The Second Swarm - Frank R. Paul illustrations

Masses of masonry rose jerkily from below the surface. They covered the whole region for miles near the two stranded interstellar ships, and from the rising masses of masonry , the mouths of guns could be seen, bombarding the eight interstellar ships, destroying them one by one before they could rise more than their own length.

Faster and faster did Matilda drop in pursuit, the wings on her back whining terribly as they forced her down with the speed of a bullet. Her hands were outstretched. Her body was as straight as an arrow and rigid. Only her fingers moved, opening and closing spasmodically on open air. Would she never reach Ureena?

Four minutes late, the first mighty interstellar ship slowly began to rear up until its sharp nose pointed up at an angle of forty-five degrees, then it rose heavenwards. Following fast behind it came ten more of the huge interstellar ships.

The large doors in the sides of the ships opened and men equipped with individual flying wings strapped upon their backs stepped out of the ships and flew down...The surface of that world was covered with the bodies of the intelligent creatures, who had inhabited it. They looked like giant hairy tarantulas, over a hundred times larger than the largest tarantula that ever existed on Earth.

Story by J. Schlossel. Published in Amazing Stories Quarterly (February 1928).