interplanetary transport vehicle in his practice uniform and socks What exactly is a gravespace On page eight hundred seventy six of the guide Kayko prepared prepared for you I didn't read that part Please just tell me I'd be delighted sir Gravespaces are small moons that are like cemeteries for certain planets Transport vehicles from these planets regularly drop off the dead on these moons Unfortunately Unfortunately some drivers save time by releasing their loads in the atmosphere above the gravespace This means it is possible to bump into floating bodies or limbs when passing by Yuck Albert said Yuck sir It means disgusting The robot's eyelids blinked Thank you sir Albert sat back down in his chair and twirled around You know you don't have to call me sir all the time What would you like to be called Albert grinned How about Albert the Amazing Unit D blinked again Adjustment made Albert the Amazing Albert laughed and then he started dancing around the and singing I love it I love it I love it spacecraft spacecraft Are you having a seizure Unit D asked Albert danced around the robot This is called being happy he said Humans sing and dance when they're happy Try it Hilariously the robot copied Albert's moves singing I love it I love it I love it Thanks Unit D Albert said You just made my day I don't make days Albert the Amazing but I am honored to 2
pilot and protect You are a hero Albert Kinney You are Zeeno's Star Striker You are popular Albert laughed wishing he had been able to video Unit D's dance I'm popular Fact since winning the johka game against Tev last week your johkadin card is currently the most purchased and traded card in the entire Fuigor Solar System Loving the sound of that Albert plopped back into his chair An alert rang and Unit D turned That is the signal to begin your gear orientation Albert the Amazing The robot pulled a metal container from a cabinet As I'm sure you know from the guide we provided the planet Jhaateez has a similar gravitational pull and similar atmospheric composition to Earth so your breathing breathing implant will suffice there It is cold on Jhaateez much like your Alaska Your smartfabric uniform will protect your core and limbs But you will need several new items They are approved of course by the Fuigor Johka Federation I will also need to apply this to your hands head face and neck The robot picked up a spray bottle Sunblock Frostbite protection A layer of mist coated Albert Blech Smells like rotten fish Unit D's mouth stretched into a smile formation As you know Albert the Amazing I am not programmed to smell Please lift your chin As the stuff dried it tugged slightly on the surface of Albert's skin Next he had to put on high tech knee and elbow pads wrist guards and a helmet Unit D you do know that johka is like soccer and on Earth soccer players don't wear all this stuff right 3
I do know that Albert the Amazing All Zeenods wear protection protection when playing johka on Jhaateez The Jhaateezians however are so agile they avoid injury Unit D handed him one more item New footwear Remember that johka fields on Jhaateez are set in craters of ice Your cleats will allow you to run on the field as normal normal However the icy sides of the crater that surround the field are skateable and your boots have cleats and blades that can emerge or retract on voice command Please practice before we land The fact that johka had evolved with different elements on each of the planets in the Fuigor Solar System was overwhelming especially because some of those elements seemed so dangerous dangerous But this idea of a ring of sloped ice around the field that was actually used in the game just sounded fun Albert had heard from Doz that the last Earthling Star Striker Lightning Lee had enjoyed playing on Jhaateez more than any other planet Following Unit D's directions Albert programmed his boots to respond to his specific voice commands and chose simple words Blade to make the blades emerge cleat for cleats and flat for just the sole And then he put the shoes on and tried out the system while sitting Blade he said Immediately he felt the change He crossed one foot over his other knee to look A blade had extended and the cleats had tucked in Cleat he said and watched as the cleats reemerged and the blade was sucked back in Flat he said and now the cleats sucked in and the bottom of the shoe was flat So cool He wished his shoes on Earth could transform on command He tried it standing up Blade Cleat Flat Blade Cleat Flat With each change he wobbled a little but he figured he'd get used to it As Unit D rambled on about the evolution of johka on Jhaateez Albert tuned out the lecture and thought about his skating skills 4
Over the years his grandmother had given him and his sister Erin ice skates and in line skates in their changing shoe sizes as birthday birthday gifts Every kid should have skates Nana had said And when she visited she would take them roller skating in the summer and ice skating in the winter According to Nana his dad had loved to skate but Albert couldn't remember that All through elementary school Albert and Erin had hosted their birthday parties at the roller rink But after fifth grade he had insisted he had outgrown it Now the thought of being able to switch to skating mode while playing soccer sounded like an exciting challenge Do you have any questions Albert looked up What No. I'm I think I'm good You are good Albert the Amazing I am honored to serve you Prepare for landing Wait Albert said Can I see my medal one more time Albert had wanted to bring home the gold medal from the first game and had promised to keep it a secret from everyone but had learned that the only item from the Fuigor Solar System that he had permission to take to Earth was the communication device known as his Z da Unit D unlocked the safe and Albert pulled the medal out and stared at it The word triumph flashed morphing into translations of the word in the different languages of the Fuigor Solar System System Albert held the solid gold disk in his hands grinning at the weight of it and then reluctantly handed it back The robot tapped the windows lifting the blackout screens and a dazzling scene leaped into view Albert's first flyover of Jhaateez the vast number of icy craters and dunes the frozen rivers and dark green forests and then the cities sparkling as if made with a mosaic of mirrors 5
