This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/hfy by /u/Psychronia on 2026-04-17 09:07:37+00:00.
Status Check
(Kara POV)
Kara Lewis stumbled a bit as she sprinted through the halls.
The docks where the Nysis ship landed was predictably under heavy security. When she and her mother arrived, they were naturally barred access until the situation could be confirmed by the Coalition officers.
Left to fidget and fret in a waiting room, she could only speculate despite her mother's reassurances.
When the intruder's soldiers had guns pointed at her and her father, Vellick got him to stop by calling for a something-rite. A Horez rite? Howriz? Huress?
Whatever it was, Innus was too busy helping her into his pod to explain.
What did it mean? What happened to uncle Garag? Vellick? Innus? Everyone at the volunteer center?
Were any of them injured? If it's a diplomatic ship, would it be Garag or some other ambassador?
There weren't many of them for the Uvei, but she didn't know if that meant he would come personally for a lack of different options or if he couldn't because he was needed in Kristole.
Finally, there was knock on the door before Captain Borlaug came in accompanying a familiar friend.
"Garag!"
Breaking out of her mother's hold, Kara immediately ran over and leapt up to embrace the Uven. He promptly got on one knee to return the embrace with his arms and tail curled around her.
"Kara...I am glad to know you are well. Your father...how is he?!"
"....."
"He's in the infirmary wing, but..."
"Ah...you must be Elora. Ambassador Kent speaks of you, and Kara resembles you. So he is alive?!"
As her mother took over for the talk and Kara pulled away, she felt something get caught on her sleeves.
It was Garag's scales.
On closer inspection, his body sagged a bit more than before, his eyes were sunken, and scales were shedding off him.
She never officially learned what this meant, but she had seen it a few times at the volunteer shelter, and it was usually on the more miserable Uvei. Garag was...going through a lot.
"Garag, what..."
Kara clenched her fists. The burning question in the pit of her stomach ended up getting stuck in her throat.
"...so we don't know when he'll wake up. But we're hoping he will."
"I...May I go see him?"
The girl immediately grabbed Garag's arm at his question and fished for the pass in her bag.
(Garag POV)
Poor girl.
From the moment he saw her, Garag could tell that young Kara had been having a hard time. The human's head-fur was disheveled, her eyes were sunken and red, and her body language was lethargic.
He had already been dreading to learn of his friend's fate and seeing his daughter like that made his blood run cold.
Fortunately, it wasn't quite the worst case scenario yet. Kent still lives, and that was enough for him to flatten his tail in relief.
As he hastily stomped through the halls of the S.S. Kevak, the residents of the station and diplomats recoiled and shrunk back even more than usual while he passed. Even with Kara hanging from his back while he sprinted, their expressions were both far too glum and tired to inspire the usual sense of levity.
...No doubt Karnak's little stunt here left the Uvei in a worse position than ever. However, Garag was oddly happy to ignore these concerns.
He was used to being treated as a pariah. What was important was that the one who reached out to him was harmed and that could not stand.
There was a growing list of reasons for him to want that miserable wretch Karnak dead, and striking at the friend who reached out to help their people was near the top.
Soon, they reached the infirmary where a few uniformed Fendansi officials were obstructing the way to Kent's wing.
"I'm sorry sir, but we can't allow outsiders to see him at this time. He is still in recovery from the surgery."
From the look in their eyes, they were prepared to fight him on this. On top of a stature greater than even the Uvei, they were one of the Elder species with standing armies and a higher than average aggression index.
"But I..."
"He's not an outsider. He's a close friend."
A human woman came walking up behind him. Ah...one of Kent's colleagues.
"Ambassador Rogov. It is good to see you again."
She flashed a confident smile.
"It's Councilwoman now. Or at least, for now. I figured I'd find you here, Ambassador Vedin. We have a lot to talk about, but for now..."
Her gaze returned to the Fendansi.
"I'm sure you want to see Kent. Go ahead. Kara...do you mind staying here to sign some permission slips so he can get in?"
"Ah...yes..."
Kara slowly slipped off his back. Did riding his back cause her to doze off a little? She sounded drowsy.
Garag didn't-he couldn't say anything. All he could do was watch helplessly at his sleeping friend.
The arm was, naturally, gone. A device he was all too familiar with was surgically installed in the stump. It was an adapter for prosthetic limbs that was made to accommodate switching between and trying all manner of limbs.
Apparently, using synthetic meat technology to regenerate a limb of flesh and blood wasn't impossible, but it usually felt too unnatural for humans to the point that non-biological limbs were less mentally taxing.
Garag suppressed a guttural growl as emotions came bubbling up. He couldn't help but feel that Nysis's fires of war ended up spreading to the humans in the end.
He slowly rose to his feet and left, content to see Kent still breathing. With the hope that the humans gave him, his friend would wake up again. And if he didn't...he would grieve after doing what must be done.
When he stepped out, Councilwoman Lana was seated in a corner of the waiting room with the dozing Kara and Missus Elora Lewis beside her.
Seeing the girl like this reminded him of how he hadn't eaten or slept since the incident himself. He would need his rest to do his job moving forward. But before that...
"...Thank you for your patience. Now I believe you wanted to talk?"
(Lana POV)
The four of them ended up relocating to Lana's office for a private chat. Kent's office was closer, but...they didn't need further distractions.
"The finer details are here, but I shall summarize them."
Garag reached into a folder strapped to his side and placed it on the table. The Councilwoman took the folder and started flipping through it while the Uven spoke.
"When the footage was released, many Uvei across many nations revolted. Especially in the ones explicitly named in the videos. The nations that were not named quickly and vocally condemned the ones that did. There's some...tenuous history and strained relations between many of them, but they were unified by the common enemy enough to form an alliance."
The Uven Ambassador used a digital map that Lana pulled up to illustrate his report.
"Of the ninety-four nations that were named, twenty of them fell to ruin and thirteen of them had successful coups. The leadership in the remaining nations..."
He paused, frowning and furrowing his brow.
"They...regained control of the unrest in their nations and formed their own uneasy alliance for the purpose of self-defense. Many of them maintain that the evidence was all faked and an attempt by the weaker enemy to eradicate them. Karnak has been especially vocal about this using his position at the Crown Summit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Nysis is now in a World War involving these two sides."
"...I see. What do-"
"W-Why did Karnak stop when Uncle Vellick mention that 'Horiz Rite' thing?"
"........"
When Kara interrupted Lana's question, Garag fell in a contemplative silence for a time, debating something with himself.
Eventually, he let out a soft sigh and looked right at Kara.
"The Heurez Rite is, in short, an archaic tradition for a duel with territory and manpower as the wager. The chieftain it was named after used it in hopes of reducing bloodshed and even unifying the world. Vellick invoked it because part of the rules is that none of either sides' subordinates or allies may be harmed until a duel in one day's time. Nobody really uses it today, but Karnak was pleased to accept because he idolizes the old days and...needed the manpower."
Garag clenched his hand. He took to cutting his claws a long time ago since they were only obstacles to diplomacy, so he was one of the rare few Uven who could form a fist.
"And so, the day after you departed, Vellick had the duel with Karnak. And lost."
"......"
"L...Lost? What do you mean 'lost'?"
Kara's breath grew heavy. Her mother tried to hold her, but she pulled away with her gaze fixed on Garag. The Uven's gaze broke away first.
"I mean that he was defeated in the public duel and executed."
It was Lana's turn to contemplate this new information in silence. This...was bad in all manner of ways. What would she tell Kent? What of the Folstur rescues in Kristole? What influence did Karnak have now?
"I...but...What about Innus?"
"I...don't know. Per the Heurez Rite, I spent the next two days tra...transferring all of Vellick's authority and assets to the victor. I didn't see him again after the duel, and I'm officially here to report and record this transfer of titles."
"You're just ...
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