Lee was desperate. The bomb he had detonated about JS's DNA had not had the expected effect. Far from it. He had thought that, when pressed, Eve or JS himself would have revealed the many inconsistencies of his character. Instead, the couple had retired with the ships in a sort of Aventine, leaving everyone angry and dissatisfied. "Sometimes I wonder if he's playing either Cincinnatus or Coriolanus!" Laetitia voiced during the umpteenth meeting. "Hard he's Coriolanus," Vasquez had replied, "we have no enemies left." However, the absence of JS and Eve had detonated fault lines that the war and JS's commanding presence had held together. The S'skash began the so-called "independent policy", which consisted of snubbing the Eartheners who had not married with some S'skash and entertaining closer links with Maurr's Rasharr. The Drak and G'wak allies were disgusted by the treatment suffered by JS. "You are a honourless, ungrateful bunch!" they growled and left. Even the Eartheners had suffered a split between JS's loyalists and the others. After weeks of discussions, arguments and tears, in the end everybody was angry with Lee, and suddenly Lee's world definitely collapsed. "We must split up." Vasquez stated. "Why, Miranda?" Lee asked dazed. "Don't you see how our relationship is going?" she replied. "We have not a thing to say to each other and when there is, we fight." "It was the war, it changed us all ..." "Surely, staying on the same ship made me realize how many things we DON'T have in common." Vasquez retorted and gave him the coup de grace. "I and S-Msizi stay together, but I wanted to be honest with you. I don't like 'Dear John' letters, Lee." So Lee was alone. And grunting. And shocked because in that peaceful time, he realized he was missing the war, the flash of adrenaline, being always busy, feeling part of something great. This feeling frightened him. There were sides of his character that he, a declared pacifist, had not even suspected of. More, he was missing his chats with JS, Eve and others, and their genuine friendship. So Lee made a decision. "I shall fix it! I must understand what's in JS's DNA and help him!" Lee looked at the empty beds. There was nothing keeping him there. Now Lee had a mission: to rebuild his personal Camelot. So he took the first transport to Earth. After a couple of days, just enough time to get back from the space-lag, Lee went to the Research Center for the Human Genome to meet prof. Bellamorte, he had sent his deductions on JS's DNA to some time before. At the campus entrance the security guard stared at him strangely when he had asked for the professor and it took him a long time to give Lee the visitor badge. "Something is wrong," Lee thought. He was almost certain that the guard had warned someone of his arrival. Walking into the campus Lee had the unpleasant feeling of being followed. "I'm getting as paranoid as JS!" He thought, remembering JS's teaching to the ship staff, and yet ... He whirled. Was that surveillance camera turning to him? "Ah, Dr. de Carvalho," exclaimed the Squidman welcoming him at the entrance, "how can I help you?" "I came to talk to prof. Bellamorte about certain DNA samples I sent to him." "Ah, a tragedy, a tragedy really!" the Squidman moaned. "Professor Bellamorte was brutally murdered just a few days ago in his study." And pointed to an empty studio where he could still see the outline of a body chalked on the floor. "Murdered?" Lee goggled. "Alas! They tortured him long and cruelly." the Squidman whispered. "At least that's what the police say. Maybe the cops want to talk to you." "With me? Why? two days ago I was in the space." The Squidman nodded sympathetically: "The cops say it was a psycho's handiwork, but everyone thinks they were looking for something ..." -- Thanks!