Kin, who was like most of his comrades sticking his head out of one of the windows of his wagon, felt joy when he saw both Ani and his adoptive mother Sylvie waving at him among the crowd of relatives who had gathered to greet their loved ones now back in Annecy. He waved back at them while shouting out loud in Neanderthal language.
‘’ANI, SYLVIE, I AM HERE!’
Both heard him and renewed their waving with even more enthusiasm. Kin then noticed that Sylvie was wearing a set of civilian clothes rather than her Time Patrol uniform, something that he appreciated. While the war in Algeria was now over thanks to the actions of the Time Patrol, not everybody in France had been pleased by that
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intervention. The more extreme leftist elements of the French Communist and Socialist Parties in particular had been miffed by it, since they had been clandestinely but actively supporting for years the FLN and its anti-French campaign of insurrection and terror. In turn, that less than enthusiastic French reactions to the actions of the Time Patrol, which had in the words of a far-right French political television commentator ‘interfered with the legitimate rule of France in Algeria’, had thoroughly soured Kin to French politics. During the few days of travel by sea and then by train back to Annecy and to his unit’s barracks, Kin had a lot of time to think about his future in the French Army. While he appreciated the comradery he had found within his unit, the last few months had shown him that the French military was too often called to enforce directives from the French government which could be said at the least to be made to favor in priority the rich and powerful rather than the common good.
Waiting on the quay of the train station, along with his most senior officers, who had flown with him back to France, Lieutenant colonel Laurent Genest embraced that enthusiastic welcome by the relatives and friends of his soldiers present at the station.
Taking a quick decision, he then spoke to his most senior NCO, Chief Warrant Officer Louis Volage, and to his second-in-command, Commandant Pierre Fabius.
‘’Pass the word to our officers and NCOs: we will let our troops mix up for fifteen minutes with their relatives and friends before they will have to board the buses to return to their barracks.’
‘’Understood, sir!’ replied Volage before going to one of the doors of the train, which had just immobilized itself along the quay. Opening that door, he climbed aboard and stood at one end of a wagon full of soldiers.
‘’LISTEN UP, MEN! YOU HAVE NOW FIFTEEN MINUTES FREE FOR YOU TO
MEET YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES, STARTING NOW! AFTER THOSE
FIFTEEN MINUTES, YOU WILL BE FORMED UP IN THREE RANKS AND WILL THEN
BE MARCHED OUT OF THE STATION, WHERE BUSES ARE WAITING TO CARRY
YOU TO YOUR BARRACKS. ONCE AT YOUR BARRACKS, LOCK UP YOUR
WEAPONS, DROP YOUR FIELD KIT AND FORM BACK IN THE CENTRAL PARADE
SQUARE, WHERE COLONEL GENEST WILL ADDRESS YOU. NOW, GET OFF THIS
TRAIN!’
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Volage did not have to repeat himself, as the soldiers immediately grabbed their weapons and kit and started filing out of their wagon. Satisfied, Volage then went to the next wagon to pass his message there.
Carrying his pack on his back and his rifle slung to one shoulder, Kin hurriedly walked to where Ani and Sylvie were waiting for him as part of the crowd contained by temporary barriers. He felt pure joy as he hugged tightly Ani, then Sylvie.
‘’It is so good to see you again after all these months. We were just told that we have fifteen minutes before we have to form back in three ranks and go to our barracks.’
‘’And it is so good to see that you are well, Kin. I missed you a lot.’ said Ani, tears on her cheeks, before kissing Kin again on his lips. As for Sylvie, she let her two adopted children time to exchange hugs and kisses before also kissing Kin, but on his cheeks.
‘’How was the war for you, Kin?’
‘’It was mostly a quiet one for me, save for a handful of fights we had with the FLN, Mother. Thankfully, my group didn’t lose anyone in the fighting, but some of our other units were not as lucky. The most important thing for me about that war is that Algeria now has a good chance of finding peace after years of suffering and hatred. I must thank profusely the Time Patrol for its actions in eliminating those murderous FLN
thugs: it prevented thousands of additional deaths among innocent civilians.’
‘’Well, you are partly responsible for making the Time Patrol act, thanks to the warning you sent us, and you can be rightly proud of that. Do you know when we will be allowed to visit you at your unit’s barracks?’
‘’Not yet, but our colonel is supposed to speak to us once at the barracks. I will call you as soon as I know more.’
Sylvie nodded once, then lowered her voice to a near whisper.
‘’By the way, many politicians and their supporters in France were less than enthusiastic about our intervention in Algeria. I would thus counsel you not to talk about it with other French people or even with your comrades. This whole thing is still a political powder keg in France.’
‘’Thankfully, politics didn’t exist when I was a kid living in a cave with my family.
Talking of my family, do you think that it would be possible for us to visit the cave in the Dordogne where my family and that of Ani were buried by you and the crew of your time ship?’
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‘’We will do that as soon as you get some permission time and are able to leave the barracks, Kin.’
‘’Thank you, Sylvie: that would mean a lot to me…and to Ani.’
‘’You are right about that, Kin.’ approved Ani in an emotional voice. ‘’I truly want to go pay my respects to my original family.’
‘’I just wish that the Time Patrol could go back in time and prevent their deaths at the hands of those cave hyenas.’ said Kin softly. Sylvie shook her head in response.
‘’You know that it can’t and it won’t, Kin: what is done is done. They would have eventually died from other causes anyway, while our intervention gave me the chance to save two wonderful children then. Well, I believe that your officers are about to call you back in the ranks. Go and join your comrades. We will be waiting impatiently for your next call.’
‘’And I will be waiting impatiently for the time we can be together again, Mother. I love you both.’
After a last exchange of hugs and kisses, Kin then returned to his mortar group as it was being formed up, his heart heavy for having to let his relatives go, even if it was only for a few days.
10:19 (Paris Time)
Friday, November 02, 1956 ‘B’
Battalion parade square of the 27th B.C.A.
Galbert Barracks, Annecy
‘’CORPORAL KIN COMEAU, STEP FORWARD!’
Ani and Sylvie, watching with other relatives and friends of the soldiers of the 27th B.C.A.
the men of the battalion assembled in parade order, felt pride fill them as Kin left his place in the ranks and walked in military fashion to where Lieutenant-colonel Genest stood, stopping two paces in front of his commander and saluting him. Genest saluted him back, then nodded to his aide, who then started reading out loud from a document held in his hands.
‘’CORPORAL KIN COMEAU, MEMBER OF THE MORTAR GROUP OF THE
27TH BATALLION DE CHASSEURS ALPINS, HAS BEEN SERVING IN THE ARMY AS
A VOLUNTEER ENLISTEE SINCE MARCH OF LAST YEAR. DURING HIS NINETEEN
MONTHS OF SERVICE TO DATE, CORPORAL COMEAU HAS PROVED TO BE A
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MOST
MERITORIOUS
AND
EFFICIENT
SOLDIER,
DEMONSTRATING
OUTSTANDING PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENDURANCE, STRENGTH AND
ABILITIES. DURING HIS SIX MONTHS OF SERVICE IN ALGERIA, CORPORAL
COMEAU ALSO DEMONSTRATED REMARKABLE COOLNESS UNDER FIRE AND
ALSO PROVED TO BE A TOP NOTCH SNIPER, HELPING GREATLY BY HIS
ACCURATE SHOOTING TO REPEL A STRONG ENEMY ATTACK AGAINST HIS
UNIT’S POSITION. HIS PERFORMANCE IN COMBAT, HIS CONSISTENT
STANDARDS OF SERVICE AND THE EXAMPLE HE HAD SET IN THE EYES OF HIS
COMRADES HAS THUS EARNED HIM AN ACCELERATED PROMOTION TO
MASTER CORPORAL. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GENEST WILL NOW CHANGE HIS
RANK SHOULDER SLIP-ONS TO REFLECT HIS NEW RANK.’
As proud as a peacock, Kin stood rigidly at attention as Genest, helped by Chief Warrant Officer Volage, removed his old corporal rank slip-ons, to then replace them with the triple chevrons (one white, two yellow) slip-ons of a master corporal. When Genest was finished with that task, his aide then spoke further.
‘’LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GENEST WILL AT THE SAME TIME PIN ON
MASTER-CORPORAL COMEAU THE COLONIAL MEDAL, ALGERIA CLASP, FOR HIS
SERVICE IN THE FIELD IN ALGERIA.’
Once the small medal had been pinned above the vest pocket of his parade uniform, Genest took a step back and saluted Kin as a mark of respect to him.
‘’Well done, Master corporal Comeau! Your service to date has been most exemplary. You may now return into the ranks.’
‘’Thank you, sir!’ replied Kin while saluting back, then pivoting on his heels to return to his place in the ranks.
A few more soldiers were called forward after Kin, to also get either promoted or publicly congratulated by Genest. Then, the rest of the members of the battalion who had served in Algeria received their Colonial Medals. At the end of the ceremony, Genest spoke out loud to his troops, with the spectators still watching on.
‘’MEN OF THE 27TH B.C.A., YOU MADE ME MOST PROUD TO BE YOUR
COMMANDER, BOTH HERE AND IN THE FIELD. YOU ALL MERITED GREATLY
FROM FRANCE AND I AM THUS HAPPY TO GRANT TO YOU ALL WITH THE
COMPLIMENTS OF THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE A SPECIAL TWO-WEEK LEAVE
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PERMISSION. I WILL THUS SEE YOU ALL AGAIN ON NOVEMBER NINETEEN.
BATTALION, DISMISSED!’
Loud cheers from the ranks and from the spectators greeted that announcement before the respective sub-unit commanders made their soldiers walk out of the parade square, so that they could return to their barracks. Kin, having anticipated the announcement of a special leave and having packed in advance a kit bag with civilian clothes and hygiene items, was out of his barrack in minutes, nearly running to the main gate, where Ani and Sylvie were waiting for him. Sylvie let Ani hug and kiss Kin first before hugging her adopted son.
‘’I am so proud of you, Kin. Fernand and Jean are also most proud of you.’
Kin smiled and nodded at the mention of the two field agents of the Time Patrol who had previously been members of the French Chasseurs Alpins.
‘’And I will take great pleasure in discussing my service with them, Mother. Well, I’m all ready to go.’
‘’I parked my time scooter near here. Let’s go to it, then we will visit our main base in the past for a day or two before going back to this year and visit your family cave in Dordogne.’
09:45 (Paris Time)
Sunday, November 04, 1956 ‘B’
Rock shelter near Roufignac, Dordogne