Chapter 69

AFTERWORD

My good friend Professor Sabajhi Indira has decided to end this biography of "The McCock" at this point because what occurred thereafter is in the public domain.

The affairs of the family are not public knowledge however, and Sabajhi suggested I summarise them.

My youngest brothers, Charles David, Edward Garth, Stuart Leonard and Neville Harold are attending Naval College in Enkland and the Commandant has my heartfelt sympathy — four of us in the same term. Previously, the most had been two, Dorian and Peter, and the Commandant had requested he be sent on convalescent leave to the Falklands where another bitter war was being fought over the oil rights yet again — oil still reigns in atmosphere.

My other brothers have also entered King Harold's naval service and I have recently completed a secondment to 119 (Reformed) which acts on the Sovereigns' Warrant to defend the Kingdom's galactic western flank. Admirals Gort and Denholt command and both took special interest in making my life thoroughly miserable. Father says they are just practising for retirement when the Crypt are in nursing homes.

Uncle Polack is retired from naval service and was joined by Gus-gus at Adama where they play all day long inside the bowels of power packs of all sizes. Father frequently cosmics down in "Offspring" to 'keep his hand in'; Gus-gus tells me that the real reason is to rub his father's nose in the fact that "Offspring" belongs to GmBH and it is The McCock's runabout; Gus says his father sulks for about an hour and then proceeds to tease The McCock that Polack's designed racing yacht holds the Blue Riband for Sol — Mountserrat in hyper. The games olders play.

Speaking of games — the Gaggle have gone into galactic politics; behind the scenes, of course. Unfortunately my wife, Sabatha (a true daughter of aunt Trudie), has been taken on as an apprentice and when the Gaggle is whirlwinding, the McCocks and their peers volunteer for hazardous duty — anywhere. Not true, of course, but the tension can run high. Uncle Harold has a penchant for inspecting the fleet in the New Territories, Uncle Augustus leads an expedition into Paracelsus t clean out the pirates and Uncle Bernard visits Renmark unless Foxy is annoyed with him for some reason and doesn't give the Lord Protector advance warning.

The Gaggle has as a special project, Harbouria and Sema. Personally, I cannot see what they can hope to do even in their lifetimes as the planets are not much more than scorched ground. But they visit regularly taking full precautions so as not to contaminate the place — despite the fact both of them still glow — and make full and detailed reports. Life, plant life, is coming back to the Gaggles' delight.

Because of my mothers' interests, and my aunts' and of course, Sabatha's, I have studied the histories of both nations. There was tremendous energy in their populations and particularly on Sema, great scientific capacity — if you can forget the purposes to which it was put.

Perhaps out of The McCock's interventions on the edges of great affairs (his description, not mine but I obey my father) a better galaxy will result using the energy of good people — with of course the help of my mothers and their friends.

James Donald McCock, Viscount High Mountain.