Xander had the gift of being glib, sarcastic and able to express his opinion in an articulate and straight to the point manner. Which is just one of the reasons why the weird demons dressed like they're a century out of date, stealing all the townspeople's voices so no one hears their victims screaming as they cut out their hearts, means he's having a really bad day. Finding out that the guy Buffy's interested in, is with the Army and doing something very illegal and is too clueless to realize it, just made his day even shittier.
"So, let me get this straight Riley, is it? No matter. You're part of a unit assigned to help a group of civilian scientists capture, study and if that vampire we caught, interrogated and dusted the other night with the pain inducing chip he claimed was in his head, is any indication, torture and kill things you have no understanding of."
"We're not trying to torture them, we're trying to understand them and stop them from attacking humans. Someone has too."
"Someone is. First off, there's a group in England that's been studying them since the eighth century, they've got entire libraries on them. Second, Sunnydale has it's own militia to deal with them. Us. Mayor Arthur Finch hired us to deal with them. Which means, that you are in violation of Posse Comitatus. The military cannot legally interfere in civilian matters. And the protection of a town is a civilian matter. Which is why we have police and civilian militia's to protect people. You're breaking the law. Which tells me you're actually not a Captain. A Captain would have experience and know when his boss is pulling a fast one on him. At best you've just graduated from the Academy and were so flattered at being chosen for a Black Operations mission right out of the gate, that you didn't bother to verify the legitimacy of your orders. Which means, when this Charlie Foxtrot goes belly up, they've got a ready made patsy all ready to shove under the bus. And it will go belly up. You're attempting control of intelligent beings with brains, some of them even have their own languages. Of course it's going to back fire on you."
"You're don't know what you're talking about, the behavior modification chips - "
"Behavior modification? You're not just inducing pain, you're trying to control them? Why? The only reason to control them, would be to use them in some way. Which is why the military is involved! Some idiot up the chain of command, got what he thinks is a bright idea. Control these things the way you would a dog. Train them and unleash them. And who would you unleash them against? Enemy combatant's. Other humans. But control won't last, it can't. They're smart enough to figure out ways around it or to even break it altogether and when they do, they'll add pissed off to their reasons for going after humans. They're preferred prey tends to be children and teenagers. Which means you will be responsible for the wholesale slaughter of innocent children. Can you live with that, Captain? And 'I was just following orders' hasn't been a valid defense since the Nuremberg trials, just so you know."
"We're just trying help! Not any of the rest of that!"
"Man, they really didn't pick you for your brains, did they?" Cordelia snarked.
"What do you know about it?" Riley said, glaring at them. "You act like you know more about the Army then I do, but you've never served. You don't know what you're talking about."
"I've been a volunteer soldier in our militia since I was sixteen, which means I've served for three years. I have the entire UCMJ and every ordinance written memorized in perfect detail in my head. I can quote you word for word, every line. Grow a brain, Captain and figure it out for yourself." Xander shot back.
Of course Riley didn't listen, too convinced they were doing the right thing. That Professor Walsh was a genius and a kind, caring woman who only wanted to help people, to save them from monsters. Only time and experience would convince him differently. Time they may not have, given the next problem they had to deal with.
Which was an earthquake that heralded an attempt at an apocalypse and Willow discovering a dead body with a symbol carved on it's chest, while at a party. A symbol that was familiar to the gang, having seen it on a crypt in one of the cemeteries. Giles' and Jenny's research led to the discovery that it was part of a ritual called the Sacrifice of Three. It required the heart of a man, the bones of a child and the Word of Valios, which Giles had purchased at an auction and forgotten he had. With those three items and the willingness to sacrifice themselves, the demons could open the Hellmouth.
Which is why the group is currently back in the High School library fighting said demons and Riley is seeing Buffy and Faith whaling away on them and making him wonder how they're so strong. Which led to Buffy explaining she's a Slayer. Someone created specifically to fight these things. Riley had never heard of a Slayer and the other members of his squad thought they were just a boogieman to the creatures they were capturing and studying. Finding out differently, made Professor Walsh curious and she had Riley invite Buffy to visit their complex.
Something Xander had an opinion on as well.
"Buffy, going in there by yourself is stupid. For all you know, it's a trap. Just because Riley seems like a nice, if clueless, guy doesn't mean the rest of them are. The people in charge have to be aware of the fact that they're violating the law. Let someone go with you. If this goes sideways on you, you have a better chance of escaping with help."
"Alright Xander, you can come with. But try not to upset anyone, alright?"
"No promises. I call it like I see it."