Ammonite Planets (Omnibus): Ammonite Galaxy #1-3 by Gillian Andrews

question with her intonation.
    “No, he didn’t,” Atheron admitted. “But it didn’t take him seven tries, either.”
    Diva massaged her forehead with her fingers. Her head ached. “Do I have to take it again?”
    “The laws are very strict. All candidates must pass all levels. Any unsuccessful students are removed from the program.”
    “I am NOT unsuccessful. I have never been unsuccessful at anything in my life!”
    Atheron shook his head. “It is very strange. Your progress has been slower than the other students from the start. At first it was only a little, and I put it down to your missing your family, to your being unsettled. In recent months, however, since we reached university grading, the difference has been quite palpable. You are simply not capable of learning at the speed necessary.” He held up a hand to stop her angry protest. “I am merely making a factual observation,” he said unhurriedly. “I will consult with Xenon, but I think you must continue to take the exam until you pass. You will not be accepted as a candidate unless you do that.”
    He disappeared, an unusual event.
    Diva contacted Six. “I am having problems with the quantum mechanics test.”
    “You didn’t pass?”
    “No, he has gone to ask Xenon.”
    “That doesn’t sound good. Let me know what happens. I will keep one hand on the orthogel, in case.”
    “Thanks. Not that a no-name like you would be able to help me.”
    “You never know. At least this little no-name passed his quantum mechanics test, my lady!”
    “I will pass their silly test when I want to, not when they think I should!”
    “Sure. And I believe you!”
    “Oh go away, stupid.”
    “As her ladyship wishes.” Diva, whose eyes had been closed with the effort of conversation, opened them to find Atheron looking down at her from the column, his eyes staring at her hands. Sacras! She hoped he hadn’t detected the small pressures which signified they were exchanging finger signals.
    “What?” she demanded.
    “Xenon requires you to resit the entry examinations. He wants to make sure there was no error in the original exam.”
    “Of course there wasn’t!” And then her heart sank. She could still visualize her father’s face as he told her the exam results. Now she thought about it she could see a look of complacent triumph that worried her. Surely he would never have … have doctored the results?
    She shook her head. No, her father was far too morally upright to do such a thing. She must be mistaken.
    “I … I need a doctor to see me,” she told Atheron. “I can’t take your silly test until I feel better. I think I have some sort of bug.” What would too much Atheron be called? Atheronitis?
    The grey face was instantly suspicious. “You said nothing before about feeling unwell.”
    “Well, hey. I don’t tell you everything. Surprise!”
    “There is absolutely no need to be sarcastic, Diva. I will arrange for the doctor to visit you.”
    “You do that.” She smiled sweetly at his image in the column and cut the connexion.
    THE DOCTOR WAS not elderly, as she had expected, and had a concerned look on his face as he came into the bubble. It didn’t fool her, though. These Sellites were only interested in themselves. They weren’t going to be worried by the minor ailments of one of the donor apprentices. She had been in a similar situation herself on Coriolis. Fleetingly the memories of begging children camped out by the Elder’s palace floated into view. They had irritated her. They made a noise, and smelt bad, and she now realized that she couldn’t have cared less what happened to them as long as they went someplace else, and left her palace in peace. In fact they had been evicted by the guards, and she had never thought of them again until today.
    “Open your mouth, please,” he said pleasantly, removing a portable quantum scanner and synthesizer from its black protective case. “This will not hurt at all.”
    “Well of course