Epilogue

Earth.

Time: several weeks later.

The assistant editor, after knocking, brought the manuscript into his chief’s office and laid it gently down on the great man’s desk.

“Got another story from Lieutenant Lester Bray. From Diamondia.”

“Hey, that’s where that peace treaty has just been signed. Let me see that.”

With glistening eyes, he read the opening sentences:

“Gray thoughts under a gray sky… Across the darkening roofs of New Naples, Christomene watched from her window Vesuvius II sputtering and smoking—”

The editor looked up at his junior, his eyes round and happy. “Boy, oh, boy, listen to that local color. We’ve got to get this into the next issue. We’ll scoop the trade with what’s practically an eyewitness story from the scene. Right?”

“Right!”