Vitalis Omnibus

by Jason Halstead

  “Those three,” she pointed at three rocks, each separated by at least twenty feet along the shore, “are called lurker crabs. Nasty fuckers, they’ll cut your leg off with their claws.”

  Elsa slowed, rethinking her interest in the water. The heat from the sand and the soft breeze that blew off the ocean made her change her mind. “Hurry up, the sand’s hot!”

  Kira waded in, slowing to look around. She pointed out a few more things to avoid, including a fish that looked like a sunken log and a spine covered ball Kira called a Sea Itchen because of the venom in its urchin-like creature’s spines that made a person itch so badly they would cut their flesh open to try and get the itching to stop.

  The water felt warm and wonderful, though it was cooler than the tropical air. Following Kira’s lead Elsa waded deep enough so that she could submerge herself in the water. She broke the surface and felt rejuvenated almost instantly. She yelped, sucking in a mouthful of water when water splashed in her face. Clearing her eyes she saw Kira a few feet away, her hands raised to splash her again.

  “You bitch!” Elsa growled. Kira splashed again but the Marine dove under the water. She reached out, intent on grabbing the huntress and pulling her under with her, but Kira was nowhere to be found.

  Elsa’s head broke from the water and she turned around. Kira was standing some distance behind her. She smiled and shook her head. “You’ve got to be a lot faster than that,” she said.

  “How? There was five feet between us, how could you get around me that fast?”

  “Who said I went around?” Kira asked. “And next time, keep your eyes open.”

  “The water tastes funny, I don’t want it in my eyes.”

  “It’s saltwater, it’s not bad. Just don’t drink too much of it.”

  “Saltwater like back on Earth saltwater?”

  Kira nodded.

  “Oh!” Elsa lowered her lips to the water and tasted it. She swished it around in her mouth and spit it out. “I remember reading about that stuff. Drinking it would mess you up, maybe kill you?”

  Kira shrugged. “Never tried it, but this stuff isn’t that bad. Makes you thirsty though, so you can’t live on it. Probably like everything else on Vitalis, it’s a better version of what Earth had to offer.”

  Elsa opened her mouth to respond but fell silent when she saw movement behind Kira. Someone was on the beach. “So much for being left alone,” she muttered, gesturing towards the person behind them.

  Kira nodded without turning. “That’s Fiona. Don’t worry, she won’t bite. Then again, maybe she might. She and Jeremy had a falling out and she’s probably getting pretty frustrated by now.”

  “The researcher?”

  Kira nodded.

  The woman walked closer until Elsa could make her out clearly. Her eyes had adjusted to the sunlight so well she didn’t even need to squint to make out the features of the new woman. She was tanned almost as deeply as Kira, though her skin was also criss-crossed with markings. Elsa almost laughed when she realized she’d glossed over the fact that Fiona was completely nude save for her weapons.

  “Let me guess, she was on a long mission?”

  Kira’s eyebrows scrunched until she turned to look at the woman. She chuckled. “You’re really hung up on this clothes thing, aren’t you? I shouldn’t be surprised, you just got here. Fiona was pretty worked up about it at first too. It just kind of happened for us, but I’ve been here since the beginning.”

  Fiona waved and looked around carefully before wading into the water and then walking and swimming out to meet them. As she approached Kira finished answering Elsa’s question. “Yes, she was keeping an eye on the spitters to see if they were coming after us.”

  “So are they?” Elsa asked, turning to face the newcomer.

  “Hi, I’m Fiona, pleased to meet you too,” Fiona said with a smirk.

  Elsa frowned. She didn’t like being out of her element and, from all appearances, on the bottom of the food chain. She felt like she was being hazed after joining a new FIST team. “Sorry, it’s been a rough couple of days. Gunny Elsadora Quinn. ”

  “I heard that. Nice job Gunny, by the way. I heard some of what Tarn tracked you through. I guess the FISTs really are as tough as they say they are,” Fiona said.

  Elsa looked to Kira, surprised at the praise. “Fiona was a Marine at the research station.”

  “I know,” Elsa said. What she didn’t add was how surprised she was that Kira hadn’t turned Fiona into an uppity nature bitch.

  “So how about those spitters?” Kira asked.

  Fiona dunked her head under the water and came up a moment later. She ran her fingers through her wet hair, washing whatever dye had been rubbed into it out. Her hair was a dirty blond now instead of the darker browns it had been a moment before. “Sorry, my head was itching from that dye and the sweat. The spitters were snooping around but I don’t think a trail. Might only be a matter of time though, they kept looking for us and they’re looking in the right direction.

  Kira cursed. “It’s about 30 miles, that’ll take them a while.”

  “Could be quite a while,” Fiona added. “I found some of the ruins from the TCS force too. No survivors, but if we hurry we might be able to salvage some equipment.”

  “What’s the point?” Kira asked. She glanced at Else and saw the disbelief written in her wide eyes. “Think about it, anything built out there,” she pointed up at the sky, “doesn’t last more than a few days down here. Scavenging parts and constant maintenance might stretch it into a couple of weeks if we’re lucky. Is it worth it?”

  “Yeah, it is,” Elsa said. “I’ve got a man with a broken transmitter. If we can get spare parts we can talk to the Desperado and get things squared away. Let them know some of us are still alive!”

  “And that they don’t dare come down here,” Fiona added softly.

  Elsa looked at her, wondering at the sudden shift in tone. Fiona jerked her head up and met Elsa’s eyes. She smiled and shrugged. “I’ve got family in the Core systems. It’s not possible but I’d like to see them or at least talk to them again.”

  The Gunnery Sergeant nodded. Her only family was distant, but suddenly the distance seemed a million times greater than before.

  “The water on Vitalis is stronger than blood,” Kira said, reaching out and putting a hand on the shoulder of each woman. “We’re all we’ve got, us and the other survivors. Now come on ladies, we’ve got to get word back to the Captain about this. But first I still want to show Elsa a thing or two.”

  Kira waded back to shore, leaving the two Marines standing there. Elsa turned from the enigmatic huntress and found Fiona was already looking at her. She offered her a smile which buoyed Elsa’s spirits.

  “You’ll never meet anyone like her,” Fiona promised in a soft voice.

  “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

  Fiona laughed. “Depends, if you’re on her good side, it’s incredible. Piss her off and you’d be better off charging that spitter mound dressed like you are now.”

  Elsa smirked. “She can’t be that special.”

  Fiona grinned. “You’ll find out.”

  Chapter 5

  Kira stepped halfway across the beach and turned to wait for the two Marines. Elsa and Fiona came to a stop in front of her. “Good luck,” Fiona said.

  “Good luck?” Elsa turned to look at the Marine. A premonition made her stiffen and start to turn back around to face Kira.

  Kira backed away from her, her white teeth contrasting against the tan on her face. “You passed the first test,” she said. “Always be ready for an attack.”

  “I didn’t leave boot camp yesterday,” Elsa smirked.

  “Good, if you’re ready for an attack, let’s see how you handle one.”

  “What? Like this?”

  “You want to put some clothes on you go ahead,” Kira said. “I’ll even wait for you.”

  “You’re not?” Elsa turned to look at Fiona, who gave her a quick sha
ke of her head. “This is fucked up.”

  “In ancient Earth history Greek warriors would oil themselves and wrestle one another. We don’t have any olive trees to get oil out of,” Kira explained.

  “Why naked? There’s no protection!”

  “They didn’t have protective armor back then, it would slow them down and give their opponents something to grab onto.”

  She glanced at the small pile of clothes. It made sense, a real fight meant no holds barred. “All right, it makes sense even if it seems weird.”

  “Forget everything you know about culture and society,” Fiona suggested.

  Elsa took a deep breath but didn’t have a chance to let it out and center herself. Kira rushed straight at her, then leapt to the side at the last moment. Elsa started to turn to follow her opponent when she felt the impact across her stomach. Kira hadn’t just dodge to the side, she’d leapt into the air and slammed her leg into Elsa’s midsection. Her other leg scissored into the back of Elsa’s thighs and forced the woman to slam onto her back in the hot sand.

  Elsa’s legs went up in the air as her weight rocked onto her back and shoulders. Kira slipped free and spun around so she could grab the Marine’s legs. She leaned in and drove her fist towards Elsa’s face. The Marine knocked the blow aside with her arm but Kira’s hand still grazed her cheek.

  Elsa spasmed, forcing her legs back and sending Kira away far enough that the Marine FIST could leap to her feet. Kira was on her immediately, her fist driving in towards her face. Elsa leaned to the left, dodging the swing, but was unprepared for Kira’s inhuman balance. Kira’s foot swung around in a reverse kick that caught Elsa across the cheek and sent her crashing to the ground again.

  Elsa stared up at the sky. Her field of view throbbed, the bright sky and even the sun overhead dimming and then coming back. Something blocked the light.

  “Did you kill her?” a distant voice asked.

  “She kept her head, I’m impressed. She didn’t fight back though. She’ll have to learn that.”

  “I’m right here,” Elsa muttered. She turned and spat out some blood, then moved to sit up. She groaned and collapsed onto her back. Her hand came up to her jaw to rub it. “You got rocks in your feet?”

  Kira grinned and offered the fallen woman her hand. Elsa took it and grunted when Kira pulled her up like she was an oversized pillow. Elsa heard her back pop multiple times from the abrupt movement, but Kira held her steady until she had her balance back.

  “You took it easy on her,” Fiona said once Elsa was standing on her own and rubbing her chin.

  “Last time I impressed somebody I broke your boyfriend’s neck,” Kira said.

  “Should have swung harder,” Fiona muttered.

  “You broke a guy’s neck? Jeremy?”

  Kira nodded. “It wasn’t a bad break. Vitalis took care of him.”

  “You’re not fucking with me? This really happened?”

  “She didn’t sever his spine but it sure sounded like it. Ask around, a lot of people saw it,” Fiona said. “And that’s hardly the last time Kira impressed somebody. Talk to your FIST team, Kira and I got them away from the spitters, they’ll tell you stories about her.”

  “I was impressed with Tarn out there,” Elsa admitted.

  Kira snorted. “He was probably trying to impress you. He used to be a FIST.”

  “I knew it!” Elsa swore and swung her hand. She stumbled but caught herself. “Sorry, still a little dizzy. You’ve got quite a punch for a skinny thing. You’re not ex-military too, are you?”

  Fiona’s chuckle matched Kira’s grin. “Not exactly. Ever heard of Emily Bradford?”

  “Should I?”

  “Good,” Kira said. “She wasn’t a very nice person.”

  “Let me guess, you’re her?”

  Kira nodded. “Something like that. It’s complicated. I just found out myself three years ago. Emily had a lot of work done on our body. Expensive work. Military grade work.”

  “So between that and living here…”

  “She’s one tough bitch,” Fiona finished for her.

  “And that explains Tarn, if he was FIST that explains why he looks like he could pick Treetown up and move it by himself.”

  Kira snorted again but Fiona said, “He might have to if those spitters find us.”

  “He left the damn trail!”

  “Kira, come on. They’re smart for giant bugs, they knew we all went the same way. They didn’t find any trails but they are searching for us.”

  Kira grunted. “We’ll head that way on our way back. I want to see them myself.”

  “Can I put my clothes back on first?”

  Fiona laughed. “You get used to it, trust me. Besides, you’re covered in sand and sweat, let’s get another quick swim in first.”

  “Dinosaurs and monsters trying to kill us and she wants to swim,” Elsa muttered.

  Kira caught Elsa’s eye. “This is Vitalis, if we have to live hard then we have to play hard.”

  Chapter 6

  The soreness in Elsa’s jaw faded, but an ache across her shoulders, back, and forearm replaced it. It wasn’t due to the beating, it was because of the hour of practice with the primitive longbow that Kira and Fiona had made her endure.

  At least the two girls had been impressed that she could pull the stiff bow all the way back. They weren’t nearly as impressed with her aim. By the end of the hour she was able to hit the target almost every time.

  The target happened to be one of the giant frogs like she’d seen after her screamer pod crashed. Kira had seen it and killed it in the blink of an eye with her own bow, then set the body up for Elsa to practice on. Fiona had taken a few shots as well, trying to show her how it was done.

  Walking between the two woman through the jungle gave Elsa the chance to study them and her surroundings. Fiona wasn’t as good at Kira, but if Elsa’s never met Kira she’d have been convinced Fiona was the ultimate guerilla fighter.

  The frustrating part was that Elsa was supposed to be that good. She was supposed to be the ultimate special operator. That’s what she’d been trained for and worked hard to become. Now these upstart village girls had shown her up. She rolled her shoulders, noting the soreness was fading, and vowed that she’d work harder.

  Elsa’d also tried to speak a few times but they’d silenced her with a glare or a hand motion. Her questions hadn’t been important so she let them go and chastised herself. In a hostile environment she could appreciate it, but so far the life they’d seen was a few fish and a massive frog.

  The jungle grew lighter as they walked. The trees thinned, giving way to lush undergrowth that choked the paths. Kira found a way through, twisting her body as she walked to avoid touching the vegetation. She stopped, making Elsa pull up short to avoid walking into her, and pointed out a beautiful yellow and purple flower. She waved her finger at it then slipped past it. Elsa watched, her lips parting as the flower twisted slowly on its stem and seemed to actually reach for the woman. Elsa gave it as wide a berth as she could.

  Less than two minutes later Kira stopped and dropped to one knee. Elsa threw up her fist and followed suit, using the sign language familiar to military forces to signal a halt. She listened and, after a moment, heard the noise that had stopped Kira in her tracks. It was a snuffling noise, followed occasionally by a rustling of the undergrowth.

  Kira rose up, her spear held in her hand, and slipped between the vibrant green weeds. Elsa waited, uncertain if she should follow, until a tap on her shoulder nearly made her jump. She turned, her heart in her throat, and saw Fiona mouth the word, “Go,” while pointing after Kira.

  Elsa found the guide standing perfectly still behind some tall bushes that looked liked flowering reeds. Large insects flew from one to another, inspecting the wispy flowers before moving on. She realized after a moment that Kira wasn’t standing still after all, she just looked like she was. Kira’s body was swaying in the faint breeze, moving with the weeds around her.


  Internalizing the curse at just how good the woman was, she looked past her into the small clearing. Her eyes widened. It was another mound like the one she jammed her knife into before the cats had attacked her. It had to be full of the same termite-like insects that had rushed out at her.

  The source of the noise wasn’t the mound nor the insects she was sure lived within it. The noise came from a smaller two legged creature with a flexible snout. Its stomach and back were covered in a segmented shell for protection.

  Kira backed away from it slowly, then nodded with her head when she reached Elsa’s position for the woman to follow her. They backed away several dozen feet, dodging two more of the beautiful but creepy flowers until Kira changed course. She led them out of the tropical garden onto higher ground within minutes.

  “I ran into those termites before,” Elsa whispered after looking around and seeing they were alone.

  “How’d you get away?” Fiona asked.

  “Ran into three long necked cats. They ate a bunch of the bugs then turned on me.”

  “We call them whispers,” Fiona told her. “Quiet bastards, last thing their victim hears is the whisper of them sliding through the grasses before the pounce.”

  “What was that thing with the snout back there?”

  “Bugeater. Used to be something called an anteater on Earth like it. Don’t usually see them near the mounds though. Those bugs are social. Words gets back to the hive and whatever’s after them is in deep shit.”

  Elsa remembered how the bugs had come after her at first. She suppressed a shiver before asking, “They’re not very big, how dangerous can they be?”

  “Their bite is poisoned,” Kira explained. Burns like you’ve been strapped to a thruster port on a starship. It burns because it’s breaking up the tissue and making it easier for them to chew apart and digest.”

  Elsa couldn’t hide her shudder that time.

  Kira turned to Fiona. “How far off are the spitters?”