Ed Framey stood at the sill of his front door and looked out at the merciless blue sky. Fifteen minutes ago, the radio had told him of the beginning of World War Three. Ed meant to stand there and meet death face to face.

The sky suddenly lit up with millions of pinpricks of needle sharp light. The radio roared and squealed. But death did not come to Ed Framey. All over the world, the skies were suddenly filled with saucer shaped craft that englobed and contained nuclear fire so that not one blade of grass was singed.

One of the craft settled quietly into his front yard. Up and down the street, other craft were doing the same in front of other houses. Out stepped a tall being, covered in white feathery down, haloed by a round sweep of majestic wings, carrying a golden scepter. At all of the other houses around him, similar angelic messengers came forth. Ed fell to his knees and clasped his hands together.

"Oh magnificent being! You have come to save us!"

"Not exactly", the winged being chirruped.

An ornate and inscrutable pane of writing appeared in the air before Ed.

"By decree of the Galactic Confederation of Intelligent Beings, rotation one, degree 0.317, inhabitants of this planet have revealed through an act of total destruction their non-intelligence and thereby forfeit any claim of ownership to the planet on which they have evolved. License is hereby given for the removal of this race, preparatory to occupation by one of the true intelligent races of the Galactic Confederation."

The being raised the golden scepter, and so, Ed Framey ceased to exist after all.