A veil of uncertainty hovered on the Science spacecraft while Zara and Nicholas wove their thoughts on human evolution. The crew decided that Earth, the cradle of humanity, would be their temporary hiding place.

"Captain Sivoc, the intergalactic bridge near the Moon Callisto will open in a few weeks, but Merko chases us as the shadow chases the light. We should leave now", Drako announced in a serious voice.

Tibor complemented:

"Theirs radars will find us on any nearby planet. On the Earth we can mingle with the multitude, and the spaceship Science will find refuge in the depths of the oceans, where even Star Hunter won't dare to look for us."

"Drako, put the ship in invisible mode. May the depths of the Atlantic, close to Tampico city, be our shield." Sivoc ordered.

"Yes sir. Sailing in Ghost Protocol".

The ship dived toward the Earth, while Amaya and Pewse, responsible for the machine room, shared their concerns: 

"Star Hunter is an indomitable beast," Amaya murmured, "it would be suicide to face it."

While the crew was preparing for immersion, Sivoc approached Nicholas. In thought, he consulted Zara, "Should we reveal our true form to him?"

Zara hesitated: "The truth can scare him, but he needs to know it. Let Nicholas face it, let him accept it."

Sivoc, with a mix of conviction and hope, stared at the young man:

"Are you ready to see how we really are?"

Nicholas, shy, just nodded. Zara's human form already fascinated him, but curiosity and fear danced in his chest.

In the blink of an eye, the crew transformed. Bodies writhing, faces changing, the magic of technology showing itself. The boy watched, amazed and scared, while his beloved Zara became an unknown being.

"Is that her?" He thought, the heart tight. "The love of my life, so different, so distant..."

Sivoc, with patience, explained to the guest the mysteries of spacetime, the space folds, the intergalactic portals, the artificial gravity that allowed them to travel through the stars.

Zara, with passion, showed him her birthplace, the planet Life, a paradise in Andromeda.

"Crystalline oceans, lush forests, a new home to humanity," she said, with a shine in her eyes. "After the degradation of the Earth, humanity united, building colonies on the Moon, Mars, and finally on the planet Life, a green oasis in Andromeda. A new home, where life flourishes in harmony with nature."

The young man of the Earth heard, fascinated, the history of the union of peoples, the conquest of space, the search for a new beginning.

"A dream", he thought, "a glimpse of a future that Earth has not yet reached."

Immersed in thoughts, he traced unusual parallels. "Loving Zara, a woman of the future, would be like a homo sapiens falling in love with Lucy¹, an Australopithecus. A novel that transcends Eras, a temporal paradox."

Zara, with her keen empathy, noticed the shadow of doubt that hovered over Nicholas. Sadness invaded her, and a silent request echoed in their minds: that everyone would return to human forms. A gesture of comfort, a bridge between their worlds.

Watching the reborn smile on the boy's lips, Zara felt the strength of the love germinating in her chest. "We are different, separated by a temporal gulf, but my heart yearns for him, challenging logic and reason."

Nicholas, amazed at the fluidity of the transformation, glimpsed a future of infinite possibilities. "If I could dominate this technology, who could I be? What forms could I assume? Does the bracelet have any button that allows me to transmute myself?", he also thought of the object on his pulse, associated with his father's disappearance.

Intrigued, he questioned: "How was it possible to overcome the differences, joining nations for a common goal? Wars, selfishness, the inability of unity... humanity still has much to learn."

"The survival instinct, the threat of extinction, united humanity. On planet Life, we learn to take advantage of natural resources, generating water from ice, energy from nuclear fusion and sunlight. A virtuous cycle that allowed us to rebuild biodiversity, even reviving extinct species." Zara answered.

Meanwhile, computer X2 drove the ship through the earthly atmosphere. Drako monitored communication. The Multinational Orbital Station, a silent sentinel, watched the space with its electronic eyes. Suddenly an unexpected signal shone on the screens, an incandescent point. A UFO.

The french commander Raunot warned:

"Attention, mission control! An unidentified ship approaches the northern region. Any fighter aircraft available?"

The spacecraft Science, camouflaged in its invisibility, was the point of light that disturbed the heavenly order. Nicholas, a clandestine passenger in the midst of the stars, was once again in danger, life hanging from a thin thread between safety and the abyss.

"Did anyone sabotate the Ghost Protocol of the ship Science?" - Sivoc thought and ordered:

"Drako, take us away from here, immediately!"

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 Lucy is an Australopithecus afarensis who lived about 3.2 million years ago and was discovered in 1974. She is considered the oldest human ancestor found so far. Her skeleton showed her as a biped female and the name Lucy was given from the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by the Beetles, which was the song in the expedition camp during the excavation work.

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