The Birds of Lorrane

In the parched wastelands of planet Lorrane, astronaut Ingomar Bjorgson crash-lands seeking intelligent life. What he finds instead are Pisces I and Pisces II: two birds who possess language, reasoning, and secrets. At first glance, they seem like salvation, fellow minds trapped on a dying world. But as Ingomar repairs his ship and prepares for escape, he discovers his saviors have their own agenda, their own hunger for something beyond Lorrane's red horizon. The intelligence he sought may be closer to home than he imagined, and the companionship he craves comes with feathers and ulterior motives. A Cold War-era meditation on what it means to meet another mind, and whether understanding is ever truly possible when survival is at stake.