have been committed by no-one else.
Except, of course, by Rullman. Both on the Moon and on
Ganymede it was the common assumption that Rullman had
been an Earth-normal human being once. That was impossible,
but it was agreed to be so. Rullman himself turned the ques-
tion away rather than deny it. Perhaps the crime had been his
alone, since there was nobody else who could have com-
mitted it.
But what crime? Nobody on Ganymede could, or would,
tell Sweeney. None of the colonists believed in it. Most of
them thought that nothing was held against them but their
difference from normal human beings; the exceptional few
thought that the development of pantropy itself was the es-
sential crime. Of that, clearly, Rullman was guilty, if “guilty”
was the applicable word.
Why pantropy, or the responsibility for developing it,
should be considered criminal was a mystery to Sweeney, but
there was a great deal else that he didn’t know about Earth
laws and standards, so he wasted no more time in puzzling
over it. If Earth said that inventing or using paniropy was a
crime, that was what it was; and the Port cops had already
told him that he must not fail to brins. back Rullman, no mat-
ter how grievously he failed to fulfill all his other instruc-
tions. It was an answer, and that was enough.
But why hadn’t the cops said so in the first place? And
why, if pantropy was a crime, had the cops themselves com-
pounded that identical crimeby creating Sweeney?
Belatedly, he quickened his pace. Mike had already disap-
peared under the lowering brow of the great cavern. He. could