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That exchange had occurred approximately nine days and a half ago, and considering the planet’s course he would reach it within roughly in two days. During those nine days, James’s had looked up the information on the Wanderer that the research fellow had provided. It wasn’t much. It really wasn’t much.

Apparently, the planet only crossed known space every so often, and as such, the last time it did humans hadn’t yet become an interplanetary species. And at that time, the detection and analysis tools for planets were rudimentary, at best. No lifeform detection, no surface materials detection…from that far, anyway. And sending a probe across that distance was unthinkable.

However, it would seem that humans at that time believed that there were other species inhabiting the “Wanderer”, a mighty and powerful civilization, far more advanced in their technology. That the planet itself could be maneuvered through space at will and that it’s course was not erratic, but controlled by this species. As such, humans feared the planet, even if they also believed that said inhabitants had been extinguished over time due to a great Calamity of some sort. The nature of said disaster is not specified in any known text or document, so it is assumed that humans themselves were unaware of the cause for the fall of this civilization.

To James, this all seemed like some old wives tale. After all, how would they know, being that far away from the planet, and not having contacted with said species? Nonsense and superstition, at best. However, despite James’s relaxed approach towards this story, he couldn’t shake a certain apprehension that creeped up. Still, it was the job he had been hired to do, at great personal reward, and soon the prospect of exploring a new planet replaced those feelings with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

And so, the two remaining days to destination went by like a cloud blowing in the wind, swift and carefree. Landing the ship on the planet’s surface had been a breeze by itself as, contrary to some other planets, the surface wasn’t completely overrun with vegetation. In fact, as James had learned during the time it took to reach the Wanderer, the planet seemed to be devoid of any plant life besides the occasional lichen, that isn’t even a plant. Not that James cares about that, anyway.

As James steps off the ship, with his protective suit and helmet on, he takes a look around, starting to take in his surroundings for the first time, breathing in the environment that encompassed him. It was…cold. Sterile. Now that he was on the surface of the planet, he realized that his feet were not planted on dirt or rock, but what instead seemed to be some kind of flooring. Kneeling down to get a better look, James’s fingers traced the ground tentatively. The dull dark tungsten-coloured surface appeared to be a sort of metal, although James wasn’t entirely certain he had encountered such a material in his travels. Sprinkled across the floor, the occasional lichen could be seen, eerily glowing slightly in a greenish-blue tone.

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The whole planet was cast in an overwhelmingly thick shadow that seemed to have consistency itself, and reminded James of the dark ferrofluid used in his ship. Night was perpetual on the Wanderer, since the planet was currently sailing space, and not revolving around any sun that could warm it’s chilled surface. As such, the only available light sources were the dim glow of the sparce lichen, and James’s own equipment.

Already tired of staring into a whole lot of nothingness, James removed a laser-powered cutting tool from his belt, and started extracting some of the flooring from the ground. As the edges of the cut started to stubbornly appear, James noted that instead of melting off under the heat of the laser, the material seemed to be quickly shifting.

To James perplexion, it almost seemed as if…as if it were regenerating. Ultimately, despite James’s persistence and great desire to retrieve the piece of flooring, the edges closed and the floor was once again whole, without a dent or mark to tell the tale. James cursed his luck, and was now starting to have second thoughts about the profitability of this trip. The darned scientist would have to open his purse more widely, James thought bitterly.

Shaking his head at the occurrence, a deeper interest in the planet started to overtake James, substituting his slight annoyance with unrelenting curiosity. Placing the tool on his belt, he headed once again to the ship, where he asked for it to search the surface of the planet for structures or landmarks of any kind. He had conducted this search previously while orbiting the planet, to no avail. Now, having seen the surface, James was starting to understand how advanced the fabled civilization living on the Wanderer might have been, and it was wholy possible that some kind of interference was at play, as a security measure.

While the ship ran its analysis, James stared through the ship’s portholes into the darkness outside, ruminating in his mission. Soon enough, just as his thoughts were starting to melt away into a puddle of absentmindedness, he heard a loud chirp coming from the ships's console.

James unconsciously smiled brightly at the screen, that displayed what seemed to be a kind of entrance or gate into the underground, not too far away from where the ship has landed. With renewed vigor and excitement, James made his way to the ship’s hangar, determined to explore something more thrilling than metal surfaces. With a grin, he started to pack provisions and heavy duty tools onto his all terrain vehicle, and left the ship with a brazen heart, headed off into the distance.