Ko-lee, Rease, Caz-V, Ella, and I all enter into what at this point is the second most familiar room in the station to me. Tactics and Equipment training share the same space, due to both of them being taught by Scientia, and so my wandering gaze immediately catches the new setup in the room. Directly beneath the screen at the front of the room is a table, with a handful of items laid out next to each other. "Oh, sweet, I guess we're hands on today," I think, as I make my way to my seat. To the left of the table is a square pillar with a screen on top of it; a bit like a kiosk at an upscale restaurant. The sharp angles and minimal use of physical buttons makes it clear that the device is of Corpus make. I consider it for a moment, before shifting my gaze back to the objects sat on the desk. I try to determine the purpose of any of them, but the only things that are familiar are a rectangular metal device and one that looks a bit like a caltrop. I let the thoughts percolate in the back of my mind as the rest of the squad make their way to their seats. As we all settle in, the screen to flash to life, once more showing the familiar soft green cephalon.

  "Hello class!" says Scientia, in an upbeat, lightly synthesized voice. "This is equipment training! Today, we'll be covering an assortment of common pieces of equipment that you will have access to when in the field. You won't have access to every one of these on every operation, but you'll likely have some, if not most." A sourceless spotlight shines down onto the rectangular object, and a labeled version of it pops up on the screen. "This is a cipher," they say. I feel the self reprimand immediately. "How did I not remember that?" I wonder. I do my best to avoid spiraling on the topic of memory, while Scientia continues her explanation, unabated. "Ciphers are precompiled bits of script that can be used to gain access to many different secured system across the Origin system. Operation of a cipher is quite simple; the cipher will run scripts, using a modified version of Kalog's algorithm to automatically determine the best vector of attack. In 70% of cases, this 'automatic' mode is all you will need to gain access to a secured system."

  "However," they continue, "the algorithm is designed for speed and efficiency. It tries as many avenues of attack as possible, and is not particularly subtle. Therefore, if these qualities are required for your use case, you may manually select which scripts you'd like to run, instead. This process is slower, due to the method of scanning and human intervention, but will leave less digital trails, which may be important for long term operations. On the table is a cipher, and next to it is a Fortunate Dawn security terminal." I catch movement out of the corner of my eye from Caz-V, but I'm too slow to see his reaction. "Please use the cipher on the terminal to view it's operation," Scientia finishes. Rease is the quickest to stand, but I'm closer to the cipher, and so I get my hands on it before he does. Everyone crowds around me as I rotate the cipher in my hand. It's 6 inches long, 3 inches wide, and about an inch thick, somewhat like an oversized USB drive. One end of the cipher has two metal prongs, and from a quick glance I can see an access port on the terminal with the same shape.

  "Scientia, will a cipher work in a Grineer system?" asks Ella, her attention more on the terminal than the device in my hands. "As long as a cipher has been loaded with the appropriate scripts, yes," Scientia explains. "The interface technology has been adapted from Orokin technology, and the convenience of all systems operating in a similar manner means that there has been little deviation in the last few centuries. That being said, highly secured systems may not have an access port, but the odds of encountering such technology on a standard operation is close to nil." I lift the device, which is denser than I expected, and place it in the port below the screen of the terminal. We all watch as the screen flicks through menus and options and CLIs so rapidly that it's impossible to actually follow along, and then without warning, the screen goes black. "Fuck," I think, my hand already reaching for the cipher. I'm convinced I've somehow screwed up the simplistic plug and play operation, but before I'm able to pull the device back out, the screen flickers back to life.

  On the display is a Corpus admin panel; I recognize the layout from a previous equipment class. At the top are the words Fortunate Dawn Security Systems, followed by Beecloud Subsidiary, then a print out of the technical specifications of the terminal, and finally, a patiently blinking cursor sat at the bottom. "Woah," I think, as I pull the cipher back out. The entire process couldn't have taken more than a second, and even with the device removed, we still had full admin access to the device. I hand the device over to Rease, who is doing his absolute best to avoid snatching it out of my hands, and I turn to Scientia's avatar. "Uhm... do ciphers... expire? Or something?" I ask, unsure of how to phrase my question. Mainly I wanted to know if the 'one time use' feature of ciphers in the game had any analogue in the real world. Scientia rotates left and right.

  "Nope! However, on a longer operation, vulnerabilities that a cipher uses will likely be automatically patched, causing the cipher to become less effective over time. Cybersecurity is an ever evolving field, and so new scripts are created by ITO's all the time." An image of the uptight Primark from orientation sat hunched over a computer, in his fully decorated TEPA, with bottles of Code Red and bags of Doritos scattered about flashes into my mind, and I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from laughing. "Makes sense," I manage to say. After a few more minutes of fiddling, where we get the chance to try out the manual mode, we all make our way back to our seats. "Next, we have fosfor flares," says Scientia, and like the cipher before it, it's lit up on the table. "They sound familiar," I think to myself, "but I'm not sure I've ever used one in game."

  "A fosfor flare will be your best friend when involved in non industrial and non urban, ground based operations. A flare can be launched into the air to indicate position to a landing craft for extraction. The exothermic reaction can be used as a fire starter. And they can of course be used as a light source. This flare has had it's propellant removed, and you may ignite it, if you wish." Rease is already moving before Scientia finishes speaking, and we all watch at a cautious distance as he twists the bottom of the flare. There's a sizzle, then a fwomph, and then the tip of the flare begins glowing an incredibly bright white. All of us cringe back a bit, and we watch for 30 seconds or so as the flare continues to burn without stopping. Rease starts to look around for a moment, then sets the flare back down on the table, before thinking, then picking it back up.

  We all silently watch as he carries the flare to the back right corner of the room and set it there, upright, where it happily burns away. "How long will that last," asks Ko-lee. "A fosfor flare can last for up to an hour, although it will decrease in lumens over the course of that hour. If the flare is launched into the air, it will burn for only 15 minutes, with the same decrease over time," Scientia explains. We look at the flare, then Rease, then each other. "I didn't know!" he says, his hands raised placatingly. Caz-V chuckles, and Ella frowns, her eyes darting to the screen. "A few more things to note about a fosfor flare! The flares come in different hues, for better visibility in different environments. A flare will also not go out when submerged in water, but can be extinguished if placed in an airtight container," Scientia tells us. I look around, but don't see an airtight container anywhere. "Strike one for the TA," I think. The spotlight shifts from the empty space on the table, to a metallic device of some sort.

  It's shaped a bit like the letter D, and on the flat side of the D are multiple vials of what looks like medication. "This is a clotra autoinjector, also known as a stim," Scientia explains. "Clotra is a mix of a few different ingredients designed to help an operative stabilize and recover from an injury when in the field. Each vial has a different purpose; to increase platelet production, to dampen nerves, or to moderate hormone production. Usage of the injector is quite simple. Simply place the device as close to the wound as possible, then press the button at the top. A biocompatible lattice will form within the wound, which will help support the wound, and keep it clear of further infection. I would like for you all to be able to demo this, but I've been told I'm no longer allowed to injure recruits for this purpose," Scientia jokes. We all chuckle, bar Ella, who just looks vaguely uncomfortable. The spotlight moves once again, but this time highlight three objects all clustered together.

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  "These three items are TEPA Modification Modules, aka TMMs, but they are also often referred to as stims. However, unlike clotra, these do not inject into you, but instead inject into your TEPA." The devices look identical; a bit like a hockey puck with a pinched side. The devices have a ring on the outside, but each ring is lit up in a different color: light blue, orange, and red. "First we have calcifin, which is denoted by the light blue light. Calcifin will increase the thickness and durability of your TEPA, which can reduce incoming damage by a small amount. However, as a result, your movement will be inhibited. Next is adrenal, which is denoted by the orange light. Adrenal will magnify any kinetic movement, which can increase mobility, but as a side effect will decrease protection via the physical substrate of your TEPA. Your shields, however, will be unaffected. Lastly is refract, which will utilize your shield battery to bend light around your TEPA, allowing you to blend in with your surroundings. It has limited efficacy in fast situations, and due to it's utilization of your shield batteries, will leave you vulnerable, even more so than adrenal will. You are free to experiment with these devices as well."

  Scientia finishes talking, and we all look at each other for a moment. "I'll wait, I'm in no rush," I say to the squad. "I'm gonna try calcifin," says Rease, as he begins to make his way over to the table. Caz-V and Ella begin to talk at the same time, and I catch the word "refract" from both of their mouths. Caz-V rubs the back of his head, and gestures with his other hand. "You go first," he tells Ella. Ko-lee looks at the final unspoken for device, then back at Caz-V, a calculating look in her eye. She sticks her fist out and locks eyes with him. "First win, on one?" she asks. He nods, and she counts them down. "3, 2, 1," she says, as they both pump their fists up and down. On 1, they both throw hand signs, and it takes me a moment to remember who beats what in what is effectively space ro sham bo. Caz-V frowns for a moment, but his expression is quickly rewritten into one of nonchalance, as Ko-lee makes her way over to the table.

  Her, Ella, and Rease all pick up the devices, and Scientia walks them through the process of activating the devices and applying them to the TEPA. It only takes a few seconds, and there's a flurry of activity once they're all active. "Punch me!" says Rease, excitement on his face and effort on his brow as he moves his arm to get Ko-lee's attention. "Hold on," says Ko-lee, looking unsteady on her feet. "This... huh." Every step she takes is a touch too far, and her balance keeps getting thrown off as she tries to compensate with her arms, which are suffering the same problem. Rease is a pillar though, and after 10 or 20 seconds, she gets it under control. "This is... crazy," she says, wonder on her face. "It's like the opposite of swimming. Instead of resistance, every movement is... increased, somehow." I shift my gaze to try and catch Ella's expression, but quickly realize I can't see her at all. "Ella?" I ask, my eyes searching.

  "Here," she says, and a portion of the room shifts slightly. "Oh that is trippy," I think, as I watch her TEPA adjust to her new position. It's like viewing an encoding error in real time; she's a smudge of texture, and only visible due to the rate at which the suit is updating. "How long does this stuff last," I ask Scientia. "It depends on the usage of each TMM," they tell me. "Under moderate usage, they will last for four hours, although in the field, you will find your experience to be different, due to the underlying processes that define 'moderate' usage. For example, calcifin will last the longest, assuming the user is taking few impacts. Adrenal, on the other hand, will be used quicker, as every micromovement will drain the TMM. Refract is always under usage, and the more often it needs to adjust, the faster it will burn out."

  "Can we turn it off?" asks Rease, who's forehead is beginning to look a bit shiny. "You will need to disconnect the TMMs from your TEPA, and drain the remaining supply in your suits nanotubes through usage," Scientia explains. The three squadmates take the stims off, and we spend the next 10 minutes or so swapping the devices between each other, until we've all had a chance to use each one. Finally, after we all sit back down, the spotlight moves to the last interesting item on the table. "This is a kinetic siphon trap," Scientia says. I do everything in my power not to facepalm. "Shit, I should've known that one," I tell myself. "The kinetic siphon trap will drain the movement of whoever triggers it, trapping them in space. The trap only lasts for a minute, but during it's duration, the target will be fully immobilized, regardless of where they are. Operation of the device is simple, and the triggering process is based on proximity."

  The avatar of Scientia turns as though looking at me. "Recruit Nova, Recruit Caz-V, if I could borrow you for a moment?" We look at each other, and without a single word spoken, we both know what the other is thinking. "Space ro sham bo it is. What did he do when he was playing Ko-lee?" I think to myself as I make my way down to the front. "Recruit Caz-V, I'll walk you through deployment of the trap, and Recruit Nova, you'll be the one to to trigger it," says Scientia, shattering my plans of using my grandmaster ro sham bo skills. Caz-V scrunches his face, and shrugs his shoulders, in a clear "what can you do/sorry you're the guinea pig" expression, but I just wave it off. He steps over to the corner of the room, and Scientia walks him through the setup. I try to commit it to memory, since this is still very much a class, but my nerves are causing my thoughts to shoot off in a hundred different directions.

  Eventually, Caz-V steps away, and as he passes me, he sticks his fist out. I give him a fist bump of solidarity, before turning my attention back to the glowing spider like device on the floor. "Recruit Nova, I'd like for you to try to jump over the trap," Scientia tells me. I nod, and without giving myself any more time to think about it, I take two steps towards the trap, building speed, then leap over it, legs and arms outstretched. Then, I stop. The second I do, my instinct is to look down to see what happened, but I can't move anything. Not my head, nor my arms... my mouth... my eyes. I can feel a tinge of panic begin to creep in, but I just repeat the same thought over and over in my head. "One minute. She said one minute. I'm not gunna die, I can still breathe. One minute." I would've liked to use other grounding techniques, but I'm unable to feel anything, except for air on the inside of my sinuses.

  I'm also unable to hear anything, even my tinnitus, and as the panic recedes, I start to find the experience somewhat relaxing. "I'd like to not have my eyes open, but like... it feels like I'm motionless in zero g. Honestly... it's kinda like a sensory deprivation tank," I think to myself. I hang there, just... existing, for a moment... until, out of the blue, sensation comes rushing back. I come down onto the ground awkward; all the forward momentum I had had originally is missing, and so my legs aren't in the right position, causing me to stumble slightly as I land. I look at the squad, and quickly school my shocked expression. "That was... weird," I manage to say calmly.

  The other's eyes are wide, but no one says anything, and I make my way back to my seat without further incident. The rest of class is less eventful, and we cover things like mess kits, spare batteries, and so on. 30 minutes later, class wraps up, and we all move out into the hall. "Are we hanging out?" asks Rease. I'm about to tell him I'm interested, but a look from Ko-lee reminds me that I'm unavailable. I shake my head. "Sorry, I can't," I tell him. "Remember when I told you guys about that advanced training? For the surgery? I have to start that today." My mouth is oddly dry, but I do my best to ignore it. "You'll do great," Ella tells me. There's a round of murmured assent, and I do my best to mimic their confidence. "Ya, you're right. I'll see you guys later," I tell them, and then turn to make my way to my next class, alone.

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