They had traveled for a few hours by hyperspace on a call about a planet just discovered. It was their job to survey the newly found worlds and report details about them to the Rodina-Earth Department of Space management that mapped trade, routes, and other items regarding the starry frontier. They were some of the lucky members; they got to reconnoiter new worlds for great pay all in the name of innovation.

Apparently, this particular planet appeared on the scopes out of nowhere in a system that once was already searched. An unusual signal kept popping up from it so it was their chance to scout it first.

"There she is, ladies and gentlemen!" Nova smirked.

Her main crew of four gathered with her at the large bay windows to glance towards the planet now sitting perfectly in view. They all studied what they were seeing before her second in command, Jotham, spoke, "I-It's magnificent yet there are no lights? Is this one of those rare primal earths that we've read on?"

The Captain then checked on the computer's scan to see what details it could find when something caught her eye. "Strange, Sinner reports that it cannot detect any life on it."

"See, Zara, I told you there still exists underdeveloped worlds. Here's your proof!" Cleo snarled, ignoring Nova's comment.

The bipedal black Labrador shrugged, "Never said I was always right, you know."

"Well you're a genetically engineered mutt. Common sense and vast thinking don't apply to you," Mazak scowled.

The human male immediately took a stance when Zara nearly leaped at him. The dog bared her teeth, "Say that directly to my face, you motherfu-"

"Enough!" All the humans bowed their heads at their leader but Zara only snorted. "We are a team, my friends and although we have our differences, we should not let them get in the way of our mission. This means, Mazak, no insults or debauchery allowed. Is that clear?"

She saw his teeth grind a bit before he replied, "Yes, Captain."

"We will split into two groups to explore the new planet. Keep communications open and if anything happens, contact our world and they will send reinforcements as quick as they can. Cleo, Zara, and Mazak: you will be together for the time being so you can learn to work concurrently. I will take Jotham with me then…if that's not a problem?"

Everyone remained silent but nodded to her whim. Shortly after, everyone split off to get ready.

The words of Mazak pained Zara more than she would admit. Sure she was an experiment gone right with a few anger issues and her signature bite, but that wasn't all she was. Or at least she hoped that wasn't what the others thought of her. She was made to be the "butler" of Jotham when he was a little kid. That was her sole purpose until he grew older and then she became his partner. Thank god for an extended lifespan of thirty years. It wasn't her fault the scientists didn't give her the intelligence of a human adult instead of a teenager's mindset. To be fair though, they thought she would cope better with Jotham that way and she did. At least her master appreciated her as she was and not the "token minority" everyone else from the REDS came to think since she was one of very few talking animals to join their ranks.

Zara muttered to herself as she equipped a bag full of weapons. In some sense, she could be compared to being trigger-happy as well as the overly prepared type. After all, it was an alien planet they were about to visit but unlike most worlds and natives they encountered, deep down she had the gut feeling something was…wrong. She always felt like this before exploring another inhabited system but this time it seemed more in depth. It was probably just her instincts registering unusual appearance of the planet. She really needed to stop doubting.

"You alright?" A voice spoke.

The canine peered up and wagged her tail at the sight of her human who crouched to pet her. Jotham was always there for her even when she didn't want his company. He was a good human, better than most she had seen in her short current lifetime. Fun character, great with kids and dogs alike; she felt sometimes she didn't deserve him.

"I've been better, to be honest. Why does Mazak have to start shit? Like I'm sorry I wasn't born human like him. Can't he respect that?" Zara growled.

Jotham rose up and grabbed a pack to begin filling it with his items. "You just have to see past his personality. He was raised by parents who thought everyone, especially modified animals, to be below him. He did stray far from his family's corrupt traditions and decided to become a REDS voyager, to see other worlds and such despite his somewhat racist views. You at least have to give him credit for that."

A deadpanned expression was all he received before she said, "Oh yeah, a bunch of redeeming qualities right there."

"Just give him a few more chances. I've talked to him and he's quite a nice guy underneath. Granted, it did take a while for him to open up to me but still, could you please try and get along? Just for this mission?"

"No-"

Jotham smirked, "I'll pay you 200 credits and I'll get you a new starship, specifically the H500 X-Ram."

"Fine."

"Good girl," the human hummed as he continued to store necessities into his bag.

In another part of the ship, Cleo and Nova packed the essentials in their chambers. It wasn't until Cleo broke the silence with a sudden rant did Nova pay full attention to her.

"You know how Mazak is! I don't think I can be partnered with him, and Zara…well…I won't be able to stop her if she decides to pick a fight! I'm just…not like you. I can't run a team much less with only two people. I don't know how you do it, Nova, but I…"

Cleo felt her wife place a kiss on her forehead with Nova giving her a soft smile. "You think I acquired how to lead a team within a few months' worth of time? You just have to find the tone that works for you and go from there. Promise me, dear, that you'll hang on and not act like me? You are you and I want you to lead like you do. Okay?"

Cleo returned the smile and embraced her. "I promise."

Entering the planet's atmosphere was a bumpy ride to say the least but that was not the concern the crew faced. When they reached a suitable flying level, everyone's eyes widened at what they saw.

"Everything's metal?" Zara murmured in shock.

Jotham blinked, "I've never heard of a planet made entirely of metal. Was this world built by someone or something? It seems entirely unnatural."

Both Mazak and Cleo shared a few glances as Nova interrupted. "For a planet so technologically advanced, it looks abandoned. Who would leave this place to die? Sinner, prepare landing sequence."

The computer system gave an acknowledging ring, activating the landing gear of the ship and slowing the vessel to its designated altitude. Once it began to hover, the pedes of the craft hit the open metallic field among dull skyscrapers and finally halted. Steaming from the engines hissed loudly in the silent remains of what they assumed was once a city.

When they exited the spacecraft adorned with specialized suits, they stared in awe at their surroundings. Some of the buildings appeared to be missing chunks while others were piles of scrap metal on the ground. The surface itself was made of the same materials with different bridges and platforms overlapping above them. Their ship seemed like the magnitude of a good sized bus compared to the city and it was one of the larger aircrafts of the REDS reaching just over a half mile long.

Cleo gulped, "It looks like some sort of battle went on here. Did they wipe themselves out?"

Nova eyed the area with concern before activating her communications system, "This is Captain Nova Pardo reporting to REDS Tower 8127, over."

"REDS Tower 8127 Mission Control hears you. What's your status on the planet in Quadrant 58-92B?"

"This planet is made completely of a metallic type that doesn't look like any we know of and appears to be deserted. No signs of life so far with-"

The sound of creaking metal from a distance made everyone freeze. The way it whined reminded Nova of when ships were being moved manually and the titanium groaned from the jerked movements of a crane transporting it.

"Captain Nova Pardo? Please respond, Captain."

The female hesitated to obey, "I…um…as I was saying, there are no signs of life as far as we know. Apologizes for the pause but we thought we heard movement. Anyway, atmosphere does not hold oxygen so we are forced to wear our suits. The planet also seems to have mechanical moons, two to be exact. None of them have any artificial lights either. There is nothing else to report at the moment."

"Alright, Captain, we have recorded your report. Contact us again when you status updates. Mission Control out." With that the line went dead. Nova subtly put her hands to her side but didn't stop from staring in the direction of the metal screech.

"Cleo, your team move north and don't leave each other's sides no matter what. Jotham and I will go east and when we find that we are all close to the tallest skyscraper after searching, we meet up near it. Is that understood?"

Her wife gave a fearful nod before signaling her team to move. They started to separate when Cleo instantly called, "What about the engineers and the other crew members?"

Nova sighed, "I've ordered them to keep the ship locked until we return. They'll be safe, trust me."

The slightly smaller female gulped but continued on her instructed path with Mazak and Zara close behind.

The Labrador exhaled heavily in her helmet. Her instincts were going nuts with anticipation and fear. Her senses kept pointing her in a different route than the one assigned but they also kept changing. It was as if her impulses were tracking something that was moving like her kind did when they sought prey. She had heard Nova mention back on the ship the planet had no evident life but then why did it feel like something was watching them?

Then her ears twitched. Immediately she ran in front of Cleo and Mazak, holding a gloved paw finger to her helmet. When they stopped, she made sure not to make a noise as well…only to hear faint irregular footsteps somewhere behind her. They were all facing the same general direction and neither of them was proceeding.

"What now? What is it?" Mazak impatiently scowled.

Zara made a strained "shhh" uproar in return, still peering around cautiously. The mysterious striding had ceased; whatever it was heard Mazak and now it knew they were among it.

The dog gave a frown and whispered, "I heard movement until you opened your damn mouth loud enough for the damn city to hear if there is something here!"

The human male scoffed, "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"What did you hear?" Cleo interrupted.

"There was something walking behind us. You have not heard it because we canines have superb audible range. Before you suggest it might be Nova and Jotham, it's not. The foot pattern seemed more spread out but with the same amount of seconds it takes us to walk, sounding definitely larger than any of us. It also was moving a greater distance in a short time span than we have…."

Zara abruptly froze, nose and ears jerking madly. Both humans could see her eyes dilate before she rapidly sprinted away towards the right of their position on all fours. She must have identified their culprit like a wolf on a deer.

Mazak held a worried expression, "That's not good."

They chased after her but she proved too fast, especially since she could operate both as a biped and a quadruped. After diving through what Cleo thought may have been alleyways or streets, she eventually lost their colleague. Then she realized another problem, she had left behind Mazak.

"Zara!? Mazak!?"

The silence of the area didn't help. Not knowing what to do, she first tried to locate the tower Nova wanted her to meet at but found the surrounding buildings obstructing her view. She then activated her communications line, holding back tears as she frantically peered around her.

She whimpered, "Please pick up! Please, Nova!"

"Cleo?"

"Nova! My team's gone! I-I don't know where Mazak is; I think I outran him trying to catch Z-Zara who just fled out of instinct! I lost my teammates!"

"Alright, calm down. We'll find them, don't worry. Where are you?"

"I-I can't see the tower so it's probably a large cluster of tall buildings! Please, hurry!"

"I think I can track you. Stay calm, we're on…way…"

A few puffs of static and the line went dead. Cleo sobbed as she hit the side of her helmet, "No, no, no, no!" She screamed slightly when it came back on with a whine but she didn't smile in relief.

"Hello?"

Listening closely, a pained moan and edgy breathing filtered through. It sounded like someone was dying until she perceived a whispering mechanical voice which made her put a hand over the location on her helmet where her mouth was.

"…hhhhnnnnnnn…pre…ten…der…vvvvvvvvhhhhhhhh…kill…gggghhhhhvvvvvvvvv…"

Her communication cut short again but then another noise became apparent. She heard ghastly breathing and a clatter behind her like someone was scrambling on all fours. Whipping around, she grabbed her holstered gun. Hopefully, this was Zara just messing with her but then again, the canine was not known for playing these types of tricks unless you pissed her off.

"Cleo?"

Mazak's voice was a slight relief but when it echoed, it sounded to the left of her when she heard more unusual movement to her right. Gulping down tears, she cried out, "Mazak! Help me!"

"Cleo!?"

"Cleee…oooo."

She roughly turned around when the harsh whisper seemed as if it was right next to her ear only to see something huge demonically charge out at her from the shadows. Cleo screamed.

As soon as Nova got the broken transmission from her wife, she didn't hesitate to start running back towards the ship. Jotham ran beside her.

"Cleo's freaking out and lost her team. Splitting up worked before but I don't understand what went wrong this time around."

Her associate sighed, "I bet Zara didn't take to being teamed up with Mazak without me very well. Such a strong-headed dog, that one is. I swear I'm gonna-WHOA!"

Both of them slid to a halt when they reached the ship. Nova's face twisted in horror as she tried to take in what she saw. Her ship still remained where she left it but it tilted to the right a little while its left side bay doors were ripped apart with human blood staining the visible interior, some of it dripping out of the opening.

"What the hell did all this?" Jotham motioned to the scene with fear, staring at the blood like he was hypnotized by it.

Nova immediately activated her comm. line again, "T-this is Captain Nova Pardo reporting to REDS Tower 8127, over!"

"REDS Tower 8127 Mission Control hears you. What's your new status on the planet in Quadrant 58-92B?"

"Mission Control, I need assistance quickly! There's something vicious here on this planet! My ship has been breached and I think my crew is dead! We need back up now! I repeat, there is hostile life on this planet and I think we are trapped here!"

"Captain Nova, we will send help right away. Gather any survivors and stay together until other starships arrive. They should be there within an hour. Godspeed."

As the line buzzed out, both Jotham and Nova turned towards a scream heard in the distance. Instant panic overtook the Captain when she realized who it was. "Oh my god, Cleo!"

A growl and large footsteps emitted behind him but he didn't dare look back, sprinting down any available openings including ones that were tight fits for him. Mazak panted madly as he heard a scream he assumed was Cleo's. As much as he wanted to look for her, his own life was literally on the line at the moment. He had to secure himself by finding the others before going after his teammate. Whatever was after them clearly couldn't be taken on alone.

He finally had the gull to peer behind him but saw nothing chasing him now. But as he faced the direction he was running, he hit something that nearly knocked the wind out of him. Coughing, he feared what he would see if he dared to open his eyes until…

"Ow…cha! I think you broke cartilage in my nose, jackass!"

Mazak immediately opened his eyes and saw Zara cracking her nose back into place. "Zara! Thank god you're still alive!"

The dog paused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Where the hell did you go!? Something's trying to kill us now that we've been separated!" The human snarled.

"Oh yeah, about that…I suggest we get out of here quickly," she remarked in a rather stale tone Mazak didn't like.

He frowned, "Wha-what do you…"

A clang on the metal ground shook them as darkness engulfed them. A predatory rumble followed and both Mazak and Zara simultaneously glared up at it before the canine muttered, "I…may have let my instincts take control…and I found what I heard before…and it may have followed me…RUN!"

Zara darted away with the human in tow as the large monster bellowed, slamming into walls as it tried to navigate the pathways in chase. Mazak shouted as he heard the familiar sound of teeth snapping shut repeatedly. He followed the dog through an opening in the side of a building by sliding on his back where as his companion simply converted to quadrupedal mode.

He nearly forced a smile when he saw the outline of the beast's arm attempt to reach them, claws eventually sliding back and leaving marks in frustration. When the hand disappeared, he received an angered wail and heavy treads fading. When Mazak began to give a relieved but fearful laugh, the dog simply rolled her eyes as she leaned against a column in defeat.

"I should've listened to my instincts on the ship. I should have been able to sense it as a living creature but it didn't have that aroma. It was just there…I…"

Mazak froze, "It wasn't living?"

Zara huffed and rubbed her wrists, "It didn't have a scent that most creatures have when they're alive. It probably is but I don't know what the hell it is or what it's comprised of! That damn thing blended with the building like it had natural camouflage. Three of them, in fact!"

"There's three!?"

"Or more. Those motherfu….they just stood there, tall and proud and covered but as soon as they saw me, I swear they just bolted off the structures like agitated spiders, man! It's like they were waiting on us, on me!"

As Mazak brought himself to sit up, a deep saddened expression dominated his facial features. "Zara, I don't think we're getting out of this alive."

AN: Guess where they are. What happened, you ask? Oh, I won't say.