Diverging Paths is a short single mission built around getting Burnham home. Almost all of it happens in one system, Nott: fly to the launch point, take out a mercenary sitting at roughly 131,625 power, then return to your station. It picks up at warp 1 and needs warp 20 to finish, and it pays refined ore, a peace shield, and a stack of repair speed ups.
Diverging Paths objectives
There are three objectives, and the first two share a system:
- Reach the launch point. Location: Nott.
- Defeat the mercenary. Location: Nott. Enemy strength is roughly 131,625.
- Return to your Station.
No choice split appears in this mission, so there is one path through it and one set of rewards. Nothing branches and nothing gets missed by picking the wrong dialogue option.
The opening objective is travel only. Once your ship arrives at the launch point in Nott the step clears, and the mercenary is the single scripted fight in the whole mission. At around 131,625 power it is not a target for a survey ship or a half-crewed hull, but it is well inside what a properly crewed combat ship handles at the point where warp 20 becomes reachable.
The last step sends you home. Recall to your station and the mission closes out, which also means you finish the mission docked and can repair straight away.
Where and what warp
Nott is the only named system here, and it holds both the launch point and the mercenary. The mission becomes available at warp 1, so it can sit in your log long before you can actually run it, but completing it takes warp 20.
Warp 20 is the real gate. Warp range comes from your ship and your warp research rather than your account level, so if the jump to Nott is out of reach, the mission simply waits. Nothing about it expires and the rewards do not shrink while it sits there.
Because both action objectives are in the same system, this is a single round trip. There is no hopping between systems mid-mission, which keeps the fuel and travel time down compared with most missions that pay out at this level.
Diverging Paths rewards
| 3★ Uncommon Refined Ore | 4 |
| 1 Day Peace Shield | 1 |
| 15 Minute Repair Speed Up | 9 |
The nine 15 Minute Repair Speed Ups are the most immediately useful line. Between them they cover more than two hours of repair time, which is worth more than it looks when your combat ship comes out of the mercenary fight with hull damage and you want it back in the field.
The 1 Day Peace Shield is the standout for anyone playing in an active PvP area. A full day of protection is a real safety net when you are about to go offline or want to bank resources without getting hit. Save it rather than burning it the moment it lands.
Four 3★ Uncommon Refined Ore goes toward research and building costs that ask for refined material, and refined ore is slow to accumulate by grinding, so a flat handout of it is welcome.
Tips
Bring a combat ship, not whatever happens to be docked. The mercenary is the only thing standing between you and the payout, and roughly 131,625 power means a mining or survey hull will lose. Crew it the way you would for hostiles you fight at the level where warp 20 is comfortable.
Check your warp before you commit. Reaching the launch point and killing the mercenary both happen at Nott, so if you cannot reach Nott, the mission cannot progress at all. Warp research is the fix, not more account levels.
Hold the peace shield. It is the only reward here you cannot farm, and a one-day shield used at the right moment is worth far more than one burned on a quiet afternoon.
Line up your repairs. You end the mission at your station with nine repair speed ups in hand, so schedule the fight for a session where you can immediately dock, repair, and get back out rather than leaving a damaged ship sitting idle.
