I really wasn't kidding.
Shoot the damn thing toward the sun, angle it inward, and let the solar gravity shoot the thing outward towards stuff that is near, but not necessarily within the scope of Sol's gravitational field. Put enough gas in the thing to return it to splash down in the Pacific about forty years from now or so.
Smart one was an ESA probe. Take a look at deep space one if you want to see an ambitious mission for an ion engine. It was a proving run for the ion engine as well and the results were outstanding.