As a history scholar and courier for the secretive Circle of Thales, Rene Laurent is a man of many talents – none of them lending themselves much to a life of adventure.
But when a chance meeting with a young, idealistic Belligra priest drags him into a wild quest to keep a dangerous mutagen off the streets of Floor, his curiosity gets the better of him. Between monsters both human and man-made, he realises that maybe fieldwork is more of his game than he had ever thought possible…
Written by Rainbow-Award-winning authors Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus, ‘The PV-3 Mutagen’ is a colourful non-romance sci-fi adventure set in the wildly diverse ‘Virasana Empire’, and the first novel of the ‘Doctor Laurent’ series.
Warnings: Not a romance. Harsh setting, but hopeful.
Unique Character Interview – Riccardo
Interviewer: Dear listeners at home, today we have a very special guest on the show. As you all know it is a rare occurrence for a priest of Temple Belligra to visit Floor so we thought we would use this chance to have a genuine Brother of the Temple here to answer some questions for you. Good Morning, Brother Riccardo. Thank you for joining us for this interview on such short notice.
Brother Riccardo: No problem, Ma’am.
I: So, how do you like Floor so far?
BR: Honestly? I think it’s terrible. So many people living under horrible conditions. I can’t believe you have to pay for clean air and water! And the way you treat God’s creations as if they are here for your convenience only. There isn’t much to like on the Floor.
I: I see. Well, Floorians don’t like your Temple Belligra much either. While the Jansahar seem to be mostly harmless, you and the Verata are seen as meddling fanatics. What do you say to that?
BR: The way I see it, Floor could do with a lot more meddling fanatics. Frankly, if it was up to me I would recommend every quadrant get a whole monastery of Belligra to patrol the streets and bring some decency back to this planet.
I: *nervous laugh* Luckily, this is not up to you. Why don’t you tell us a little about Temple Belligra?
BR: The Belligra are the strong fist of the Church, while the Verata are our brain and the Jansahar our heart. We are tasked with protecting the faithful and destroying evil wherever we find it.
I: Like, demons, seriously?
BR: Yes, demons, and monsters, but also evil people. Most evil in the Empire is caused by evil people, not demons, actually.
I: I see.
BR: I am currently on my first tour of duty as a travelling monk. We travel all over the Empire to help where help is needed and no one else is present to give it. Every priest of Temple Belligra has to do at least one such tour. Some continue doing this all their life, while other settle down as priests with their own parish, become confessors to the household of a noble or move to a monastery to become instructors for new recruits and work in squads to battle greater foes.
I: I have heard that there are different branches of Temple Belligra, is that right?
BR: That’s right. I am a Shield, my job is to protect the innocent. Then there are Swords, who are tasked with destroying evil. The third branch are the Patches. They make sure the rest of us have working equipment, and in the field they also work as scouts and provide transportation.
I: Do you like being a Shield?
BR: Oh yes. One of my teachers thought I would make a better Sword, but I sometimes have issues with my temper, so I think being a Shield helps me keep it reigned in.
I: What places have you visited already?
BR: Floor is the first stop I am visiting on my own. But I have been stationed at the Saint Cornelius Monastery on Malicorn before. And at my home monastery on Isfahan, of course.
I: Day-to-day life of a Belligra, what that’s like?
BR: We get up early for first prayer. Breakfast, then we train to keep our combat abilities honed. Then we have lunch and either train again or head out for community duties. Unless we are on a mission. If we are on a mission, that takes precedence over everything else and we will finish it, no matter the cost.
I: That sounds a little dull.
BR: We do have a day off every two weeks and it is mandatory for Belligra to do fun things, too. And we are encouraged to spend time with laypeople so we don’t lose sight of what it is we are fighting for.
I: So why did you decide to become a priest?
BR: That is a very personal question and – frankly – none of your business.
I: Oh, I didn’t mean to offend. It’s just that we hear a lot about parents selling their children to the Temples or young men and women being brainwashed into becoming religious zealots. I was hoping you might set the record straight on that.
BR: That’s complete bullshit. Temple Belligra gave me shelter and took me in when no one else would have. They have helped me find my place in life and turned me from a useless wreck into a person who can make the Empire a better place. I will not have you slandering them!
I: Okay, okay… I guess that answers that question. You will be leaving soon, I guess? Where do you plan to go?
BR: I hope to find passage towards Swansgard. Visiting the Saint Ulrich Shrine is a pilgrimage every Belligra hopes to make once in his life.
I: Saint Ulrich…?
BR: The first Belligra. He defended a group of refugees from the giant beasts of Swansgard all on his own until they reached safety. God kept him alive and gave him enough strength to accomplish this miraculous feat and we all strive to live up to his example.
I: So dying in battle is what you all aspire to?
BR: No? Why would we do that? It’s much nicer to settle down in some quaint little village as a parish priest to enjoy your retirement.
I: Right. I see there are a lot of misconceptions about your Temple. Why do you think that is?
BR: I guess because our portrait in popular culture like movies and comic books is bit skewed. But Saint Cornelius is doing a great job in setting the record straight in that regard.
I: True. I doubt you would find many a Floorian who isn’t a fan of the Living Saint. And that brings our interview to a close. Anything else you want to tell our listeners?
BR: May God bless you and help you find your way off this terrible planet.
I: Erh… Thank you.
Chapter 1 – Info Brokers
There were five of them. At least, five that Rene was aware of.
He had spotted the three following him when he took the escalator to the bottom floor of the mall. He had originally planned to take the tube train to Cherry Hills, but instead he turned into the access tunnel that led up to the street, trying to shake them off. Judging by the two who were now cutting him off just ahead, that had been a bad idea. The tunnel they were in was sufficiently removed from the cheap glitz of the mall to be only dimly lit, and the only other person here was a woman pushing a shopping cart, purposefully hurrying away from the developing confrontation.
A quick look around showed Rene there weren’t any convenient emergency doors he could slip through, either. He was in trouble.
At least, they didn’t seem to be professional mercenaries, just some gangers, though they moved with too much purpose to be out simply to mug him. And no ganger deserving of their colours would mug a scruffy street rat like him, anyway. To them, he had to look like he didn’t have anything worth the trouble, as much a carefully crafted facade as laziness – he liked his comfortable rags a lot, thank you very much. So what did these particular thugs want from him?
And more importantly, how to get rid of them?
He was well aware that he didn’t stand a chance against them in a fight. Combat skills were at the bottom of the list of things he was interested in. Also, the mall was too cheap to have any sort of camera surveillance. It didn’t even have security guards though Rene doubted any would have come running if they had existed. He wasn’t a valued customer, and as long as the gangers didn’t make too much of a mess, no one would care.
The best course of action seemed to be to play the helpless victim and let them rough him up a little. It wasn’t like they would manage to inflict any lasting damage, anyway.
He had come to that conclusion when one of the thugs, whom Rene mentally labelled their ‘leader’, shoved him against the wall.
Rene turned to face them, clutching the stack of folders he was carrying to his chest protectively, trying to present a credible picture of being scared. The other thugs had formed a semicircle around him and their boss. Judging by the nasty grins of his ambushers, it wasn’t very hard to fool them.
“Gimme that,” the leader snarled and grabbed the folders.
They held the weekly update on the topside situation in this sector of Floor. Nothing too important, and certainly not irreplaceable. Rene had picked them up a few minutes ago at the office of the info broker the Circle of Thales was currently employing. He congratulated himself on not yet having picked up the datacrystal with the off-planet reports from the Beetle Shack under Cherry Hills. He had planned to do that on the way back down before having a lunch of lava beetle while he was there.
He let go of the folders with a strangled whine and cowered.
“Hank’s Beehive is off-limits,” the leader sneered, “didn’t you get the memo? He is about to shut down.”
So that was what this was all about. The info broker Rene had just visited had been in a turf war with another info broker two malls down the street for a while, but apparently, things were heating up. Not something he cared to get involved in even though Hank was a decent guy. Well, make that a decent guy for Floor.
“Can’t have that idiot handing out charity, can we? Not the Floorian thing to do, eh?” The leader clearly wasn’t expecting an answer as he rammed his fist into Rene’s stomach.
The punch drove the air out of his lungs and hurt like a bitch. Or rather, it hurt for the few seconds it took his body to repair the damage. Rene crumpled to the ground in a heap. If he looked sufficiently hurt, they would hopefully leave him alone quickly. And not search him. If they tried to take his phone, he would have to do something, though he admittedly had no idea what.
“You understand me, little shit? You stay away from now on!”
“Hey! Stop that!”
A voice ringing out loud and clear in the narrow tunnel rudely interrupted the leader’s little speech.
Rene glanced up through his long hair hanging in his face and did a double-take. The tunnel leading back towards the mall was almost filled out by a tall figure in heavy, plate armour, wielding both a broadsword and a fucking tower shield so large he could completely hide behind it. The symbol on his surcoat and shield was unmistakable – Temple Belligra, the Fist of the Church. It was about the last faction Rene wanted to have get involved in this minor scuffle.
Priests were infamous for poking their noses where they didn’t belong. Luckily, they were rare on Floor. Yes, they had a few Verata, but they mostly remained inside their Fort Phosphoros Monastery. The occasional Jansahar only paid attention to the local flock who worshipped at the small shrines they kept all over the planet. Both groups were easy enough to evade for someone who didn’t need supernaturally talented people scanning them and finding out they were an unregistered psion.
But seriously, a Belligra? There were no faithful in need of protection here on Floor, mostly because there were no faithful here. Floor prided itself with being the most secular planet of the empire, and it was a reputation hard-won.
But apparently, this particular Belligra was set on rescuing him.
We are Beryll and Osiris Brackhaus, a couple currently living our happily ever after in the very heart of Germany, under the stern but loving surveillance of our cat.
Both of us are voracious but picky readers, we love telling stories and drinking tea, good food and the occasional violent movie. Together, we write novels of adventure and romance, hoping to share a little of our happiness with our readers.
An artist by heart, Beryll was writing stories even before she knew what letters were. As easily inspired as she is frustrated, her own work is never good enough (in her eyes). A perfectionist in the best and worst sense of the word at the same time and the driving creative force of our duo.
An entertainer and craftsman in his approach to writing, Osiris is the down-to-earth, practical part of our duo. Broadly interested in almost every subject and skill, with a sunny mood and caring personality, he strives to bring the human nature into focus of each of his stories.
Author Website: http://www.brackhaus.com/
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