Star of Panadur

Two marooned spacemen on a frozen Jovian satellite discover a small, bipedal, furred creature whose luminous eyes suggest an unusual intelligence. They clash over whether to kill it for food or spare it as evidence of alien life, while a damaged ship and a scarce oxide needed for repairs raise the stakes. One man frees the creature, provoking a violent confrontation that exposes hunger-driven cruelty and moral restraint. The story examines survival, the corrosive effects of isolation and desperation, and the unsettling possibility of intentional understanding between human and alien.