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herine’s unpleasant, dreamless night of sleep was interrupted by the ringing of her video phone, a holographic display brightened in front of her eyes. Hitting accept she was greeted by the face of Jaro waiting, staring a little too hard into the camera on his end, those silver eyes piercing her.

“Sup Jaro?” Catherine asked, rubbing whatever sleep she had from her eyes

“Fuck’s the matter with you kid? Get your beauty sleep?”

Not having the energy to give a proper response, she merely flipped him off, “Sorry not everyone’s a morning person.”

“It’s time you got up. Meet me at the pier, I’ll get you a coffee.”

Arguments being out of the question, she just nodded, “Carmel, please.”

“With two sugars, I know, I know.” As Jaro hung up

Catherine sat up, leaning on the edge of her bed, a dull headache pounding on the sides of her temples. She took a moment to sift through different holographic displays until she found the one she was looking for. It gave her a display stating she went to bed eight hours ago, and she fell asleep four, stayed asleep two straight hours.

“Gonna be one of those days…” she muttered to herself

Forcing herself up, she got a quick shower, got changed, and was out the door within ten minutes, hitching a ride on the local tram, she arrived at the pier leaning against the railing overlooking the ocean, where Jaro was waiting, coffee in hand. She took it with a nod before taking a drink.

“Morning.” Jaro said in a kinder tone than he did on the phone

“What’s this about?” Catherine slurred over her burned tongue

“Right to the point aren’t we.”

“You never wanna hang out, Jaro. You’re not one for meetings, or to socialize. You want something.”

Jaro smirked, “Just like Aiden.”

Catherine took another drink, “Is this about Maya? Is she raising a storm about me again?”

“Oh, she’s not happy. Doing things without asking permission, going against the unwritten…and written rules. She wants to be seen as the new leader, and when she sees you burning the rule book in front of her, undermining her authority, doing things like what you are doing, going around her back to get some job for the government… she sees it as you gunning for the orle she wants.”

Catherine waved a hand in dismissal, “I don’t know how many times I gotta say it. I don’t want leadership in the Brotherhood. She can have it, I just don’t wanna deal with a middleman when I’m trying to get my job done.”

Jaro raised his eyebrow at her, “What job?”

Catherine lowered her cup, “My Task. One I gave myself after I came back here. I spent too long hold up in that apartment after I came back from Athens.”

“Elaborate.”

“When I spent the five years in Hades, even when I wasn’t doing what Aiden told me to do, I felt like I was helping people, I was saving villages, killing pirates, restoring crops, whatever. Here…” she waved at the prospering society, the buildings, the marketplace, the abundance of resources, “What am I supposed to be doing here? These people don’t need me. The ones with limited net, food, water, weapons, soldiers. Those need me.”

Jaro nodded, “Being in Senate meetings and board rooms was never going to be a fit for you, kid.”

“It shouldn’t be enough for any of us.” Catherine added, “just look at what we coulda done with the last Spartan War.”

Jaro let out a hearty belly laugh, “Kid you were like five when that shit show ended.”

She shot him a look, “I’ve studied all the notes, news clippings, reports, if our people woulda gotten involved the war would’ve maybe lasted two or three years, not ten. Just imagine all the lives that woulda been saved.”

“Whoa hold up, none of that shit is on you.”

“No, but Grace is right. When you have the power to undo the wrongdoings of those who came before, why not take the chance to do it?”

“Like what?”

Catherine spread her hands, “I dunno, give what Spartans are left a place to regrow? Repopulate? The last census there were only a couple thousand left at best?”

Jaro nodded, “And what, you going to magically whisk away that radiation in Sparta? Be heralded as a god, get a bunch of worshipers?”

Catherine pointed at the statue of Poseidon that overlooked the beach, meant as a symbol of the power of the sea and it’s dangers, she nodded toward the people still worshiping the dead God despite having been gone for almost a millennium, “That… I don’t want that either, I’ve never wanted that.”

“Then what do you want, straight up, tell me.”

Catherine side eyed him, he wasn’t like Maya, he wasn’t actively looking for something to use against her, she knew that. Like Aiden would, he was trying to coax something out of her.

“I just wanna help those powers that be cannot, or will not. And I know even if we did ascend, I’d rather be here, feet on the ground, body filthy, hands bloody, tears in my eyes with the rest of humanity, rather on some mountain overlooking, just watching the people suffer.”

“Hope you don’t mind me saying, but this is childish, a fairy tail. Help ten people, a thousand more will suffer elsewhere while you’re busy with the ten.”

Catherine shrugged, “Fools errand, but I got four hundred years on this planet if I’m lucky. And if I’m gonna be here that long, I’d rather spend the four hundred years handing out bread and water than sitting in front of a holo screen watching wrestling till I fucking die.”

Jaro smiled, “There’s the Catherine I know. So, when’s your boat leave?”

“Any day now, gotta get word from a contact, once I’m gone I’m not coming back for a bit.”

Jaro dug in his pocket and tossed her a small hexagonal device, it was granite colored and had the sigil of the Brotherhood, “What’s this?” Catherine asked

Jaro nodded, “Something the nerds cooked up at Karrion Industries, worldwide communicator, near limitless range, just gotta be out in the open. Encrypted, scrambles every signal to make sure no one can listen in. Keep it on ya in case you need backup.”

Catherine nodded, “Thanks Jaro.”

“Don’t mention it, literally.” He gave her a playful wink.

Catherine sighed, “Can you do me a solid?”

“Another one?” he asked jokingly

“Can you… keep an eye on the Brotherhood for me? Make sure Maya doesn’t do anything to it.”

“Like…?”

“Like how I had to be sold by another person you guys have been talking to the government in secret.”

Jaro’s eyes started darting rapidly. “Didn’t… know you knew, Maya left that out.”

“Of course she did.”

Jaro sighed, “Yeah, me and Judge can at least hold votes, keep her from doing anything too drastic… unless she gets a fourth member of the council… then she can do the tie breaker bullshit.” he kept going, muttering under his breath

Catherine hid her face from Jaro’s field of view, ignoring his ramblings, “Hey uh… Jaro… we good?”

Jaro glared, “Yeah we’re fine, why?”

“Like… you’re not just being friendly… loyal to met out of some… bullshit with Aiden, are you?”

“Where’s this coming fro-”

“Answer me. Please.”

“No, kid. I’ve known you since you were seven, I got your back, I’d literally go to war for you. Ain't got nothing to do with Aiden.”

Catherine nodded, “Thanks, Jaro.”

Jaro clapped her on the back, nearly knocking her over the ledge, “You worry too much!” he shouted, laughing a bit

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t worry enough…” she whispered