" Twelve thousand years after walking the plank, Rakesh woke on the floor of his tent. He was lying face-down on a blue and gold sleeping mat; he drew in a deep breath to savour the rich scent of its fibres. This was the tent he’d carried with him on all his travels on Shab-e-Noor, and it remained with him wherever he went. "

― Greg Egan , Incandescence