 Who were the horde members?
They were something more—and something less—they were, in short, humanity's hopes for survival! She seemed to be restless to end her fool's errand here, two hundred light years from the waiting hordes on Earth. They looked like overgrown fireballs, but seemed to have an almost sentient curiosity about anything moving on the ground. But something had happened to the exploration party fifteen years back, and to the more recent ship under Hennessy that was sent to check up. Even the deep gorge where they'd found Hennessy's carefully buried ship was completely hidden by the fog. Earth had ordered him to detour here, after leaving his load of deep-sleep stored colonists on Official World 71, to check on any sign of Hennessy. Now the three were streaking at fantastic speed to a spot near the ship, to hover excitedly above something that moved there. Shaggy heads, brute bodies vaguely man-like! One seemed to be almost eight feet tall, leading the others directly toward the spacesuited cadets. There was a momentary halt, and then the leader lifted one arm, as if motioning the others forward. One, at the front, was stuttering into life, and Gwayne dashed for it as the exit port slid back. Then Gwayne spotted them; surrounded by the menacing horde. The creatures dived downward into lower ground, beginning to disappear into the mists. Then it cleared to show the mob of creatures doubling back on their own trail to confuse the pursuers.
 Hennessy’s crew and the children of the exploring party
 Angry aliens  Aliens pretending to be Hennessy’s crew and the children of the exploring party  Lonely aliens  Hennessy’s crew and the children of the exploring party