In so many science fiction novels, the characters seemed to have a desire to find the sun, and now he thought he knew why. Here he was, practically all alone on a world unimaginably distant from his own. He hoped they would bring him back . . . but he was completely at their mercy. He couldn’t even delude himself into believing that anyone would ever come to rescue him—barring some scientific miracle, there was no way humanity could reach him even if they tried, and that was assuming that they knew where to look. He suddenly felt very small and alone.