Publisher's Synopsis
The molybdenum cat was out of the bag. Scientists had known the trace metal was essential to plant and animal life, but it was just an esoteric detail until Steve Kowalski encountered the alien Brock in Colorado near one of the largest deposits in the world. It was also one of the largest on all of the million planets Brock's people had explored. Only a handful of worlds had enough molybdenum to support life, but Earth had enough to fertilize over a thousand. And there were other aliens who wanted it badly enough to wreak havoc to get it. When Steve convinced Brock to take him back to his home planet, no one else on Earth had any idea that we'd been visited by aliens or that Earth possessed something so valuable. Steve is back now, and the world has met Brock and Traong-Luod, another alien who befriended him. Humanity understands the two-edged sword that is molybdenum - its unlimited potential for wealth and empire, and the threat of being attacked by aliens with weapons that could destroy our civilization. But Steve has returned with a complete compendium of alien science and technology. The aliens have gone home, and Earth knows it's vulnerable if the alien technology Steve brought home cannot be assimilated and applied before it's too late. Steve is reunited with his son, Jason, and with Sara, a brilliant scientist who is Jason's mentor at Caltech. Sara also bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason's mother who was killed in an accident, an event that profoundly impacted him and Steve. Something special is happening between Steve and Sara, something no man and woman have ever experienced before. But Steve has a different concern that has haunted him since he met Brock. A life-long agnostic, the physical reality of the galaxy has shattered his beliefs. How could it possibly have developed this way? Why is Earth in this unique position? Is it proof of divine intervention? Once Earth's defense is assured he won't rest until he finds the answers.
