Planet 5014r3g was now going to be known as the Danger planet from now on, Hyperfall decided. Never before had he encountered so many innocuous things that turned out to be so dangerous. First there were the snares and then there were the plants that spit acid. Some of the animals did as well. While their armor was resistant to it, it did do damage to the paint. Most of the wildlife was moderately sized, but the few larger ones had teeth and claws that they had to avoid if you didn't want new scratches and dents. The animals seemed to be very territorial here as well.
"Feel the burn!" said Sunburn as he swept his superheated blade through the forest creating a path to continue on.
"Isn't that a little cliche?" asked Chaosbreaker as he followed close behind.
"Well, it's part of my name," said Sunburn shrugging. "What else am I supposed to say as a catch phrase? Feel the sun?"
"Not something you'd want to do," said Mercury adding in his opinion. "That catch phrase though actually requires your opponent to think about it. I say stick to the first one."
Suddenly not far in front of them a geyser shot hot liquid into the sky. It wasn't lava, but superheated water and organic sludge.
"There's another one," said Pivot logging it on his map. "This place must be volcanically active."
"Which is fine until we get hit by it," said Hyperfall. "My paint is messed up enough as it is. Can't you predict them?"
"Unfortunately, the hotspots are hidden from the scanners," said Pivot. "Might have something to do with the hot and humid atmosphere that's wrapped around this planet."
"That's not helpful," said Hyperfall. "You doing all right Jolt?"
"Yes, I'm fine," said Jolt struggling to push thick leaves out of his way. "You don't need to worry about me."
"Sorry, but you're the newest addition to our group," said Hyperfall. "It's automatic. Besides, Cascade would have my head if we let something happen to you."
"I don't know what you've heard," said Jolt in exasperation as he glanced over at Pivot. "There was no proposal. She simply said that she thought of me as a friend. She intimated nothing further."
"Really?" chorused several excited voices.
Jolt raised an eye ridge.
"He won't get it unless you explain," said Chaosbreaker.
"Well, we might as well stop here for a moment," said Sunburn. "We've got brambles and it will take awhile to get past them."
"I could use my explosives," Mercury offered.
"Better not, you'd risk setting off more geysers," said Pivot.
"And I don't need to be covered in organic soup," added Chaosbreaker.
"I guess to understand Cascade you'd have to go back to the simulations," said Hyperfall. "She was." He paused in thought.
"A legend," interrupted Pivot. "For one so young she was known by almost all. She was as talented a solo fighter as she was in a group. Of course, the group fights occurred later."
"She was a loner," said Hyperfall taking the conversation back. "The group fights were the only time she fought and travelled with others. You can ask the flyers, but she picked them out specifically for the challenge. It wasn't like she knew them well."
"It was different for our group," said Chaosbreaker. "We were always together even from the beginning."
"Sunburn, what about your group?" asked Mercury curiously.
"Teaming up with Switch was only for the group fights," said Sunburn. "Otherwise I was off with others. I didn't hang around with most of what became Switch's core team. To be honest, I think the majority just followed Switch for that particular set of fights."
"The point is that Cascade always kept to herself," said Hyperfall. "She only formed alliances when it was necessary. I'm proud of her that she decided to make a friend."
"But aren't you all her friends?" asked Jolt.
"We are the defense forces," said Hyperfall proudly. "She is programmed to repair us so in a way we are tied together without choice. Of course, most of us like her personality enough to like her as more than just our reliable medic, but she has to maintain that slight distance with us because we are comrades in a war. She could lose us at any time and cannot be weighed down with personal feelings. I'm sure engaging her medical and battle computers only adds to her emotional suppression."
"Wouldn't that make me the same then?" asked Jolt in confusion. "We work together so we have developed a comradery as colleagues in the med bay. Not to mention that she's saved me before as well so I definitely fall under her patient category."
"Yet she made the distinction by calling you a friend," said Pivot. "You must have done something that pulled you from simple coworker like Ratchet for example and made her think of you differently. Did you solely interact with her while working?"
"I suppose not," said Jolt ducking his head shyly. "I did give her company when she was stuck in the med bay while I was off shift."
"Did you discuss topics that didn't relate to work?" asked Pivot. Jolt nodded. "Then apparently you are her friend for taking an interest in her that had more to do with her mental health rather than her physical."
"Were you ordered to keep her company?" asked Hyperfall curiously.
"No," admitted Jolt. "I went there on my own."
"Which means that you care about her at least as a friend," said Hyperfall. "I wonder," he began.
"I'm through," interrupted Sunburn suddenly. "Let's go!"