Kort Sci Fi berättelse där människor har utvecklats till rena energibesättningar

Jag försöker hitta en kort SciFi-historia

"Metamorphosite" av Eric Frank Russell .

Förmodligen publicerad på 60-talet eller 70-talet.

Först publicerad i Förvånande Science-fiction , december 1946 , som finns tillgängligt på Internetarkivet . Reprinted ett antal gånger under åren; någon av dessa omslag ser bekanta ut?

Förmodligen < 10 sidor.

"Metamorphosite" är en novell, 50-60 sidor lång. Du beskrev den sista delen av berättelsen, där Terrans tas fram för handlingsrådet.

Såvitt jag kan minnas kommer historien att ske i ett rum där en panel av ett halvt dussin icke-mänskliga medlemmar i "Galactic Empire" (eller några sådana - förmodligen inte riktigt rätt)

En majoritet av rådet är mänskligt. (Jag bör dock påpeka att det finns två mänskliga arter i berättelsen. Å ena sidan finns det människor på den nyupptäckta "bakåt" planet som kallar sig Terrestrials och deras planet Terra, de är jordmän som har muterade till supermän, vår synpunktskaraktär Harold Harold-Myra är en av dem. Å andra sidan finns det normala människor som oss som driver imperiet, efterkommande av människor som lämnade jorden före mutationen.) Här är en beskrivning av rådet :

The Council looked small. Its strength a mere eight, all but two of them human. They sat at a long table, the six humans in the middle, a nonhuman at each end. The thing on the extreme right had a head like a purple globe, smooth, shining, hairless, possessing no features except a pair of retractable eyes. Below was a cloaked shapelessness suggesting no shoulders and no arms. It was as repulsive as the sample on the left was beautiful. The one on the left had a flat, circular, golden face surrounded by golden petals, large and glossy. The head was supported by a short, fibrous green neck from the knot of which depended long, delicate arms terminating in five tentacles. Two black-knobbed stamens jutted from the face, and a wide, mobile mouth was visible beneath them. It was lovely, like a flower.

håller på att bjuda in en "bakåt" planet (jorden) som nyligen upptäcktes av Galactic Empire för att ansluta sig till imperiet.

Den ursprungliga avsikten var att införliva Terra i imperiet, men på denna punkt i berättelsen bestämmer rådet huruvida det ska förstöra planeten:

"We, of the Imperial Council of Action, have decided that the safety of the Empire demands that we obliterate the planet known to us as KX-724 together with any adjacent planets, satellites or asteroids harboring its dominant life form. We are now met to consider this life form's final plea for preservation, and it is the duty of each of us to listen carefully to what new evidence may be offered, weighing it not with favor or with prejudice, but with justice."

Panelmedlemmarna sitter i rad bakom en "ogenomsläpplig" glasliknande barriär.

Det finns en slags barriär, men det är inte glasliknande:

Between this table and the staring captives hung a barrier of wire. Harold, Burt and George could see that it was loaded, and their perceptions examined it gingerly. They diagnosed its purpose simultaneously: it bore an alternating current imposed upon a pulsing potential. Two hundred cycles per second, with a minimum pressure of four thousand volts rising to peak points of seven thousand every tenth cycle.

Hypnocast jammer! reported Burt. He was puzzled. "But that doesn't blank neural sprays. They're different bands. Can you hear what they're thinking?"

"Not a thing," answered Harold. "Neither could I get your thoughts while you were speaking."

"I've lost contact too," put in George. "Something which isn't that screen is droning out a bass beat note that makes a mess of the telepathic band."

Sniffing with distaste, Melor said, "This is where I come in. I know what's the matter. There's a Drane in the room. He's doing it."

Det finns en del beskrivning av flera (IIRC) av panelmedlemmarna och deras erforderliga ekosystem (t ex tror jag att man simmar i en sfär av någon vätska, det är ett reptilliknande).

Den delen matchar inte. Utlänningarna i "Metamorphosis" har inget uppenbart livsstöd, och de enda reptiliska varelserna är Melor (nonhuman vän till Terrestrials) och Drane:

Mental visualization, Harold realized, had proved correct with regard to shape and appearance but had misled him in the matter of size. He'd taken it for granted that a Drane possessed bulk comparable with his own. But this creature was no larger than his fist. Its very smallness shocked him.

It was lizardlike, but not so completely as first appeared, and now that he could see it closely, its tiny but perfect uniform looked absurd. While they regarded it, the thing sat there and stared at them with eyes like pin points of flaming crimson, and as it stared the strange beat note disappeared, a psychic flood poured through the screen and lapped around their minds.

Två representanter-människor-av den bakåtriktade planeten är inlagda i rummet.

Inte två men tre representanter för Terra: Harold, Burt och George.

De ändras sedan. Den reptiliska varelsen börjar sola sig själv. För företrädarna har förvandlat sig till rena energibyggnader av strålande, bländande ljus.

Det är den del av din beskrivning som påminde mig om "Metamorfos"; men det är blommans varelse, inte en reptilian, som basker i solljuset:

The three Terrestrials made no reply. Their minds were in complete accord and their response was simultaneous.

Dykstra sobbed, "Look! Oh, eternity, look!" then sank to his knees and began to gabble. The purple creature withdrew its eyes right into its head so tht it could not see. Burkinshaw's hand came away from the switch; his glasses fell to the floor and lay there, shattered, unheeded. Roka and Helman and the other humans on the Council covered their faces with their hands which slowly took on a tropical tan.

Only the Floran came upright. It arose to full height, its golden petals completely extended, its greenish arms trembling with ecstasy.

All flowers love the sun.