"It is true that the robots of your Terran Empire and these simple
workers here must obey orders. But they are subject to a higher law, and
you have forced them to break it. That is your crime."
"What crime?" said Rankin.
"We of the Clearchan Confederacy are a race of robots. Our makers
implanted one law in us, and then passed on. We have carried our law to
all the planets we have colonized. In obeying your orders, these workers
were simply following that one law. You must be taken to our capital,
and there be imprisoned and treated for your crime."
"What law? What crime?"
"Our law," said the giant robot, "is, _Help thy neighbor_."
Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from _Fantastic Universe_ September 1957.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and
typographical errors have been corrected without note.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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