[b][u] On board the [i]Leafy Wind [/i][/u] Beartrice Magin[/b] "-Now, I would join you, but we only have one parachute." B was standing near the back ramp of the transport shuttle. The Golden Mercenary had just finished explaining how to use the parachute. The mental projection of Ballizein, Beatrice's kage, in the form of a tigress perked her ears up and looked directly at B. [b][i]B, I want you to know I don't approve of this plan[/b]. Noted, Z[/i]. B calmly looked at the merc and said, "I don't need a parachute." The merc was dumbfounded, and B took the chance to lay out her plan. "You jump at whatever altitude you need. I'll jump a little later, check out the enemy forces, and get back to you." The merc had processed the information, and responded. "How-" "I'm fast. Don't worry about it. Head towards the shuttle. If there's no threat, I'll check out the nearest settlement. Where is it?" "There are some small towns but I'm not sure where they are. We're heading directly towards Kell. It's 20 kilometers to the northeast." B held out the parachute pack and the merc took it, adjusting the straps. "Are you sure-" "I know my limits." B's posture, tone, and eye contact radiated confidence. The merc began to lower the ramp by hand, manually overriding the hydraulics that normally operated the ramp. It emitted a hissing sound the entire way down. "If you're doing recon, I need exact numbers on troops, armament, positions. If you head to Kell, keep your eye out for other Golden Mercenaries. All of our comms were fried." As an afterthought, the merc added, "They might be trying to refuel." The merc walked to the end of the ramp and, looking backwards at B, jumped. B walked to the end of the ramp. She watched the merc fall and the little "poof" of the parachute opening. B used one of the verticle hydraulic bars on the ramp as a handhold and looked over the edge, examining the landscape. She scowled slightly at the forest below her. [i]I expected it to be a little clearer Z[/i]. The tigress had disappeared, not wanting to distract B. [i][b]Still going to do it it?[/b] Only if I know I can make it[/i]. B thought she could make the jump unscathed even if she landed on a tree, but the slightest of errors would mean death. At this point B wasn't worried about if the military would capture her. Her immediate concern was getting off this bulky transport ship while it performed an "emergency" landing with no power. She reckoned the merc's speech to the civilians on board earlier had been mostly for crowd control. The transport ship was rapidly losing altitude, and B was rapidly losing chances to leave this shuttle. [i]There[/i]. A few hundred feet off the ground, B spotted a large clearing in line with the shuttle. She estimated her trajectory and, without hesitation, stepped off the edge. --- [hider=Flashback] [b]Eight months earlier, Sovereign[/b] Beatrice stood on top of a dumpster in an alley, five feet above the ground. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun, just as she would do for a gymnastics competition. Her powers had been difficult for her to grasp at first, and she looked to hone them. Her first power was momentum manipulation. She could change the direction of her momentum around her center of mass. The second was "rooting," a difficult concept to understand. B could root both a small portion of herself and an object where she was directly touching it. When rooted, the object would root in another dimension, turning into an immovable object in this dimension. The real use of her powers came from the combination of the two. When she rooted herself to an object, it allowed B to direct her momentum in any direction, not just around her center of mass. This allowed her to instantly change her direction. She jumped off the dumpster, arcing high in a dive. The dive brought her hands-first towards the pavement. Bending her elbows slightly, she anticipated the impact. The instant the back of her hand made contact with the ground, she used her power. Rooting both her hand and a portion of the ground allowed her downwards momentum to be redirected horizontally, and she rolled into a run. She slowed, turned around, and started back towards the dumpster. Now that she was recovered from her injuries, it was time to train. [b]7 months earlier, Sovereign[/b] B glanced over the edge of the three-story building. It was her highest jump yet. She could was very aware of the wind on her freshly-shaved head. The sight of the ground so far away caused her a little bit of discomfort, but she didn't let it phase her. She took a deep breath, raised her arms in the air, and dove. The ground rushed to meet her, and she met the ground with her palms. This time, instead of burning energy by starting with a roll, B instantly directed all of her momentum into running, swinging her legs forward. Even aided with the increased momentum transfer in her own body, she had trouble instantly running at such high speeds. She stumbled, lost her balance, and tripped. She reached out her hand as she fell and touched the ground with the back of her hand, allowing her to transition into a roll a bit more smoothly. It wasn't enough. B rolled and skidded, taking skin off her right arm, shoulder, and back. The pain broke her concentration, and she rolled twice more before redirecting her momentum once again, this time up and to the side. She rose in the air towards the wall, letting gravity reduce her speed. Halfway up the wall she used her legs to slow herself, then sent herself towards the ground. This time she landed feet first. She rolled partway before she used her power again, redirecting her momentum forwards and into a run. She slowed to a stop and dropped to her hands and knees, breathing hard. Her kage loomed over her. [i][b]After all these months, why be reckless now?[/b] How long will it be until there's a situation I haven't trained for? This feels so slow. [b]There's a reason we're going this pace. How far does this set you back, Beatrice?[/b] I won't let it set me back at all, Ballizein[/i]. Her eyes showed determination. She stood up, still breathing hard. She winced as she brushed small rocks and dirt from her wounds and jogged towards the staircase. Ballizein was waiting for her on the roof. [b][i]Maybe you're thinking a little too traditionally with your movements[/b][/i]. The tigress smiled. [b]Three months earlier, Sovereign[/b] Beatrice stood slightly back from the edge of the apartment building. She had let her hair grow out slightly. Ten stories up, B watched two men with their recently-acquired loot. They each carried military bags, full of stolen military rations. The way they joked made it obvious they thought they were in the clear. One, while still walking, took off the pack to examine the contents, moving to hold it in front of him. [i]Bingo[/i]. Beatrice took a few steps back, then ran towards the edge of the roof. Instead of jumping, she planted her hand on the edge of the roof and swung herself downwards. She planted both feet on the wall and pushed out and down, diving backwards. Adrenaline pumped through Beatrice as she plummeted towards the ground. She landed to the side and behind the men. Rooting her palms to the ground, she launched both feet forward as if vaulting. Planting both feet and with her power heightening her movements, she launched herself headfirst towards the men. They had no time to react. With one hand she rooted to the ground, transferring her momentum to bring her legs forward. This also allowed her to slow down her other arm enough to slide it into the strap of the military backpack, held out in front of the rear man. The bag was torn out of his hands before he even had time to open it. The backpack, slightly heavier than expected, pulled back on B. She barely maintained a hold on it. She was thrown off balance, and rotated backwards. Using her power, she transfered momentum throughout her body until she rotated forwards. She landed on both feet and launched forwards, running like a cat but with one hand on the pack. She used her free hand to root and adjust her course when needed. In a few seconds B had become much richer. [i]Survival of the fittest[/i].[/hider] --- Freefalling towards earth, B wondered how close she was to terminal velocity. She tried to pick some landmarks so she could find the shuttle easily. She noticed a small river parallel to the aircraft's path. [i][b]You should kill some speed in the clearing, navigating the trees will be difficult[/i][/b]. As the ground quickly approached, B twisted and extended the back of her right hand downwards. She rooted her hand and moved horizontally, rolling. With every roll she burned a little speed and adjusted her course slightly, circling the clearing rapidly before she was at a safe speed to travel. On the last roll she vaulted, sending her feet forward and beginning her cat-like run through the trees. She came dangerously close to slamming into trees multiple times before bounding into the clearing of the river. She traveled along the banks, making a much better time towards the shuttle now that she didn't have to dodge trees. The mental projection of her kage appeared beside her, and the massive tigress matched her stride. [b][i]You're still so tense[/b]. This takes a lot of concentration, Z. [b]You can still enjoy it[/b]. Enjoy what? [b]The freedom[/b][/i]. B felt the wind in her face and the warm sunlight from the setting sun on the back of her neck. She only rooted one of her hands for the next few strides, feeling the healthy grass and dirt and mud between her fingers. Smiling, a few tears streamed backwards across her face, glistening as the wind quickly swept them away. In front of B a rumbling noise marked the crash of the transport shuttle. She was close.