Change of Ways

by The Ravenwolf

Set directly after the the events of the Rat Patrol's final episode, the story follows Dietrich's path into an unsteady future, joining his ways with the Rats and even less expected individuals.

8. The HHD Raid

The Rat Patrol have been granted a day on leave after returning General König safely to their commands post. Now, they are sitting together at a table in an Arab tavern specialized on keeping soldiers happy with food, drink and belly dancers without caring which side they belong to. "To the end of the Butcher!", Troy provides the toast for their first round. Everyone cheers at that, while clinging their beer bottles together. "T'was a good job gettin' him outta the war", Tully muses. "You bet!", Hitch grins widely and winks, whether it is at Tully or some girl behind him the latter is not absolutely sure. Turning around, Tully Pettigrew can make out the shape of a dancer currently walking among the guests. Moffit shares a knowing smile with Troy which reminds of an older brother knowing his younger brother is about to launch himself straight into trouble.

"How do you think our dear Captain is faring?", the Doctor asks in his typical British, slightly aloof way changing the subject away from their womanizing private. "Getting his shoulder patched up and planning his next scheme, I suppose", Troy muses. "He was actually lucky that you shot him in the shoulder, while our sniper had to reload his rifle", the British scholar states matter-of-factually. "That Koenig guy reminded me why we can actually be glad to have someone like Dietrich as an opponent", Troy answers vigorously. "He'd never torture a POW or murder them for fun. Sometimes, he's almost too chivalrous and honorable for his own good." A soft chuckle from Moffit and outright laughter from Hitch answer his statement, while Tully is just grinning widely.

"So, Hitch. You're gonna ask that girl out, or what?", Troy changes the subject and they focus their attention on enjoying their evening off. At the young private's wide grin which he considers enough of an answer, Moffit adds with the voice of the exasperated parent berating a rather misbehaved teenager: "But remember to be back in the camp tomorrow 0500 at the latest." At Troy's approving nod, Hitch just grimaces, before his mischievous grin returns. "Sure, Mum, Dad! See ya tomorrow morning. Cheers."

---

The next morning finds the Rat Patrol up and about with their usual morning routine. Hitch has made it back to the camp in time and they have already finished breakfast. While Hitch tells some tales about his last night, Tully is taking care of the final repairs of their Jeeps before heading out on patrol, when Troy and Moffit are ordered to their Captain with great urgency. "What's going on, Cap? Something's happened?", Troy asks his superior with a certain degree of alert in his voice. "You could say so", Captain Boggs answers him with a wary look on his face. "I just had an interesting radio call with HQ. Apparently, they have some news on an old acquaintance of yours, Captain Hans Dietrich."

Troy's eyes narrow immediately at the mention of the name. Dietrich with his plots, schemes and wily maneuvers keeps them constantly on their toes. In spite of this, he has never considered to actually kill him outright and collect the small bounty HQ has put on the German officer's head. Better to have an enemy you know to be a good man and an honorable soldier than dealing only with the likes of Koenig or Beckmann. "What's he up to this time?", the Sergeant asks with exasperation clearly audible in his voice. "That guy should rest his shoulder wound in a hospital instead of going through with one of his schemes." At Captain Boggs' sober expression, Moffit frowns. "He's not scheming. What is the problem, Captain?"

With a sigh the Captain answers them: "Apparently, the SS arrested him immediately after your successful extraction of the Butcher. Koenig's wife asked for Dietrich's head to pay for her husband's abduction and accused him of treason." Troy growls incredulously: "That's absurd. That man's loyal to the bone. Proud and stubborn as hell, but surely not a traitor." Moffit adds with a clear tinge of black humor: "Except when he shoots SS officers for the purpose of a greater good." Troy frowns deeply now. "Good riddance is all that can be said about that Wannsee guy!"

"Gentlemen!", their Captain calls them back to order. "Apparently, an SS officer has taken over the command of Dietrich's unit and base. The SS has even sent a larger contingent of men to establish a base in the oasis, while you and Dietrich were occupied with Koenig. According to informants, they have rallied all Jews of the town yesterday, men, women, children, and marked them with stars of David. From there it is only a short way to having them deported or shot without mercy, as has happened in a few towns in the past few weeks since the Germans are on their retreat from Egypt and venting their frustration." Both officers argue almost simultaneously: "Dietrich would never order the execution of unarmed civilians." Captain Boggs frowns and reminds them: "He has not been in command since his arrest. Expect the worst from a SS officer in charge." "So what are we supposed to do, Captain? Flatten that SS base?", Troy finally loses his patience.

"You may, if you can. But your mission is a different one. HQ seem to consider Dietrich as a potential asset. With the SS arresting and interrogating him, threatening his soldiers and civilians alike, they consider his defection an actual possibility." Moffit looks thoughtful at the statement, while Troy snorts merely. "That might actually be true, especially after what I have seen him do in the past", the British scholar assesses. "But why is HQ bothering about one Captain in an army of more than 200000?" Boggs smiles slightly. "I asked them just that same question, Sergeant Moffit. Apparently, he is one of Rommel's hand-selected young talents who have gained promotion despite a rather young age. Apart from having been in the Afrikakorps since the very beginning of the offensive, he is one of their few who speak the language of the natives well and to have gained the respect of several tribes which helps him in overcoming supply problems far better than his fellow officers. At least that is what I may tell you. HQ thinks that he is more valuable as a living ally than a dead enemy or locked up in a POW camp. And now the SS is providing us with an actual opportunity of driving him into our arms." Thoughtfully, the Captain strokes his chin. "But you have crossed your blades with him for months now. What would you say to that and the idea that he would defect?"

Troy smiles grimly. "He sure as hell is as wily a fox as the old desert fox himself. Some of the stunts he's pulled could have been my own ideas and I wouldn't have thought a German officer would ever come up with something like infiltrating a camp posing as us. He'd almost gotten away with that, if Operation Diamond had not saved us." An amused smile creases the American Sergeant's lips at the memory of that raid. "For sure nobody would have realized that Dietrich was German from his accent or behavior alone." Troy is still slightly impressed in spite of himself, before he adds: "He also has a sense of justice, honor and common decency. I've seen him antagonize his own side at times to follow through with his principles. I wouldn't put it beyond him to defect, if he truly believes that it's the right thing to do." Moffit adds to that: "Convincing him of the right thing to do will be the challenging part, but otherwise I agree with Sergeant Troy." Captain Boggs nods thoughtfully keeping his expression guarded the whole time, while he listens to their assessment. "Excellent. Thank you, gentlemen. I am relieved that you share such a positive attitude in this regard, as your next assignment will be to extract Captain Dietrich from the SS and bring him back here. Alive, if possible in any way."

---

Hitch's and Tully's first reaction to their new mission of saving Dietrich is hearty laughter and asking what the real mission is, until they realize that it is not one of Troy's jokes. "We are really supposed to save Dietrich?", Hitch asks incredulously pausing to chew on his bubble gum for a moment. Both Troy and Moffit confirm this with grim faces. "What did he do?", Tully asks curiously. "What do you mean?", Troy snaps. Tully explains shifting his matchstick in the corner of his mouth thoughtfully and speaking more than his usual share for a week: "If we have to save him, the Jerries have turned on him. But why? Is't because of Koenig?" Troy smiles broadly, proud of his Private. "Something like that." "So what's the plan?", Hitch asks ready for action. "We return to Koorlea, set up camp somewhere out there for the night and then ride the way to Dietrich's camp at this oasis town." Moffit reminds them: "It is not Dietrich's camp anymore though. The SS have taken command, while he is under arrest." Tully and Hitch both frown at the mention of SS. Nothing good is ever connected with the SS.

The Privates fill up their provisions for the next days, now that they know that the trip will last at least three or four days and not bring them home to camp at the end of the same day. Meanwhile Moffit turns to Troy with a serious expression. "If Dietrich has been interrogated by the SS for days, he will likely require some medical aid." Also, he still has that bullet wound in the shoulder where you shot him two days ago." Troy nods grimly. "Let's check with the medics what they can gift us!" Packed with more than their usual first aid kit, including the necessary equipment for a blood transfusion and saline solutions, Troy and Moffit return to the Jeeps where the Privates are already waiting. After Tully's final inspection of their Jeeps they head out into the desert.

The drive through the desert to Koorlea is no challenge for Hitch and Tully who try their usual races against each other. However, as they close in on the area of the abducted General's estate, Troy signs them to stop. Observing from the closest dune, he can discern several tanks and half-tracks creating a large German camp. A few seem to be patrolling the area, as the American Sergeant can make out their erratic trails cutting through the desert sand. Cursing under his breath, Troy looks for a good way of circumventing the Germans. Finally deciding on a route which will cost them only a few extra hours, he gives Tully and Hitch directions, before commanding them to "Shake it!".

Troy's detour takes them much longer than intended, when they almost cross paths with two half-tracks and only manage to hide at the last moment. At last, they reach a wadi where they can camp for the night, well-hidden from any casual patrols not that the Germans would risk their equipment by patrolling during the night. After scheduling the night-shifts, everyone except for Troy who has the first shift turns in to sleep. Gazing at the night sky, the American Sergeant evaluates the question Captain Boggs has asked him earlier today. Would Dietrich actually defect?

After many run-ins with the German Captain, Troy is sure that he has a good notion of how the man will react in a battle situation, but other than that he now realizes that he knows nothing about Hans Dietrich. Who are his family? Is he engaged or married? Troy has never seen him wear a ring, but does this really imply that he is neither? Are his family ordinary farmers, craftsmen, soldiers, Nazis? One thing Troy is sure of is that Hauptmann Dietrich is a loyal German officer, but definitely not a fanatic or a Nazi. How does a young German military officer speak as many languages as Moffit, the Cambridge scholar and son of a famous Egyptology Professor? Troy could not even guess. What would motivate the Captain to turn against his home country? Troy has to admit that he simply does not know. He does not even know the man's exact age or hometown. Being shared such information is beyond his rank and pay-grade.

As dawn breaks, Tully on the last night shift wakes the rest of the crew. Troy checks whether the coast is clear, before they can finally leave the patrolled area of the temporary German camp. A few hours later, but still several more hours before reaching the oasis town due to their detour, an urgent radio call comes in. "Red Fox to Black Fox", the American radio operator repeats several times. "Black Fox coming", Troy answers his call. "Sergeant Troy here." The operator is not one to hesitate. "We have information on the oasis town you are approaching. In the morning the Germans have rallied the town's Jews and shot them on order of the commanding officer." "That's not Dietrich at the moment", Troy growls, never before having wished the German Captain to actually be in charge of a situation to prohibit something far worse.

"Your target was said to have been there and according to the informant several German soldiers were shot along with the Jews." For a moment the Rats exchange grim looks. If Dietrich has been shot already, this whole raid is in vain. "Should we still risk checking it out?", Moffit asks cautiously. "We have to", Troy barks angrily unwilling to believe that this would be the end of their rescue mission. "Black Fox to Red Fox", Troy calls the radio operator again. "Any news on Captain Dietrich." The operator answers after a brief pause of hesitation. "Nothing except that he was seen at the scene. We don't know whether he was shot or not." "We'll check it out. Over and out!", Troy informs him leaving no time for contradiction, before he switches off the radio.

"It's about time that we get there and see what's going on. If I get my hands on these SS guys,...", he leaves it to his men's imagination what he would do with the SS once within reach of them. Both Tully and Hitch increase their speed in scaling the dunes. While Hitch chews nervously on his bubble gum, Troy stares ahead with a grim expression. Tully and Moffit almost mirror them, only that Tully is chewing on a matchstick instead of chewing gum.

After three more hours of driving in a tense atmosphere the desert town finally comes into view. Troy notices that no trails and tracks of German tanks and half-tracks are visible anywhere in the area. If not for the German Reich's flag waving above the local fort, he would not have noticed the Germans' presence or thought the fort abandoned. This is more than a bit strange, as Troy cannot remember ever having been around a camp of Dietrich's without countless trails in the near vicinity. Supply logistics is a big part of the Captain's job, just like destroying such supplies is a big part of their jobs after all. The SS do not seem to care about the Afrikakorps' military needs.

Parking and hiding the Jeeps a few miles outside the town at a small rock formation which provides them with natural cover, Troy turns towards observing the military base. It is early afternoon and the whole area is bustling with activity. Several soldiers are working out in the dunes within half a mile from town and apparently digging in the sand. Some other soldiers with machine guns and Swastika armbands stand nearby watching and guarding the German soldiers. Things are turning more mysterious by the minute. German soldiers guarding other Germans soldiers like prisoners, shooting the fellow soldiers even. Something is truly wrong in this place. Moffit points at their armbands and explains that these identify them as SS.

In spite of the heavy guard presence, knocking several of the guards out noiselessly is less of a strain than expected as particularly the SS guards seem more intent to watch the other Germans than for outside dangers. Without much trouble, the four commandos make it onto the military site climbing the wall after they have rid themselves of all guards on this side. Once in the courtyard, they aim to get into the main building they expect to house offices and the jail. After having invaded or been captured and brought into so many German bases, all of them recognize the basic concept without having to know the specific base.

Now, things get worse, as the guards on the inside are actually attentive and keeping an eye out for anyone. Donning the uniform jacket he has taken from one of the knocked out SS guards, Moffit approaches one of the current guards up front calling out to him in German, while Tully sneaks up on the distracted guard with his knife ready. A clean pierce through the lung and additional stab through the heart take out the guard efficiently without raising an alarm. The main problem is that they have to hide the body and that the lack of guards will become obvious quickly. By now each one of the Rat Patrol has drawn their knife to make short work of the following guards in the hallways. This is the largest contingent of soldier on guard they have ever encountered inside a German base's main office building, Troy notes. Even when Dietrich has doubled the guards to keep them under lock and key, never have there been so many around the offices. Something is definitely wrong in this place.

As they eliminate the final two SS guards in front of the base commander's office, noise can be heard from the inside. All four freeze and strain their hearing to grasp what is going on. Someone is barking what sounds like insults rather loudly, while only Moffit can understand the actual meaning of the insults and his face turns into a deep frown upon hearing them. Another much fainter voice can be heard, but the detailed words are muffled by the door. Troy sighs in relief however, as he recognizes Hans Dietrich's voice. So their target is still alive and this mission not in vain. Moffit recognizes the Captain as well and nods in understanding, while Tully and Hitch mainly deduce the message from their Sergeants' reactions.

Signing to Moffit and Hitch to cover the right side of the room, while Troy and Tully will move into the left side and try to eliminate anyone inside as quickly as possible. Dietrich's voice has stopped abruptly followed by what sounds like splashing of water. Troy takes this as a good cue to storm into the room. One SS officer stands in front of the desk and kicks at a prisoner on the floor with his head dunked into a bucket, while another sits at the commander's desk and observes the scene before him with the detached curiosity of a mad scientist. A SS soldier actually keeps the kneeling prisoner secured and forces his head under water in the bucket.

Without hesitation Troy rams his knife into the chest of the standing SS officer not giving him any chance to call out before his lungs collapse from several pierces. With a gurgling sound, the brutish looking blond man collapses to the ground with a shocked and disbelieving expression on his face. Meanwhile, Tully deals equally fast with the soldier manhandling the prisoner and thus has no hand free to defend himself, as he is controlling the struggling man. However, Moffit and Hitch have a larger struggle with the commanding officer who has managed to call out: "Alarm! Angriff!" before the knives of both commandos end his life. Fortunately for them, there is no guard left outside who could hear the shout of alarm. After being released from the clutches of the soldier restraining him, the prisoner has just collapsed to the side and started to cough heavily spitting water on the floor. Only at a second take can Sam Troy recognize Captain Dietrich. The usually prim and orderly German officer looks like a drowned rat, battered and bruised all over his face and torso with his partially torn shirt drenched in water, sweat and some blood mixed into it.

After having expelled most of the water from his lungs, the German Captain just remains lying on the floor on his left side panting and too exhausted to even try to move. His heavy ragged breaths speak volumes of his state of health. All four Rats exchange glances. Tully and Hitch look rather uncomfortable, while Moffit just shrugs and lowers his gaze again to study an open file folder he has found on the commander's desk. After a few seconds of hesitation, Troy finally takes heart and places a hand on Dietrich's uninjured shoulder feeling the German's muscles clench immediately at the touch. "Captain Dietrich", he addresses the officer in his usual way.

The German flinches and struggles to blinkingly open his eyes which he only manages for his right eye properly, as the left is swollen almost completely shut opening only to a tiny slit. The Hauptmann requires a few tries to keep his eye open long enough to try and focus his rather blurry gaze on the person beside him. To Troy's surprise, the tension in Dietrich's body seems to relax, as he recognizes the American uniform and his eyes finally linger on Sam's face. "Sergeant Troy", Dietrich sighs with a raw voice and an exhausted tone, signing his recognition. The words seem too much strain for him, as he closes his eyes again apparently trying to find some additional reserve of strength.

Even though Troy can empathize with him, time is of the essence, as the dead guards could be found any minute now. "Captain, we need to get out of here", the American Sergeant calls the officer out of his reverie. Dietrich stares at him in confusion, clearly not grasping their intent of rescuing him. Moffit interrupts with the folder in his hands. "You have been sentenced to be executed tomorrow, Captain. Apparently as a traitor. We would rather get you out of the hands of the SS under the circumstances", he explains in his cool analytical tone. This induces a reaction from Dietrich in form of a single word uttered in disbelief: "Why?"

"Time for explanations's later", Troy reminds him and helps the German to stagger to his feet. As it is obvious that without support Dietrich would not remain standing for a moment, Troy drags his left arm over his shoulder. For a moment he feels the proud Captain struggle, but finally lean into him, as his body reminds him of the necessity for support. It is not like they would not have experience with this, Troy thinks with a wry smile. "You should take the SS uniforms, if you plan to bluff your way out of here", Dietrich points out dryly, apparently regaining more of his senses, even though he is breathing heavily between each word. "No one will question SS soldiers leading me around the compound with weapons drawn."

To his actual surprise Troy orders them to go through with the German Captain's suggestion. "I wouldn't have thought that you would help us so willingly", Moffit voices his doubts. "I'm trying to keep you from shooting or blowing up my men unnecessarily. They are also still on the base, not just the SS", Dietrich replies matter-of-factually interrupted several times by coughing, until he leans against Troy's shoulder with both his eyes closed at the end of the statement. When a canteen is pressed against his lips, the Hauptmann struggles briefly against the urge to flinch back after his bad experiences with Metzlich giving him water mixed with salt or acid to torment him further. "Captain, you need to drink something, before you pass out on us", Sergeant Moffit speaks calmly. Trusting the Rats far more than the SS to not torture him with contaminated water, Hans Dietrich takes the chance to swallow several gulps. Only his long experience in the desert and his willpower keep him from emptying the whole canteen in a single go and overly exerting his stomach in the process.

The water has helped indeed, as the officer feels more steady afterwards, while his vision has cleared considerably from its previous blurriness. "Let's get to the court yard and out through the main gate", Troy orders, only to be interrupted by Dietrich: "Do not use the main gates. The SS soldiers will recognize you immediately as not from their unit and all my soldiers on guard know your faces." "What do you suggest, Captain? That fort of yours has only one entrance and believe me, we have checked when entering. Climbing the wall will be impossible in your state. So, unless you have a secret passage out, I don't see an alternative.", Troy demands, while Moffit smiles with amusement at the bickering between the two.

"As a matter of fact, I do have a secret passage", Dietrich states smugly with the ghost of a smile briefly appearing on his bruised face that disappears immediately into a grimace of pain. "Where is that passage?", Troy now sounds genuinely interested and the rest of the Rats eye him cautiously. "A half collapsed supply tunnel at the food storage", Dietrich answers him with a long-suffering sigh. The Hauptmann knows that only Fritz usually lingers there to keep the rats at bay. Hopefully, the kitchen stuff would be too cowered by the SS uniforms to not take too close a look, as all the rest of the base has been after his return from the catastrophic execution of the Jews as well as his soldiers and officers. "Lead the way then", Troy suggests magnanimously although he knows fully well that the German would not be able to take a single step without his active support.

Hauptmann Dietrich stiffens briefly at the sight of the stabbed guards in front of the office. Without a command necessary, Tully and Hitch each drag one corpse into the room, before closing the door behind them. Jack Moffit has tucked the file folder into his uniform still worn underneath the SS uniform jacket. "To the right", Dietrich directs them, as they enter the eerily quiet hallway. Normally, they would have expected any soldier to have by accident come across the missing guards, but here it seems like everyone avoids the building with the office and jail like the plague. "Why is no one here, Captain?", Moffit finally intends to sate his curiosity. Dietrich's drawn expression turns grim, as he whispers harshly: "They fear that any connection with me or the SS men could mean their lives as well. Two of my officers and 4 loyal soldiers have already died today, executed for treason." Troy can feel the increasing tension in the German's muscles, as he speaks of his men's deaths. At least the anger and frustration seem to instill a certain amount of strength in Captain Dietrich.

Remaining silent from now on as they move along the corridors, following Dietrich's curt directions finally leads them outside the back doors, past the mess hall toward the kitchen next to the food supply storage. Two soldiers apparently serving there exit the building at just the time when the Rats with Dietrich approach them. The formation quickly straightens and guns are loosely pointed in the direction of the assumed prisoner. All Rats however make themselves ready to swing the guns around immediately and starts firing.

When the two soldiers see the group coming, one of them immediately turns tail and scurries off back into the kitchen, muttering an excuse of having to finish peeling potatoes that only Dietrich and Moffit understand and exchange at quick glance about. Dietrich slightly shakes his head indicating not to follow the man. The second soldier, Dietrich recognizes as Willi Gruber, the barely twenty year old son of an Austrian Gasthaus owner. The slightly pudgy young man who has arrived in North Africa only 2 months ago is an excellent cook, but not the bravest of soldiers. True to that, he steps from one foot on the other, clearly communicating his nervousness. Keeping his gaze lowered and careful to not look at his Hauptmann sentenced for execution or any of the SS soldiers directly to not provoke any suggestions of treason, he mutters: "Brauchen Sie etwas, Herr ...?" Sweat breaks on his forehead, as he realizes that he knows neither a name nor title to address the SS soldiers.

With the ease of a practiced liar, Moffit lies in slightly accented German: "... Sturmführer König. Der Verräter wird uns ein Geheimversteck im Vorratslager zeigen. Sorgen Sie dafür, dass wir nicht gestört werden!" At the mention of a secret stash, Willi flinches and almost starts to tremble with fear. When the fake SS man commands him to assure that they are not to be disturbed, Soldat Gruber snaps to attention and salutes all the time carefully not looking in their direction, before taking his hasty escape route back into the kitchen.

"And you actually mocked Private Pennell, when you have a man like him?", Troy cannot keep from whispering into Dietrich's ear who grits his teeth in annoyance at his soldier' cowardice which is currently most helpful, before the German officer grinds out: "Few are not cowered by the SS." All four Rats briefly stare at the man who has faced up to the SS himself and paid dearly for it. "And Gruber at least can cook well", Dietrich adds dryly pointedly ignoring the stares directed at him.

As the quintet descends a set of uneven stairs, Troy tightens his grip on a staggering Dietrich who is struggling increasingly with his balance. Once down in the cellar, a familiar bark can be heard that flashes Hitch's and Troy's face with gleeful grins, while Moffit gives an unnerved sigh. "Aus, Fritz! Still!", Dietrich commands sharply in spite of his buckling knees and the dog immediately falls quiet. Jumping up at his master who has been missing for days, Fritz licks the fingers of the Hauptmann's limply hanging right hand.

Troy senses that the German is struggling increasingly to stay on his feet and leads him to a wall. Helping the injured man to sit perched against the wall, he glimpses several fresh burn marks on the Captain's collarbone and chest which he has not noticed previously. Dietrich has closed his eyes and leans his head against the wall, as Fritz the dog starts licking his chin. "Fritz. Aus!", he orders in a much weaker voice than a minute ago. Yet the dog still obeys and lies down next to the German officer with its snout on his thigh producing only a soft whine as a sound, when he senses the man's discomfort. "The passage is behind the barrels", Dietrich slurs and for the first time Troy can hear his native German accent distinctly when speaking English. "Don't give up, Captain!", he orders the quickly fading man and places a hand on his shoulder shaking him slightly to keep him from fainting.

Tully and Hitch move the barrels aside revealing a partially caved-in passageway beneath ground level. "Removing enough rubble to make it through will take some minutes", Tully Pettigrew assesses the situation. "Do it!", Troy orders them without leaving Dietrich's side. The German Captain looks worse for wear and his breathing becomes more shallow. Deciding the best way to keep him awake and about will be to annoy the man, Troy comments with a put-on casual tone: "You know, Captain, you really look terrible." The proud Afrikakorps officer grits his teeth at the insult and some life seems to return to his body, as he growls in a far less accented English: "You should work on your bedside manners, Sergeant Troy!" Completely undeterred and happy about his success, Troy continues to ask: "How do you feel?" With his voice dripping with sarcasm the Hauptmann answers in his usual smooth English: "About as good as I look." Smiling in spite of the dire situation, Troy continues his conversation: "Well, if you can still muster your sense of humor, not all is lost."

When he feels Dietrich's body lose tension again, he intensifies the grip on his shoulder, until it becomes painful enough for the Hauptmann to hiss slightly. Troy is almost shocked at how skinny he can feel the man being underneath the ragged shirt. Lack of food and water added to the torture at the hands of the SS surely explain the younger man's weakened state. "Don't pass out yet! I would not want to carry you through that tunnel, if I can avoid it", the American Sergeant comments, as he presses his canteen against the other's lips. Troy again feels the strange hesitation and increasing tension in the German's body wondering where this reaction is coming from. "Something wrong with the water, Captain?", he asks to get Dietrich talking again. After a few moments of hesitation when Troy has almost given up on an answer, he hears a harsh "Not with yours.".

Dietrich has finally regained some strength and coherence after drinking up the canteen and pets Fritz' head with his uninjured hand, while concentrating to get his breathing under control. "We made it through", Moffit announces, as he steps up to Troy and the Captain. For the first time in almost half an hour, Dietrich is opening his eyes and his briefly unsteady gaze focuses first on the British Sergeant and then on the passageway. Swallowing his pride, he lets the two Sergeants help him to his feet and remain there with their leaning support.

The uneven ground provides a real challenge for both Hans Dietrich who stumbles more often than not over the rubble still strewn in the passage and Sam Troy who struggles to keep himself and the Captain from falling. Fritz follows on his master's heels with surprisingly well-behaved silence as ordered, only whining every now and then, when he can sense the German officer's distress as he struggles not to fall over the rubble. The closer to the outside they get, the more intensely the stench of decomposing flesh attacks their noses. Glad that he has not eaten any solid food in days, Hans Dietrich still fights to keep his stomach under control and from expelling the much needed water Sergeant Troy has only just given him.

Stumbling out into the open, the Hauptmann quickly closes his eyes to the glaring sunlight. Troy leads him around the rotting, skinned cadaver of a donkey lying on the town's waste dump. The stench at least assures that the Germans have avoided this place during their digging mission. Nobody wants to speak within the corpse's stinking vicinity and thus the group moves wordlessly around the dump area. Only Fritz is halfways interested in the cadaver and sniffing at it, until Troy calls him back to Dietrich's side. As the unit mascot, the dog is used to being commanded by different people besides Dietrich and obeys after a few more sniffs.

They have almost fully left the stench area, when a child's voice rings: "Hauptmann!" Dietrich flinches, as if he had been struck by a whip, and some life seems to return to the German Captain. Staring in disbelief, Hauptmann Dietrich recognises the dirty child of about six years of age in ragged clothes with a bright yellow star of David pinned onto him which is partially hidden underneath a thick layer of dirt. The boy stares at Dietrich with a tear-stained face that induces a guilty expression on the Captain's face.

"Shalom, Ari", the Hauptmann greets the boy in a soft and gentle tone that surprises Moffit almost as much as the fact that the German officer greets the boy in Hebrew. The words seems to break the spell the lad appears to be under, as he rushes toward the Hauptmann and to everyone's surprise buries his face in Dietrich's shirt crying softly as he nestles against the tall officer. Hans Dietrich's expression speaks clearly of his utter disbelief of what is just happening. "You are safe", he mutters in a rather gentle tone in a mixture of Hebrew and the local Arabic dialect. The Rats only watch the drama playing out with undisguised curiosity, until Moffit interjects: "What is this about, Captain? Who is the boy?"

"You must get this boy out of this town immediately", Dietrich replies with urgency, side-stepping both questions before answering them with a second statements: "He's the only survivor of the massacre on the Jewish populace." "We are not a kindergarten", Moffit makes the mistake of formulating his doubts rather flappantly. The perceived dismissal sparks an unexpected reaction from the German Captain who seems to summon a reserve of strength nobody would have expected from him. Drawing himself up to his full height almost matching that of the British Sergeant, Hans Dietrich focuses him in a murderous glare. The German officer snarls with unconcealed righteous anger: "Would you rather leave a Jewish boy who has just had his family murdered in front of his eyes within the reach of SS troops only too willing to lash out at anyone? Don't you dare refuse to save this boy, Sergeant!" His outburst happens unexpectedly enough that both Tully and Hitch point their guns at the Afrikakorps officer on instinct who determinedly ignores them to continue staring at the British scholar with unconcealed loathing.

"The boy will come with us", Sergeant Troy quickly intercedes. "He didn't mean it like that. Calm down, Captain!" The last words are turning out to be unnecessary, as the outburst seems to heave cost the German officer his last reserves of strength. Troy can feel the tension in the man's body leaning on him decrease rapidly, until the Hauptmann's head is lolling to the side and he collapses against the American Sergeant. The Jewish boy Ari is still holding onto the unconscious man, until a slightly guilty appearing Moffit addresses him in a similar mix of Hebrew and Arabic, as the Captain has used: "We will help you and protect you." "Like the Hauptmann?", the boy asks timidly clutching his perceived hero's dirty shirt. "For sure. I promise. But we must move fast now, so the bad people don't catch us", Moffit tries to convince him to let go of Dietrich's shirt and follow him.

Troy meanwhile places the unconscious Captain's body on the ground to pick him up in a better position for carrying. The American scowls as he notices that the man is too light weight for a trained soldier of his height by at least a dozen pounds. "Hitch, Tully. Create some distraction to buy us the time to get behind the closest dunes! Get the Jerries to the other side of camp! Moffit, take the boy and come with me!", he commands his men and the two privates take off immediately.

A few minutes later, an explosion and the sound of machine guns announce the start of Tully's and Hitch's diversion. Giving the Germans 15 seconds to turn around and move from their guard posts toward the source of chaos, Troy and Moffit start running for the desert after the waiting time. Their distraction or the discovery of the bodies of the killed guards seem to bind all the Germans' attention enough that nobody shoots at or comes after them. With Fritz at their heels the duo makes it all the way back to the Jeeps unscathed.

Troy lays the unconscious Dietrich onto the ground, while Moffit talks to Ari in a calming tone. "Will the Hauptmann die?", the boy asks timidly, as he stares at the Captain's unmoving form with tears in his eyes. "No. We will help him. Why do you trust him, Ari? He is a German officer", Moffit finally asks the question that has bugged him since the boy's strange reaction to Dietrich. "Moffit, I need your help!", Troy calls him with a tone of urgency. Uttering a sigh, the doctor has to postpone sating his curiosity.

As Moffit kneels down next to Troy at the unconscious German's side, he can finally understand his commanding officer's previous assessment that Dietrich looks terrible. The skin of his face looks ashen despite his desert tan and several dark bruises. A thin sheen of cold sweat is visible on his skin although the sun is still shining and creating enough heat to cause hot sweat. Feeling the pulse on the man's neck Moffit mutters his assessment: "Weak erratic pulse, shallow breathing. Cold sweat and pallid complexion. The blood loss is affecting him and dehydration probably as well." As he states his diagnosis, even though not a medical doctor, he points at the Captain's right shoulder where in addition to the bandage his shirt is bled through by now. "He needs a pressure bandage for his shoulder and then a blood transfusion as quickly as possible."

Removing the blood-soaked shirt and shoulder bandages is a task requiring both men's collaboration. The close medical investigation reveals several fresh burn marks, cracked ribs and far too skinny appearance of the German's bruised torso, but nothing worse. As none of these injuries are as immediately life threatening as the still not properly healed shoulder wound, they leave the additional injuries be at the moments. Troy leaves the application of the pressure bandage to Dietrich's shoulder to Moffit, only helping as the Brit directs him to do. For lack of an alternative, the American Sergeant clothes the unconscious German in one of his extra shirts which looks far too baggy on the skinny man.

Angling the Captain's dog-tag from around his neck, Troy reads the information there briefly, before snorting: "That sly fox stalled me the whole time." Slightly confused Moffit leans over to read the information as well, before his mouth breaks into a wide grin: "He's pulled one over you in spite of promising no tricks. At least this way, we already have a donor ready." Rolling up his sleeves, Moffit settles in next to the unconscious man, so that their arms can be connected for the blood transfusion and starts preparing the equipment for the process. Honestly, the British Sergeant actually cannot be angry at Dietrich for having handed over a cowardly American deserter rather than himself, back then when Troy has demanded someone for a blood transfusion while the safety of his whole unit has depended on him.

While the two Americans work, Ari settles as close by, as he dares, and repeats a prayer over and over that the last person in his life who he has learned to trust will not die on this day as well. Hitch and Tully arrive shortly thereafter, and settle down near the Jeeps observing their Sergeants' treatment of the German Captain. The soft whine coming from Fritz makes Hitch get up and pet the clearly distressed dog while whispering gently to him. Ignoring both, Tully decides to check for German activity and ready their vehicles for a quick departure in case the Jerries have managed to track them in spite of their detours and split-ups.

By the end of the blood transfusion, Hauptmann Dietrich looks less like he is already lying on his deathbed. Some color has returned to his face, the cold sweat subsided and his breathing evened out to a more regular rhythm. With the medical device already in place Moffit also gives him an infusion of saline solution to further stabilize the injured man. Wrapping a blanket around the Captain's sleeping form, Troy finally turns to his team. Moffit has turned to Ari while holding the bottle of saline solution to keep the continuous trickle running. Finally having the time, the British Sergeant repeats his question from before. The Jewish boy recounts the tale from his perspective how only 3 months ago when the whole town has been struck with disease, the German Hauptmann has ridden to a field hospital and back to obtain medicine not only for his soldiers, but also for the town populace. When he returned two weeks later with the promised medicine, nobody in the town had known how to apply the antibiotics properly and the Captain had gone into several people's homes himself to administer the treatment supporting one of his medics.

"Father did not want to let him enter at first, but then he wanted that we get better again. The Hauptmann was really friendly to me, Adva, Liel and Noah", tears well up in the boy's eyes again at the mention of his siblings who have been shot earlier on this very day. Looking back to the unconscious Hauptmann, then at the tall and intimidating man before him, Ari ben Levi finishes his recount: "He even speaks some Hebrew you know? And the medicine he gave me, made me feel better after a day and the others too. Father even went to the fort to thank him." Again the boy starts crying, as the reality of his father, mother and siblings never returning forces itself upon him again. "Why did you turn to him earlier today?" the British Sergeant plows on. "Everyone else is dead", Ariel wails, "they are all gone. Only the Hauptmann still is there. He fought against the evil men and now he is the only one who has ever been nice to me and is not dead." The boy's tears do not stop coming, as he hugs his legs and ignores the Brit. Moffit has listened to the story with a contemplative expression on his face.

Deciding that it is better to leave the boy with his grief than force his meager attempts of comfort upon him, Moffit checks that the saline solution has finally depleted, before bandaging Dietrich's arm where the infusion has been applied. Jack Moffit checks the German Captain's now stabilized health before leaving him lying in the shade provided by his Jeep. Then, he settles in next to Troy who has joined Hitch at a makeshift camp next to their other Jeep drinking from their canteens. "What did you say to make the kid cry?", Troy asks while he glances at the huddled up boy empathically. "Apparently, the good Captain did not lie to us, when we met him during that sand storm. He did deliver medicine for soldiers and civilians alike. But he even administered some of that medicine himself. Do not ask me why! He treated the boy and his family and they were healed from the disease. Thus, the boy knows and trusts him." "I told him, he was playing the role of the good Samaritan", Troy states with a heartfelt smile, as he glances at the unconscious officer lying a few feet away. Fritz meanwhile has moved to Ari and makes his best effort at comforting the despondent child by licking his face.

"I can maybe offer you something better even in terms of gathering information." Moffit smiles with self-assurance and reveals the folder with Dietrich's SS file. Troy eyes the file folder with a certain amount of suspicion. "Where'd you get that?" "It's Dietrich's SS file from the desk of the SS commander", Moffit answers him and opens the file to read the first page in earnest. Briefly his eyes flicker to the Captain's still form then back to the page again. Troy tries to read along, but without knowing German he can draw far less information from it than the British Sergeant. Moffit finally takes some pity and points out what has briefly astounded him. "Look at his birth date. April 3, 1917. Our dear Captain is younger than Tully and Hitch." This information brings a startled expression to the faces of all three other Rats. "But only slightly", Hitch pouts with the expression of a petulant child, before continuing to chew his bubble gum loudly.

Moffit chooses to ignore the juvenile behavior and turns the page to open the part which contains Hans Dietrich's military personnel file. Starting from his graduation degree in a 'Oberrealschule II am Königs-Wege' focused on science education in his home city Kiel the file contains documents from his conscription, training as an officer and active military career starting in Poland 1939 leading him to Belgium, France, Italy and finally North Africa. Apparently, Dietrich has been under Rommel's tutelage since the offensive in France and among the top of his fellow officer candidates.

Skipping most of the military personnel file to be read in detail later, the next section reveals a photo of a stern looking middle-aged man with greying dark hair wearing a German military uniform. "Oberst Karl-Friedrich Dietrich", he reads and summarizes for the purpose of the others. "His father is a Colonel and veteran of the great war as a cavalry Captain. Apparently, our dear Captain is following family tradition, as even the grandfather mentioned here was an officer of the Prussian army." This is not surprising in the least and Troy integrates the information easily with other things he has learned about Hauptmann Hans Dietrich in the past.

The next photo reveals a middle-aged woman with a distinguished expression and neatly groomed light hair wearing a refined looking dress. "Katharina Dietrich, born as Freifrau Katharina von Aweyden. Apparently old Prussian nobility with several military officers in the family as well." "I'm getting the picture", Troy smiles faintly. "His code of honor and chivalry make sense for someone raised to serve as an officer and gentleman of the old school." Moffit agrees whole heartedly. Being smart and a dedicated worker combined with the proper heritage and grooming as descendant of two families with tradition in the German officer ranks has resulted in a fast career for the young man.

The next photo shows a young woman in her late twenties with light hair in a braided hairstyle Troy only knows from German propaganda videos and thus classifies as utterly German. "Stefanie Jeschke, nee Dietrich, his sister." Tully and Hitch both exchange uncomfortable looks. "Sarge, you really think that reading all this to us is a good idea? It's really personal...", Hitch voices his concern and Tully nods in agreement moving his matchstick from one corner of his mouth to the other. Moffit regards them with a cool gaze. "We use any information on our enemy we can get. Do you think he would have scruples going through your file?" "We're just Privates, not officers", Tully retorts. "We don't need to know." "Then get out of earshot", Troy orders, "Prepare food, keep an eye out for the Jerries and watch the kid and the dog!" Turning back to Moffit, he orders: "Don't make a study of his life story. I need to know, if you can find something we can use to convince him to defect."

Moffit turns the page to reveal the photograph of a blond SS officer of about 30 years wearing the formal black dress uniform and the red swastika armband of a Nazi. "Hauptsturmführer Arne Jeschke. His brother in law is with the SS." Now both Troy and Moffit look surprised. It would take some gut to kill a SS officer and stand up to them time and again, particularly when your own brother in law is with the SS himself. "I still owe him that Champagne", Moffit summarizes his thoughts in the dry humored statement.

The next photo is again an elderly military officer. "Vizeadmiral Maximilian Dietrich. Submarine commander of a small squad of several German submarines in the Baltic Sea and the English Channel", Moffit snarls with obvious dislike. The vice admiral's wife is a mousy looking elderly woman without any distinctive features and they quickly move to the next photo. The middle-aged man with dark hair is not wearing a uniform, but a medical doctor's white coat, a first in the Dietrich clan. Unlike his brothers in law, he has a gentle expression on his face. "Dr. Heinz Wolf works as a medical doctor in Captain Dietrich's hometown Kiel." "He seems nice unlike the rest of the family", Troy muses.

The next photo reveals again a middle-aged woman with a resolute expression speaking of her sense of pride and self-determinedness. As Moffit introduces Dietrich's aunt Gertrude Wolf, nee Dietrich, Troy grins slyly: "Now, that's an expression we know." The proud young Captain has worn a similar expression more than once, the relation to his aunt undeniable. The last photo of this series is a beautiful dark-haired woman of twenty years beaming at the camera with an openhearted smile. Troy likes her immediately. "Elisabeth Wolf, Dietrich's cousin, a young nurse", Moffit starts to summarize, then his breath catches and with widened eyes he stares at the pages in front of him, rereading them even, before turning to Troy with a grave expression.

"I think this is the information, we have been looking for. The SS arrested and executed Elisabeth Wolf two weeks ago." Now it is Troy's turn to gasp in shock and surprise, as he stares almost sadly at the young woman's picture in spite of never having known her in person, while Moffit continues: "Apparently, she worked with the German resistance and was discovered helping several Jews to flee from a transport on their way to a concentration camp. The SS tortured her before her execution and unlike her cousin", both sets of eyes flicker to the unconscious German Captain, "she broke down and told them either the truth or whatever they wanted to hear from her. She revealed resistance members, contacts, but also that her father has befriended the Jewish family Silberblatt, the father being a medical doctor and former fellow student of Heinz Wolf. Apparently, she also mentioned her cousin Hans during his childhood and youth was friends with their son Jakob who he went to Gymnasium, German high school, with, before he joined the German military and the Silberblatts left the country." Several pieces of the puzzle fall into place now.

Moffit nods, apparently having already drawn similar conclusions as Troy. "This explains Dietrich's reluctance to harass any Jews, as well as speaking some Hebrew. The boy has really chosen his hero better than I would have thought." "If we've ever needed proof that he is not a Nazi, we got it now. You think it will help convincing him to defect." Moffit snorts: "He ordered a firing squad to shoot SS troops instead of Jews. Subconsciously, a man who does that has defected already. He just has to consciously accept that. But we both know how stubborn he is."

The subject of their conversation is stirring in his sleep and moving his left arm, as if trying to fight someone or something off. Troy crosses the distance between them with a few quick steps and shakes Dietrich's good shoulder slightly. Blinking, the German wakes up and his unfocused eyes move around in disorientation, as his battle instinct kicks in and he tries to fight his perceived attacker. "Calm, Captain. You are safe", Troy speaks gently. Nonetheless, the instantly forming tension in every muscle and sinew under his grip reveals that his voice causes quite the opposite instinctive reaction in the young officer than the American would have intended. But at least the man stops his attack and lies down again, as recognition settles in.

"Sergeant Troy", Dietrich rasps with a hoarse voice and his gaze finally turns steady and focuses on the American's face. Before he can continue speaking, Troy shows the Hauptmann a canteen and offers to help him to drink some water. Swallowing his pride in the face of his battered and bruised body not being able to function fully according to his will, the German officer accepts the offer. Troy helps him to sit up, leaning against their Jeep's wheel which has provided him with shade in the afternoon sun and lets the battered man drink from the canteen. The water is actually making the German feel a lot better. "Thank you", Hans Dietrich mutters, as he closes his eyes and collects himself. Where should he start with his questions, he wonders briefly.

Luckily for him, Sergeant Troy loses his patience, before his befuddled brain can make a decision. "That was a pretty close call." Suppressing the urge to roll is eyes which would be undignified for a German officer, Dietrich sighs in a long-suffering way. Trust the American to just blabber instead of getting to the point. "Why am I here?", he finally asks and looks Troy in the eyes, as the Sergeant tries to play innocent: "Because we sprang you out and brought you here." "Why would you do that?", Dietrich demands to know. "You could just have waited a day and been rid of me permanently."

Sam Troy looks at him, as if he had made a rather tasteless joke, but settles for a straight forward answer: "HQ ordered us to." Hauptmann Dietrich can feel the headache developing and is already as exasperated as usual, when trying to extract information from any member of the Rat Patrol in particular Sergeant Troy. At least, he can talk without his voice cracking after a sentence or two as in the past few days, when the SS swine have kept him constantly dehydrated.

"Why would your HQ waste resources to save a low-ranking officer without relevance for the war effort?", Dietrich grinds out with his frustration and disillusionment clearly lacing his voice. "I am neither a Colonel nor a General, not keen to any special information and have already been arrested by my own side, when you have been sent for me, so you could not have hoped to gain any information from me that is not outdated by several days." Moffit intercedes: "We're just Sergeants. This is above our pay-grade." Dietrich simply snorts at the blatant lie. "Don't insult my intelligence, Sergeant!" Turning from Moffit to Troy, Dietrich argues surprisingly coherently: "If I know one thing about you, it is that you would never just accept an order, when you can leverage more information from your commanding officer."

Troy actually smiles at him. "You know us really well. It's probably why you gave a very convincing show as an American soldier yourself." Dietrich just grimaces at the memory of Operation Diamond. "We're here, because HQ thinks you're worth more as a living ally than a dead enemy", Troy tells him straight out. Dietrich stares at the Sergeant, speechless for a moment, before asking in utter disbelief: "They think that I would defect?" As both Sergeants nod in agreement, his mood swings to anger, as he growls: "I am not a traitor, independent of my death sentence for treason!"

Moffit smiles slyly, as he remarks with typical dry British humor: "Since you are the one who has made it a habit to shoot at SS officers or stands up frequently against Berlin's direct commands, one can start to understand where people get the idea from that you are a traitor, Captain." Dietrich flinches as if Moffit has struck him with a whip, clearly not taking the statement with any humor. This has hit far too close to home for the German officer to be comfortable with. Turning to the offense as he feels cornered, Dietrich spits with venom and clear loathing in his voice: "The SS are not legitimate German military, but armed fanatics serving their party before their people and country." Then, more docile, the German Hauptmann reiterates his well-practiced argument of the last five days in an automatic defensive move: "Avoiding to execute commands that are crimes of war when my own highest ranking commanding officer in North Africa has ordered to handle things this way, can hardly be called treason".

Moffit however can smell a weakness just as well as the SS can and pushes forward: "That may be true. But I doubt, Fieldmarshal Rommel ever gave you the order to shoot at SS officers, when they intend to commit crimes against humanity." Hans Dietrich averts his gaze feeling backed against a wall and unsure what to use as an argument, as his own sense of honor and chivalry fight against his loyalty toward his homeland and the sense of duty instilled in him since early childhood.

Sensing the German officer's internal struggle, he is already causing, the Cambridge scholar piles on: "Back then, you killed Wannsee when he would have shot the nurse and me. Today, you ordered a firing squad to shoot at SS soldiers rather than Jewish civilians and physically attacked two SS officers." Seeing no reason to deny any of it, Dietrich simply nods and his icy statement is almost fear-instilling: "Wansee was like a rabid dog and Waldheim and Metzlich really not any better. What I did was the only", Dietrich struggles for the correct word, "decent and honorable thing to do. That does not mean, however, that I would pick up a weapon and turn against my own men, the soldiers of the Afrikakorps."

"Nobody would ask that of you", Troy intercedes picking up the role of the good cop with ease. "What else would your HQ expect from a defector but fighting for your side or aiding your soldiers in killing their enemies more easily?" The Hauptmann continues arguing whether it is with himself or with the two Allied soldiers is not quite clear. "I have sworn an oath of loyalty and to protect the German homeland and its people." Moffit waves the file folder of SS in front of him. "And yet you have been charged with treason by those to whom you have sworn loyalty. Do such authorities really deserve your loyalty?" "The SS is not all of Germany", Dietrich retorts angrily. "No, but all of Germany cowers in front of the SS!", Moffit answers coldly. "And if I remember correctly, your military oath is not to Germany or its people, but to the Führer himself. The man who has invented the SS in the first place, who has driven your friends the Silberblatts from their home,..." Dietrich frowns deeply now, as he inquires harshly: "How do you know that?" "It is written in your SS file", comes the plain reply.

A certain amount of desperation resounds in Dietrich's words: "You do not understand, Gentlemen. Even if you convince me to break that oath, I must not do so or the SS will come after my family in Germany." Moffit smiles coldly, having maneuvered the German Captain exactly to the position he has wanted him to be in. Opening the folder to his family's photos and flipping through them, he asks the Hauptmann: "When you speak of protecting your family, you mean your father and uncle in the Wehrmacht or your brother in law in the SS..." As Dietrich only scowls, he continues relentlessly: "or maybe your cousin the nurse and her parents."

The expression on Dietrich's face changes to loathing, as he snarls: "I am well aware of Elisabeth's execution. I have been interrogated for two days about my connection to her and the German resistance." Now, Moffit is turning slightly desperate having just lost his trump card in this gamble without a result. Trying his last option, he continues with his aloof tone that does not betray his own nervousness at his blind shot: "Then, you also know that her parents have been arrested and sent to a concentration camp." Dietrich's whole body stiffens and his right eye narrows, as the tries to assess the former British scholar.

"Show me that file!" The Hauptmann's command is sharp and does not tolerate discussion or disobedience. Moffit is immediately reminded how the young man is commanding more than a hundred German soldiers in dire battle situations. Without hesitation, Jack Moffit hands the Captain the protocols of Elisabeth Wolf's arrest and interrogation, as well as files of her trial, execution and her parents' deportation. Squinting to read in the half-shade and in spite of his swollen left eye, the Hauptmann quickly checks the formal files and verifies the truth about the Wolf family's arrest and transportation to a concentration camp in Germany. Then, he takes the time to read the interrogation protocol thoroughly and both Sergeants can observe how the color is draining from his face again, until he looks almost sick when finishing his reading.

With a heavy sigh the young officer hands the files back with a slightly trembling hand. "If I did not know that this file in genuinely from the SS, since I have been confronted with it frequently in the past few days, I would think that you are trying to trick me", Dietrich argues his reasoning. With determination he continues: "I have one last obligation. I owe it to my men to not abandon them to the mercy of neither the SS nor the Arabs, as both have none."

"What do you propose?", Troy nudges him more than happy at their unexpected success. "I offer you", Dietrich visibly struggles with the wording, "my full cooperation in exchange for helping me to get my men out of the merciless clutches of the SS allowing them to surrender to the Allies and be moved alive to a POW camp." Troy studies the German officer closely. "No trick, Captain." Dietrich raises his good arm in a defensive gesture. "No tricks, Sergeant. If you need further assurance, neither a German firing squad, nor the retributions I would have to fear in a POW camp as a convicted traitor are particularly attractive alternative options." Moffit actually smiles coldly. "You have no other option but defection anyways, unless you wish to die, Captain." Troy intercedes angrily: "That is enough, Jack! I am willing to accept your deal, Captain."

When Troy uses his given name, Jack Moffit realizes that he has overstepped a line in the American's eyes. Even though he can respect Captain Dietrich's intelligence, sense of honor and justice and versatility in adapting his modus operandi to their operation style, he has never shared the personal sympathy Troy has felt for the man. After all Dietrich is a German officer and after every successfully negotiated truce, the next raid or battle will follow, when they try to kill each other again. His mind has created a fine barricade between him and the German Captain, prohibiting any personal feelings of sympathy. If the Captain would really defect, would this change his attitude? Could he allow himself to like the man? Shrugging, Jack Moffit accepts that currently, he honestly does not know the answer.

Meanwhile Ari and Fritz have discovered Dietrich's recovery distracting him from glaring warily at the British Sergeant. While Fritz is content with laying his head in the man's lap and being petted, Ari literally seeks the shoulder of the last sympathetic person remaining in his life to cry on. Unlike the British Sergeant, Dietrich has neither the means to escape nor the heart to leave the boy to his misery. The German is a mystery to Moffit. Although pragmatic, even ruthless at times as a soldier and officer when dealing with his enemies, the Captain has shown a surprising amount of empathy and compassion in particular when dealing with children, rivaling only Sam Troy in that capacity. Maybe this is the reason why Moffit has not been able to bring himself to like the man, the feeling stings that Dietrich should be his better regarding compassion and mercy.

Troy at last takes pity on the Captain saving him from childcare which obviously puts him ill at ease by inviting all of them for dinner. Ari's face lights up when Dietrich explains to him that he will get food. After having exhausted his resource of tears for the day, he starts running in the direction of the covered camp fire. Fritz the dog recognizes the signs of meal preparation in camps of any nationality and has perfected begging for food throughout his lifetime among soldiers with too few supplies to last for themselves. While the boy and the dog rush over to Tully and Hitch who prepare the evening meals, Troy helps Dietrich rise to his feet and supports him for the few steps to the dinner area.

The Captain blushes, as his stomach rumbles rather loudly. "When was the last time, you had something to eat?", Troy asks. "Soup this morning", the German answers quickly. "And when is the last time, you had something solid?", Troy implores without thinking too much about it. To his surprise, the Captain hesitates and counters with a question of his own: "How many days have passed since you abducted General König?" "Four days", Troy exclaims slightly shocked at the realization that the ever precise German has so utterly lost track of time. How bad did the SS work him over? "You got your answer then, Sergeant", Hauptmann Dietrich answers him with a tone almost too neutral to sit well with Troy. "With only soup and water for days in addition to the SS' fine treatment it's no wonder you look awfully skinny. We'll need to fatten you up", Troy comments, reminding even himself of his mother scolding them when they were kids. Dietrich scowls at him without actual venom, as he comments dryly: "You sound like my grandmother, Sergeant. You're only missing the headscarf."

Grinning widely, Troy supports him toward the camp. Dietrich's dry sense of humor is definitely one of his personality features in the American's eyes. At their improvised camp behind the Jeeps, he helps the Captain to sit down with his back leaned against the front tire for support. Ari holds up a hard biscuit Hitch has given him and asks looking from Dietrich to Moffit: "Is it kosher?" The two men understanding the question quickly exchange a glance, before the German Captain answers: "Do you think your mother or father or even god would want you to starve, just because food is not kosher?" Looking at him innocently, the boy shrugs: "I think not." After the German nods approvingly, the boy starts nibbling on his biscuit.

Hitch meanwhile finds himself besieged by Fritz who tries his perfected puppy eyes look to extract another piece of sausage from the private. Smiling at Hitch's self-induced predicament, Tully gets up and presses a package into the Hauptmann's left hand which contains the same kind of ration they are all eating themselves. Muttering his thanks, the German tries his luck with the ration, unpacking some biscuits using his right hand gingerly. Even though his mobility below shoulder height is not severely limited due to the injury, the pain remains intense after days of aggrevating the wound.

When Dietrich opens the wrapping of the chocolate bar, Ari eyes the strange type of brown food with curiosity. "Looks like donkey dung", he comments and both Moffit and Dietrich snort with laughter at the comment. While the British Sergeant translates the comment to the amusement of the rest of the Rats, Dietrich is breaking off a small piece of his bar and hands it to the boy whose face beams in awe at the sweet taste he has never known before. "Can I have some more?", he asks with pleading eyes which could rival Fritz'. Giving up on the rest of his chocolate bar, Hans Dietrich hands him his whole meal part. After days without any solid food, his stomach is already struggling at the unusual challenge. Ari is actually excited enough to hug him around the neck which only just works with the Captain sitting and the boy standing. Looking still ill at ease at the child's affection, Dietrich finally closes his eyes and leans his head back against the Jeep's tire behind him.

As something small and hard hits his left shoulder, his eyes snap open immediately noticing Private Hitchcock's suspicious hand movements. "Kindly refrain from throwing things at me, Private!", the German Captain almost snarls, then looks down at what has hit him in the first place. His eyes widen slightly in surprise at the sight of another chocolate bar from Hitch's own ration. The private is actually feeling apologetic enough to throw a "Sorry, Cap", in his direction. Keeping himself from scolding him again for not even using the proper full rank title, Dietrich raises the chocolate bar and his eyebrows in an unspoken question. "You sure need the sugar more than I at the moment. Besides I gotta keep fit and lean for the ladies." This earns him smiles from his fellow Rats and a "Thank you" from the German Hauptmann.

Taking out his ration's cigarettes, Troy calls out to the German Captain who he knows to be a smoker enjoying their American cigarettes. "Care about a smoke, Captain?" To his surprise, Dietrich tenses and pales visibly upon the sight of the cigarettes. Looking like he is fighting some internal struggle for several long moments, the German Captain finally answers with a fake calm tone: "No, thank you, Sergeant." With sweat beading on his forehead, Hans Dietrich is fighting inwardly with the memories the sight of the cigarettes invokes: Metzlich standing over him with his own cigarettes pressing the red-hot end into the skin along his collarbone. Upon seeing the German officer's haunted look, Troy drops the subject immediately, even turning away from the Captain when lighting his cigarette.

Sheer exhaustion claims Dietrich a short while later for sleep, while the Rats are still arranging night-shifts and Troy informs them on the plan to rescue Dietrich's soldiers tomorrow. "So we're gonna accept him in the U.S. army?", Hitch asks. "He is more or less willing to defect and has literally nothing left to lose except for his life", Troy answers. "That doesn't mean, he will end up with us. We've got no idea, what HQ has planned for him. Now, first night-shift. Jack, you get ready and keep an eye on the kid. The rest tuck in for the night."

The Jewish boy is suffering from the enormous amount of sugar giving his body too much energy to go to sleep. To burn his own energy, Ari plays 'get a stick' with Fritz powering out the usually over-energetic dog. At some point, Fritz just collapses at Dietrich's side, curling up and snuggling into the sleeping man's flank. Moffit secretly vows to make sure, not to give Ari a full chocolate or candy bar again that late in the evening, as he tries to convince the lad to lie down and try to find some sleep.

Once, the British Sergeant has finally gotten the dog and the boy under control, he is hoping for a quiet shift. But his hope turns out to be in vain, as an hour later the German Captain starts to stir in his sleep. Moving closer to check whether this could turn into possible escape attempt, Moffit hears him repeatedly mutter several words. Curious, the Cambridge scholar tries to discern the words, until he understands them at the third repeat: "Dietrich, Hans. Hauptmann der 5. Leichten Division des deutschen Afrikakorps" with a series number following the Captain's name and rank. The realization hits the Brit that the German is actually reliving his torture at the hands of the SS in his dreams. Although no friend of Dietrich's, Moffit does not wish him to suffer either.

After thinking of what Troy would do in the situation, he shakes the sleeping man's uninjured shoulder slightly, until he manages to extract a reaction. With his breath catching in his throat, the young officer awakens and with surprising speed and strength grabs Moffit's hand with his left hand, as he opens his eyes and looks around in the dark, obviously disoriented. "Wer ist da?", he demands to know who is there. "Sergeant Moffit", the British soldier whispers and feels the other's muscle tense under his touch. "What has happened, Sergeant?", Dietrich switches to English swiftly. "You were talking in your sleep", Moffit answers him in a neutral tone, while the Captain scowls. "I apologize for disturbing your night shift unnecessarily." Dietrich surprises Moffit with his polite apology in a carefully guarded tone. "None of your fault", the British Sergeant answers almost on instinct.

"You can let go of me, Sergeant. I am fine", Dietrich finally whispers keeping his voice carefully neutral to avoid betraying his distress which Moffit can feel nonetheless from the tense muscles in the man's shoulder. "You have integrated extraordinarily well with the Americans, Captain, declaring that you are fine, when you clearly are not." Without light, he can still feel the younger man's glare directed at him. Trying to provide some neutral relief, he releases the German and asks a question which has indeed peeved him for a long while: "May I ask you a question merely out of personal curiosity, Captain Dietrich?" With some suspicion, Hans Dietrich focuses on the British soldier, but can barely make out his vague shape in the dark, lest discern his facial expression. "And what would that be, Sergeant Moffit?", he finally whispers with a slight tinge of suspicion left in his voice.

Moffit smiles wryly. Of course, none of them has trusted the other party since their first meeting. Why would Dietrich trust them now after having been betrayed by his own side who he has served loyally. "I was wondering, Captain, how you came to be so fluent in Arabic. It is hardly a skill one can pick up on the side while serving as an officer in a military campaign", Moffit voices his question as neutrally, as he manages to. Dietrich stays silent for long enough that Moffit stops believing that he will actually answer. When the answer comes, he almost winces in surprise. "You are right, Sergeant. I did not pick the language up 'on the side' as you put it", Dietrich formulates his answers with great care. "I was in North Africa a few times before the war."

"You must have been pretty young, as you were just above twenty years when the war started", Moffit comments. "I was a school boy accompanying my uncle", Dietrich answers truthfully unsure where this discussion is leading. "Your uncles are a Navy officer and a medical doctor. What would either do in North Africa?", Moffit sounds dubious. "The pay for German military personnel was not good after the great war, Sergeant. When depression hit Germany, he picked up a 'side job' with a friend of his at Berlin's museum and university for archaeology organizing expeditions during the summer months. My father and uncle considered it good practice and military training for me and my cousins to learn the logistics, command of local workers and survival under harsh environmental conditions, so we came here with him." Moffit tries to imagine Hans Dietrich as a scrawny teenager in Egypt's desert ending up with a picture that reminds him far too much of himself for his liking.

"You are easily smart enough for a university study. Was that never an option for you?", Moffit wonders loudly incented by the newly discovered likeness and encouraged by the German's cooperativeness. "It was not an option for my father, so it was none for me", the Hauptmann answers with finality. "Why is that?" The mere notion of a father forbidding his son a higher education is completely alien to the son of a Cambridge professor. Dietrich gives a long-suffering sigh, before explaining: "After the great war, the Versailles treaties kept Germany's army in a choke hold, forbidding it to grow beyond a ridiculously small size. All military schools were closed and about a hundred young officer candidates would be accepted each year and only not being accepted would have released me of the family obligation to our fatherland." The young German officer speaks with a detached voice, as if giving a history lesson. "But with the rise to power of Hitler's Nationalsozialistischer Deutscher Arbeiterparty, the party you just call the Nazis, the Führer reinforced the German military and allowed its growth beyond the size agreed in the treaty. The army has always been weary of politics and soldiers are strictly forbidden to join the military, if they are members of any political party. That is why you find the political types in the SS, the Nazi's private army. Politics!", he spits out and his derisive tone during the last part speaks volumes of how much he despises the SS.

"To return to your question, Sergeant. The Nazi's politics allowed to recruit young men into the military as soldiers and officers in large numbers. If I had not joined of my own accord, my father would have insisted for his only son to keep up the family tradition of military service which has persisted for 4 generations. It was hardly an option to do anything else", the young officer ends with a resigned tone. Understanding dawns on Moffit, after having scanned the German's military file. The man before him has been brought up and groomed to become the personification of the ideal German officer in the sense of the old German army, intelligent, honorable, courageous, calculating, a dangerous enemy for any of Germany's enemies. His main problem is that the old school ideals he represents are not in the least what Germany's current political leadership wants from their people and their military officers.

As he wants to further convince the rather despondent German officer, Moffit tries a different approach: "You may not have chosen to join the German army, but had the courage to choose to leave it now." Dietrich shakes his head in annoyance. "You got me wrong. I have chosen this path, as much as my family has, Sergeant. I have grown up with this path of career set out for me. But weren't you the one who told me only a few hours ago that leaving is not really something I have a choice in, when all other options would lead to my certain death? Where would there be any courage in choosing that path?", Dietrich asks him with a voice dripping of bitter sarcasm. Blushing in actual shame, the Brit apologizes: "Forgive me. I did not realize..." "You should be more careful with your assumptions in the future, Sergeant!", Dietrich interrupts him with a growl, neither accepting nor rejecting the apology. Sighing in exasperation, the German adds: "Would you mind letting me sleep now, Sergeant, or do you enjoy this conversation so much that you would like to continue?" Feeling the defensive position Dietrich has maneuvered him into and hearing the exhaustion in the German's words, Moffit wishes him a "Good night, Captain", before retreating. The Hauptmann has given him quite some things to think about.