Rivalry

Mission one: the fall of Dinant

Dinant was falling. Jaques gueveurre knew it as his riflemen were pushed back position by position. Hopefully the british had gotten out unscathed, at least they would be able to fight another day. Maybe drive these invaders out of his home. Tears fell from the stoic frenchman's eyes as her thought of the beautiful meuse river, the fields and forests of the ardennes in enemy hands. The swastika hanging like a slick of blood from the buildings of his home.

Just then the radio went haywire, and the Captain reached for it numbly. To his surprise, and dismay, it was that uppity brit who led the tank squad.

"Captain sir! What is the situation, and our orders?" Said Maria from the top of the hill overlooking the town. Up there her tanks were assembled, all except one. Her men sat on their tanks, watching the devastation caused by the german blitzkrieg, their tanks steamrolling the land in orderly ranks as they advanced. Fighter planes rolled overhead, providing air support.

" mon dieu! What are you doing in radio range of the frontline! And so now you want to follow orders!" Exploded gueveurre down the line. Maria cringed away from the receiver, holding it at a distance.

"I'm doing my job and fighting!" She replied.

"Well i order you to retreat! This valley is lost." He replied, gazing blankly at the scenery.

"Then for god's sake Captain, get your men out of There! You could save their lives!" She cried out.

"Non. We are the men of the ardennes, one cannot simply take our home from us! And my men agree." He said as he fed maps and papers into a brazier. They burned, crumbling into flakes of fiery ash. There. Now the Germans wouldn't get them. "Now go. Go back to  your lieutenant colonel, and defend Europe from this fascist invasion. At this point, we're just buying time."

"Why?" She whispered, tears rolling down her flushed, windswept cheeks.
"You knew it would end like this. You could have called for reinforcements!"

"I did." He sighed as he set up the explosives in the command tent. "Fifteen days. That's how long they needed to get here. You did well holding them off for fifteen hours. Thanks to your men we have far less tanks to fight! So go. Let us defend our land. Your duty lies in the north, and we will be sure to fight to the last man. You can tell the high command that!" He chuckled lightly, as if it was all nothing. Maria restrained her sobs. So many men had died today, and now this captain who she had brushed off as an idiot was doing the hardest thing.

"Is there anything i can do?" She enquired desperately.

"Aside from getting out while you still can? Give my regards to Tristan Maybury. I am always eager to answer a request from an old friend. Now i believe that i have an appointment with a german somewhere." He set the detonator for five minutes as he grabbed his equipment, ready to leave.

"One last thing. Keep your heart light, and full of life, otherwise the enemy outside becomes the enemy within yourself as well. People like you make war remotely honourable, it's for happiness and hope that we fight on. If that is gone, what were we fighting for in the first place?" He said. The soldiers looked on in concern as Maria, listened to The frenchman's words. She was shaking. "Laugh at your opponents, they are just germans! No one is invincible except god. Show them hell! Now i must go. Au revoir, petite femme." The line cut off. Gueveurre dropped the receiver and ran as fast as he could out of the tent, to where his comrades were still fighting. The command tent exploded in a ball of fire, even the soldiers waiting on the hill could see it in flames.

Maria was still in shock after the captain's moving words. And a little annoyed. She turned to face Murray, Clifford, and the others.

"How long have you all known?" She asked them quietly, wiping the liquid off her face with a rag. They tensed, and looked sheepishly at Maria.