Kier’s expression clouded. “I didn’t mean to—hurt your feelings, or—”
“I’m fine,” she said shortly, turning away and pushing her doubts aside as best she could. This was something she’d have to consider, but she’d be damned if she’d let stiff-necked Kier Domadi think he had the power to make her upset.
“All right, everybody, gather around!” called the instructor, a dark, broad-shouldered woman with a wide grin who stood even taller than the Ithorian. “I’m Chief Pangie of the Chandrilan Pathfinding Corps. You’ll address me as ‘Chief’ if you want to stay alive.”
Leia observed a few worried glances around her, which clearly meant, Is she joking?
“Her Majesty Queen Breha was kind enough to set up this class, so assignment one is here on Alderaan. During the next few months, we’ll visit different climates on different worlds. The goal here is for you all to know how to handle yourself anywhere, with nothing but your own two hands and some basic equipment.” Chief Pangie paused to nod toward Sssamm from Fillithar. “If you don’t have any hands, you’re going to learn how to use your coils. Those of you with prehensile tails are in luck, because that’s as good as an extra rope, out here.”
“I knew I ought to have bioengineered a tail,” Chassellon muttered.
Apparently tails were in vogue on Coruscant at the moment. Extra, bioengineered body parts never lasted more than a few months, and in Leia’s opinion they never quite looked right. Maybe she’d feel differently about a tail once she tried to climb her first cliff.
Chief Pangie continued, “Pathfinding is also about orienting yourself with little equipment or none at all. Even celestial navigation won’t help you if you’re not on your home planet and you don’t know the sky! So you have to notice every detail of your surroundings. Memorize every turn you take. If you don’t, you’re as good as dead.”
Amilyn Holdo beamed. Leia wondered if heirs to the throne ever changed their Challenges of the Body after their Day of Demand.
Clapping her hands, the chief finished, “We’re going to go over specific techniques later. Today, I just want to see who here has it in them to go the distance, and who’s going to pay close enough attention to landmarks along the way. So get those packs on your backs and let’s start moving. Has everyone got a field generator? Show me!”
Leia pointed toward the small box clipped to her belt. The generator would respond to sudden changes in velocity with a small personal force field that would shield the wearer and prevent any falls, rockslides, or collisions from being fatal—in theory, anyway. Everyone was duly equipped with one, even Amilyn Holdo, who’d decorated hers with some kind of glitter. Only after seeing every single anti-impact field generator did Chief Pangie nod and signal for them to get going.
As they began on a path leading into the forest, Leia glanced back at the faraway outline of Appenza Peak. Her courage returned at the sight of the challenge ahead.
It felt like she was taking her first steps up that mountain already.
Five hours later, Leia had decided she never cared if she ever climbed a mountain again.
It felt like she had already climbed eight thousand mountains and still Chief Pangie wouldn’t rest. Even lunch had been eaten on their feet while marching upward.
The slope of this hill wasn’t that steep, and other than the thick snow, the terrain wasn’t difficult either. For the first couple of hours it had been a pleasant walk. Now the backpack’s straps seemed to be carving their way through Leia’s shoulders, and her legs shook with exhaustion. As they made their way into a small clearing amid the tall firs, she couldn’t help thinking what a great place this would be to take a short break.
Chief Pangie halted in her tracks, put her hands on her hips, and grinned. “Well, would you look at this?” A hoversled sat at the edge of the clearing in standby mode, just waiting for its fortunate owner. Leia wondered if taking the hoversled counted as stealing if she replaced it right away—or she could give the owner a better, newer one in return, the best the royal purse could buy—
As Chief Pangie went to inspect the hoversled, Chassellon leaned against a tree, and the Ithorian took a seat on the nearest boulder. Although Leia was tempted to set down her backpack, she knew putting it back on again afterward would feel so much worse. She took heart when she saw Kier rest one hand on a conifer’s trunk; at least he knew by now she wasn’t weaker than him. The only students not showing any signs of weariness were Sssamm of Fillithar, and somehow, Amilyn Holdo, whose smile remained as glazed as ever.
“This surely is a beautiful hoversled.” Chief Pangie ran her hand along the streamlined steering console. “One gorgeous piece of machinery.”
“I’ve got one nicer than that back on Coruscant,” Chassellon sniffed.
This earned him a look from Chief Pangie. “Well, isn’t that fun for you? But your fancy-pants hoversled is in a whole other star system where it can’t do you a bit of good. Whereas mine is right here where I need it. I know which one I prefer.”
With that, she hopped on, hitting the ignition switch to bring the hoversled back to full power. Leia and the other pathfinding students stared as realization sank in. It was Chassellon who said, “You’re not—you’re leaving us out here?”
“Check out the big-city brain on Coruscant boy!” The chief couldn’t have been more delighted. “That’s right, kids. I told you I wanted to see who’d pay attention to the landmarks along our way. We’re about to find out who here can follow basic instructions.”
Harp Allor had turned nearly as white as the snow. “But—but—you told us there would be special techniques we would learn!”
“And you will,” Chief Pangie promised. “The thing is, none of those techniques will do you any good if you can’t even bother to notice where you’re going.”
Sssamm hissed in dismay as Chassellon said, “Isn’t this dangerous?”
Chief Pangie’s good cheer only increased. “If you’re not careful? Yeah.” Amilyn held both her hands to the sky as if thanking a sun god and mouthed the word Yes. The chief continued, “You’re all tagged with trackers. So anybody who hasn’t made it back to the chalet by nightfall—that’s about four hours away—well, we’ll be back up to collect you.”
A sigh of relief escaped Leia, and she glanced sideways to see whether Kier had heard her. If so, he didn’t seem to notice. Besides, she wasn’t alone. Every one of the students had brightened at the prospect of a ride back.
Which was when Chief Pangie added, “Of course, anybody who hasn’t got it together enough to make it back in that amount of time gets kicked out of the class. So you’d better hightail it down there, kids. Good luck!”
Cackling with laughter, she sped her hoversled down the mountain, quickly vanishing over a ridge.