  Starting from the inhomogeneous shear--free Nariai metric we show, by solving
the Einstein--Klein--Gordon field equations, how a self--interacting scalar
field plus a material fluid, a variable cosmological term and a heat flux can
drive the universe to its currently observed state of homogeneous accelerated
expansion. A quintessence scenario where power-law inflation takes place for a
string-motivated potential in the late--time dominated field regime is
proposed.
