An infiltrator ship of a long-lived alien species messaged headquarters.

  “Approximately 10,000 years, Your Excellency ...”

  “So short?”

  “Yes, Your Excellency. With their sociocultural development, it’ll act as a timeless filter. Their cultural interactions will spawn proliferation.”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “How does it work?”

  “We’ve laid out the most plausible scenario. Those who comply with isolation rules will survive, once vaccinated, but those who disobey will continue to carry it.”

  “And after 10,000 years, you’ll prepare them?”

  “Correct, Your Excellency. After cycles of inconspicuous dormancies and mutations, culling the herd, only obedient traits will persist—natural selection will have filtered out the rest.”