Steve, I'm not so hot on it either, but I speculate that it was part of the huge ransom Patriot had to pay to achieve relative freedom.

Kind of like being into the mafia deep and begging for mercy at the end at the end of your captivity - of course you'll eventually get it, but there's always an exit shot at the end to lay you up a little just so you never forget who you did business with...

Regards