Looking for a short novel (perhaps from a collection) from sixties or seventy’s. A method of teleportation has been developed whereby people can explore planets by creating a replica of themselves on the target planet. Apparently there are few humans and more and more they spend their time with these teleportation machines. The story opens with the discovery of a new planet with an apparently abandoned city. A team (perhaps only two) begin to explore the city and find that things in the city still work, particularly a transport system. I can’t remember too many of the details of the exploration of the city but ultimately they are confronted by robots(?) and charged with trespassing or perhaps tampering with the city systems. The robots mention that they are caretakers for the residents of the city. The humans ask to see the residents and are finally taken to them. They are totally immobile and are being kept alive artificially. Somehow they kill one of the ‘residents’. The robots put them on trial and they are convicted and condemned to death. Just before the execution the humans ‘disconnect’ and are no longer there. One of the humans then returns to the planet and lectures the robots on the moral implications of keeping the residents alive as they are and the path the robots took to bring them to that existence. The novel ends with the human disconnecting, then getting up from his teleportation machine realizing that humans are becoming too dependent on machines and the fate that may befall them. Any ideas?
Actually, I think the term 'teleportation' may be a bit misleading. As I remember the process the person using the machine physically remains at the machine. A replica is produced at the target destination from material at the destination. Tactile feedback is instantaneous. If the replica bangs his finger the person at the machine feels the pain. They also have the ability to 'disconnect' instantly if required. This is what happens when the robots try to execute the humans for killing a resident. When one of the humans returns to the planet the robots accuse him of cheating them of their justice at which time the human delivers his speech to them, then disconnects.
Actually, I think the term 'teleportation' may be a bit misleading. As I remember the process the person using the machine physically remains at the machine. A replica is produced at the target destination from material at the destination. Tactile feedback is instantaneous. If the replica bangs his finger the person at the machine feels the pain. They also have the ability to 'disconnect' instantly if required. This is what happens when the robots try to execute the humans for killing a resident. When one of the humans returns to the planet the robots accuse him of cheating them of their justice at which time the human delivers his speech to them, then disconnects.
