He'd been through hell.
First trip out, and this was his luck, of course. He was no intrepid explorer; he was an opportunist, and vaguely recalled being someone… More than someone, as if what he was had been deleted; lost to the void and forsaken. What was formerly his own consciousness now spread about the cosmos with seemingly little care.
That much he knew; as even now he sensed those other perceptions. They were flaws in dimension, he thought, as if he'd lost one and gained another. That didn't matter right now, though. He was lost; his ship in questionable condition. If he'd experienced such a feat of universal bifurcation, he knew his drive system had, as well.
As he set off into the unknown, which wasn't his preference, he wondered if his new form was in good health, and then he remembered something… A strange array of medical supplies he'd been given with no explanation. Upon inspection, he found no instruction, either; no indication of how or when they were to be used, and in the bottom a syringe, with only one label: Emergency use only.
A shudder from the drive system and a warning light… He accidentally activated the syringe as it startled him, causing him to curse violently. Perhaps it was very important, and he'd just lost quite a bit, or so he thought. Upon further inspection, however, it was still filled…
“Interesting”, he thought.
It's possible whatever affected him affected the unknown fluid, as well. He wondered just how far he'd been spread, and if, over time, enough of his lost perception was so equipped. If that was the case, hypothetically the syringe could indeed be drained, depending on whether or not those feelings of incompleteness in his stomach indicated replication.
He wasn't a stupid man, and such a hypothesis was worrisome. It would border on theory if he waited too long. Was that genuinely medicine, or after this experience is it more likely to be an experiment. He no longer trusted his perception. This could be a fevered, drug-riddled dream. For all he knew, he was in a lab, with white coats waiting anxiously to see if he used it.
There wasn't really another option. If it was for a medical emergency, it would be so labeled.
After testing the fluid little by little to ensure it maintained it's volume. He rolled the dice and injected himself. At first, nothing seemed to happen; but slowly, those various hints at perception became more clear; little by little, and while he couldn't pin them down entirely, he became able to understand his position in space, if not time.
An unexpected map of various star systems appeared in his mind; as if he was seeing through thousands of eyes at once. It was unnerving, but somehow, he was entirely convinced this map was accurate, and he set his course for the nearest example. It didn't matter where, or so he thought. That drive needed repair, and soon.
They hadn't told him exactly how it worked. He didn't know how quickly he could get from one point to another, and it did indeed take some time, but he'd spent most of it so enthralled in his attempts to analyze the scenario he didn't keep track of the time. He'd have to check the logs when he arrived, if there was a place to land at all; which he seemed to, for some reason, believe existed.
And so it was upon that arrival, an orbital subatomic projection revealed a planet; with a roughly breathable atmosphere. He'd be able to survive for about an hour, he thought; which was long enough to check the drive system over for any overly obvious problems. Odd, that nobody mentioned sensors that detect such small, fast particles, but he knew what it was doing. How many of those were actually being reflected back? The scan only took about an hour. Surprising technology.
And so it was that he found the planet; fourth from the unknown and he expected unnamed star; terrestrial, as he expected, with an atmosphere that wouldn't melt his face off, at least. The reentry autopilot screamed in his ears. He hadn't known it was an automatic system upon orbital approach. Whatever was on that rock… He'd be seeing it soon, as long as his ship survived.