Chapter 04

"Is it time?" Mark asked.

"Yes."

This was the moment he had been preparing for since he was born almost seventeen years ago. Jason slid the small metal object from his finger and held it out to Mark. It was his most powerful weapon. The silver ring had an engraving of a running wolf that pulsed in light-blue light. He slid it onto his ring finger. It shrank until it was a perfect fit.

"Remember. It's going to be difficult at first, but—"

Mark was already focusing. Slowly, light-blue particles from the air started to come together into a central line in his open hand. The weight of it started to gain as more particles came together. The final product started to form from the hilt to the tip upon completion.

It was a katana, but not just any katana. It had a wolf's head as the sword's guard with its mouth open like it was eating the blade. This weapon was the sharpest blade in the known universe. It could cut things down to the molecular level. It also had a secret function that Mark found to work better than any blaster he shot. It can throw powerful arcs, or what they call "echoes," of the sword like throwing knives without ever actually throwing the sword. A single swing could pummel dozens of Drax easy if he knew how to use it. The longer he held it in his hand, the more he realized the sword weighed almost nothing.

"I now bestow upon you my son, Mark O'Connor, the blade of our ancestors: Wolfbane."

He lifted Wolfbane high in the air. He could feel the energy it was giving off run through his whole body. It was electric. Blaez and Edon both looked at it like it was something they never saw before.

"Now, you must be very careful with this. You could hurt or even kill somebody with it. Only use it during simulations. Also, I want you to keep your katana on your person at the same time. You need to wean off of it to adjust to how Wolfbane feels. I'll be using my own as a substitute."

"Is it still true that this is the only one known to exist?"

He nodded. "Scientists are still trying to replicate it, but since the original blueprints were destroyed and left behind on Earth, we've had no luck in successfully making a copy of our own. We don't even know what material it's made of."

"But, if you do, will you get one, too?"

"Of course. I've been using it for years. It feels a little lonely without it on right now, but I'll get used to it. Maybe I'll make a copy-cat out of titanium to make it feel like it's still there. Either way, Wolfbane is now yours."

"I can't wait to show James and Sara this," he said excitedly.

"Just remember—"

They said it at the same time.

"Be responsible."

"I know, Dad."

"I know you know. Just making sure you don't forget. Listen, I don't think I'm going to make it to supper tonight, okay champ? I've got some work to do."

Wolfbane disappeared. Mark looked into his dad's eyes.

"Did something happen?"

"Nothing serious. Just a couple of minor incidents. I'm looking into it with James's father. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so."

He looked at his hand like he just painted his fingernails.

"This is gonna be awesome."

"We did have a breakthrough," Jason said. "We perfected Spacial Fragmentation. We can transport long distances across space if we want to. If we ever need to escape or get back to Earth quickly, it'll be almost instantaneous."

"That's neat," Mark said. "Will the TransArks have it?"

"They already do," he said. "The last Frag Drive was installed about an hour ago. Now we can travel in subspace. It's an exciting new development. It could lead to a spacial expansion in the future."

"Are you sure there's nothing else going on?" Mark asked. "It feels like you're hiding something."

Jason sighed.

"We detected a couple of ships entering our airspace this morning. We think it's the Drax."

Mark's heart started to race. Do they know we're here?

"Right now, we're confident that they have no idea we're here. We have RFID blockers on the surface, and all of our ships sitting outside of the planet are inside. We're practically invisible."

Mark thought silently. If the Drax showed up, the protocol would be to evacuate to the TransArks and regroup to another quadrant in the solar system. They didn't have to fight right away. He would get in contact with his friends and make sure they were safe.

"There you go," Jason said to his son. "That look you make when you're thinking. Don't overthink it. I'm pretty confident we'll be alright here. We'll just lie low for a few days until they leave. Then everything can go back to normal."

"I couldn't imagine leaving the colony," Mark said. "It's weird to think about."

"It can be... scary. I know I would be scared. Still, I would like for you to stay at James's place tonight while I'm away. I want to make sure someone has eyes on you, and I trust Dom more than anyone else in the colony."

"Sure. I'll stay there tonight."

"Good. If his parents don't want to deal with your teenage attitude, I can issue an executive order if necessary."

He was joking, of course.

"Dad, you know they love it when I come over."

"I know, champ. I'm just messing with you. Stay safe. Keep close contact with Sara, too. If I contact you, I expect an answer back."

"I know, Mom."

Mark went a little too far with that one. His father's smile wavered when he said that. Mark looked down at the floor.

"Sorry," he said.

He felt his warm hand on his shoulder.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

Then, with that, he turned and left. Edon gave Mark one last look before following his master to his work.

"Well, Blaez. It looks like we've got a sleepover tonight."

~~~

"Your parents are generous," he said to James.

Mark plopped down on his bed as James did some stretches.

"Yeah. I wish I were a little more like them."

"Well, if you were, you wouldn't be James, would you?"

He looked at my hand and saw the ring.

"Mark, is that... Wolfbane?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

He focused, and within two seconds, Wolfbane formed in his hands.

"It's so cool," he said. "Can I hold it?"

"Sure. Just don't swing it too hard or it'll rip a hole in the wall."

He took it from Mark's hands and took his stance, which was him holding the sword with both hands above his right shoulder.

"Wow. It's heavier than I thought."

He brought the sword down slowly to his left.

"It's because you're not wearing the ring," Mark said.

He removed his communicator while James moved the sword around and stretched it out until it was stiff. It was now a tablet. He went into his library and continued one of the books he had started reading a while ago. He loved to read.

"What are you reading?" James asked.

"A novel about what Earth used to be like."

"What date?"

"Nineteen forty-seven."

"That's... over eight-hundred years ago."

"Yeah. It's really interesting to see what technology was like back then."

"Back when they had wooden toothbrushes and no showers. Ha!"

"Well, we might be doing that soon, too."

"What?"

Wolfbane disappeared. Oops.

"Oh. Never mind."

James looked into his empty hands.

"Mark, now you're just holding out on me. If something is going on, please tell me."

He knew he would be digging a hole deeper for himself if he did. Then again, it would be the same if he didn't.

"Only because you're my best friend and Dad trusts you. They found a couple of Drax drones on patrol around Pluto."

"The Drax? What are they doing out there?"

"I don't know. My dad wanted me to stay with you tonight as a precaution."

"Did you tell Sara, yet?"

"Not yet. I'll give her a call."

He tapped her contact, but she didn't answer.

"Probably suppertime for her. Send her a message instead"

He typed a quick message.

[Drax patrols in the area. Tell no one. Keep in Touch.]

"Boys! Supper!" James's mom called them from the dining room

"That's our cue," James said.

At the dinner table, James's Dad, Mr. Tanner, talked about random stories of various crimes committed in the colony. Nothing was really serious.

"People are getting restless," he said. "They want some kind of excitement, so they'll do anything to find it, even if it's illegal."

"At least we don't have diseases like the old world," James said.

"Since your father already told you, Mark," Dom said, "there's no reason to keep it secret. Monet, we found a couple of Drax patrols above the surface of Pluto."

She put a hand over her mouth.

"Do they know where we are?"

"We don't think they suspect anything. All of the seals have been put in place and blockers are active. They can't see us."

"Why does it have to be kept secret, then, if there's nothing to worry about?" James asked.

Mr. Tanner took a deep breath.

"Because that's not the only thing we found. We also picked up traces of a larger ship. A... command ship."

Mark choked on his roast. He took a swig of water.

"Dad never told me that."

"He might not have wanted you to lose sleep over it. I probably shouldn't have said anything, either."

Mark was still glad that he told him. His dad never tells him anything. This time, he would tell him off for it.

"Can I be excused for a moment?" He asked.

"Sure, honey," Mrs. Tanner said.