"And I don't say we haven't intercepted these messages before sending them on. They're some of them -- quite egregiously misphrased."
"Dangerously?"
"She asked the lord of Korami province for a pregnant calendar."
Pregnant calendar and urgent meeting. He began to laugh and sanity gave way; he laughed until the tape hurt.
"I take it that's not code?"
"Oh, God, oh, God."
"Are you all right, Bren-ji?"
He gradually caught his breath. "I'm very fine, thank you, Banichi. God, that's wonderful."
"Other mistakes are simply grammatical. And she speaks very bluntly."
"Never would believe you needed the polish." Humor fell away to memories of Deana after the exams, Deana in a sullen temper.
"We are keeping a log. We can do this -- since it's our language under assault."
