Short Fiction · Chapter
Omnilingual explained
Martha Dane and Selim von Ohlmhorst continue their archaeological work on Mars, with von Ohlmhorst deciding to stay permanently to study Martian artifacts.
What happens
Martha Dane and Selim von Ohlmhorst continue their archaeological work on Mars, with von Ohlmhorst deciding to stay permanently to study Martian artifacts. Tony Lattimer's jealousy and ambition are revealed as he tries to undermine Martha's achievements. Martha discovers a bilingual text in physics and chemistry, providing a key to understanding the Martian language, while Sachiko Koremitsu painstakingly restores a crushed book. The team explores the lower sea bottoms, finding new life forms and intensifying their research.
Themes in this chapter
Alienation and Otherness
The Martian language and culture remain alien and inaccessible, with no bridge of understanding across millennia.
Survival and Resilience
The team persists in their research despite the hopelessness and challenges of deciphering a dead language.
Technology and Social Change
The use of scientific texts as a universal language represents a technological bridge between cultures.
Characters to notice
- Selim von Ohlmhorst
Decides to stay on Mars permanently to pursue Martian archaeology, rejecting his previous Hittitology career.
- Martha Dane
Discovers a bilingual text in physics and chemistry, a major breakthrough in deciphering the Martian language.
- Tony Lattimer
Reveals his jealousy and ambition, attempting to take credit for Martha's work and wanting von Ohlmhorst to leave Mars.
- Sachiko Koremitsu
Restores a crushed Martian book with meticulous care, expressing hope and doubt about deciphering the language.
- Hubert Penrose
Oversees the expedition's activities, including airsealing buildings and sending official reports crediting Martha's discovery.
Key passages
“This is something new; I was a fool to think I could turn my back on it and go back to scribbling footnotes about Hittite kings.”
Von Ohlmhorst realizes that Martian archaeology is a new and exciting field, worth abandoning his previous work.
Highlights his commitment to Martian research.
“Physical science expresses universal facts; necessarily it is a universal language.”
Penrose notes that scientific principles are universal and can serve as a key to understanding Martian texts.
Emphasizes the significance of Martha's discovery.
“There is no Rosetta Stone, not anywhere on Mars.”
Martha laments the lack of a direct translation key for the Martian language.
Reflects the difficulty of their task.