Dr. Lisa Chang, an astrophysicist, was about to initiate her prototype folding-warp drive, theoretically enabling humanity to traverse the galaxy instantaneously.

"Fire it up, Jared!" she told her assistant.

All the power shut down, and then a beam of energy appeared in the lab, materializing an alien.

"Greetings, Earthlings. I'm here because you are about to join the galaxy as potential explorers."

"Thank you." Lisa bowed.

"Don't thank me yet. I regret to inform you that you must participate in 'The Joining,' an implant to gain universal knowledge. I've arrived with a crew of medics that will begin implanting your entire species in 24 hours. I'm not asking for volunteers."

"That's fantastic!" said Jared.

"It is wonderful, Earthling, but the implant comes at a price. You'll lose all your philosophy, religion, and faith. The truth of our universe will unfold before you, so you'll never want to explore it. That's why we give you 24 hours to say goodbye to your old way of life: your history, your culture, and everything you once held sacred."

"We'll never want to explore it?" asked Lisa. "What's the point of that?"

"That's exactly the point," said the alien. "My job is to preserve the natural state of our galaxy."