Rising Conflict

- "Indeed it's a pleasure to see you again after that stunt your people pulled." Muller was barely holding himself back from lashing out at the man, just the thought that the same incident might repeat itself infuriated him to no end.

Noticing the flat-out anger behind Muller's words Zeke laughed at him before getting back to his work. He practically started to ignore his presence altogether, noticing he was still there Zeke handed the clipboard to another Kritol.

- "So did you have something you needed? I don't remember having bothered you yet, so why are you here my friend?"

- "Friend? We're not friends you lock bug. You have the gall to come on our territory as if nothing happened. Check the crates and search their ships!" Snapping at Zeke he quickly gave out orders to the soldier, yet before they could get moving Zeke interrupted them.

- "I don't think you should do that," With him saying this he flexed his skeletal wings a bit. "I'm not too sure you want to start a war, you never know we might just have something you can't defend against. I assume you know what I'm talking about, you don't want a repeat of the "Incident" you spoke of."

Observing his surroundings and seeing the many civilians, and civilian ships in the area and coming to the realization that he was being reckless and behaved too rashly caused him to calm down. Were they to start conflict at the moment their lives and safety could not be guaranteed.

With this reminder, he signaled the soldiers to escort all civilians out and to lock down the dock for the time being.

He thought to himself, if only General Bavel was here she would be able to scare the Kritol away, getting rid of that thought he needed to stop relying on her and deal with the situation himself or nothing would ever get solved.

With Muller now calm his face returned to the neutral look of a stern middle-aged man, this development entertained Zeke as he raised his eyebrows.

- "Your entry within this city was without authorization, your landing within the docks was unauthorized, and your acquiring of products to take off the planet was without authorization," Raising his hand at these were words his soldiers moved past Zeke to search the boxes the private from earlier pulled out a screen with translated words on it.

"We of the Tower have been given all authority and freedom to search you, your people, and your ships. Were you to attempt to resist, you will be assumed to have in your possession a dangerous item and will be seen as a threat to the people of Unhoh city and the Detrids as a whole."

With a pause, he let loose one more glare toward Zeke. He had stayed professional and serious during that entire speech of his, thoroughly surprising Zeke.

"Are we understood?"

- "O-oh, yes understood," not being able to talk back, Zeke had to just stand there quietly waiting for them to finish searching, fiddling with his fingers.

Within a few moments, a soldier came out of a cargo ship with a small open metal box with light coming out of it.

- "Tower Marshal Sir, we found a stash of Energy Crystals stashed within the ship's main Core compartment, there are several boxes like these, they weren't listed on the supply list, Sir."

- "Oh? Smuggling Energy Crystals are we now? Do the Kritols have so few Energy Crystals that they have to smuggle them off our planet?" Muller couldn't help but scowl at this revelation, they cause conflict with the Detrid people yet here they are trying to steal our resources.

"Search all the ships from top to both five times over! Confiscate and unload every piece of cargo, this will not be overlooked!"

- "Sir yes Sir!" With the loud shouts of all the soldiers, they all went to work and began tagging and unloading the cargo.

Chuckling to himself due to the ridiculousness of the current situation Muller looked to Zeke who was trembling and seething as his face began contorting in anger, he laughed at the man in his head.

- "Zeke, for the sake of keeping this fragile peace for even a moment longer you and your people will not be taken into custody, but you will not be allowed to take a single item off of this planet. Now, gather your people and leave, now!"

Zeke silently returned to his Assault Ship, his troops moved in toe. Watching the Assault ships depart first Muller got a bad feeling seeing them, turning towards the private once again he issued an order.

"Send a Zuu Drone after them, do not let it get caught, and find out where they got those crystals from, subdue them and all those connected with them. Do not let it slip about what the Kritols were doing here, we must not incite distress."

- "Sir yes sir!" With a salute, he ran off to Unhuh City's Tower.

- "Hopefully I'm just imagining things, Coraline Maple!" Calling on a young female soldier with red hair sticking out of her helmet, she stepped forward and saluted.

- "Sir!"

- "Send a message to General Bavel... Tell her to prepare for a Kritol attack, and inform her that they are gathering large amounts of Energy Crystals. You're dismissed."

- "...Understood sir." With a bit of a pause, the woman boarded her ship and took off moments later to return to Brigid Tower.

Spending some more time watching over the dock Muller finally had the chance when he watched as the final Kritol Cargo ship traversed through the sky and left the atmosphere.

- "Make sure there are no dangerous items within the cargo boxes then send them to where they might be needed, once you all finish up the final procedures you are all free to return to Brigid Tower."

- "Sir yes sir!" Shouts echoed throughout the deck while Muller boarded his ship and prepared to take off as well.

While he cruised through the sky the serene feel of flying through the sky was an enthralling feeling and he wished he wouldn't be disturbed from this momentary peace of his, a short-lived wish when a call came in on the ship's AIEboc.

When he clicked on a few buttons the image of Nizael appeared on his side, in the image Nizael was sitting at a desk and filling out papers.

- "Marshall, you sent someone to tell me I should prepare for a Kritol attack, this is quite sudden, I would like you to explain to me in more detail about your reasoning."

When she was speaking to him, she didn't even look up from her papers, and even though she was looking at the papers she seemed worried about something else as her gaze continuously shifted to something out of frame.

- "General, the Kritol are collecting large amounts of Energy Crystals. They were also behaving strangely, seeing as they left without any resistance... I believe they have it in their possession, the "Ring" has mostly been found."

On the mention of the "Ring" Nizael put down her papers and looked at him with a serious gaze in her eyes.

- "Are you absolutely positive that they have found it."

- "No, I can't say I'm a hundred percent sure but Zeke hinted at it when I was conversing with him earlier, but just to be certain I sent a Zuu Drone to tail them."

- "Hmm... Alright, I'll prepare the necessary supplies and run emergency drills so that our troops are prepared for an attack. I need you to notify the other Tower Marshals, tell them to prepare, and to wait for further instructions. Also..."

Nizael stopped before she finished her sentence, she hesitantly struggled to let out the words. Her gaze moved out of the frame once again and lingered there for a few moments as she sighed.

"Asora's rift will open soon... It must be there, go to the rift for me and figure out whether It's there or not, If you were to find it we would have the means to form a counterplan."

- "Figure out if what's there?"

- "The Parallel "Ring". The old passages stated that when the "Rings" were created it was made as a twin pair, we must find the twin in order to defend ourselves if they have truly come into possession of the "Ring", we must find it."

- "General you seem quite knowledgeable about this, how come you can't go there, why do you need me to?"

- "Well you're the most trustworthy person under me, but most importantly I must stay at home and look after my granddaughter. Nothing takes precedence over her."

Even though it was a virtual image, Muller could tell how serious and devoted Nizael was to her granddaughter. She had often bragged about and talked about her yet he just no understood the depth of her feelings for her granddaughter.

A rare smile graced his lips at the wholesomeness that was this grandmother who was completely and blindly in love with her granddaughter.

- "Understood General," With that the Nizael disconnected the call, leaving Muller alone to cruise through the darkening sky accompanied only by the low humming of the ship's engine.