Story 2. Numa and Yei-Yei

Numa sighed as his sector partner, Daigoda, let an almost microscopic broken tech-bug go free. The only reason Numa and Daigoda could see the mechanical creature's pain is because they too, were small.

"There you go, little friend, freedom!" Daigoda said as the tech-bug flew toward an interplanetary terminal, where it would certainly find a planet to call home.

Numa shook his head, "What, in the name if the Intergalactic Federation, was that about?"

Daigoda gave him the evil eye. Numa knew darn well what that was about. Freedom. Daigoda had always dreamed of being free, like all of those classified as beings in the Intergalactic Nation. Vegaian engineers were treated like slaves and had no rights when the Octian race got the federal seat. Things had gone into a downward spiral, and soon, the current Federal Commander, Vilgax, would be a dictator who could do what ever he wanted. Daigoda despised Vilgax. She hoped he would die.

Numa sighed, he knew that those who spoke out against the Federal Commander would be punished and shunned, and he didn't want Daigoda to end up like the last activist, left to implode in the vacuum of deep space. Female Vegaians were the least respected beings. Only a tiny margin above wild beasts. Once the married, Vegaian women were bound to the home, expected to be obedient. For these reasons, Numa tried to keep Daigoda's wild, liberal nature under control. Daigoda was Numa's best friend, the only one who mattered, so he didn't want her flogged or married off against her will. Numa would marry her himself, but he knew Daigoda would be so mad at him.

"I had that dream again." Daigoda said as they headed back to work.

"What dream?" Numa asked as a guard watched them pass.

"THAT dream." Daigoda said.

"Daigoda, you have tons of dreams, saying 'THAT dream' doesn't help."

Daigoda rolled her eyes, and said "The one about, you know, that planet, that beautiful, beautiful planet."

Numa stopped. His eyes grew wide. Not THAT dream! Daigoda never focused on work after that dream. Thousands of workers were injured because of THAT dream. Daigoda had taken a left when Numa stopped calculating how many times Daigoda could have THAT dream and not end up dead.

"NUMA! COM'ERE! IT"S HORRIBLE!" Daigoda yelled from afar.

Numa ran to Daigoda's side, there it was, a giant beast from Andromeda Prime. Orange in color, it was fighting to break out of its cage. On the side of the cage, it read "To be executed."

"Oh no!" Daigoda cried, "The poor thing's going to be killed off and made into a coat for a politician's wife or something equally horrible!"

Numa became worried. Not for the animal, but for what Daigoda might do. But before he could say anything, Daigoda was off. She pushed the button to open the cage, and the animal was free. Sirens flashed, alarms cried, and Numa said in a panic, "We've got to get out of here!" Daigoda ran after him, and the beast ran after Daigoda. The trio ran from the sector, and boarded a small, insignificant delivery vessel.

"Now look at what you did! We're going to get tortured for this, IF we're lucky!" Numa said as he tried to find a comfortable spot.

"They were going to KILL Yei-Yei!" Daigoda said. She sputtered a few things about freedom and life and peace as Numa sat in shock.

"YOU NAMED IT?" He said. "Oh, no no no no no, you can't NAME it!"

"Oh, and why not?" Daigoda said, hand on her hips.

"It's not yours! And, if you NAME it, you'll get ATTACHED to it!"

"He's not anybody's! And besides, he likes the name Yei-Yei; it was my great-great grandfather's name!"

"It isn't a he it's an it! And who cares about your stupid great-great grandfather! No-one!"

Daigoda stood silent for what seemed like hours, and choked out, "My stupid great-great grandfather was the last Vegaian politician."

Yei-Yei growled at Numa as if to say, "Now you did it, moron."

Days later, they were found. Daigoda was taken to the torture room almost immediately. Yei-Yei and Numa were spared, and as they waited for punishment, Numa petted Yei-Yei, saying everything was going to be okay, and it was just a bad dream for everyone. But Yei-Yei could hear her screams, and Yei-Yei knew it was all too real. Numa hated to see Yei-Yei like this, and he hated not seeing Daigoda even more.

Before five days passed, Numa had received a letter, which had been shoved toward him by an intergalactic messenger. The letter read:

Dear Mr. Numa (And Yei-Yei),

Your great intelligence and skills are incredible, only matched by your courage, and they are greatly admired by us. We ask you to come to the Intergalactic Science Laboratory on the 5th moon of the crystal planet Kaplavastu to be part of a special invention. This invention, the Omnitrix, is a crucial point in bio-technology and is on the cutting edge of super-science. Our vessel will be arriving at high noon on the space station you are currently inhabiting tomorrow. Please attend. If you do, we will release Miss Daigoda.

The Intergalactic Federation of Science

As Numa read the letter aloud, he barked, as if to say, We have to go.

Numa nodded, and smiled. They were going to save Daigoda.

By any means they could.