Trial By Fire

Trial By Fire cover art.

*Trial By Fire* is a military science fiction / dystopian short story set in the Soldiers of Misfortune universe. It was originally printed as part of the *Forerunners Anthology*, but later released as a standalone story with its own cover art.

## Plot Summary

The story begins with Dante Opulen flubbing his lines on a holo-film set. Frustrated, he excuses himself and channels his anger into his vigilante persona "The Faceless Phantom" with a trip to the "Lower Red" district of hive city Vytal.

Dante stalks the district and finds a group of thugs harassing a young woman. He rescues her, but one thug escapes up an elevated ladder that Dante cannot reach. The young woman, Morria, follows Dante to his hover trailer and accepts his help for a new start. He then goes home to his family for some rest.

While asleep, Dante suffers a recurring nightmare. He's back on the battlefield, reliving his days in the Human Liberation Army. The streets of Romagia are pure anarchy, and a gang of hover-bikers raids the area. Not a gifted soldier, Dante is tasked with carrying a tank fuel battery that no one else can manage due to its size. The tank is not operational, and without the support of Dante's squad the tank crew will likely die.

Though the largest and most physically fit of the soldiers, Dante ultimately cannot protect his squad or the stranded tank operators. After a violent battle, Dante is left the only survivor of the conflict. He is awarded a medal of honor for his efforts, but lives with the guilt of his fallen soldiers on his conscience.

Dante's wife, Athene, wakes him from his nightmare. She asks about his long nights lately and suspects he may up to something. Dante assures her nothing is wrong and leaves to visit his private surgeon, Dr. Gideon Amontillado.

Dante asks Gideon to cybernetically enhance his legs to improve his jumping abilities. Gideon reluctantly agrees, but reminds Dante that "No matter how many of the procedures we do, it will never bring them back". Dante goes along with the procedure anyway.

After a brief recovery, Dante sets out to the "Lower Red" once more. He finds the thug from earlier and uses his cybernetically enhanced legs to pursue the man across a series of rooftops, ultimately making an example out of him for the rest of the "Lower Red" denizens to see.

## Characters

Dante Opulen: A human war hero and action holo-film star. One of the richest men in the galaxy, second only to his father. He often gets wrangled into the politics of his father's company, MediSyn, and is forced to deal with some of the dirty work. He does his best to provide a safe and fulfilling life for his family, but craves danger himself. He has numerous genetic and cybernetic enhancements that effectively make him superhuman.

Sergeant Jesper: One of Dante Opulen's superior officers during his time in the Human Liberation Army. His limitless bravado inspires Dante and becomes the persona he takes with others on the battlefield.

Morria: A young orphan from a captured dawn freighter who grew up under the care of Alistair Preest. When given a new lease on life by Dante Opulen, she uses the opportunity to go to school and acquire skills that can help Alistair at his orphanage.

Athene Opulen: Dante Opulen's wife, and the mother of their two boys. She knows about his vigilante habits, but doesn't dig too deep because she knows it would only upset her and possibly put her and their children at risk.

Dr. Gideon Amontillado: A talented surgeon and engineer who works for MediSyn. Accepts money under the table to supply Dante with the enhancements he needs. Romantically involved with Apate Nevermore.

## Production

Like all of the stories in the *Forerunners Anthology*, the purpose of this title was to add depth to the main character (Dante) and explain how he became the character we know in *Parasite Lost*. It was also an opportunity to write in both the military science fiction and dystopian genres. It was the first story written for the anthology.

## Publication

This story was originally published as part of the *Forerunners Anthology* on November 16th, 2014 . On November 24th, 2019 it was republished as a standalone tile to create an "opportunity to run more promotions" in addition to updating the cover art.

## Themes

### Survivor's Guilt

During his nightmare it is revealed that Dante's inability to rescue his fellow soldiers due to physical incompetency gives him a great deal of guilt. This is a common problem amongst soldiers or anyone who is a sole survivor of a traumatic event. As a result, Dante begins using his immense wealth to genetically and cybernetically enhance his physical prowess in an effort to prevent any future loss of life.

### Surgical Addiction

Because of his survivor's guilt, Dante becomes obsessed with genetic and cybernetic enhancement. He even goes so far as to hire a doctor to do the work in private, even though he has access to MediSyn facilities.

### Vigilantism

Dante's enhanced physical prowess, military background, and extensive wealth allow him to engage in vigilante justice in his downtime. Several times throughout the story Dante's apathy toward his privileged lifestyle is made apparent, and he seems to only get satisfaction out of his vigilante work. Even still, he takes it very personally when a criminal escapes him. So much that he engages in further physical enhancement.

## Trivia

* The synthetic materials of the skull on the cover are a reference to Dante Opulen's extensive cybernetic enhancements.
* This title marks the first appearance of the Furiax, a savage bat-like race used as villains in the *Trial By Fire* holo-film.
* Dr. Gideon Amontillado asks Dante to supply tickets to Pacifica for a romantic marriage proposal to his girlfriend. Although she is not mentioned by name, he is referring to Apate Nevermore, a protagonist in *Parasite Lost*.

## External Links

Trial By Fire: Kindle Edition on Amazon

Trial By Fire: Smashwords Edition

1. ↑ https://thekylewinter.com/forerunners-anthology-upgrade/