(...escape route)
Lt R. Sheckley awoke from his nightmare. He was quite
disoriented--it had been terrifying: that absolute catastrophe
which he had feared ever since that child from Jupiter had been
allowed to land on Earth. But it was just a bad dream. He shook
his head, spraying sweat across the room in the low gravity of
Callisto. The 3V was mumbling something and he focused in on that.
Oh yeah, New Year's Eve on Earth, the New Century. One felt
pretty removed from all that out here in timeless space with
Jupiter the only real clock to refer to.
Jupiter scared the shit out of him. What was that planet? And those
things in it down there? And, for example, that light shining out from
Jupiter 6 days ago?
The mumblings from the 3V became more intense. He looked. Hey,
it's her! The baby! And Maru--god, I loved her, but what could
I do? I tried to keep her here. Of course, there was still
Niels, but at least I could see her...what's going on?
Wait, now I remember, this is that big party that was supposed to
happen at Maru's family estate. There's Niels, hi guy.
The baby...Juno, what are you doing? Flying, shining, is this a
trick? Look at her! And listen...
"Bless you, little Juno, bless you. I was wrong about you, happy
new..." he looked up through the vacuum screen at Jupiter filling
the entire sky, "Happy New Jupiter."
3R
this was the good guys win ending, hope
you're satisfied now,
UNLESS...