A Spacelander's Fare

The Lower Tiers

"What? Wait. What? How..." he said to himself in utter disbelief as he lifted himself up. "I... I don't believe it." He noted in complete perplexity. There was no sign of damage on the ship, a complete lack of incorrect use. It looked as good, or even better than it looked upon departure. Herbert sprinted around above to where Matthew was lying, shook his shoulders vigorously until he awoke.

"Matthew! Matthew!" he shouted in excitement and bewilderment.

"What? What? What—" His eyes bulged out of his skull as he gawked at the pristine and clean deck. In complete confusion, he gazed upon Herbert blazed in a panic.

"Herbert..." he said genuinely worryingly, "How is this possible? Are we dead?"

"I have no clue," Herbert responded sadly.

"Well, we still have power, and the centrifuge is spinning," Matthew explained.

"I know," retorted Herbert.

They stood and journeyed around the cabin in a gaze. Suddenly, Herbert heard a faint whistle that he knew very well when he had first familiarized himself with the ship. It was the sound which automatically appeared once the landing gear was deployed.

"Matthew!" Herbert called.

"What is it?" Matthew responded as HErbert was peering at the screen in a daze.

"The landing gear is deployed," Herbert elaborate.

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know, but however we got here, or whoever repaired this ship. In any circumstance, we must be landed."

"Check the measurements," Matthew recommended, pointing to CCU-2-F. When they sprinted over the screen, read the measurements.

L: UNKNOWN (Location depending on stars, can measure nearby star systems)

RS: NONE (Recognized Signals)

G: 10.2 (Acceleration of Gravity m/s)

LMD:UNKNOWN SOLID (Landing Material Description)

ED: UKNOWN (Exterior Description)

"How?" exclaimed Herbert.

"Exactly, how is the exterior unknown? It doesn't even say anything about the atmosphere? If there even is one."

"It's like we landed nowhere, not just in the interstellar medium, but in somewhere without anything whatsoever.

"But there's gravity and solid material that we landed on," explained Matthew.
"Looks like we'll just have to explore this strange place," responded Herbert, frightened much at the impossibility of the situation.

"You know protocol," Matthew reminded Herbert, "I stay and watch the ship, and you go and explore."

Herbert passed through the center hallway to the second axis in-between centrifuges, and Matthew stayed on Deck 1, awaiting further instructions. Herbert adorned his European Union space suit, fitted with the yellow stars and blue background. Doing the safety checks, first his pressure gauge, then air gauge, then temperature gauge.

"Ready yet, Bert?" asked Matthew through the intercom.

He picked the intercom device from the sliding socket that it hung from, "Yeah, almost ready. I'll tell you when I'm ready, so shut up until then."

"Mean," Matthew commented.

Herbert grabbed the exploration bag and then rode the small lift into the airlock, where they would be the first 21st century humans to ever reach this cosmic place. E-29.