Chapter Two: Sandstorm
Authors Note: Apologies for the delay, I was sick and started work at a new job which has cut back my time to work on my stories.
Soul Society a week later
Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, slammed his cane down onto the ground calling the emergency captains meeting he had organized to begin. It had been a week since Suì-Fēng's disappearance, any and all search attempts have been hampered by a mysterious ravenous sandstorm that seemed to block any and all movement into the area she was last seen in. "Have there been any changes?" His aged voice echoed throughout the room. A short white haired captain stepped forward "No Head-Captain…the sandstorm has seen to grow worse the closer you get to it…there have also been weird reports to the south." Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the captain of the 10th division, spoke.
"What weird reports?!" Yamamoto demanded as he really wanted to know what could be worse than the disappearance of the commander of the stealth force. A captain with weird face paint stepped forward, this was Mayuri Kurotsuchi, who released four blue hell butterflies "Bakudo 101: Odeon." A screen appeared in between the four hell butterflies, static appeared for a few minutes then it cleared showing a small village outside the main city everything was normal for a few seconds. Then static appeared again as screams were heard and it cleared showing skeletal like machines killing villagers at random, and a shadow as the screen pans up showing a massive fleet of unusual alien warships and behind them a giant planetary body. The screen shorts out again, as Mayuri beckons the butterflies to return to him.
"As you can see, and after the 12th division did some research…these machines are known only as Necron..apparently they are the remains of a dying alien race who made a deal with mysterious God-like beings who trapped them into never-dying mechanical bodies , however not all agreed with this deal, some resorted to black-magic and necromancer and another group made a deal with a devious entity known as Apep, which resulted in a civil war, and it turns out this planet the one we're very on is a Tomb World meaning it was a resting place for the Necrons it seems somehow their tomb is connected to the Soul Society." Mayuri finished his report and stepped back.
Everyone took that information in, and began to digest it slowly. Sōsuke Aizen stepped forward as he pushed up his glasses. "Do you think we can reason with these so-called Necron? It seems to have us on the beat in terms of technology." He noted the strange alien fleet showing the Necron could just bombarded them from a distance. The other Captains had various reactions to this but were silenced by Yamamoto with his cane. "And why would we negotiate with these mechanical invaders?" He asked the pointed question towards Aizen who thought about it for a minute before responding. "Well with all due respect Head-Captain a fight would be pointless. They have advanced technology based on what Mayuri says plus they have that fleet of strange flying machines which I gather they could just use to hit us from long-range, besides they may know where Captain Suì-Fēng is. He stood there waiting patiently for the Head-Captain to respond as the latter just stroked his beard in thought.
The answer came as the doors were blown off in a green sparkling explosion, everyone coughed and shouted in surprise as a strange clunking noise was heard that seemed to be multiplied times ten. A random unseated Shinigami rushed in, "Head-Cap…" He was cut off by a green electrical beam blasting through him and disintegrating him instantly leaving only a slightly glowing burn mark on the floor. A Necron warrior appeared out of the dust cloud, its eyes glowing green as it scanned the room. It shoulder its gauss rifle but did nothing else to attack nor move. Aizen stepped forward and cleared his throat. The warrior turned towards him. Aizen flinched at the cold gaze it gave him. "Why are you here?..What reason do you have for invading the Soul Society?"
The machine said nothing but simply stood aside as two shadowy figures were seen emerging from the slowly disappearing dust cloud. Everyone blinked in shock to see two young females whose appearance matched Yoruichi Shihōin and could be mistaken for twins or even daughters. The one on the left wore a black short skirt and wrappings around her ankles and hands, leaving her feet and fingers free, she wore also a headdress that resemble a lioness, the one on the right wore a watching uniform minus her headdress resembling a jackal. "I'm Bastet…and this is Anubis." Bastet spoke though her ascent was off putting to the shinigami present.
Aizen eyed the two noting their similarity to Yoruichi but chose to be quiet about that. "Glad to see you're sensible…" He spoke calmly but pointedly, Bastet raised an eye on that as Anubis responded as she filed her fingernails. "Glad to see a mortal not think so highly of him or herself…that is the quickest way to die." Aizen narrowed his eyes at that {"Is she calling us Mortals? No matter my plans won't be derailed."} He pushed up his glasses and asked "Why are you here?" Bastet answered as she stretched herself much like a cat would, "Our great lord Nefekare the Deadbringer, is searching for rebels who hide amongst you, we have reason to believe you have one you refer to her as "Rukia Kuchiki" yes?"
Byakuya's eyes widened as he went into older brother mode which surprised even him himself. "My adoptive sister is not a rebel…!" Bastet laughed as she felt one of her commanders trying to reach her and she lightly tapped an earpiece placed into her headdress. "Go ahead Captain Ahhosankh…" She said loudly, not even caring if the shinigami heard her or not. "My lady…we have located the rebel she is being held in some kind of tower, I have it in my sights." Ahhosankh reported through the communicator. Bastet rubbed her chin and then responded "Then fire…quit stalling we have to locate the other one." "By your orders, not a soul will be left standing." Ahhosankh replied gleefully, as communications ended.
Meanwhile in the skies above the Soul Society
A Scythe Class-Harvest Ship known as the Ankh's Ravager floated above the soul Society, some shinigami tried to use Kidō to bring it down which failed due to its advanced shielding. Ahhosankh sat on his throne, amused by the shinigami's futile attempts, as his crew locked onto the Senzaikyū. "Captain, our weapons are locked onto the tower, your orders?" asked one of the many identical crew members who manned the ship. Ahhosankh clenched his fist and then threw it forward "All batteries open fire!" At that moment the Ankh's Ravager unleashed its firepower upon the white tower, easily destroying the tower and the surrounding area. Shinigami watched in awe and in terror as the tower crumbled and being to rapidly fall kicking off a massive dust cloud.
Meanwhile a safe distance away
Rukia watched the destruction of the tower, she knew the Necron were coming but didn't expect them to awaken so soon. She clenched her first, as she felt someone behind her and heard an arrow being shot and the sounds of bodies falling. She didn't even turn around fully as she already knew who it was. "You're late." Rukia responded in prefect Necrontyr as she dusted her shihakushō as she watched the tower that for the past seven days been her home crumble to the ground kicking off a massive dust cloud. A femaine voice rang out in a submissive tone but that still carried some level of authority.
"My apologies my lady…my daughters are creating a distraction as we speak.", Rukia didn't care for excuses, they had a war to finish.
"We're leaving"
Byakuya Kuchiki exited the captains meeting after what had happened, when they tried to apprehend the two Yoruichi lookalikes they and the random Necron warrior all vanish in a flash of green lighting. Even the warship that destroyed the Senzaikyū also vanished, his mind was in a race, but on the outside he felt calm and collected. He had to hurry home and he had a weird feeling of being watched. He looked up at the roofs and spotted several blurs too quick for him to read. When he tried to calm down and sense any approaching Reiatsu signatures he found none that were too threatening.
Then he heard a thunk and looked to his left to find an arrow embedded into the nearby building. He blinked in surprise and turned around only to quickly dodge a Khopesh aimed at taking his head in one fatal swipe. He stumbled and was forced to barrel roll as a second figure attacked him with dual khopesh. {"They're skilled…judging from their weapons and armor they're not from the Soul Society."} His thoughts were interrupted by a kick to his knee, and found himself struggling in hand-to-hand combat and grunted in pain as he was whirlwind kicked in the chest.
Byakuya clutched his throbbing chest, as he discovered he was surrounded and cornered, with archers on the roof. He eyed his surroundings and sighs as he slowly draws his Zanpakutō. "Who are you! What do you want!" He shouts in pain as he coughs as the one assassin looks at her fellows, before speaking "We don't have to speak to you…Apep will feed on your life!" Byakuya noted the ascent was the same as Bastet and Anubis from earlier, there was a clapping sound and the assassins stood aside and bowed as two figures entered the area. Byakuya's eyes widened at the sight of his adoptive sister standing next to a female figure whose frame and body type was similar to Suì-Fēng.
The figure's entire body was covered in bandages and featured light skimpy golden armor and a death mask covering her head, at her hip was a Khopesh. This was Kantho The Cunning, leader of the Daughters of Apep. "My lady?" Kantho asked as she wasn't sure about why they allowed Byakuya to live. Rukia approached Byakuya and placed her hands on either side of his face and whispered "I'm sorry for lying…me and Hisana…" His eyes widened at that Rukia smiled and continued "Yes I know she was my sister, we weren't from this world we're not even dead…well technically yes but not Souls, my real name is Tara The Artist, and Hisana's real name is Phirho The Conjurer." As she was speaking her body and figure changed while it remained the same Tara was now taller, and wore an egyptian style dress with egyptian tattoos all over her body.
Byakuya pulled away as a tear left his eye and he just remained on one knee. As he watched a sandstorm rip through the arena covering the entire Soul Society like a massive blanket. Rukia just watched the sandstrom wrecking the area and as quickly as it came it vanished into thin air leaving the shinigami to dig themselves out.
Meanwhile in another portion of the Soul Society
The wind blew through an abandoned house, toys laid haphazardly around the floor and the door was broken. The sky was gray, and cold. There were overturned carts and stalls and a human skull which was crushed by a metallic foot as a Necron Immortal looked left and right and was leading a platoon of Necron Warriors. Overhead Night Scythe flew overhead in a squadron as several Necron warships floated around as the massive planetary body leered over the surrounded landscape. This was the Dead World, a massive planetary seized space station used as a mobile base operation by the Khamumunzu Dyansty of the disconnected Necron Empire.
Inside the planet green lighting arches overhead as a hooded figure was seen slowly making their way down the halls and towards the main central hub. Several Necron Royal Guards stopped the figure and after a few minutes the door slowly creaked open into a blackened room. Lights then flooded the eerie room as two Royal Guards flanked a sarcophagus with the symbol of the Necron Royal family emblazoned on the front. The hooded figure pushed off its hood revealing it to be Yoruichi Shihōin, the right side of her face was robotic and a skull, she wore a cloak covering her body. She bowed after pushing off her hood and two voices spoke in unison a robotic masuline voice and her original voice spoke as one "My Lord, We have discovered the Black Pyramid." The sarcophagus slowly opened as green smoke emerged from the coffin and lighting flashed behind it.
