The Little Pets of Arkkhan

After a crash on a desolate asteroid, a crew encounters small furry beings whose soothing touch relieves physical pain by invading human minds, progressively eroding will and identity. Kent Knight experiences alternating relief and agony as the creatures probe and seize control, and he fights to preserve his sense of self by choosing pain over the creatures' pacifying influence. As more survivors fall under mental domination, the group searches for a countermeasure, discovering that intense negative emotion can block the invaders. The tale centers on mind control, the temptation of painless surrender, and the struggle to retain autonomy.