An audio book written and narrated by Terran and produced by 2legs, with additional music by Roymondo. To hear this episode, click on this link to the h2g2 aviators website.

'And Napoleon’s army marched over the hill.'

Boach cocked his rifle.

'The soldiers would form square...'

Boach moved the toy soldiers wearing British uniform in front of him in to a square formation.

... And then we would be ready to shoot the frogs down!'

'We, Mr Boach?' said a student, and the group laughed.

'Well, I mean we as members of the British Empire.'

'My Dad was French.' called out one student.

'How unfortunate for you,' said Boach. The group laughed.

The classroom assistant cleared her throat, and looked fiercely at the teacher, who flinched under her powerful gaze.

'I joke of course,' sighed Boach. 'French people are human too, equally at the mercy of their idiotic leaders.'

'British Empire sir?' said a girl in the class.

'Yes?' said Boach.

Boach slammed his rifle on the desk, looked down for a moment and took a deep breath. He looked up and smiled:

'That's what they want you to believe,' in a conspiratory tone.

The students went quiet.

Boach worried he was losing track, and so carried on talking.

'Anyway, Napoleon thought he could fool Wellington, but the Iron Duke was more cunning than him.'

A quiet, unassuming boy near the front of the class raised his hand. Boach's expression changed from one of intensity to one of calm.

'Yes Kevin?'

'Oh, God,' one student moaned, followed by some more students at the back of the class. Kevin hunched over and immediately his expression seemed to lose confidence.

'Quiet!' roared Boach.

'Sorry Kevin, go on.'

Well... Erm sir, I was just wondering, who won?' said Kevin,

The group muttered again.

Boach gave the group a stare, and the teaching assistant shushed them.

'Well Kevin, I wasn't there – as much as I wish I had been,' said Boach with a genuine sense of regret.

' – but I'm told we won.'

The group seemed to find Boach's response strange, and didn't quite know how to take it, but before they could react the school bell went.

'Okay off you go.' said Boach, followed by the swift emptying of the class.

Kevin was the last to pack up, as usual.

'Kevin? Are you okay?' said Boach.

'Yes, sir, just the usual.'

'You shouldn't take their rubbish you know. You're stronger than that.' insisted the teacher.

Kevin nodded. 'Thank you, sir.'

'Okay Kevin, off you go.' sending Kevin to his next class.

Boach walked over to the teaching assistant who was putting chairs under their desks.

'I'm not sure how much more I can take of this Talia. You'd be far better as the teacher. I'll be the cleaner or something.'

'No,' said Talia 'We've each got our roles. We have to keep an eye on Kevin. We can't do anything until the temporal displacer is charged, and Beiphlat has worked out the co-ordinates.'

'It just seems so stupid. We've been doing this for months.'

'I don't know...' said Talia, tying her sleek black hair back.

She seemed too young to Karl Boach to know what she knew.

'... I like it here. It's quite calm in comparison to the last few years.'

'Yeah, I guess. Though this teaching business is insane. I miss soldiering.'

Talia gave him a look with her dark eyes. Karl found Talia strangely attractive; some would call her a Celtic beauty, but he knew there was so much more going on behind those eyes, and he'd been through enough himself not to broach the subjects. Back in the day, relationships for him seemed so much simpler, but nothing was simple these days.

'Well, Corporal' smirked Talia, 'the next group of recruits are waiting to come in.'

Corporal Karl Boach looked at the door and sighed. He looked back at Talia:

'Yes, Sir.'

'Come in!'

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