly here was something new which didn't belong.
Toward midnight, with five of them still skimming the clouds, the sixth came down. I was ready, and had everything I needed with me. The saucer landed in a field a half mile away. The vegetation burned invisibly where it settled. A section of the saucer opened, and a much littler saucer came out.
The little saucer was a robot. I was sure of that the instant I saw it, mostly because it had wheels. There is nothing to indicate that a life form can't have wheels, but it does pose a nice problem of what a living creature will use for bearings. It was a robot then, and it came out and headed for our ship, which was still holding together splendidly, needle nose aimed at the sky.
It was time for me to go to work. I started toward the big saucer.
"It's coming closer." This was the thought of the individual who had created the ship out of his own dematerialized atoms.
"Put out a force field and keep it away." He sounded shaky and I thought a wry jest would help. The containers I was carrying were heavy.
The ship snorted. "I wish I could. But seriously, how long do I have to stay here?"
"Keep it up," I said. "I've got lots of supplies."
The terror in his voice was real. "I don't like that thing. It's snooping around."
"Waken the farmer. Maybe he'll kick up a disturbance and the robot will investigate."