Playing Fair

by AliasCWN

The Rat Patrol must make a deal with 'the devil' in the form of a Gestapo officer. When he tries to change the rules of play, they turn to Dietrich.

Playing Fair

By: AliasCWN

The convoy cleared the pass and made their way along the narrow mountain road. The lead truck turned the final bend and picked up speed as the rolling desert floor spread out before them. The small dunes looked deceptively flat to the trucks drivers. One by one the other trucks cleared the mountain road and followed the leader, relaxing their guard as they left the narrow, winding roads behind.

The first hint of danger was when a shell hit the ground in front of the lead truck. The driver turned off the road for the presumed safety of the open desert. As the other trucks scattered to form a larger moving target, halftracks began to appear on the desert floor. Seeming to appear out of nowhere, they left their shelters in the depressions between the dunes to attack the convoy. The German vehicles formed a circle around the beleaguered Americans. The Americans fought back, spreading out among the burning trucks to fire at the heavier German vehicles. Their light arms had little effect on the attacking force. Little by little the Germans closed the circle, forcing the Americans to gather in the center.

Admitting defeat, hoping to save what was left of his command, the American officer in charge of the convoy surrendered. His men dropped their weapons and approached the halftracks with their hands clasp behind their heads. The wounded dropped their weapons and lay where they had fallen.

German soldiers gathered the weapons and rounded up all those able to walk. Once they were searched they were allowed to tend to their wounded and see to their dead.

Two German officers watched the proceedings with satisfaction.

"Well Captain, we did it. I want to thank you for your help." Captain Fredrik Reiss addressed his fellow officer. "I must admit, that was a brilliant idea to hide in the depressions in the desert floor. I would never have thought it possible to surprise an enemy convoy in that way."

"I have a certain commando team who has taught me much about surprise attacks." The other captain admitted. "Just when I think I have them figured out, they come up with some new way to surprise me."

"I should like very much to meet them someday." Captain Reiss told his fellow officer.

"I doubt very much that you would enjoy it. You should be careful what you wish for Fredrik. But if you wish, I will introduce you the next time I am fortunate enough to capture them."

"Capture them?" Captain Reiss looked confused.

"Capture them." Captain Dietrich confirmed with small smile. "They are a combination American-British team. The bane of my existence. They are known as the Rat Patrol."

Captain Reiss still looked confused. "Yet you say you learned this trick from them?"

"Of course Captain. Any good soldier learns from his enemy as well as from a friend. Perhaps someday I will defeat them with the very knowledge I learn from them. Unfortunately, that day has not yet come."

Captain Reiss considered the information that Captain Dietrich had just given him. "You are indeed a most interesting fellow Hans. We should get to know each other better. Since our bases are side by side, we should be able to find the time to get together."

"I would like that Captain. But right now I really need to get back to my own command. I would like to reach it before dark." Captain Dietrich prepared to return to his base.

"Please Captain, since this was a joint assault, the least I can do is allow you to take half the prisoners as spoils of war. I will give you half the prisoners and half the dead."

Captain Dietrich tried not to allow his distaste for the offer to show. "Thank you Captain, but no. You may take the prisoners and the dead. I will let you deal with all of this. I only wish to return to my unit."

The two officers watched as the prisoners carried their wounded to the trucks to be taken to the German base.

"Very well Captain. But I would gladly share the glory."

Dietrich was about to refuse again when the face of one of the wounded caught his eye.

"Perhaps Captain I could change my mind?" Dietrich took a second look at the wounded man. "If you have no objections, I should like to claim one prisoner."

"Of course, Captain. Take any of them that you like." Captain Reiss agreed in surprise. He studied the prisoners, wondering which one had caught the eye of the other officer. He expected him to claim an officer, instead he walked to the side of an unconscious private being carried on a stretcher.

"This one Captain. I should like to claim this one."

"What is it about this one? He's only a private, of no importance." Reiss studied the young face curiously.

"I know him Captain. He is partly responsible for the deaths of some of my men." Dietrich stood over the wounded private with a strange look on his face.

"Then by all means, he is yours." Captain Reiss ordered the prisoner carried to Captain Dietrichs halftrack.

"Thank you Captain, I am in your debt." Dietrich turned to leave. Turning back, he called to the other officer. "I will have my orderly set up a time for us to get together and share a decent meal. My cook is quite good and I recently came into the possession of some rather rare delicacies. We can enjoy them together."

"I would be honored Captain Dietrich. Thank you again."

Captain Dietrich waved his thanks, and taking his newly acquired prisoner, returned to his own base.

Mark Hitchcock opened his eyes to find himself in a large, crowded room. The smell of antiseptic was overwhelming. There was no doubt he was in a hospital but he couldn't remember how he got there. It crossed his mind to call a nurse and ask her. He turned his head to look for one and froze. At the foot of his bed stood an armed guard, wearing a german uniform! He tried to move his arm without drawing attention to himself only to discover that he was chained to the bed. The small movement caught the attention of the guard who called to someone else. When the guard mentioned Haupmann Dietrich, Hitch knew he was in trouble.

"How are you feeling?" Hitch opened his eyes to find a white-coated doctor standing beside his bed. The doctor spoke excellent English with a slight British accent. As Hitch looked into his eyes he thought he detected genuine concern there.

"How'd I get here?"

The doctor took his wrist to check his pulse. "Captain Dietrich brought you here. You were wounded in a battle."

Hitch shook his head, trying to clear it. He remembered the halftracks attacking the convoy. He remembered jumping from the truck after it got hit. But he couldn't remember anything else.

"The Captain can perhaps answer your questions. My job is to get you well." The doctor explained gently.

"Thanks Doc, but I have a feeling that you might be wasting your time." The young American looked past the doctor to all the faces watching him. The wounded Germans didn't look like they wanted to welcome him into their midst.

"Wasting his time with what?" Captain Dietrich had been on his way to the hospital when the messenger informed him that the prisoner was awake.

The blond stared at him without answering.

"Oh come now Private. Don't tell me you are going to be difficult. I ask a simple question. Why is the doctor wasting his time?" Dietrich watched as the youth decided if he would answer. His face had more color than when he'd first arrived. The doctor had done an excellent job of caring for him.

"I just can't see you wasting your medical supplies and a doctors time to get me back on my feet."

"You don't consider me to be a humane human being?" The captain found the possibility disturbing. The war had forced many changes on him but he had hoped that he had been able to cling to his honor. He didn't like to think that the young soldier considered him to be a monster who would ignore common decency.

"Oh, I think you're alright Captain. Better than most even." The prisoner smiled at him disarmingly. "But we both know that things don't always go the way we wish they would. Your wounded here, for instance, they look like they'd like to strangle me. Do you really think I'm safe going to sleep in here?" Hitch laughed softly at the Captains' expression. "That's what I thought."

"No one here will harm you Private or they will answer to me." Dietrich frowned at his prisoner.

"Fine lot of good that would do me if they'd already killed me Captain." The prisoner yawned widely. "I guess I'm going to have to take my chances. I'm kind of tired." He yawned again as his eyes started to slide shut.

Dietrich and the doctor watched as he drifted off to sleep.

"A rather unusual attitude wouldn't you say Captain?" The doctor eyed Dietrich with an amused look in his eyes.

"He's a rather unusual soldier. A part of a rather unusual team." The captain replied dryly. "Make sure he gets the care he requires. I will post a guard to make sure that no one bothers him."

The doctor nodded and continued to check the prisoners vital signs.

"Call me if he wakes up again."

"By all means Captain. I should think that he'll sleep for several hours at least. Perhaps you could check back after lunch."

Dietrich agreed and left the hospital wondering what the devil he'd been thinking when he ask for the prisoner. He could have left him with Captain Reiss and let the other captain deal with Troy and the others when they came to rescue their teammate. And come they would, of that Dietrich had no doubt.

Sam Troy answered the summons to Captain Boggs' office alone. Moffitt and Tully were running an errand for the captain and wouldn't be back for at least another hour. Hitchcock had been temporarily assigned to accompany a convoy of munitions that was wanted for some experiments. He wasn't expected to return for another week or more.

The orderly showed him into the captains office as soon as he arrived.

"Have a seat Sargent." Capt. Boggs waved to a seat in front of the desk.

"Thank you Sir. Lt. Marshal said you wanted to see me."

"I have a new assignment for you. It's not going to be easy." The Captain picked up a manila envelope from his desk. Opening it, he pulled out some photographs. He laid them in front of Troy, one by one. "This is Major Kevin Torrance. He's G-2. He was recently captured by the Germans." Boggs left Troy study the picture. "This one is Colonel Karl Beitter. He's head of the Gestapo in this region."

Troy looked up at the mention of the Gestapo. They usually tried to avoid those guys. Boggs nodded at the startled look on Troys' face.

"It gets better." He placed another photograph on the desk. This one bore a striking resemblance to the last one. "This is Captain Franz Beitter, the Colonels' son. He's Gestapo too." Boggs paused a second to let Troy look at the picture. " Major Torrance has some vital information that can't be allowed to fall into the hands of the Germans. Now we know he hasn't talked yet but he has recently been handed over to Colonel Beitter and his 'bone crushers'. It's only a matter of time before he breaks. You need to get him back before that happens."

Troy nodded grimly. Every man had his breaking point and the Gestapo was very good at finding it. He studied the photograph of the major.

"So you want us to go to the Colonels' camp and break him out?"

"No."

Troy looked up at the captain in surprise.

"It's too heavily fortified. I'm not sure even you and your team could pull that off."

"Then what do you want Captain?" Sam waited for the captain to explain the plan. He suspected that he and his team would be dealing with the Gestapo in one way or another.

"G-2 has spotted Captain Beitter traveling on the same route between camps on a regular basis for the last couple of weeks."

"Doing what exactly?"

Boggs shook his head. "They're not sure. They think he may be interrogating prisoners between meetings with his father. It doesn't really matter."

Troy thought it might matter to the prisoners being interrogated but he kept that thought to himself.

"We want your team to capture the captain and arrange a trade with his father, Major Torrance for his son. We can tell you where the captain will be within a few miles at any given time. You capture him, arrange a trade and make the swap."

"Just like that?"

"If it was easy, anybody could do it Sargent."

"Can we trust the Colonel to play fair?" Troy ask the Captain.

"What do you think?"

Troy nodded. "That's what I thought."

"Don't bring him back here Sargent. This is the first place the Germans will look for him."

"Understood Captain."

"Good luck Sargent, and be extra careful on this one."

"Right Sir."

The captain put the pictures back into the envelope and handed the entire package to the sargent. "Everything you need is there. Requisition whatever you want in the way of supplies. Moffitt and Pettigrew will be back soon and I have sent for Pvt. Peterson."

Troy saluted and left the captains' office, envelope in hand. He was already going over possible plans and their pros and cons. He wished Hitch were there instead of Peterson but the blond would just have to miss this one.

The Rat Patrol pulled out as soon as they had everyone and everything they needed. They would maintain radio silence unless there was an emergency to keep the Germans from following their signal.

The report detailing the attack on the convoy reached the captains desk the next day.

****************************************''

Mark Hitchcock had spent the last five days recovering from his injuries as a guest of Captain Dietrich. The shrapnel wounds were healing well under the doctors conscientious care. The guard still stood at the foot of his bed but Dietrich had added more security measures. Thinking that Troy might pay a visit while he was out on patrol, the captain had ordered the prisoner chained to the bed and he had taken the only keys with him. To prevent anyone from freeing the prisoner with bolt cutters, he had taken every one of those in the camp and placed them in the boot of his halftrack. Until he could be moved to a cell the captain was taking no chances that he might escape. He was determined that his prisoner would be there when he returned.

The doctor was changing the bandages while the guard watched. Hitch had come to trust the doctor over the course of his recovery.

"Am I going to live Doctor?" Hitch knew the guard didn't speak English so he could get away with teasing the doctor.

"Yes Private. Your wounds are healing nicely." He smiled at his patient. The prisoner had a cheerful attitude now that the pain had faded.

"So if they don't shoot me I'll be okay?"

"Who would shoot you Private? You are a prisoner of war. No longer a combatant. The war is over for you." He finished dressing the wounds and made several notations on the chart. "Don't worry soldier. Captain Dietrich does not shoot POWs."

The prisoner started to reply but there was a commotion in the hall. The doctor looked up in surprise as three Gestapo officers pushed their way through the door.

"What is the meaning of this?" The doctor tried to get them to go back out into the hall.

They ignored him and eyed the rows of beds. Their eyes stopped roving when they spotted the guard standing next to Hitchcocks' bed. Once they noticed the chains on his wrists, they headed directly for him.

"You can't come in here!" The doctor tried to step in front of them.

They pushed him roughly aside . One of them stopped next to the bed and reached for the dog tags hanging around the prisoners neck. He read the name and nodded to the other two.

"This is the one we want."

Hitch stared at them with a stony expression. Dietrich wasn't here to protect him now, even if he could. He suddenly doubted that the doctors glowing health report would stand for very long.

"Tell us where your friends are." A lieutenant shouted in his face.

Even before he had a chance to refuse, the officer hit him across the face. Hitch remained stubbornly silent. He didn't know the answer to their question but he refused to admit that to them. And he was honest enough with himself to realize that they wouldn't have believed him anyway.

They ordered the guard to remove the chains. It only angered them further when he explained about the captains precautions. Undaunted, they began to interrogate Hitch in his hospital bed.

He was unconscious when Dietrich returned. The Gestapo officers were trying to wake him to continue when Dietrich walked in. The captain took in the scene with a quick glance. He hoped his expression would not reveal his true feelings about what he saw.

All the doctors hard work had been undone. The prisoner was even more battered and bruised than when he had first arrived. Dietrich doubted very much that they would be able to wake him any time soon. Telling the Gestapo officers this, he invited them back to his office to explain what they were doing on his base.

"Colonel Beitters' son has been kidnapped." The lieutenant told him in a cold voice when he ask why they were there.

"Why come here? We don't have him." The explanation did not satisfy Dietrich. "Perhaps he has just become a prisoner or war."

"The Rat Patrol took him. That soldier is a member of the Rat Patrol. He will know where they took the captain."

"And when did this happen?" Dietrich was surprised that he hadn't heard anything about it.

"Three days ago." The lieutenant informed him. "They contacted the Colonel to offer to trade him for an American major that we have in our possession. The Colonel agreed to the trade but they didn't stick to the agreed upon rules for the exchange. When the Colonel learned that you held one of their men, we were sent to question him."

"I see." The captain replied, thinking quickly. He'd dealt with the Rat Patrol and found them to be very trustworthy. He doubted very much that they were the ones who had failed to abide by the agreement. He found it much easier to believe that the Colonel had tried to deceive them. "This prisoner has been in my custody for the past five days. He could not have been involved in the kidnapping of the captain. I doubt very much that he can tell you anything."

"That remains to be seen Captain. Colonel Beitter has sent us to question him, and question him we will."

"Not in my hospital you won't. You upset my wounded men."

"Then release him so we can take him somewhere else to question him." When Dietrich didn't immediately answer, the lieutenant continued. "If you do not produce the keys, we will have no choice but to cut his hands off at the wrists to free him. We will question him Captain."

Given no choice, Dietrich agreed. He handed them the keys and watched helplessly as they had the guards drag the unconscious prisoner to the headquarters building where his screams echoed across the compound for the next hour.

Dietrich was talking to the doctor when Hitchcock was brought back to the hospital. His limp body was dumped cross the bed he had occupied earlier. The doctor and Dietrich watched without speaking.

"You are to treat him Doctor. Do only what is necessary to keep him alive. No food, no water, no pain medicine. Do you understand?" The lieutenant waited for the doctor to nod before he turned to Dietrich.

"Where is your radio? We need to speak to the Colonel."

"So he told you what you wanted to know?" The captain was skeptical that they had gotten anything from the youth in such a short time.

"Not yet Captain, but he will. Your radio?"

Dietrich led them from the room, not allowing himself eye contact with the doctor. He didn't assign a guard to the prisoner. There was no chance he would attempt to escape now and no one would dare touch a prisoner claimed by the Gestapo.

Dietrich led the way across the open area between the hospital and his headquarters. The three Gestapo agent kept pace right behind him. His mind was not on his surroundings or security as he stomped toward the radio room. The shot was totally unexpected but he reacted as only someone who has been in combat would react. He dropped to the ground and found cover before the echo had died away. Looking back he saw one of the Gestapo officers sprawled on the ground, a bullet hole between his eyes.

Men were shouting and running toward them as Dietrich scanned the high ground for the shooter. The shot had to have come from somewhere higher than the walls. He thought he saw a brief flash before it was gone. He waved his men down, fearing more shots. Some of them began firing wildly but he knew they were just wasting ammunition. There was nothing to be seen. There were no more shots either. The shooter had already gone or was waiting for a specific target. Dietrich suspected that he knew who the selected targets might be but he kept that thought to himself.

A call from his radio room had him running for the building, trying to stay behind shelter all the way. The two remaining Gestapo officers followed in his footsteps while looking over their shoulders.

"Hello Captain."

The voice on the radio was both a surprise and expected. "Sargent Troy. To what do I owe this call?"

"We just thought we'd let you know that now that we have stopped jamming the lines, you'll be getting a call from Colonel Beitter."

"About what Sargent?" Dietrich played for time, unsure why Troy was calling him.

"It seems that someone shot one of his Gestapo officers this afternoon. The guy was standing right beside him when it happened."

"There seems to be a lot of that going around today." Dietrich responded dryly. "Is there anything else that I should know?"

Troys chuckle came across loud and clear on the radio. "You don't miss a thing do you Captain? Okay, here's the deal. We have Captain Beitter. We tried to carry out a trade with Colonel Beitter for a Major Torrance. Unfortunately, the Colonel tried to change the play at the last minute. We had to make sure that he understood that there are consequences for trying to kill us."

"I understand Sargent. That would explain the dead officers."

"Exactly Captain. Now the thing is, the Colonel still wants his son, and we still want the major, only we can't trust the Colonel to keep his word."

"So what do you want from me Sargent?" Dietrich had the uneasy feeling that he was about to get drug into the middle of this mess.

"You see Captain, we need a new player to make the trade. We don't want to deal with the Colonel or his men anymore."

With a sinking feeling, Dietrich realized that his worst fears were about to come true. It was confirmed with the sergeants next words.

"We want you to make the trade. You tell the Colonel that this is his last chance. If he messes this up, his son and the other two officers we have are dead. They'll die a slow agonizing death just like the major and every other poor sap the Gestapo gets their hands on."

"I understand Sargent. I will tell the Colonel." Dietrich watched the Gestapo officers as they listened to the message on the radio.

"And one other thing Captain."

"Yes Sargent?"

"The stakes just went up. Now instead of just the major, we want the prisoner the Gestapo is holding in your compound. Consider him payment for all the extra work the Colonel made us do. Or call it a gesture of good will, whatever works for you."

"What makes you think they have a prisoner here Sargent?"

Troy chuckled again. "Nice try Captain. But we saw them dragging a prisoner to your hospital after they were done with him. We want both prisoners or no trade." Troy paused. "And tell the Colonel to leave them alone until the trade. No more questions. Maybe he should transfer Major Torrance to your base now so you'll have him handy when we call with the details."

"As you wish Sargent. I will tell the Colonel everything you've told me."

"You do that Captain. Make sure he understands that we keep our word."

"And if the Colonel does not agree to all of your requests?"

"They're not requests Captain."

Dietrich stood holding the mike from the radio even after he realized that the line had gone dead. The radio operator was reaching for it when the next call came in.

The next call was from a very irate and concerned Colonel and he was not happy with the news he found waiting for him.

.The following day Major Torrance was transferred to Dietrichs base. Mindful of Troys demands, the major was taken immediately to the base hospital and given a bed next to his fellow prisoner. The doctor spent a lot of time treating the various injuries they had acquired during their interrogations. Dietrich waited for the call from Troy and fretted about what the Colonel might be planning.

Captain Dietrich sat stiffly in the passenger seat of the ambulance feeling uncomfortably vulnerable. He was not worried about that the Americans would go back on their deal. Oddly enough, he found that he trusted them to behave in a more honorable manner than the Colonel. It was the thoughts of the Colonel that were making him uneasy. The man had agreed to all of the terms much too easily. Dietrich was expecting trouble, and as instructed, he had come unarmed and with only two other men beside himself.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he straightened in his seat as the meeting point approached. Right on schedule Sam Troy stepped out from behind a huge boulder. The knoll behind him was rocky enough to hide a Sherman tank if need be. Not that Dietrich expected one, that would have been out of character for the Rat Patrol. Dietrich had to admit, they had chosen an excellent spot for the trade. Troy and his men had Captain Beitter, fast jeeps, and a good field of view in case of treachery.

Dietrich ordered the ambulance driver to stop the vehicle. Climbing out, he walked across the open space to meet the sargent.

"So how do we do this Sargent?"

"Easy Captain." Troy replied. He glanced at the two Germans who stood beside the ambulance. "My men are up top watching for any tricks." Dietrich nodded his understanding. It was what he would have done. "You have your guys carry the major over here and I have my guys bring down one of the prisoners. If we're both satisfied we trade and the stretchers are sent to our own ambulances."

"Stretchers?" Dietrich was confused. "I wasn't aware that any of your prisoners had been hurt Sargent. I didn't bring a corpsman."

Troy flashed the captain a crafty smile. "They're not hurt Captain. I just figured that we should trade one unconscious man for another, make it more fair. I had them sedated so they could sleep through the whole trade thing. Less trouble that way, I'm sure you understand."

The captain nodded with a small smile. "Yes Sargent, that was very clever of you."

Troy smile at him again. "Flattery will get you nowhere Captain. Start the major this way and I'll have one of your guys brought down. They'll meet right here." Troy half turned and motioned for the first prisoner to be carried down the hill. The captain did the same with a comment about how the prisoners were 'not his guys' whispered under his breath. He hated being linked to the Gestapo.

When the stretchers arrived Troy checked the face of the prisoner against a photograph of the major.

"Really Sargent." Dietrich chided. "Do you really think I would try to switch prisoners?"

"Have you ever met the Major?"

"Only when he was delivered to my base." He admitted.

Troy grinned at him. "So how do you know the Colonel sent the right man?"

Looking from the photo in Troys hand to the prisoner, Dietrich had to admit if only to himself that the sargent had a valid point.

"Alright Captain. As soon as they get back to the ambulance they can bring the second one over." The sargent was watching the progress of the men carrying the stretchers.

"Sargent."

Troy turned at the serious tone of the Germans voice. "Yes Captain?"

"How did you know about the second prisoner?"

"I told you Captain. We saw him being man-handled across your compound." The sergeants voice had taken on a dangerous edge.

"But how did you know who he was?"

"We don't." Troy responded seriously. "But it doesn't matter. We couldn't just leave him there for the Gestapo. Why did you give him to them? That's not your usual style?"

Dietrich lowered his head. "I had no choice Sargent. They found out he was there before I could send him to a POW camp. I suspect that they learned about him from Captain Reiss or one of his prisoners. I have no control over the Gestapo."

Troy was puzzled by the captains demeanor. He glanced at the second stretcher being carried toward him. An ugly suspicion began to take shape. Thinking about the brief glimpse they had gotten of the prisoner, he tried to recall every detail. The one feature he clearly remembered was the blond hair. His head snapped up to meet the captains knowing eyes.

With a curse he hurried to meet the stretcher. As he stepped around the German carrying the stretcher the face of the prisoner came into view. Troy stared into the face of his driver. Dark bruises stood out starkly against the pale face. Troy cursed again and spun to face the captain.

"He was captured with a convoy by Captain Reiss and myself. When I saw him among the wounded, I ask for him. Captain Reiss was more than willing to allow me to have one wounded prisoner. The rest he took and claimed as prizes to show our superiors. It is quite the coup on his record. I didn't tell him who he had caught. Somehow the Gestapo found out that he was in my care. They came for him while I was out on patrol. There was nothing I could do Sargent."

Troy detected genuine sadness in Dietrichs eyes. He turned back to look at Hitch.

"Okay Captain. Send the stretcher to the ambulance." The stretchers were exchanged and Troy stayed by his drivers side. "I'm going with him. As soon as we get him in the ambulance I will send down Captain Beitter."

"On a stretcher Sargent?"

The look that Troy gave Dietrich clearly indicated his feelings on the matter. "No Captain. Captain Beitter is perfectly capable of walking down here on his own." He glanced at the stretcher by his side. "Take your people back to your base Captain. Give the Captain back to the Colonel." Troy paused as if choosing his words. "Tell the Colonel to forget about us. If he tries to take this any further, it's going to get personal." The sergents face was hard. He glared at Dietrich. "You stay out of this Captain." The warning was clear and Dietrich had every intention of heeding it.

"I'll tell him Sargent." Dietrich answered softly. He stood tall with his hands clasp behind his back as Troy walked beside the stretcher up the hill and out of sight. He was still in the same position as he watched Captain Beitter hurry toward him. He considered it a testament to the Americans character that there was not a mark on the captain even after they had seen their teammate.

"Alright Captain, where are your men? We need to go after them immediately." Captain Beitter was shouting orders before he reached Dietrich.

"I have no men." Dietrich replied with a certain satisfaction. "Only the two you see. And we have no weapons."

"But how do you plan to go after them with only two men?" Beitter demanded. "And where did you leave your weapons?"

"I don't Captain. My orders were to make the trade and to get you back safely. I have done that. Now we will return to my base and you can rejoin the Colonel."

The captain was still angry at Dietrich several miles later when they met up with several halftracks headed their way. Dietrich was not surprised to see Colonel Beitter in command of the lead vehicle. Father and son were reunited and Dietrich delivered Troys message.

"We shall see about that Captain. Where did you last see them? My men will get the prisoners back along with the others."

Dietrich watched them go, heedless of his warnings. He was neither surprised nor upset when only one of the vehicles limped back into his base later that day. It bore the bodies of both Colonel and Captain Beitter, neither had been willing to let the matter drop.

Captain Reiss met Dietrich for the planned get together once things had settled down. They enjoyed a pleasant meal cooked by Dietrichs staff. As they shared a glass of brandy in the cool air of the early evening, Reiss told Dietrich about his 'meeting' with the Rat Patrol.

"You were right Hans. I should have been more careful what I wished for. Your Rat Patrol paid me a visit. They left their calling cards. There were explosives planted among the captured munitions as well as my own munitions and fuel depots. They planted charges on twelve of my halftracks and several of my tanks. To add insult to injury, while we were dealing with that chaos, they stole one of my trucks and drove away with all of my prisoners." The captain was indignant at the memory.

"That is the sort of thing they have become famous for Captain. We are left picking up the pieces and trying to learn from our mistakes." Dietrich smiled at his friend. "At least you are alive to learn from this disaster. There is always tomorrow. Just do not allow this to get personal." He warned his friend.