Pecking Order
by Rob Morris
"An impossible species. By that, I mean the humans who make up the majority of the crew, especially the Command Crew."

She stood before her Academic Council, shaking her head furiously.

"Most we have encountered, if somehow the experiment is compromised, are willing to deal with minimal fatality rates. But not this Janeway. After one incidental death of a crewmember we never observed her interact with once, she was ready to destroy us all. We could have gone back. But we feared these savages, and I think you can see why. Completely irrational. Our test results were lost, and our valuable time wasted by a narrow-minded dictator and her lackies. I am disgusted, myself. Having nothing further to say, I yield the floor to my colleague."

"Thank You, Doctor. We, too, were discovered by our subjects. Unlike this Voyager, they encouraged the pursuit of perfection, and allowed us to continue. But when told how well hidden our planet is by cloaks, they responded in a most peculiar manner."

"How did they respond, Doctor?"

The man shrugged.

"I quote: Cloaks are futile, and hiding is irrelevant."