Catarina de Todos los Santos u-Kart

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Catarina Felicia Akker de Todos los Santos u-Kart (born 4.I.1650 in Geneva, Alexandria) is an Alexandrian-born school teacher and politician in Hurmu. She is a Lady of the Order of the Holy Lakes, and since 1690, a Senator of the Lakes.

Catarina was born in Geneva Memorial Hospital just months before the outbreak of the Alexandrian Flu epidemic of 1650–1651. Upon her birth, she was given the name Catarina (meaning pure), Felicia (after her grandmother), and Akker after her great-great grandmother. Her paternal surname de Todos los Santos is a Martino one, and her maternal surname u-Kart is of Hurmu origin (Akker's husband's last name). Most of her Hurmu ancestors died during the Hurmu genocide, but both sons of Akker, Sun and Liam, had married into Alexandrian families. Sun's family settled in Hurmu, and they were all killed in the genocide. Liam, however, had settled in Alexandria to be with his wife Euridis García Gómez (1580–1689), and it is from this line that Catarina is descended.

Catarina's parents, Martina u-Kart Aberrón (1627–1651) and Julián de Todos los Santos (1623– ), were both studying medicine during the outbreak of the Alexandrian flu. As such, they were among the first to realize the speed and power of the epidemic, and managed to isolate themselves in the countryside. But it was not enough. Martina was infected by a small cat brushing up against her leg one day when she was out looking for food. She died within hours. Luckily for the rest of the family, Martina died on her own, without contacting the family, and that was what brought her family safety from infection from her.

It was hard for the family. Julián was in a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, taking care of an infant and his mother-in-law, Felicia Aberrón Saavedra (1602– ). In the end, they were rescued, in 1652, by Natopian rescuers. Severely malnourished, they nonetheless recovered fully (physically at least) by 1654. Having to support his mother-in-law and daughter, he was unable to keep on studying, and worked as a cleaner in Triegón, Natopia. Julián encouraged his daughter, Catarina, to keep on studying. Catarina was immersed with the histories of her mysterious mother's heritage, and this brought her closer to the Hurmu culture. She went on an exchange trip through high school to Vesüha in 1665, and became enamoured even more with the Hurmu culture. Upon starting university two years later, she decided on becoming a teacher of history and the Martino language. She graduated with full honours in 1672. She worked in Vesüha 1672–1678, teaching Martino as a second language at a local high school. Her father became ill in 1678, and she returned home to be closer to him. She took on employment in a local school in the outskirts of Triegón, and it was there that she met her husband to be, David Jolicoeur, a teacher of Alexandrian and chemistry. They fell in love immediately, and this caused a minor scandal in the school. In the end, David transferred to a different school, and the two married one another in 1682. Their first child, Marcel, was born the same year, with Emmanuel, their second child, following in 1685.

Around this time, it became evident to the family that Stormark had collapsed. Catarina convinced her husband to join her in a move to Lakkvia to help with the rebuilding of the Hurmu society. David was understandably skeptical of this idea, but she managed to convince and barter with him. They settled in a townhouse in the outskirts of Vesüha, and found employment in the same high school as Catarina had been teaching in before her return to Natopia. Meanwhile, Catarina devoted more and more time with the Order of the Holy Lakes chapter in Lakkvia and rallying support for the reunification of Lakkvia with the Hurmu Trust Territory in 1690. One day after the signing of the Vesüha Accords, with created the independent Hurmu state, she understood she was pregnant. This surprised her, as she thought the lack of menstruation over the past few months had been because of entering menopause, and the extra weight around her belly had been due to stress and eating badly during the rallying and campaigning. In the end, she was happy to welcome a daughter, Charlène, just weeks after.

She was elected to the Senate and she attends to her business there fully, while her husband David is on parental leave.

She remains close with the Alexandrian diaspora, supporting cultural events with them across Hurmu. She represented the Senate in signing Hurmu's treaty with Alduria-Wechua, the country with the largest Alexandrian diaspora in the world.

She was reelected to the Senate in 1695. Towards the end of 1696, Catarina resigned her membership from the Senate after a scandal broke out. It turned out that she and the now Autokrator of Constancia had in 1670 had a child together, Eugenia Aguilar, which they had kept secret from their own governments, including the Order of the Holy Lakes, and from their own families. Catarina and David divorced immediately afterwards. Catarina was replaced in the Senate by the third name on the Ayreonist list, Eliza Aabooð.

It was disclosed in Hurmu media that Catarina was present at a closed meeting of the Court of Governors of the Sacred Lakes Lodge at it secretive premises in late 1696. At that meeting, curiously presided over by Daniyal al-Osman, Prime Minister of Hurmu, and Vice Chairman of the Court of Governors, and at which all members of the illustrious Court of Governors, excepting Chairman Prince Daniyal ibn Daniyal Simrani-Kalirion, were present, a rapprochement was quietly concluded between the Hurmu state, the Imperial State of Constancia, the House of Osman, the House of Santiago-Santander, and the ESB Group. A few weeks later, it was announced that Catarina was appointed Resident for Hurmu, and concurrent Senior Vice President for International and Government Relations of the Hurmudanka Engineering Company.

It was a surprise for Catarina therefore that, upon her return to Vesüha, she was clapped in irons by the airport's duty officer from the Hurmu Constabulary. It transpired that, upon his return, Daniyal al-Osman had apprised the Board of Trade of the Apollonian Directorate of the Honourable Company of the matter which had been discussed by the Sacred Lakes Lodge. The objections of the board-members had thereafter swiftly been made known to him, along with their demands to rectify the situation. At around this time a lady-in-waiting from the court of the Princess of Arboria and Molivadia had also attended upon Daniyal and made pressing representations during one of his routine visits to the Grand Residency in Tiegang.

After several months spent as a guest of the Hurmu Constabulary at a villa outside of Borgarhafn in the Lake District, Catarina was driven back to Vesüha for an audience with the Prime Minister at the Hurmu Gate Institute on 14.VII.1697 AN. The Prime Minister was able to afford Catarina a half-hour of his time, whereupon he informed her that there had been some irregularities concerning the manner of her appointment, but that these had since been resolved. Her appointment to the Hurmudanka Engineering Company had been cancelled, as being incompatible with her primary duties in service of the Honourable Company. Moreover the appointment as Resident of Hurmu was held to be improper, as ESB residencies are assigned by primary location rather than by country[1]. Fortunately, while the present Resident of Vesüha had proven violently ill-disposed to relinquishing the primacy of his posting to another, a vacancy had become available whereby Catarina could be compensated adequately for her past troubles whilst still providing useful service to the Honourable Company. She was to depart immediately for the Ghawlama Gate via the Gate Network. Upon arrival in Ghawlama she was to be received by an honour guard formed from eight members of the ESB-Jagdverbände VIP protection team who would escort her to Ghawlama International Airport and thence to Lac Glacei via chartered airship. Upon arrival in Monte Glacei she was instructed that she would present her credentials and letters of introduction addressed to the Grand Duke. This being done she would, along with her escort, charter a boat and cross the lake from Monte Glacei to Seivannavik where she would serve as Deputy Resident in charge of the Sub-Residency there, reporting to the Vesüha Residency. She would receive the support of an Apprenticed Trader, a Clerk of the Far Shore, and such Honoured Sons as were desirous of the northern posting[2].

In view of her distinguished status as a former Senator, and noted connections, Catarina would also receive an appointment as Honorary Consul and was asked to represent the Government of Hurmu as liaison to the Joint Council of Eesdeheito as well as to represent the civil authority in its dealings with the expeditionary force Hurmu had dispatched to the condominium.

Implicated in the Iron Harbour Papers scandal of 1699.

Notes

  1. ^ The Honourable Company, rejoicing in the paramount sovereignty of the Joint Stock, does not deign to assign duties on a basis of national jurisdictions but rather by ports and their adjacent commercial and resource extraction zone.
  2. ^ Which in this context was taken to mean those rowdy and frequently violent apprentice scriveners who had fallen afoul of the authorities or rival gangs in the International Mandate