History Literature / ThebeAndTheAngryRedEye

* WomenAreWiser: One reason Thomas loves Katie is because she's so sensible, including with money.

''Thebe and the Angry Red Eye'' is an acclaimed {{Novella}} by David Hopkins, the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom writer and artist best known for creating ''Webcomic/{{Jack|David Hopkins}}''. It was first published in chapters on Hopkins' page at Fur Affinity in 2014; in 2015, a complete version appeared in ''The Furry Future'', a compilation of ScienceFiction stories featuring anthro animals compiled by the late Fred Patten.

* HeroicBsoD: Thomas' reaction when he goes looking for his shipmates after the crash I tried to move him, band starts finding them... dead.
-->'''Thomas:''' Hydroponics was shattered, and pieces of it hung like ghosts in the air. I found frozen Carl almost immediately. I tried to move him, but at some point

* LongLastingLastWords: During her time on Hildebrand One, Tout corresponded with 58 school kids. During her FinalSpeech, she insists on saying individual goodbyes to each one of them.

* NoAntagonist: The only "villains" here are the {{Death World}}s of outer space and distant, lifeless planets like Jupiter and Thebe. [[spoiler:Even the alien who started the whole mess was just trying to say "hello".]]

** Thanks to a [[HomemadeInventions homemade radio]] assembled by Carl the engineer and some HollywoodScience, Thomas can indulge in a hobby he calls "Shortwave Archaeology", listening to old shows like ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'' and ''Radio/TheShadow''.

* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: The story's characters are all furries, but very little is made of it. Thomas is shown to be a {{cat|folk}} in the artwork, and he mentions his whiskers, claws and tail a few times, but that's it. We never even learn the species of his crewmates.

* HappilyMarried: Thomas and Katie have a great relationship, which they maintain even while she's on Earth and he's in space. [[spoiler:Seeing one last glimpse of her and getting to say goodbye help allow Thomas to be at peace with his impending demise.]]

* GroinAttack: A variation. Every astronaut on the Hildebrand One is obligated to have a sterilization device implanted to prevent any babies being born on the ship. When Thomas is injured during the crash landing, his penile catheter is shattered, which makes urination intensely painful.

* LivingIsMoreThanSurviving: The story's [[AnAesop Aesop]].

* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies: It starts with DwindlingParty as Captain Hawthorne dies, followed quickly by Mallory. Then Carl, Jenare, Slawvitz and Tout are all killed when the ship crashes. [[spoiler:And Thomas finally joins them at the end.]]

* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: The story's characters are all furries, but very little is made of it. Thomas is shown to be a {{cat|folk}} in the artwork, and he mentions his whiskers, claws and tail a few times, but that's it. We never even learn the species of his teammates.

* ShinyLookingSpaceship: After the crash, Thomas remembers when the Hildebrand One was actually beautiful.

* SciFiHorror: CharactersDroppingLikeFlies (and often leaving [[{{Gorn}} mangled corpses]] behind), a wrecked spaceship full of tragic memories for the hero, a dark and brooding atmosphere... yes, this story qualifies.

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:Thomas doesn't blame the alien for the

* GoMadFromTheIsolation: {{Defied|Trope}}. After the shipwreck, Thomas has no one to talk to except Oscar. But when Oscar seems to answer back, Thomas realizes that he's in danger of this trope and has to improve his situation as best he can.

* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies: It starts with DwindlingParty, as Hawthorne and then Mallory die. Then Carl, Jenare, Slawvitz and Tout are all killed when the ship crashes. [[spoiler:And Thomas finally joins them at the end.]]

* DyingDream: A variation. Near the end of the story, Thomas has a vivid dream about how the astronauts' journey ''should'' have ended, with the entire team returning to Earth safely and receiving a [[CelebratingTheHeroes heroes' welcome]]. And then, just as Thomas is about to embrace Katie, he wakes up...
* EasilyForgiven:
* EverybodyDiesEnding: The story begins with everyone except Thomas dead, and he realizes his own chances of survival are very slim. [[spoiler:He's right.]]

* HappilyMarried: Thomas and his beloved wife Katie have a great relationship, even while she's on Earth and he's in space. [[spoiler:Seeing one last glimpse of her and getting to say goodbye helps allow Thomas to accept his death calmly.]]
* IntrepidReporter: Tout, who has already worked in space several times and wins a lottery to participate in this voyage.

-->'''Thomas:''' No one our crew called it "Hildebrand One''. We all knew her as "The Ship".
* PunnyName: Possibly unintentional, butThomas is a literal "tom cat".

** EyeScream: While Mallory is repairing a hull breach, one of the stones from the rings of Jupiter smashes into the ship, enters her body through her right eye socket, and lands inside her brain, bouncing around like a deadly pinball and killing her instantly. When he and his shipmates prepare Mallory for burial, Thomas claims that "I was almost sure I could hear the stone rattle around inside her skull."

* GenderEqualEnsemble: The crew of Hildebrand One comes close,being comprised of four males (Captain Hawthorne, Thomas, Carl, Jenare) and four females (Mallory, Dr. Slawvitz, Tout).

* CompanionCube: Like Wilson in ''Film/CastAway'', Oscar becomes a stranded hero's only company.

* SciFiHorror: CharactersDroppingLikeFlies (and often leaving [[{{Gorn}} mangled corpses]] behind), a dark and wrecked spaceship full of tragic memories for the hero, a dark and brooding atmosphere... yes, this story qualifies.

* SciFiHorror: CharactersDroppingLikeFlies,

* TrueCompanions: The crew of the Hildebrand One overcome their minor differences to bond together as friends -- which makes their fates all the more heartbreaking.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:On the one hand, all the astronauts are killed. On the other hand, Thomas gets to make FirstContact with a friendly alien (even though no one on Earth will ever know), realize that the sacrifices he and his friends made were not in vain, and say goodbye to his beloved wife just before he dies. All this prevents the story from having a full DownerEnding, although it comes ''very'' close.]]

* CharactersDroppingLikeFlies: It starts with DwindlingParty, as Hawthorne and then Mallory are destroyed. Then Carl, Jenare, Slawvitz and Tout all die when the ship crashes. [[spoiler:And Thomas finally joins them at the end.]]

* IntrepidReporter: Tout, who has already reported from space several times and wins a lottery to participate in this voyage.

* ForegoneConclusion: From the beginning, it's clear that terrible things have already happened to the shipmates and are going to keep happening.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:On the one hand, all the astronauts are killed. On the other hand, Thomas gets to make FirstContact with a friendly alien (even though no one on Earth will ever know) and say goodbye to his beloved wife just before he dies.This prevents the story from having a full DownerEnding, although it comes ''very'' close.]]

''Thebe and the Angry Red Eye'' is an acclaimed {{Novella}} by David Hopkins, the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom writer and artist best known for creating ''Webcomic/{{Jack|David Hopkins}}''. It was first published in chapters on Hopkins' page at Fur Affinity in 2014; in 2015, a complete, proofread version appeared in ''The Furry Future'', a compilation of ScienceFiction stories featuring anthro animals compiled by the late Fred Patten.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:On the one hand, all the astronauts are killed. On the other hand, Thomas gets to make FirstContact with a friendly alien (even though no one on Earth will ever know) and say goodbye to his beloved wife just before he dies, which prevents the story from having a full DownerEnding, although it comes ''very'' close.]]

** EyeScream: While Mallory is repairing a hull breach, one of the stones from the rings of Jupiter smashes into her body through her right eye socket and lands in her brain, bouncing around like a deadly pinball and killing her instantly. When he and his shipmates prepare Mallory for burial, Thomas claims that "I was almost sure I could hear the stone rattle around inside her skull."

* FaceDeathWithDignity: All the astronauts get to do this except Mallory, who is killed too quickly to [[NeverGotToSayGoodbye say goodbye to anyone]]. However, while Jenare just barely keeps it together during his farewell message, Thomas sees him crying afterwards.

* ForegoneConclusion: From the beginning, it's clear that terrible things have already happened and are going to keep happening.
* GroinAttack: A variation. Every astronaut on the Hildebrand One is obligated to have a sterilization device implanted to prevent any babies being born on the ship. When Thomas is injured during the crash landing, he receives an injury that smashes his penile catheter into little pieces, which makes urination intensely painful.
* HappilyMarried: Thomas and his beloved wife Katie have a great relationship, even while she's on Earth and he's in space. [[spoiler:Seeing one last glimpse of her and getting to say goodbye allows Thomas to accept his death calmly.]]

* NoFullNameGiven: Nobody in this story gets a full name. Captain Hawthorne and Doctor Slawvitz are referred to by their ranks and surnames. Thomas, Mallory, Carl and Katie get only first names. As for Jenare and Tout, their names are so [[AerithAndBob unusual]] that it's hard to tell whenter they're first names or last.

* TrueCompanions: The crew of the Hildebrand One overcome their minor differences to bond together as friends -- which makes their fates all the more tragic.
* WorldOfFunnyAnimals: The story's setting, but very little is made of it. Thomas is shown to be a {{cat|folk}} in the artwork, and he mentions his whiskers, claws and tail a few times, but that's it. We never even learn the species of his teammates.

[[caption-width-right:350:Hopkins' illustration of Thomas smiling at Oscar -- a very rare sight, since most of the events of this story don't give him much to smile about.]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:On the one hand, all the astronauts are killed. On the other hand, Thomas gets to make FirstContact with a friendly alien (even though no one on Earth will ever know) and say goodbye to his beloved wife just before he dies, which prevents the story from having a full DownerEnding.]]

** AnArmAndALeg: Carl's leg is torn off when the ship crashes, although Thomas notes that exposure to vaccum would have killed him anyway.
** EyeScream: While Mallory is repairing a hull breach, one of the stones from the rings of Jupiter enters her body through her right eye socket and lands in her brain, killing her instantly.
** Eye

''Thebe and the Angry Red Eye'' is an acclaimed {{Novella}} by David Hopkins, the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom writer and artist best-known for creating ''Webcomic/{{Jack|David Hopkins}}''. It was first published

The Hildebrand Corporation initiates an ambitious plan to send a ship called the Hildebrand One on a ten-year expedition to Europa, one of UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}}'s [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter moons]], in search of extraterrestrial life. A crew of seven is chosen, and their voyage goes well until the ship actually reaches the Gas Giant, where it is brought down by an unpredictable radiation surge. This causes a series of disasters that culminates with the ship crashing on another Jovian moon, Thebe. By the time it's all over, most of the characters are dead; the only survivors are a feline crew member named Thomas and a tomato plant called Oscar. Most of the story is about Thomas coping with his terrible loneliness and learning that LivingIsMoreThanSurviving, which leads him to a decision that results in one final moment of discovery, transcendence and healing.

* NoAntagonist: The only "villains" here are the {{Death World}}s of outer space and distant, lifeless planets like Jupiter and Thebe.

''Thebe and the Angry Red Eye'' is an acclaimed {{Novella}} by David Hopkins, the UsefulNotes/FurryFandom writer and artist best-known for creating ''Webcomic/{{Jack|David Hopkins}}''.

The Hildebrand Corporation initiates an ambitious plan to send a ship called the Hildebrand One on a ten-year expedition to Europa, one of UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}}'s [[UsefulNotes/TheMoonsOfJupiter moons]], in search of extraterrestrial life. A crew of seven is chosen, and their voyage goes well until the ship actually reaches