Chapter 26: Tenrou, the Heroic Ferocity

To say that it was an ordinary day on Saturn Space Station 02 was an oxymoron--no, it was a miracle. If anything, the old space station rotating around the massive ringed planet was anything but ordinary, so to say that the day was average was in fact a lie (in short, the “average” day was filled with strange goings-on, while those days that were out of the ordinary were actually quite bland).

In any case, the day was quiet and serene, and reasonably calm. Nobody knew how to approach a day like that, since it was such a rare occurrence, so they did the only thing they could, and took that particular day off. Five people in particular enjoyed that very day, as their destination led them to a beautiful apartment complex on the “good” side of the streets. The second space station over Saturn was old and decrepit, but compared to the slums of Earth, it was a hospitable paradise. It was in one of these fine homes where Gregory Rodriguez and his crew were headed to. Their destination?

A visit to his mother, of course.

“Don’t worry about being on your best behavior,” said Greg as he unlocked the door. “My mother’s a really awesome lady. She won’t care if you goof off a bit.”

“It shows,” muttered Cattia, who was accompanying him that day. In fact, the whole “gang” was there to see this woman, namely Jerwon, Cattia, and Tania. Dana had met Greg’s mother before and liked her very much, and after spending a few visits with the older lady, she could understand a bit how Greg acted, considering who had raised him. Joellen Maeve Gelasso Rodriguez Cordell, which was her full name, was as wild and loving as the husband she had lost, yet also a frail spirit beneath. Greg loved her to death, but perhaps more so now, since she was his only living relative left.

“Cute,” muttered Greg. “Dana, would you set Cat here straight?”

“Sure.” Smiling a little, Dana Withers gazed at her friend and offered a lazy shrug. “Listen, Cat. Shift’s mother is a really wicked-awesome lady. Trust me, you’ll like her the second you meet her. She’s got a really timid and gentle spirit, though, and some of her fire’s been quenched out by something that happened in the past--I’m guessing her husband’s death--but don’t worry, she’s really great.

“And Jerwon,” said Dana as she kneeled down to his level, “try not to make a scene. Joellen will call you ‘kid’ and ‘junior’ and ‘little guy’ until that copper face of yours turns blue, and I mean that in a literal sense. Just keep your cool and you’ll be surprised how easily you like her.” Poor Jerwon held his tongue through some great miracle, and darkly nodded his head. Tania could empathize with him a little, considering how smallish she was, so the two of them had a good rapport going.

When Greg opened the door, a violent squeal came out of the room, and in a flash, a middle-aged woman was rushing towards him. With a cry of “Hey, ma!!”, Greg enveloped his mother in his arms, and the two crushed each other together in a fierce hug.

“Holy bejeesus, Greg! How much more growing do you think you have left?!”

“Aw, shut up!” he laughed. “Can’t you just say hello like all the normal mothers?”

“Who’re you calling normal, buster?!” growled the woman. Greg, his mother, and Dana all let out a violent laughter, and the woman stopped squeezing her son just long enough to smile at Dana.

“Oh, hey Dana! What’ve you been up to recently? You haven’t been a bad influence on my son, have you?”

“Looks like I’ve been found out,” smiled Dana. She and the older woman embraced as well, and expressions of “I’ve missed you” and “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you” and “You’re looking great” were exchanged. Greg’s mother, Joellen, held Dana in one of her arms and Greg in the other, and grinned madly at the trio standing awkwardly in the door.

“Heh? Hey, Greg, who are these guys? Friends’a yours?”

“Yeah, they’re my buddies I met while I was away. This gentleman you see here is Jerwon.” Jerwon Nodsten was initially shocked when he heard Gregory address him as a gentleman, but the amazement quickly wore off as Joellen Rodriguez cooed over him.

“Aww, he’s such a cute and sweet little guy! Hey, kid, how old are you? Is this little girl here your sweetheart?”

“No, ma’am,” giggled Tania. “We’re just friends. Jer says he’s too old for me.”

“ ... Cute ... sweet ... little guy ... kid ... sweetheart ... Jer...”

“Hm?” Joellen gazed at Jerwon in a confusion, and asked her son what his problem was.

“Hey, Greg, what’s the kid’s problem? His face is all red and he doesn’t look very happy. Oh, I know--he’s embarrassed because this young lady here claimed she wasn’t his girlfriend.”

“That’s ... not the issue, ma,” said Greg meekly. He gave his mother a watery smile, and took her away to speak about Jerwon and the others in private. Before sneaking away completely, he gave a sympathetic look to the short Leduadian, and mentally said “I warned you, buddy“.

“ ... That woman...”

“Hey, you can’t say that he didn’t warn you,” shrugged Cattia. “I guess that sort of thing is genetic. Oh hey, uh, Jerwon, do you really have a crush on Tania here?”

“NO!!“

“Jeez, no need to snap at me!” Cattia groaned, and let an expletive whisper out of her mouth before making herself at home. Tania and Dana eventually joined her, leaving Jerwon to steam by himself. Tania let out a sigh, and walked over to him with a sympathetic look on her face.

“Listen, Jer, you’ve gotta remember that, to these people, you look like a small, young, cute little kid. I know that’s only your outer shell, and on the inside you’re very mature, but you honestly can’t blame them for what they’re saying. I mean, I get it all the time, but it doesn’t bother me anymore.”

“You don’t understand,” he hissed. “I shouldn’t look like this! If only I had that stupid kik plant...”

“But you don’t,” pointed Tania, “and so you’re going to have to deal with it. Here, come here, I’ll make you something to drink. Hey Dana--”

“Don’t bother,” advised the older woman. “Joellen will do it for you. Just let her spoil you, guys. That woman deserves to be happy, and this is just one thing she loves doing. Just make yourselves at home, okay?” Jerwon and Tania agreed, and joined the other two ladies as they reclined and rested.

Greg came back with his mother after a few minutes, both of them looking a little sheepish. Joellen smiled warmly but awkwardly as she approached Jerwon, and with a sigh, she managed out an apology.

“I’m very sorry, sir,” she said. “I didn’t realize how sensitive you were to ... well, everything that I was saying. From what Greg has told me, it seems that you really are a fine young man--erm, I mean, a fine young Leduadian. I truly do apologize for my insensitive actions, and I hope you can forgive me.” Jerwon hung his head and sulked, and from the looks he was getting from Tania, a lot of guilt was now riding on his small shoulders.

“All right. I forgive you, Mrs. Rodriguez.”

“Please dear, call me Joellen! That goes for you two ladies as well! Feel free to call me by name!”

“Sure thing, Jo,” shrugged Cat. The older woman laughed out loud, and suddenly tackled the scarred blonde. Joellen wrestled Cattia to the ground, and demanded the other woman give up and proclaim her the winner. Cattia, who was famous for getting out of tight situations, could not even budge from the grip of Joellen Rodriguez.

“ ... Ow! Hey! L’eggo of me, lady! I ... I can’t breathe!”

“Say uncle!” demanded Joellen. “Say uncle!”

“Stay in there!” shouted Dana merrily. “Don’t give up! C’mon, Space Cat, show us that famous evasive technique of yours!” Cattia glared up at her friend, but was put in an impossible headlock before long. Cattia was completely pinned by Greg’s mother, and only by surrendering could she escape. Dana laughed out loud as the famous Space Cat found herself unable to get out of a jam; Greg merely rolled his eyes.

“Jeez Louise, mom ... Go easy on her! I mean, it’s not pop you’re fighting here...” Joellen smiled sweetly at her son, and stood up from the floor to stretch out her weary muscles.

“Whew ... sorry, sweetie. It’s just a habit of mine. You’re right, I need to stop doing that.”

“I’ll say!” snarled poor Cattia as she rubbed her collarbone. “You nearly broke my neck!”

“Oh, darling, do you think I would ever hurt you?” smiled Joellen. Cattia snarled but said nothing. Secretly, as Dana had predicted, she was liking the spunky woman quite a bit. Even Jerwon was starting to admire her, despite the “insults” she had mistakenly given him earlier. With another sigh, mother and son sat down on the chairs scattered around, and the social hour began.

“So, why did you visit your old mother today, son?” asked Joellen. “I mean, I love the fact that you even recognize I’m still alive, but you gotta have another reason.”

“Nope,” he admitted, “I just felt like seeing you today. You know, check up on you. I haven’t seen you in months, ma.”

“That’s true. Say, does anybody need anything? It’s warm outside, but I can make cold drinks if you want any.”

“I could really use some cold tea, ma’am,” said Jerwon. Joellen smiled at him brightly.

“Please, call me Joellen! I don’t like to be addressed formally! So, tea is it?”

“ ... Yes, Joellen.”

“Great! Ladies, anything for you? Dana, Greg, the usual?”

“Not today, Jo,” replied Dana. “I’m waterlogged enough as it is.”

“Hard day outside?” A pause.

“You could say that...”

“Nothing illegal, I hope!”

“Mom!!”

“Sorry,” she chuckled. “All right, all right. Tea for everybody, all right?”

“Ugh, none for me,” sneered Tania. “Can you get me chocolate milk?” Joellen smiled impishly at the young lady, and gave her a wink.

“I’ll see what I can do.” In a moment, the sprightly lady was out of her chair and buzzing around the kitchen, whipping drinks up like a bartender. Greg smiled fondly as the matronly woman busied herself with glasses and mixes, and for even a short moment, it was like his horrible past had never been, and he truly was back with people he could love and trust easily. Nobody in the group, not even Dana, knew exactly what kind of history the young man had, though they had asked him several times. He just wasn’t the type to reveal anything.

“So, what have you all been up to?” asked Joellen as she busied herself. “I see you’ve made some friends, but what else? How did you guys meet, anyway?”

“Ho boy,” sighed Greg wearily, “it’s a really long story.”

“I’ve got the time.”

“You sure? Gee, I don’t know how to abbreviate it...”

“Just tell me how you met these three,” pointed Joellen. “I can assume the rest.”

“Well,” said Dana, “Cat and I met ... well, kind of by accident, really. I assume you know of the legendary Space Cat?”

“Can’t say I have,” mentioned Joellen. Cattia whined out in extreme disbelief, and Joellen chuckled. “Sorry, hon. But you met by accident, right?”

“Yeah,” sighed Dana. “Cat and Tania are sisters, so that’s how we met her. As for Jerwon...”

“You remember Sayrah?” asked Greg. Joellen gazed at her son fondly, and gave him a very warm smile.

“How could I ever forget? Was Mr. Nodsten one of the people she was caring for?”

“Sort of,” shrugged Greg. “He was really just staying with her for awhile. Jerwon gets real attached to people he likes, so you can only imagine how long he was with Sayrah.”

“Years, probably,” mused Joellen. She finally finished all the drinks, and walked over to serve her son and his friends. “There you go. I hope you all like it. Dana, honey, I got you a glass of water just in case.” Dana smiled fondly at the older lady, and took the cold glass in her hands.

“Thanks. You always did treat me like a daughter--or at least a niece.”

“I prefer the term ‘niece’ better,” muttered Greg as he drank his water. “I couldn’t imagine Dana being my sister.” Joellen chuckled at her son and gave him a gentle tap on the arm, then switched the subject slightly since things were looking like they were going nowhere.

“Oh, you ... Say, you wanna know what I just read in the papers? I hear the GMTC is taking in applications. You know, your father and I used to apply to that thing all the time when we were your age. Of course, I never got in myself, and he only got in once, and was sadly taken out in the first round ... but oh, those were the days!”

“I’m thinking of entering myself,” said Greg as he sipped his drink. Joellen smiled and gave him a hearty slap on the arm.

“There’s my boy! Go out and test your skills against the best fighters in the galaxy! Of course, you won’t win--I mean, let’s not delude ourselves--but the learning experience alone will be good for you.” Greg smiled faintly and silently agreed with his mother; Jerwon, on the other hand, was confused.

“The ... what?? What’s a GMTC?”

“The Galactic Maximus Tournament of Champions,” explained Greg. “Mom and I just call it GMTC for short. What, you mean you’ve never heard of it?” A pause.

“ ... Not really. Should I have?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s this massive tournament they hold every two years that feature only the best fighters in the whole galaxy, or something like that. Gosh, is it really that time of year again?”

“I guess,” shrugged Joellen. “Do you know anybody else that might enlist?”

“Yeah, I know Sahn’s gonna be in there for sure,” grumbled Greg. “That little devil couldn’t stay away from a fight unless he was dead. I don’t know anybody else who’d be in there, though...”

“Hold on!” exclaimed Jerwon. “I still don’t understand it all! Can somebody explain to me everything there is to know about this ... what was it again?”

“The GMTC,” said Joellen. “I know, it’s a long name. The organizers of the whole tournament wanted to make it sound like a big grand spectacle, but except for two or three tournaments I’ve seen, it’s mostly been a few flops and disappointments. There just aren’t that many good fighters in the galaxy anymore...”

“ ... I’m still confused,” moaned Jerwon. Joellen laughed out loud, ruffled the Leduadian’s greenish-black hair, and bade him to stand and follow her.

“You’re so silly, Mr. Nodsten! Here, you’re in luck. There’s a representative of the GMTC running around this space station somewhere, promoting the whole thing to everybody who doesn’t know about it. They do that sort of thing. Anyway, why don’t we all go down and see if we can’t find this person? I’m sure they’ll be able to give us some information.”