Amy salutes

The commander stepped onto the square. When he saw me, he stopped abruptly, looked me up and down, and frowned disapprovingly. From the look on his face, something about my appearance was wrong. His behavior made me feel quite self-conscious, and I wondered what I could have done wrong.

He planted himself in front of me and jammed his hands into his hips.

“Can't you salute, recruit?” he yelled at me.

“Oh. Um. Yes. Sorry, major, sir.”

I raised my hand to my helmet to salute in the correct military manner. Unfortunately, the sudden jerk had an unwanted effect on my uniform. The strap on the other side slipped down, the dress gave way and exposed my left breast. Behind me, there was a wave of whispering and suppressed giggling.

The officer's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Unlike my comrades, he did not think the wardrobe malfunction was funny at all. With a red face, he shouted, “What is this, soldier? Why are you not wearing any underwear?”

I grinned sheepishly. “Uh, the sergeant in the quartermaster’s office said they didn’t have any bras or panties in my size at the moment. He said I should go without until more supplies arrived.”