Fandom High School

The classroom was equipped with its standard array of desks, chairs and glassware. Mohinder was at the front of the room, going over paperwork as class assembled.

"All right, everyone," began Mohinder. "This is your final, and I hope you're all prepared or skilled at improvisation."

"There are a series of questions for you to answer," he handed out the papers, "Once you've completed them you can go."

[OCD is up!]

The interior of the DangerShop was stark and white with an airlock door to the far side. An array of lightweight, plastic, booted and gloved suits and helmets hung to one side. Beside the airlock door, Mohinder stood, tapping his fingers against the helmet at his side.

"Not all planets have geology similar to Earth's," he started, "Many lack the initial conditions to support life, and if we want to look closer, we have to prepare." He quickly described how to put the suits on over regular clothing and fix the helmet.

When everyone was ready, he pulled open the inner door, and led them onto a rusty rocked landscape beneath a blackened sky.

"Mars, fourth planet in this solar system, and probably the closest analogue to Earth," introduced Mohinder. "It has similar elemental composition, and a basalt surface, from old volcanic activity while the lack of atmosphere makes more obvious the crater strikes. Most of the ice," he gestured around them, "isn't water," continuing to talk about the local geology.

"These should show you how to collect surface samples," he said, passing out tools and handouts. "And remember you are in low gravity."

[And it's 5-4-3-2-1 OCD has landed!]

"Minerals," said Mohinder, from behind a selection of rocks. "A structured, inorganic compound, like so much else, often cannot be identified on sight alone. Quartz," he said, holding up a pink rock.

"More quartz." He switched out for a white piece, then purple, then black. "More- well, enough example perhaps. Small impurities can have a drastic effect; so we need an alternative. Several, in fact."

"Firstly, in it melts at room temperature, it's probably snow. For other crystals there are tests of hardness, fracture patterns, gravity and effervesence - its reaction to acid." Mohinder went into more detail, demonstrating the tests on a piece of calcite. He flipped up his safety goggles, adding, "Try to avoid the more subjective tests - you don't know the history of the rocks before you've licked it. But you have a variety of samples to start testing."

[OCD is up!]

"Hard hats, everyone, please," said Mohinder, handing out the light-bearing safety hats when class had gathered on the side of the Danger Shop created hillside.

"Mining underground," he said, once the narrow passageway opened into a vaulted gallery. "Usually undertaken when surface available deposits are exhausted. Excavated following a mineral seam and hoping the extracted ore is worth the costs."

Mohinder covered a number of mining techniques before seeing daylight. The mine had come out not far from a stream, and Mohinder stopped. "But before that, you have to know where to start digging. For gold, if it's close to the surface, it can be found by metal detectors, or panned out of a local water source."

And nobody was going to think otherwise, but, "Do try to remember how real is anything you find," Mohinder added.

[And OCD is up!]

It was a heavy-jacketed and bundled up Mohinder that was pacing about the hillside clearing that the Danger Shop door opened up onto.

He handed out packs to each of the students, saying, "I hope you're all wearing your walking shoes today."

"Navigation," Mohinder said. "As with anything else knowing how to get where we're going is a fundamental starting point. By now we have a number of alternatives. If you'll open your packs you'll find maps, compass and a GPS unit." He picked up his own and tapped the side, hoping the Danger shop programming would give an accurate positioning, before he went on to cover each of the three navigational tools.

"Your starting point's here," said Mohinder. He pointed south-east. "And the first point you have to reach is that way. Good orienteering!"

[OCD is finding its way made it back!]

"Today we live in a world that is growing ever smaller," Mohinder told the class once they'd assembled in a relatively normal-looking classroom with less than normal amounts of foliage. "Places are linked with others across the globe, more people are living and working in countries not of their birth. Globalisation weaves the people of this planet into an ever finer net."

Moving to thread his fingers through one of the shrubs, Mohinder continued on the point.

"Or on a smaller scale, your breakfast tea or coffee may have travelled up to half the world to reach your cup." The screen behind Mohinder lit up as he spoke; producing regions in light blue and green flowing across the world map into consuming regions in darker shades. "Growing coffee needs a similar climate, but with variation in the rainfall, soil and atmospheric conditions a variety of caffiene delivery systems are possible."

Bringing to a halt his discussion on the geography of coffee, Mohinder began to set out a number of unmatched jars, mugs and other tea equipment. "I want you to think about how you're affected by growing globalisation - other countries, other planets if that's relevent; do we have a responsibility to the negative - sweatshops, exploitation?"

He took a cup of tea, inhaling briefly before finishing with, "Oh, and how far you would go for a good cup of tea? Or coffee too, if you must."

[OCD is here and caffinated]

Inside the classroom it was sunny with 33% cloud cover, with a cool north-easterly breeze of only a few kilometers an hour running off a incipient cold front. The pressure had risen a few bars and the humidity dropped a little by the time class assembled.

"Meteorology," said Mohinder, "The study of atmospheric conditions with the purpose of engaging in forecasting future weather conditions. An impractical ideal perhaps, but with enough accuracy to avoid denying a hurricane. The chaotic nature of our multi-particulate atmosphere and oceanic system gives us an inherent uncertainty in weather forecasting," he went on, describing ensemble forecasting and numerical prediction.

"Despite the computing power needed for this analysis, meteorology is still dependent on observation from thousands of weather stations," said Mohinder, gesturing at the rain gauges, barometers, therometers and other equipment, each grouped around a desk. "There are handouts if you need more details of the equipment. And of course, plenty of weather to observe," he finished. Mohinder pushed the silver button centred in one of the desks and a dark, crackling cloud formed high above it.

[OCD is up!]

Mohinder stood in the simulated outside of the Danger Shop, leaning against a metallic lecturn with a screen. He gave a quick head count as class assembled - matching names with faces.

"Good morning," he started. "I'm Dr Mohinder Suresh: this is physics with trees." The trees were - at least this week - non-literal, the major greenery a hedgerow a few feet behind him. "...and if anyone wants to volunteer as TA they can find me afterwards. In this class we'll be covering as many of the geosciences as possible, but focussing on geography. So I'm glad to see you all found your way here."

"As this is the first week, we'll start with introductions. Name, point of origin and tell me about the last time you got lost." After they had finished Mohinder nodded and continued. "Starting on a small scale, modern mazes are designed for recreation, as opposed to the older labyrinth design - a labyrinth is a single-path maze, with no chance of getting lost - often walked as a guide for meditation."

He punched a few buttons and section of hedge disappeared. "Do try not to get lost."

[OCD is up!]