Once everyone had returned to the space station, they talked about what they had seen and what kind of terrains they encountered on the planets they examined. Sandbar quickly logged everything in a holographic map that showed the portion of the universe around Equus. After undocking from the station and leaving Sector 3, they flew on the Harmony to the space station in Sector 4. The scanners indicated that this sector was larger than Sector 3, so it possibly would take longer to map out. Nevertheless, they docked on the space station and talked to the Commander, which was Spike. He had some shocking news for them.
“This sector may look large on the scanners, but there aren’t as many planets as there were when the campaign was first started. Massive solar flares in almost all of the systems have completely obliterated the planets. All of the remaining planets are in a single solar system. You can still chart the locations of all of the stars, but you will have very little to record for planetary life. Sandbar, I suggest you take part in the mapping for this sector as well.”, explained Spike.
Sandbar accepted what Spike had said and they set off.
In this sector, Gallus would be mapping the grass planet “Floria” and the water planet “Aquarius”. Arriving on Floria, Gallus was met by incredible breathtaking sights. The planet was split into four quadrants, each of which was always a single season that would never change.
There was only plant life on Floria, so Gallus only had to use his camera and take pictures. The mere fact that all four seasons were present at the same time in different areas was something he never expected. He knew that Flurry Heart would be impressed to hear about that.
When he both landed on the planet and left the planet, he did not fire his main engines when he was close to the ground. This was because he did not want to disturb the plant life. Instead, he used an energy coil on his ship that allowed it to float as if it was weightless. He had a great time mapping out Floria, and everything was peaceful during the time he took.
Aquarius on the other hand was filled with hundreds of different forms of marine life. He used his scuba gear for 80% of the exploration. Sometimes, he would be in pitch black and need to use his flashlight, but that was no big deal. He took pictures of many of the marine creatures, some of which were similar to those on Equus. There were also many places that were home to land creatures typically found in swamps and rivers. Once he had successfully mapped out both Floria and Aquarius, he returned to the space station.
**
Ocellus’ assignment was to map a cavernous planet called “Cavius”. Prior to beginning this area, she had been warned that Cavius would be almost pitch-black in the caves. She would need a headlamp. Landing on the planet, she spread her wings and descended into the dark caves. Spike had also warned her that seismic activity was common, so he advised her to bring explosives if she ever got trapped. She eventually figured out that all of the caves were one massive network with different entrances and exits.
Some parts of the caves were filled with water, but it was nothing she had to worry about. In other areas of the caves, she found giant crystal formations. Knowing this was an exciting find, she took pictures and even chiseled off pieces from the crystals to bring home for research. The patterns she saw in the rock formations were unlike anything she had ever seen. She also took pictures of these patterns in the rock. There were two earthquakes that trapped her, but she was able to blast herself out.
Even though she had found the crystals and the interesting patterns in the rock, she found no life on Cavius. Once she was certain that she had not missed any places, she left the caves, boarded her ship, and returned to the space station.
**
Sandbar was assigned to map a mechanical world called “Mekkai”. As he entered the atmosphere, he saw lights everywhere. The only inhabitants on Mekkai were robotic and they welcomed him after showing him a place to land. He was advised not to take his helmet off because there were heavy amounts of radiation from the power plants. Sandbar did not need to modify his suit, since it was lead-lined to protect him.
The power plants were all consolidated in one area, but Sandbar was unable to get a close-up view. This was due to the fact that the radiation was much stronger. So much so that his suit would not be able to shield him. To improvise, he raised the shields on his ship and flew over the power plants to get an aerial view. As a gift from the inhabitants, he was supplied with blueprints for ways he could upgrade his ship and any other ships that were with him. He was also given the specifications for how to build new weapons for war. He accepted everything he was given and left once he was finished mapping out all of the areas. After he had closed the shields, he decontaminated his ship and returned to the space station.
**
Silverstream was tasked with mapping out a star-shaped planet called Popstar. Aside from its shape, Popstar was practically identical to Equus. Silverstream took many pictures and even met some of the inhabitants, one of which was a pink ball named Kirby. He did not speak English, but there were other inhabitants who explained an interesting ability he had. If Kirby were to swallow something with a special purpose, he would gain an ability that was related somehow. For instance, if he swallowed a torch, he would be able to breathe fire. One of the other inhabitants was a masked swordsman named Meta Knight. He said that his past was a secret, so Silverstream chose not to ask him.
Silverstream came across a castle at one point, and met the king who lived there. His name was King Dedede, and he was a greedy king. Since Silverstream was only mapping and exploring the area, Dedede made an exception and she told him where she came from and what her mission was. Dedede was impressed by her description of how she and her friends had been tasked with mapping out parts of space.
One particular forest was home to a talking apple tree named Whispy Woods. Prior to going into the forest, Meta Knight warned her that all of the trees were identical, thus making it difficult to navigate. So she tied a long length of rope to her space suit before going into the woods. Reaching the center, she met Whispy and explained her mission. Whispy was blown away by her description and he wished her luck after giving her some of his apples.
There was also a tall mountain with a cave, but Silverstream was cautioned by Meta Knight to not get too close. A huge and very aggressive bird named Dyna Blade lived in the cave and she would stop at nothing to protect her chicks. At one point while Silverstream was looking out over the land, Dyna Blade flew out of her cave and almost sent Silverstream falling to the ground. Luckily, Silverstream knew how to fly and she avoided hitting the ground after taking a few rushed snapshots of Dyna Blade.
Once she was certain that there were no areas left uncharted, Silverstream left Popstar and flew back to the space station.
**
Smolder was assigned to map out a fiery planet called “Hotbeat”. Even though she was used to extremely high temperatures, this was something else. Spike said she would need to wear a heat-resistant suit and raise her ship’s heat shields to avoid burning up. When she entered the atmosphere, her external thermometers registered temperatures in the thousands. She knew that heat like this would cook her alive, so she did not hesitate to keep her heat shield up. After finding a safe place to land, she put on the helmet to complete her heat suit, and she began to chart the planet. Everywhere she looked, she saw rivers and lakes of lava. Since the temperatures were so high, Smolder suspected that nothing could possibly live safely on Hotbeat.
Even with her heat suit on, Smolder still broke out in sweat from how hot the planet was. Luckily, she knew to swap out the coolant for her suit with liquid nitrogen. This prevented the suit from melting or getting burned. She had to escape from three volcanic eruptions while she was mapping, but she was fast and managed to get away.
**
Yona would be mapping a cloud planet called “Skyhigh”. She was told in advance that the planet would be very windy, so she made sure to set her engines to a high level of power in order to fly against the strong gusts. There was no place to land on the planet, so she carried out the mapping while flying her ship. Upon entering the atmosphere, her ship’s humidity gauge registered a very high reading. This meant there was a lot of moisture on Skyhigh.
The planet was uninhabited, but Yona documented that the possibility existed to construct research bases. This would allow for the study of weather patterns since there were always clouds. She had to deal with wind at least 4 times, but she accelerated greatly to resist the strong gusts. Once she was certain that she had not missed any part of the planet, she headed back to the space station.