Universal Language by Robert T. Jeschonek Page A

her ," said the jet-black Vox. " She's about to break some obscenity taboos. "
    Ieria howled and lunged at the ministers, but several of them grabbed hold of her and wrestled her to the ground. She was still struggling when the Mazeesh spokesperson glided over. The creature had an array of symbols on its wings, and Farouk scanned them into the Voicebox.
    al-Aziz grinned as he read the translation.
    "Ministers," said al-Aziz. "The Mazeesh agree to the compromise we discussed. Would you like some time to talk it over?"
    " Unnecessary ," said the blonde-furred minister. " We are unanimous. "
    al-Aziz spoke into Farouk's Mazeesh-attuned Voicebox. " The Vox accept your terms ," he said. " With gratitude and humility. "
    Â 
    *****

    Chapter 19

    Gently, Jalila placed the crimson seedling in the hole she had dug, then scooped in red soil with a trowel. When the hole was full, she used the trowel to smooth the ground around the base of the seedling; as a finishing touch, she put down the tool and patted the dirt with her bare hands.
    Even before the applause started, she felt a wave of relief and resolution. In spite of setbacks and suffering, she had not only survived a terrible ordeal but had helped stave off an invasion and unite two alienated species. In the process, she had redeemed herself, at least a little, for her disastrous failure on Pyrrhus VII.
    Now, months later, here she was, helping to add the story of the crisis to the botanical records planted in the Garden of Yesterday.
    As the assembled crowd applauded, she pushed her black hair behind her ears and surveyed the patch of history before her. When fully grown, the cluster of tiny red seedlings would bloom with flowers of many colors and fragrances. Miraculously engineered by the Lexicon gardeners, the flora would tell a story with their scents, recounting the arrival of the Ibn Battuta , the attack of the Free Speakers, the second coming of the Mazeesh, and the inception of the historic agreement between the Mazeesh and the Vox.
    Most of the other shoots had been planted by the revised Lexicons who inhabited the underground garden. They had extra reasons to celebrate this day: those who had been permanently silenced during revisions had had their gags removed by the Ibn Battuta 's expert medical team, as had Jalila; and all exiled Lexicons were now free to come and go as they pleased, to travel to the surface without fear of capture or worse.
    Jalila's Ibn Battuta crewmates had also planted seedlings in the patch. Major al-Aziz and Colonel Farouk had both taken part in the ceremonial planting; Jalila, however, had been given the honor of putting the final seedling in place, the shoot whose bloom would emit the scent concluding the story of recent events.
    As Jalila gave the dirt around the seedling a final pat, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning and looking up, she saw Giza gazing down at her. His blonde fur, which had already been crowded with elaborate painted designs, now included one more marking: a triple tongue of flame on one side of his snout, his badge of office as newly elected regent of Vox.
    As Jalila got to her feet, Regent Giza chattered away in the spoken language of the Vox. Jalila didn't bother to draw the Voicebox from the hip pocket of her gray jumpsuit; during her time among the Vox, she'd learned enough of the language to follow what Giza said.
    " You have made history ," he told her, " and now you have preserved it. I hope you will return to breathe the scent of the flower you have planted when it blossoms. "
    " I hope so , too ," Jalila said in the Vox language.
    As Giza bowed and stepped aside, Jalila's shipmates pressed forward.
    "Nice work, Jalila." Major al-Aziz smiled and shook her hand.
    "Thank you, Major," said Jalila.
    "By the way," said al-Aziz. "You might be happy to hear you won't be receiving a dishonorable discharge."
    Jalila brightened instantly. "Thank you, sir!" She knew she'd rewarded his trust in inventing a solution to