Edward Shield is having a dream. In his dream, he sees many important figureheads, leaders and intellectuals of all the races of the known known galaxy - human, Vulcan, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Andorian, etc. They are standing before one figure: a humanoid. The time of ascension has come, the humanoid says. Having reached the pinnacle of their evolution, these races shall now make the final link with immortality and achieve that which has been denied them for millions of years: perfection. Some of the members are skeptical, but the alien reminds them that its race had started the evolutionary process of all their races. Shield watches as, one by one, they step forward and accept this new "ascension". With horror he sees that the humanoids aren't the benevolent progenitors of all life