Free Universal Language by Robert T. Jeschonek Page A

brought back the story of the first coming of the Mazeesh, as told and recorded by the Vox people themselves."
    " Not possible ," said Ieria. " The spoken word is our only record of the past ! "
    " As masters of the spoken word, we Lexicons recognized it was not enough ," said Oric. " We started the garden to document our own persecution, to ensure it would not be forgotten or revised. "
    " What do these supposed records say? " said a dark-furred minister.
    "We'll let you hear for yourselves," said al-Aziz.
    "We also have samples of the original scent signals," Jalila said through her Voicebox. "With your advanced sense of smell, you'll be able to translate and verify the records yourselves."
    Impressed with her thoroughness, al-Aziz smiled and nodded. "We'll simultaneously translate for the Mazeesh," he said, "so everyone's on the same page."
    Ieria waved a hand dismissively. " We don't need to hear these so-called records ," she said. " We already know what happened. "
    "Then what can it hurt?" said al-Aziz. "Unless you're in a hurry to sacrifice your lives and finalize the destruction of your planet."
    Ieria glared at him. " All right ," she said coldly. " We will listen to your trickery. "
    Â 
    *****

    Chapter 18

    As the Vox leaders listened to the translated account of the first coming of the Mazeesh, Jalila noticed that their reactions followed a pattern.
    At first, every one of them seemed skeptical and impatient...but as the story progressed, they listened with increasing interest. When the account diverged from their accepted view of history, they grew irritated and muttered to one another; further on, when the tale implicated their species as the true authors of the atrocities, annoyance turned to disbelief and outrage.
    But after a while, as the extent of the Vox's crimes was recounted in gruesome detail, they settled into a pensive silence. Some of the ministers looked around at the hovering Mazeesh with fear and regret; others hung their heads and stared at the floor.
    Except for Ieria. She stood stiffly throughout the playback, the expression on her face a rigid scowl of disgust.
    After playing the recording, Jalila described the technique she'd used to decode the information...and no one asked questions. She offered to let the Vox test the scent samples she'd brought, but no one took her up on it. Everyone seemed to accept the truth of what they'd heard...except Ieria.
    " How ridiculous ," she said. " What a sham. "
    "We've presented you with proof," said al-Aziz, "documented by your own people. I think it speaks for itself."
    " You can make that device say whatever you want it to ," said Ieria.
    "But we didn't," said al-Aziz. "You're welcome to go to the Garden and examine the original records yourself."
    "Anyone could have created those records. We only know when they were created and by whom because the records themselves tell us these things. "
    " As Lexicons , Giza and I vouch for the authenticity of the records ," said Oric.
    Ieria snorted. " As revised, discarded Lexicons , your word is meaningless. "
    At that moment, one of the Mazeesh caught Jalila's attention, floating toward her with a fresh message on the underside of its wings. Farouk scanned and translated the new text with the Mazeesh-attuned Voicebox.
    " You and your people are free to go ," said the Mazeesh. " You have presented the facts fairly, and we are satisfied that you are not complicit in the Vox's crimes. "
    al-Aziz stepped in to answer. "We would like to stay. We want to help you resolve this crisis."
    " Unnecessary ," said the Mazeesh. " There is no crisis. "
    "We would like to help the Vox make amends for their past mistakes," said al-Aziz. "And we would like to help the Mazeesh find an alternative to genocide."
    " The Vox are a disease ," said the Mazeesh.
    "The Vox are a sentient species," said al-Aziz, "and not one of them who participated in those acts is alive today."
    " It must never happen again ," said the Mazeesh, " to