The eighteen children floated in an endless void whose color was indescribable. In fact, it didn’t strictly have a color. It was a limitless field of perfect transparency. The children instinctively tried to grab hold of nearby classmates, but their hands passed through their bodies without resistance. They were terrified. The computer detected their fear and judged that they required some familiar objects for comfort, so it altered the color of the simulation’s background to match their home planet’s sky. Immediately, the children saw a cloudless, sunless, deep blue sky. There was no ground beneath them, just endless blue, the same as above, and they were the only things in it.

The computer reassessed the digital children and found they were still panicking. In a hundred-millionth of a second, it understood why: Whereas most life in the galaxy had no fear of floating, these creatures were different in that they lived on land. The computer added Earth-like gravity and a ground to the simulation. The children were astonished to find under their feet a pure white plain, extending into infinity in all directions and crossed by a neat, regular black grid, like a huge piece of writing paper. A few children crouched down to touch the ground, and it was the smoothest surface they had ever touched; they tried taking a few steps, but the ground was completely frictionless and didn’t move beneath them. They wondered why they didn’t fall down. One child took off a shoe and threw it level with the ground. It slid along at a regular speed, and the children watched it glide off into the distance, never decelerating.

They had seen Newton’s first law.

A melodious, ethereal voice permeated the digital universe.

“Commencing 3C Civilization Test. Question One: Please describe the basic principles of biological evolution on your planet. Is it driven by natural selection or spontaneous mutations?”

The children had no idea. They stayed silent.

“3C Civilization Test, Question Two: Please briefly describe the source of a star’s power.”

Silence.

…

“3C Civilization Test, Question Ten: Please describe the chemical composition of the liquid in your planet’s oceans.”

The children still did not speak.

The shoe had slid off into the horizon, where it became a black point and disappeared.

“That’s enough!” said the fleet commander to the High Archon, one thousand light-years distant. “We won’t be able to complete the first phase of the project on time if we keep on like this.”

The High Archon’s smart field vibrated slightly, signaling his consent.

“Fire the singularity bomb!”

The beam containing the command shot through four-dimensional space and arrived immediately at Vessel Blue 84210, which was holding its position in the solar system. A faintly glowing ball left the long track at the front of the ship and accelerated along an invisible force field toward the sun.