The Union Starship Olympia, having returned from her first deep space mission after First Contact with the Martians and defeating an enemy alien force, has her battle damage repaired in orbiting space dock. The young Martian woman K'lia has joined the crew and has received her appointment as Olympia's Navigator. Fully repaired and resupplied, Olympia leads a delegation of six other starships to Maris, home-world of the Martians, en-route to permanent assignment at Salem Station. Upon arriving at Maris, the crew enjoy the sights and host Martian delegates until word reaches the Martian command that an exploratory saucer crew is overdue. Having been dispatched to investigate a clue to the whereabouts of the ancient race who used to inhabit Maris thousands of years ago, all contact has ceased. Captain Edison volunteers to take Olympia and a team of Martians to investigate but upon arriving at their destination, the crew find a forbidding and desolate planet, an abandoned Martian scout saucer and outpost. With few clues to go on, Commander Bell leads a team from the ship to the surface and the group quickly discover they are not alone on the mysterious world. They are stalked by invisible vampiric creatures and are forced to take refuge in the abandoned outpost. Soon they discover that the creatures outside are gathering and they are not native to the planet but instead are the result of an ancient genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. With limited supplies and few options, the team must find a way to survive long enough to escape the dark and hellish world alive.