Reboot
The “Reboot System” is set to run cyclical tests, and draws off of a sun’s energy in order to perform its tasks. Every predetermined couple hundred years, for instance 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, etc, the Reboot system will throw a test at the planet’s inhabitants, be it a natural disaster, an alien swarm, or something else drastic. Should the species fail to pass this test, the Reboot system will wipe them clean (destroy them), take their knowledge, integrate it into a new species, or set of test subjects, and then put that species onto the planet to start the cycle anew.
