The Inquisitorial Crucible is the culmination of training for all Inquisitors and select members of the Crusaders and Guardians. It is considered the highest form of training in the High Church, as the attrition rate is quite high and a few cadets do not survive the more strenuous parts of training.
Since the moon has no atmosphere, Cadets are berthed in the Inquisitorial Dome, a large geodesic structure containing practice fields, barracks, and the like. Due to the moon's size, the architecture is not standard, as the moon has a very small gravitational well.
The Crucible takes place over a week. For the first four days, Cadets are trained in low-grav grappling and fighting techniques, low-grav building clearing, and other such tasks suited to Satira Pala's unique environment.
The last three days of the Crucible are where the event earns its name. Cadets are issued an ultimatum: Using only three days of air, survive on the surface, outside the dome. The cadets are given only a very old pressure suit, and must survive for three days and nights on the surface of the moon. Training staff periodically attack any encampments or groups of two or more cadets to drive them apart.
The purpose of the Crucible is two-fold: to instill in the trainees certain skills that will best prepare them to work in an Imperial vessel, and to instill a healthy fear. Through the centuries, the Church has found such fear useful in limiting training accidents and future fatal incidents in the Inquisitorial staff.