Dr. Martha Dane is the linguist in an archeological expedition of an
ancient Martian city. She is dedicated to the monumental task of
understanding the meaning of the wall writings, despite the
discouragement of the other team members. With nothing solid to refer
to, finding a "key" is paramount to the success of her mission. When the
team uncovers an ancient university building, they discover more than
just a Martian Rosetta stone.
One of Piper's best novellas, this is a great story with a woman as as
the main character, and many backstabbing (and a few just plain naive)
characters to complicate matters.