Skipper was about to answer Private when new voices that they hadn't noticed before came to their ear holes. There was screaming coming from the lemur habitat and the four penguins wondered how they hadn't noticed it before. The team of elite commandos turned around to the neighboring habitat and was generally surprised at what they saw there.

"Ringtail?" inquired Skipper. "What's he blabbering on about now?"

"I don't know, Skippah, but he does sound upset." Private stared towards the lemur habitat.

"And fairly loud," Kowalski added, looking past Private's head against him.

"Anno'in." Rico commented, trying to cover his ear holes from the noise.

"Shouldn't we do something?" asked Private.

"It depends," answered Skipper. "Kowalski, analysis." The leader turned to his lieutenant.

"It appears that Julien and Maurice are in an argument of some sort, Skipper. And by the looks of it, Julien isn't taking it very well." Kowalski analyzed the scene before them, watching the lemur king throwing a tantrum and beating his furry fists into the ground. "He appears to be throwing a temper tantrum."

"Further analysis." Skipper ordered.

Kowalski went on. "He isn't getting what he wants so he is attempting to get it through protest."

"Like a hippie?" gasped Skipper.

"Negative, Skipper. Not at all like a hippie."

Skipper frowned in disappointment. "So no slapping then?"

"You could still slap him, Skippah." Private reassured him.

"Nah, it's not the same." Skipper sighed. "Hippies are hippies and Ringtails are ringtails. They each require different slapping maneuvers."

"So you could still slap him then" said Private again.

"Hipp'e!" Rico growled, pounding his fist against his flipper.

Kowalski shook his head. "I'm sorry Rico, Julien hasn't gone hippie so there is no need to slap him."

"Aw…" moped Rico.

"What about the protest?" Skipper asked.

"Unlike a hippie's methods of protesting, this method is more on the violent side." replied Kowalski.

"Wahoo!" Rico cheered.

"Describe violent." ordered Skipper. "And could it danger any civilians?"

"Negative again, Skipper." Kowalski said. "This level of violence is far below any risk of public endangerment, no, this kind of violence is common among children ages 3-9. Therefore, this is a classic temper tantrum. Complete with loud wailing and throwing the body around on the ground like one might in case of a panic attack."

Skipper nodded at this information. "Temper tantrum options."

"We could go over there and try to assist." suggested Kowalski.

"Next option."

"We could ignore it."

"Perfect!" Skipper smiled, satisfied with this. "Execute second option!" The leader ordered and turned away from the lemur habitat. Rico followed the order given and turned away from the ruckus behind his leader. Kowalski tried to turn but Private wouldn't move with him.

Private merely turned his head to look at their leader, concern on his face. "I don't feel like that's a very good option, Skippah."

"Any option where Ringtail gets ignored is a good option, Private." Skipper replied.

"Not any option…" Private frowned and silently begged his leader to take back his order.

Skipper gave in and sighed. "Alright, alright, put the baby blues to rest. New plan of action, execute the first option that was given!"

"Oh yay!" cheered Private, jumping up and down excitedly on Kowalski's feet.

"Ow, Private!" Kowalski grimaced.

"Oh sorry, K'walski." Private apologized. "Skippah?" The private called his leader who was already leaving the penguin habitat. "Could we maybe separate now? We have learned our lesson after all."

Kowalski nodded hopefully in agreement.

"Hmmm…nah," Skipper decided.

"But I thought you said you were fine!" exclaimed Kowalski.

"I am fine," confirmed Skipper. "But you don't keep secrets from your leader. That's a form of mutiny in my eyes."

Kowalski rolled his. "What isn't a form of mutiny in your eyes, Skipper?"

"Not many things, young Kowalski."

"I'm older than you!" gasped Kowalski.

Skipper ignored him. "When we come back from dealing with Ringtail, I'll tell you how what you just said is another form of mutiny. Now let's go. I just realized that I could slap that lemur if I wanted to. I want to hurry up and do it before that also becomes another form of mutiny." The leader jumped over the gates and out of the penguin habitat, Rico following him.

Kowalski and Private wavered behind on the concrete island in their hug.

Private blinked. "Does everything turn into mutiny then, K'walski?"

Kowalski thought about it, and then sighed. "Only ever in Skipper's life, young Private, only ever in Skipper's life."

"Oh." Private was still confused, but he looked up at the scientist again in question. "Skippah's younger than you?"

"Shush, Private! He'll hear you!" yelled Kowalski, covering Private's beak and looking off frightened in the direction Skipper went.

"But you're older than Rico too right?" Private asked, continuing their conversation as they hobbled along.

Kowalski sighed and stopped hobbling altogether. The two penguins were now in front of the lemur habitat. It took them a while to get all the way over here, even longer to figure out how to hop their habitat fence without breaking their embrace. The strategist didn't answer the private's pointless question. He was tired, they had to skip lunch because they couldn't stop hugging to catch the fish being thrown at them, and Private was now grossly starting to stick to his feathers. He'd kill for a swim right about now…

"K'walski?"

"What Private?"

"If you're oldest, how come you're not leader instead of Skippah?"

"SHHHH!" Kowalski squealed at him, hoping to whatever created the world that Skipper would never overhear such words spoken. "Are you insane?!" The analyst asked in a terrified whisper.

"I'm not." Private reassured. "At least I don't think…"

"You are trying to get us killed with your excessively stupid beak!"

"My beak isn't stupid…" frowned Private, lifting his flipper from around Kowalski to touch his beak subconsciously.

"You're right, it's not your fault. I'm sorry Private," Kowalski sighed, shaking his head.

"It's alright, K'walski." Private smiled. "So how come Skippah's leader and not you?"

"GAHHH!" Kowalski cried and knocked both of them to the ground, him on top of Private with their flippers still around one another. "Stop talking!"

Private looked up at the scientist questionably. "I don't quite understand."

"Do you want to end up like Manfredi and Johnson?!"

"Smothered with kindness?"

"NO!" shouted Kowalski.

"Then what?"

"You can't go against Skipper!"

"Go against Skippah? No, of course not! I'd never do that! I love Skippah!" defended Private, beak agape at how the strategist could even expect such a thing. "Why would I ever go against him? He's our leader, K'walski! How could you think I'd ever do such a thing?"

"You talk too much and you don't know what you're talking about! That's a bad combination right there, let me tell you!"

"But I don't understand what you mean, K'walski!" Private cried desperately. He was so sick of being confused.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"I don't! I haven't been able to understand a single thing since we got that letter saying Hans died! I'm sick of it! Couldn't you explain it all to me?"

"…" Kowalski contemplated this in his head.

"How come Skippah cares that Hans is dead?"

"It's complicated."

"Why is Skippah acting so weird then?"

"I couldn't tell you."

"What happened to Manfredi and Johnson?"

"Mystery?" shrugged Kowalski, sheepishly.

"K'walski!" Private shouted in annoyance.

"Look! I don't know what to tell you, Private!"

"Couldn't you tell me something?" pleaded Private. "Something at least? I want to understand!"

Kowalski sighed. "I'm afraid you couldn't understand even if you tried."

"I could, you never know."

"I do know."

"How?" Private challenged.

"I'm a strategist, analyst, and scientist."

"Oh yeah."

"I'm a man of brain and science. I know a lot more about things than you do. You're just a private."

Private frowned. "Skippah's right, you are a show off."

"I'm not trying to insult you, Private."

"Well you're doing a pretty good job of it then, aren't you?"

"We just learn from experience and it just so happens that Skipper, Rico, and I have a lot more than you." Kowalski reasoned to the young penguin. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"I feel stupid…" pouted Private.

"You're not, you're just young."

Private nodded slowly in understanding. "K'walski?"

"Yes?"

"Would Skippah care if we died?"

Kowalski was shocked at how the private could ask such a question. "Of course he would! Why would you ever think that he wouldn't?"

Private seemed to ignore the additional question. "Who killed Hans?"

"Well…we don't really know. The case is still being solved at the moment." Kowalski answered, seeing the disappointment in the kid's eyes he told the private his own investigations on the matter. "But I did do some research and analyzed most of the case file. I've come up with my own theories and conclusions on who I think the culprit was."

Private nodded for him to go on. "And?"

"I think it was the Danish militaries. They've had it out for both Hans and Skipper ever since…well…whatever happened back in Denmark."

"Do you know what happened in Denmark, K'walski?"

"No, I'm afraid I know as little as you do on the matter."

"Oh…" Private's beak made what was equivalent to be an 'o' shape on a beak. "…K'walski?"

"Yes, Private?"

"Do you think they'll kill Skippah too?"

"Private!" Kowalski gasped.

"Oh, I know it's a horrible question! But they got Hans didn't they? What if they get Skippah too?"

"That won't happen."

"How do you know that?" demanded Private. "You don't know everything, K'walski!"

"You're right, I don't, but I'll tell you what I do know." Kowalski said, picking the both of them up from off the ground with a strained groan. "I know that we'd never let anything happen to Skipper, never in infinity! If those stupid Danes are foolish enough to come after Skipper then they'll have to get through you, Rico, or I first."

"What if we can't protect him? What if we fail Skippah?"

"We could never fail him, Private."

"But what if we can't-"

"We'll all be fine. I swear to you." Kowalski said. He needed to convince Private further that they were safe and nothing would take Skipper away from them. "Even if they get past you, or even Rico, you know that I'd do whatever it takes to protect Skipper as his lieutenant."

"I just don't want to see Skippah hurt. I never like too. I'll always want to help him."

"And you always can."

"How?" asked Private.

"Private, you remember how I've been making you keep quiet about your feelings all week?"

"How could I ever forget? You wouldn't even let me get a single word out."

"Well that was wrong of me and I'm sorry." Kowalski apologized, recognizing his mistake. "What is it that Skipper's always telling you?"

Private remembered like clockwork with a smile just as instant. "Skippah always says to do what you think is right."

"Right," Kowalski nodded. "And what you thought was the right thing to do was to address the problem at hand. It was wrong of me to distrust your own gut instinct on what to do. My own told me to ignore the problem completely and let Skipper deal with it on his own, something he likes doing."

"Don't be sorry then."

Kowalski thought Private was being stubborn with him. Just like a child to do so, he thought. "Private-"

"No K'walski, don't be sorry." Private told him. "You were just following your gut instinct too and you thought you were doing what was right. So did Skippah, because his gut tells him to hold everything all for himself. So we were all wrong and right at the same time." The private reasoned his thoughts aloud, thinking about everything as he spoke. He looked confused. "That is possible right? I'm sorry, K'walski. I'm afraid I'm not too good at science then." Private frowned and looked down.

Kowalski laughed. "No, no, you're exactly 100% accurate on your metaphorical word equations."

Private just blinked at him. "I suppose I'm not too good at math either. I don't understand at all what you just said."

"I said you're right."

"I am?" Private's tail feathers waved in excitement if you could see them.

"You are."

The private nodded with his earhole to earhole smile. Private started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Kowalski.

"Oh nothing…" Private snorted, struggling to hold in his laughter. He giggled and squeaked, trying to keep quiet. "It's just that…" The private giggled again. "You were wrong and I was right…" Private snickered louder.

"What? No! That's not what I-"

"You were wrong!" Private giggled.

Kowalski groaned, cheeks turning bright red under his feathers if you could see them. He scowled.

"I'm sorry, K'walski. I'm wrong to laugh at you…"

Kowalski started to smile smugly. "Well I'm glad you've seen the error of your ways, maybe you'll think twice before you decide to giggle at a senior officer, young Private."

Private burst out laughing. "…BUT NOT AS WRONG AS YOU WERE WITH SKIPPAH! HAHA!"

Kowalski sighed. "Laugh it up, Private…just laugh it up…"