Cart Wikilian, an individualist explorer, traverses the galaxy to reveal all its unknowns, joined by his worrisome robot, Ando. Their newest expedition sends them to an unknown planet, where they discover nothing but disappointment at first glance. Eventually, Cart brings back a creature, their first significant finding, and with this newfound hope, he goes back out in search of discovery.
Returning to where he found the creature, Cart comes upon a band of Dalohs and follows them back to their village. The creatures are not bothered by the outlanders and allow them to freely move about their home. While out on an excursion to the mountains, they are captured by some bestial recluses and taken to their fortress. After being separated from Ando and imprisoned, Cart communicates with a fellow prisoner named Pobno. They encounter an enormous monster before navigating through the fortress, all while fending off their captors. They elude these dangers, returning to the village, with Pobno returning to his settlement.
Their concern now arising, they prepare to move their ship closer to the village, until Cart spots a stream of smoke in the distance. He approaches the smoke and is stunned to find a village littered with deceased inhabitants and blaster markings. Having received an invitation earlier to Pobno’s settlement, Cart decides to visit, seeking answers on the blasters and how they are present on the planet. During his journey, he finds a pistol in the dirt; what he didn’t want to believe as true is now plainly evident, leaving him terrified. He arrives at the settlement to an overwhelming sight of creatures, which does away with his remaining doubts about the planet. Cart is now wholly aware of the beauty the planet holds as well as the danger that threatens it.
The devastated village is news to Pobno, who goes off to tend to the matter without sharing any details, leaving Cart to his confusion. In the evening, an assault of explosions and blaster fire suddenly erupts on the settlement to cause great chaos. Cart assists Pobno in directing the inhabitants to safety while also trying to make out their concealed attackers, but the hazy darkness keeps their identities shrouded.
While refuged, Pobno informs Cart about the ravagers and how they acquired their deadly weapons from above (a crashed ship). He urges Cart to speak to a tiny creature, who can provide him with the information he seeks. Cart locates the tiny creature in the settlement ruins, and his terror mounts even further when he learns of there being a second crashed ship somewhere on the planet. The tiny creature does all he can to help the explorer translate ancient writings to reveal the second ship’s location, but Cart and Ando must do the rest on their own. The two explorers came to this planet in search of things anew, yet what they found was a peril all too familiar—the very force that corrupts the galaxy—and they must now do all they can to end it.
