“A couple of hundred yards out of Baker Street I heard a yelping chorus, and saw, first a dog with a piece of putrescent red meat in his jaws coming headlong towards me, and then a pack of starving mongrels in pursuit of him. He made a wide curve to avoid me, as though he feared I might prove a fresh competitor. As the yelping died away down the silent road, the wailing sound of “Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla,” reasserted itself.” – The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells.
The presence of a new type of organism upon the earth would have consequences upon the delicate ecosystem which proved so effective against the martian invaders. Even though the Martians were vulnerable to the invisible, microscopic bacteria, the effects of the Red Weed, the Black Smoke and indeed the corpses of the Martians themselves would echo upon the earth for decades.
Already we have seen the carrion birds and stray dogs feasting on the flesh of the dead Martians. The red weed is but a plant and will be subject to the same senesence of terrestrial plants. What will happen to those creates which feed upon the flesh of these alien bodies. As it was our bacteria which was the finish of them – what dark secret has their god placed in their bodies which will be th end of us?
It may cause us to look upon the earth and see new creatures upon the lands, in the sea and in the skies over which we had no dominion. As quickly as we caused species to become extinct with our own lack of care for our environment, we would see new hybrid species, twisted mockeries of our own garden Earth. Our dogs and cats, lifelong companions, now changed. The birds of the air seeing with martian eyes, tasting the air with martian tongues.
There would be a new science, one dedicated to the new zoology and botany brought by our invaders. We could not capture a martian alive but perhaps in death they may reveal more secrets. I feel we must learn and learn fast. Their revenge will be swift.