Lieutenant Hunter looked at Scream. "You mean to tell me that it was you that shot this young kid?"

Scream looked behind Underpants at Half-Pint. He swallowed hard. "Yes, sir. He posed a threat to me and my men. I thought…"

"Bullshit, Sergeant. You know this kid posed a threat to you as much I do." Half-Pint choked back a laugh. "You have a problem, Specialist?"

"No, sir."

"Then I suggest you shut your mouth." Underpants turned his attention to Scream again. "You fired your weapon without using caution."

"Sir, he posed a threat."

"He was a child."

"Should I bring up Vietnam, Lieutenant?" Half-Pint chimed in.

"I don't see what Vietnam has to do…"

"They used children to get close to our Soldiers. Knowing that Americans are compassionate when it comes to children, they knew our Soldiers would pick up and try their damndest to comfort a crying child. What our Soldiers didn't know was that the mothers would strap bombs to their children to kill the Soldiers. Our GI's wised up to that, sir, and began to kill kids they saw as a threat. They were well-schooled in what a suspicious child would look like, or what they would walk like and how they would be around the Soldiers. How did you think they got the nicknames 'Baby Killers?'" Half-Pint looked intently at Underpants. "If they did it back then, why wouldn't they do it now? After all, suicide bombers are usually around 15 or 16 years old. This kid was about that age. He was walking strangely. How were we to know, with the suspicious nature in which he was acting, that he was just a little kid who was lost?"

"You use your judgment."

"We did, sir, and now you're in here, reaming Sergeant Silas's ass for nothing. What is it, Sir, that you don't like about him?"

"I don't have a problem with Sergeant Silas." Underpants argued back.

Half-Pint grinned. "Oh, I think you do, sir."

Lieutenant Hunter got into Half-Pint's face. "I'll have you demoted to Private."

Underpants' threat had no desired affect on Half-Pint. "Demote me, then, Lieutenant." And, before she was dismissed by Underpants, Half-Pint calmly walked out of the tent.

Captain Baron listened intently to Lieutenant Hunter. "So, because she knew something you didn't and she questioned you, you want to demote her?"

Underpants nodded. "It was how she said it, sir."

Captain Baron crossed his arms. "Send her in. I'll talk to her." He sighed. He stood up when he saw Half-Pint enter. "Underpants wants to demote you." He leaned against the table. "How can I continue to help you when you keep screwing up?"

Half-Pint sighed. "Dad…I mean, Captain Baron. He was accusing Scream of something…"

"Courtney, I don't care." He sighed. He loved his only daughter, but wished she was more like her mother and less like him. "Why can't you be like your mom?"

"And be boring?" Courtney snapped back.

"Your mother isn't boring."

"Come on, Dad. You know Mom's pretty boring."

Captain Baron couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, she can be." He straightened up. "But, that is not what this is about. Lieutenant Hunter wants your head to roll and, honey, he's determined."

"Are you going to listen to Lieutenant Asshole over your daughter?" Half-Pint was far from being a crier, but she found herself close to tears.

Captain Baron took his daughter in his arms. "Of course not. I dislike him more than any of you. But, you're as hot-headed as I am." He went back to his desk. "But, I am going to have to discipline you. You've got to stop telling officers off. You let me do that." Baron sat back in his chair. "Does anyone know our relationship?"

Half-Pint shrugged. "I don't think so. I've not said anything, Dad."

Baron gave his daughter a quick hug. "I don't want to have any more of these conversations, understand?"

Half-Pint smiled. "Yes, Sir!"