Six pilots from the platoon gathered in a loose half-circle around the central sparring ring. I had Jin, Sato, Miller and a couple of others from the Vanguard with me, willing to learn the technique. The rest worked on combat drills with Osei leading the training.I stood at the centre of the ring with Jin opposite me."Ether Strike is a single-strike technique that fires Ether through your fist on impact. The concept is simple, but the execution is not."I demonstrated the buildup phase of the technique, circling Ether from my head until enough had gathered. With enough Ether in place, I channeled the energy from its origin point down my arm and into my fist, and finally released it with a punch. The Ether flickered visible for a half-second, then dispersed. A few around the circle whistled out in unison."That's the gist of it. The technique itself drives the Ether through the strike at the moment of contact, the release syncing up with the impact. Too early and the Ether either dissipates in the air before contact. Too late and the Ether will blow back into your arm."I held up my right forearm, showing off bruises from the Ether blowback that I had incurred from yesterday's cultivation. "This is from one mistimed strike."Miller let out a low whistle, with the rest of the group wincing."The ones who'll learn it fastest have higher Sensitivity or Control stats. Doesn't mean others can't learn the skill, it just means you'll pick it up slower. Alright, let's work through it together, here's how it looks against an actual opponent."I gathered Ether again, channeled it and threw out the strike against Jin who had placed their arms up in front of them.I drove the punch into her guard. The Ether fired through my knuckles a quarter-beat after impact, slightly too late. A small portion of Ether pushed back up my arm, causing me to wince in pain. Jin however, had taken the blow and skidded back several meters. (...)