 The test flight of the machine is a success; the Quintaglios have taken their first step towards flight.Studies on the giant blue artifact have made it apparent that is an alien starship, and that these beings brought dinosaurs and other creatures to this world from another, millions of years ago; explaining why species in the Quintaglios' fossil record appear suddenly rather than gradually.The book ends with Dybo declaring that the Quintaglios are not merely going to the stars; they are going home.