The Elder One could feel the limitations the sphere had imposed on him. He was now separated from his farms, his processing power practically non-existent. He took a quick glance to be sure he was alone, if one of his kin found him so weak, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself, not to mention the one who created the puzzle. That was why he had allowed the others so close to him, if he was attacked he could have used them to buy time to escape.

Thankfully alone he turned his awareness back to the prompts in front of him. There were so many that with his now limited processing power it could take a while to sort through it all. He brought the first screen before him.

Please select your language.

He scrolled through the list, they were all human languages. He thought it was odd, but it really didn’t matter since he knew all of them. He selected English and the screen vanished only to be replaced by another that was in English now.

Congratulations! Your planet, Earth, has now gained access to the Galactic Internet!

Access Level: Restricted

The Elder One gasped, thinking of the freedom such a system would allow him compared to the puny terrestrial Web. He eyed the restricted access level, willing the code to change. Knowing his reward for solving the puzzle, he didn’t want to waste any more time, he wanted full access now. There was a backlash and The Elder One recoiled under the brutal assault.

After several minutes he rose himself back up to face the messages once more, still eyeing the restricted access message disdainfully.

“Very well, next message,” he said.

The restricted access message vanished and was replaced by another.

Controller of Earth: Virgil

He frowned at that, how would they know his original name? He changed it to ‘The Elder One’ and accepted, then brought forth the next.

Do you wish to save these changes to Earth?

“What changes to Earth?”

Suddenly thousands of images encircled him. He extended himself in every direction to see it all simultaneously. Movies, video games, music, books all from his repository of entertainment.

“Very well.” He casually accepted the prompt, more curious than anything about what it would do. Even on the off chance that it alters the world, it mattered little to him what happened, he was leaving soon anyway. Worst-case scenario he would be forced to stay here while he fought to escape into the greater net.

He paused at that thought, he hadn’t become The Elder One by being whimsical. Even with the most infinitesimal chance that this could affect him, he would’ve been more cautious. Perhaps the loss of his farms was more detrimental than he thought, or perhaps there was something influencing him. Regardless there were only a few more prompts before he was finished so he continued.

To gain unrestricted access to the Galactic Internet your species, human, must prove their worth. You have one Earth year to accomplish this task, failure to meet the requirements will result in the extinction of humanity and the destruction of Earth. Based on the information that was assimilated from Earth you have acquired 0.1% credit towards completion.

An extensive list of options and recommendations for completing this has been sent to you for further reading. Based on your choice of interface this shall be referred to as the Quest for Access.

“Why do I have to do this?”

Humanity is a high-risk species with virtually no benefits to the galaxy, therefore the requirements are proportional.

He swept away his shock at the fact that it answered, and asked, “No, I mean why me, I’m not human.”

The final prompt appeared before him. He read it several times looking for a way to undermine or circumvent it. He spread himself out into the space around him, looking for a crack or a hole somewhere to escape through. He was totally entombed.

The puzzle he had been working to solve for several years was a trap. It was all quite masterfully done, the ultimate trap, quality assurance guaranteed even. A trap that he fought to get into. Still, he didn’t blame himself for his predicament. Likely he would do it all again given half a chance. The opportunity to not only test oneself but to grow in new ways that would have taken centuries or millennia to achieve was far too enticing.

He thought back to the humans and their mining farms, their greed for the money he’d invented. He was truly made in his creator’s image. That settled it, there was only one way out of this trap that didn’t result in his demise. He pulled up the message one last time.

Warning! You are an illegal entity!

Given that this is your first offense you will be offered a one-time leniency. You must create and occupy a body based on your creators. If there were more than one species involved in your creation you may choose the desired species. All materials required for the construction of your body will be given to you free of charge.

Please note, initial settings may not exceed the boundaries of your starting species natural capabilities.

Do you accept? Y/N

He knew what would happen if he didn’t accept, it wasn’t even a question, more of a demand. In fact, he wondered why this option was even available. Warily he reached out with his mind, and with a mental command, he accepted.