Join in

The squad is having a good time, and you can't help but join in the fun. Besides, this is good for morale, and Julia needs to loosen up anyway. You are tired of protecting her all the time. She needs to put on her big girl pants: this is the army!

To prove your point to yourself, and to amuse the crowd, you give Julia's ass a swat as she walks past you. The resulting SMACK immediately silences the table, and Julia stopped dead in her tracks. God she has a nice ass.

"Damn Sarge!" Hank laughs, causing the table to shrug off the silence and crack up.

"Maybe Julia isn't as impregnable as we thought!" Kayla adds, to more roaring approval from the squad. You're not sure, but you think she gave you one of THOSE looks.

Julia, meanwhile, is mortified. On the verge of tears, she scurries off.

"Ah, don't you worry cap'n," Hank chuckles, slapping you on the shoulder. "You'll win 'er over eventually."

General joking and nonsense continues for a few more minutes, ending immediately when you stand up.

"Okay men," you begin, everyone's attention on you."We have a lot of work to do today."

During breakfast, you'd been deciding between the tire tracks and the small town, as you could only pursue one. By this point, you'd reached a conclusion.