A lost classic of science fiction. Birk Aaland is a political outcast from Earth's tyranny, and has been living for years on a planet inhabited solely by robots, ever since his ship crashed here. Now another ship has crashed, and there is again a single survivor -- a woman who's desperate to warn Earth of an alien invasion. But Birk is perfectly happy with his current exile -- until a twist of fate intervenes, causing each of them to re-evaluate their lives and their total existence. "The story gains an emotionality that justifies calling Goldin an artist, not merely a writer." --Tom Easton, Analog Magazine