Thank you to all the reviewers and supporters of Solar Wind 7. Please enjoy the next chapter.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Henri Thiry
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taranee gazed over the open field as she sat below a large tree. She smiled as a gentle breeze caressed her skin. Flowers of blue, yellow, and orange were blooming in the field to make a fantastic picture. She stretched and decided to lie on her back and stair up at the clouds.
"What a peaceful dream," Taranee sighs as the white fluff casts shadows onto the ground below. She knew this world was a dream because she had fallen asleep on the Solar Wave and was told it would be quite some time before they reached their destination.
"What is a dream but the peaceful painting of the heart," a calm gentle voice says over the landscape. Taranee sits up slowly to see a boy of about seventeen with short hair that was a mixture of the colors silver and blue. He wore a white tee shirt with a gold Hawaiian shirt over it and baggy tan pants while a long tattered white cloak blew in the breeze.
"Who are you," Taranee asks standing up while the boy picks a flower and hands it to her. It was spectacular and appeared to be the only flower like it in the field. It had bright red petals that were white at the tip while in the middle was a spectacular orange ring.
"I am but a travelling soul," the boy says walking around and inspecting the woman before him, "forced to be in eternal musings."
"Do you have a name," Taranee asks blushing at all the attention from this boy. She was twelve when she was taken from Earth, but according to Raico she had aged to be seventeen as well.
"That I do," the boy says with a caring grin before stopping to stare into Taranee's eyes with his own compassionate grey ones. Taranee blushed more but then became curious by the fact that an entire galaxy seemed to be swirling within the pupil.
"Names are things that are given to us," the boy says stepping closer to the dark skinned woman. "We do not consciously make that decision."
"Okay," Taranee says with a gulp, "but what does that have to do with what your name is?"
"If I said my name you would know me," the boy says as he slowly starts to vanish, "but the truth is that you already do, Taranee-kun."
"Wait," Taranee says reaching out a hand to the boy as he completely vanishes. Then the world shatters around her.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Taranee slowly opens her eyes and looked around at the replica of her room on the Solar Wind. She turned to the alarm clock which told her she still had a couple of hours before Jase's "training exorcise would begin. Hopefully then she would learn why she was plucked from her world, and when she would be able to go back. If she would be able to go back that is.
She sat up and let out a tired yawn. There wasn't much else to do other than try to get back to sleep, but the problem was that she wasn't really tired anymore. She stood up slowly and stretched her caramel arms in front of herself. She was still wearing that suit thing, partially because it was the only thing she had, but thankfully Raico helped her get used to changing its appearance so it at least now looked like a decent pair of Earth pajama's.
That's when the pain in her heart struck her. The young Fire Guardian was homesick. What could have happened in the five years that she had been gone? Surely styles would have changed and the attire she wore would be "out" as a certain blond haired woman would put it. Then again Taranee was never in to the style of the times.
She grins as she starts to remember her friends, and decides it might be best to walk around the ship, if only to acclimate herself to her surroundings. She stands by the foot of her bed and quickly wills her clothes to change into a pair of blue jeans and a light orange t-shirt.
She left the room quickly and noticed that the long aluminum hallway was darkened and slightly foreboding. Then she saw something out of the corner of her eye vanish behind the corner on the edge of the hall.
"So you are awake too," a calm voice enters her mind.
"Who's there," Taranee mentally responds looking around wildly.
"The red haired one is kind of cute," the voice echoes in her head, "her name is Will correct?"
"What are you some sort of mind reader," Taranee responds once more.
"I'm also psychokinetic," the voice says, "and don't try your thermo or pyrokinetics. They will not help you here." Suddenly, a woman dressed all in black grabs onto the girl's shirt and slams her into the metal wall behind her. Taranee couldn't see her body, but the fire maiden could see their face though it was covered with an elaborate mask that looked as if it were a one eyed skull.
"Who are you," Taranee whispers as her eyes widen in fear.
"I am Ixtab," the woman says with a chuckle ass he brushes a hand across Taranee's cheek causing the area to go numb. "You have matured wonderfully Amunet."
"But Ixtab is the…" Taranee mumbles as her powers start to heat her body while Ixtab's powers slowly take the heat away.
"Mayan Goddess of Suicide," Ixtab says as rope like tendrils of energy start to wrap around Taranee's neck. Within seconds of the tendrils tapping the dark skinned girl's body she couldn't breathe, it was as if something was choking her. "And Amunet is the Egyptian Goddess of Mystery."
"Get your creepy stuff off her," a friendly voice shouts before Taranee is released from the woman's grip. Taranee coughs loudly as air returns to her lungs. The human then looks up to see Easi standing and ready for a fight. It was definitely a sight that would make even someone as strong as Vathek back down like a frightened kitten.
"You are strong Gaia," Ixtab says as she turns to face Easi, and also hard to read. Ixtab grinned evilly while wiping a trail of green blood from her lip. "You're strong enough to hurt even me."
"How are you still standing," a girl that Taranee had never seen before says. She had long golden hair that reached down to her lower back. She stared at Ixtab with piercing green eyes. All that was covering her was a long ruby jacket while tight denim pants wrapped her legs. "Not even a Juges can withstand a full powered hit from that girl's kind, and let alone come out of it with just a scratch."
"Be silent Lucifer," Ixtab growled as her attention was now split between the three of the women in the hallway.
"Don't know who that is," the blonde says with a growl, "but my name is Nokata, and you better remember it."
"Like I fear you," Ixtab says, "but alas my time here is over. Fair well Amunet, Gaia, and Lucifer." Ixtab then melds into the shadows and is thus gone.
"Who was that," Easi asks as she kneels down to make sure Taranee was okay. "And what where those three names she used to refer to us."
"She's someone who deserves to be on the pointed end of my lance," Nokata growls as she walks by the two, "I'll go inform the captain and thus wake everyone up."
"She said she was a god," Taranee answers Easi's question, "and the names she used for the three of us where all from religions back on Earth."
"I see," Easi says helping Taranee up.
"Easi," Taranee asks out of curiosity," how much do you weigh."
"Two hundred forty seven pounds," Easi says proudly, "and I'm a skinny person."
"Weight must give her kind bragging rights," Taranee thinks to herself, "but that woman survived a blow from a creature that could easily lift almost one and a half tons, and was virtually unfazed. What was she?"
"The captain will no doubt want to hear every word." Easi says as she and Taranee head toward the bridge.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nokata had gathered everyone on the bridge and Taranee had explained everything that had happened. The Earthling then took notice of the other beings two people that she had yet to meet. Both were boys and were about the same height. One had long black hair and stared at Taranee with cold white eyes, while the other wore a long black coat and looked much more peaceful. His shoulder length crimson hair was wild and messy. He had gentle brown eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe themselves. He was almost an exact male Will.
"So this Ixtab ran," the black haired man says, "she must have been scared of you Nokata."
"Of course she was," Nokata says with a grin that reveals her fangs. "I am the best among us as a physical specimen."
"If I remember right," Easi says getting angry at the comment, "I was the one that actually hit the chick."
"That's enough," Jase says as he finally enters the room, "I overheard the explanation, and all three of you were lucky that Ixtab isn't a fighter."
"I'm guessing she's not that tough then," Raps says with his usual sigh.
"Unfortunately," Jase says ignoring the comment, "I did not want to brief you on this until we made planet fall at headquarters."
"Brief us about what," Taranee asks.
"About the group of beings that Ixtab belongs to," Jase says, "they seem to be like you and come from a variety of worlds, but each are named after a particular Earth god, and possess incredible abilities that their species would not naturally have."
"Hence why Ixtab was able to withstand Easi's blow," the crimson haired boy speaks as he gentle walks over to Taranee. "Are you sure that you are well Mistress of Flame."
"What," Taranee says surprised by the boy's choice of words to address her. She then grins and rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"That's good," the boy says placing out a hand, "we have not been introduced. My name is Dryad."
"Taranee Cook," Taranee says shaking the boy's hand.
"It's great that the little crybaby is well and all," Nokata says with a growl of disdain for the girl. Not only had the human gotten the powerful friends. She had also gotten the boy that was a mystery to all of them as they only knew the boy's name and nothing else.
"Shouldn't we be worried about how Ixtab got on board?" The black haired boy says only to get elbowed in the gut by Nokata.
"Interrupt me again Aegis and I'll rip out your tongue," Nodaka angrily growls.
"I didn't sense anything on my scanners," S.W responds to the comment, "it is possible that it was some kind of projection."
"I never heard of a hologram that could hurt people," Raico says calmly.
"Like Nerissa," Taranee mumbles out loud.
"What was that Fire Maiden," Dryad asks and seems to be the only one that noticed.
"Nothing," Taranee says quickly. She didn't know why but she still felt she needed to hide the fact that she was a Guardian. "Just thinking out loud."
"I see," Dryad responds.
"Anyway," S.W interrupts, "we are about to arrive at Planetary Wind HQ." The ship then drops out of what Taranee assumed was warp speed to look over a large green colored planet that had one large blue ocean.
"Welcome to Terraqua," Jase says, "the planet itself is a supercontinent and super sea. On the largest bay on the continent is the city of Chassi, and the only city on the planet is located. It is there you will be further briefed and assigned permanent lodging when not on the Solar Wave."
"Everyone please brace for planet fall," S.W says as the ship enters the atmosphere toward the ocean below.