Kat Langford

"Cats have nine lives, right? Pretty sure I'm getting close to number eight." - K. Langford

''There is a sound of thunder afar, ''Storm in the south that darkens the day, ''Storm of battle and thunder of war, ''Well, if it do not roll our way. ''Form! form! Riflemen form! ''Ready, be ready to meet the storm! Riflemen, riflemen, riflemen form!

- The War, by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Bio
Kat Langford was born on the 31st of August, 2058, in Phoenix, Arizona. Her mother died through complications with the birth of Kat, and later it would be realised that Kat had latent magical abilities, namely Adept powers. Her father, honouring his late wife's last request by moving to her hometown of Little Rock (Arkansas), raised Kat poorly, filled with anger at his wife's death, which he blamed squarely on Kat. Suffering through an abusive childhood, Kat went to McKinley Elementary, where she met Joel Love, and his three brothers. The Loves owned a farm on the outskirts of town, and the whole family were infamous Adepts. Joel, being highly perceptive in the nature of his talents, would often notice the faint bruises that marred Kat's skin, and ultimately understood the full reasoning behind her quiet persona, though he never pried into Kat's family life, and instead provided her with a friendship that she desperately needed.

When Kat turned seventeen, her life changed dramatically. Arguing with her father one evening, Kat found herself at the receiving end of another one of her dad's drunken beatings. Unfortunately, Kat's Adept talents decided that this was the time to take hold of Kat's physiology. In an abrupt wave of magical power, Kat fought back, ultimately killing her father with a crucial punch to the head that caved in his skull. Kat was arrested and sentenced to fifteen years in prison, but whilst journeying to confinement, her prison bus was apprehended by none other than the Love brothers. Joel, Eric, Liam, and David, all assisted in breaking Kat free, and the five of them went on the run for six days, before ultimately ending up in a shoot-out with the police. The group were arrested, and, after standing trial, it was discovered that only Kat and Joel had not killed or fired at any police officers, and so were sentenced to military service, whereas the rest of the brothers were sent to a high security prison.

Kat is currently serving in Columbia, under Sgt. Brian West, as part of the squad designation 'Tombstone'. She has been part of the squad for four years, obtaining the rank of Corporal after proving herself on the battlefield. She tends to fight alongside Joel when in combat, the two using their Adept talents in tandem to act as a force to be reckoned with.

Childhood
Growing up in rural Arkansas, Kat spent most of childhood maintaining a healthy distance from her father, an unemployed alcoholic. As a result, Kat tended to wander the streets during the day, or hiding on the roof of their rented house.

Eventually, Kat went to school, and made fast friends with Joel Love. After that, a huge part of Kat's younger years were spent on the farm belonging to the Love family, who hosted many a 'Teens For Jesus' square dance, much to Kat and the boys' chagrin. Kat grew incredibly close with the Love family, who in turn treated her like their own daughter and sister, respectively. Whenever hurricanes hit Little Rock, Kat would find refuge at the farm, hiding in the storm cellar with the rest of the family.

In high school, Kat and Joel entered a talent contest, which was poorly judged. They suffered incredible ridicule at the hands of Eric and Liam, who jeered them from the crowd. The five of the kids kept a wide berth with the rest of the school, who in turn, kept their distance at sports days.



Personality
Despite having a heavily neglected childhood, Kat's social habits were somewhat salvaged by her best friend Joel, who she met on the first day of Pre School, and became good friends with for the rest of her education. She additionally got on well with Joel's brothers, who all saw Kat as a younger sister, even David, who was technically a little younger than Kat herself. Regardless, Kat still had difficulty meeting new people, and tended to form rooted relationships, rather than flighty ones.

Though not shy about using her powers, Kat was somewhat constantly awe-strucked by what she can do as an Adept. Her speed and strength, exceeding the boundaries of human ability, continued to be a source of pride for Kat, and a constant source of entertainment between her and Joel, as the two tend to compete over every physical discipline.

When Kat began considering starting a relationship with Ashley, she spoke to Joel about this, unsure of how to breach the topic of romance with the doctor. Though quick to tease his quasi-adopted sibling, Joel gave grounded advice to Kat, giving her the confidence to ask Ashley out. Ashley and Kat's relationship has flourished over the four months they have been dating, and Kat's confidence has grown as a result, as well as her happiness.

Kat, overall, is a friendly person, who enjoys having a large social net.

After Earth
Prior to the destruction of life on Earth, Kat travelled aboard the stolen warship, along with the rest of the Tombstone squad. Kat settled into the cramped living quarters quite well, though often found herself with very little to do.

While travelling, Kat assisted with navigation-based tasks, using her knowledge of constellations to provide safe pathways through the cosmos.

Kat and Ashley's relationship remained steady throughout this tense time, though Kat worried about how the situation was affecting Ash, as the elf found herself depressed with the desperation of the journey. Ashley additionally missed the stability provided by Earth, and Kat was quick to reassure and comfort her whenever.

After discovering Base Post Alpha, Kat was part of the original scout team for the laboratory, and she additionally played a role in the negotiations that took place between the Tombstone and the native ex-UCAS soldiers.

Kat took part in the mission to obtain the water purification systems essential to life on Base Post Alpha. When she returned, she and Ashley were married in a ceremony led by Bastion Agwe.