[Route split explanation]
The characters are now split into two groups that cannot interact with each other. Characters are on route A by default. However people who participated in the mission "the Boon" are now on route B. Characters who did not participate in the mission, but their players decide that they were somewhere around the Discovery when the mission happened (just offscreen) can also be on route B.
[1 - route A, mingle/reaction prompt]
The Discovery has launched into space.
The ancient stone building raised from the earth, freed from the cave that sheltered it for thousands of years. It's no building - but a giant cathedral-like starship. A starship that quickly rose through the atmosphere and before anyone could stop it, took its place on Earth's orbit.
Now it's floating in space, slowly circling the planet and not responding to any signals, seemingly lifeless. Something has obviously happened inside, something possibly not good at all - but there's just only one little problem preventing anyone from getting in close to investigate what has happened.
The Seekers, the Guardians (of Past, Present and Future) - even one of those was a very formidable foe. Now there are many, floating around the Discovery and, as an observation probe found out, attacking everything that comes close.
How much worse are things going to get?

"I'm assuming command of Unity Group."
Here's a message from Lee Linjun.
"Your little game, where the organisation continued to exist and pretend nothing's wrong despite not even having an acting officer, moved on for long enough. As long as it only affects internal affairs I couldn't care less, but now the stakes are simply too high."
"You know well what happened. The alien known as the Lady has made her move. She has the power to affect reality itself and wants nothing less than to subjugate humanity, it's not too late to stop her but we need to act, and we need to act RIGHT NOW. Her vessel, what we all used to know as Discovery, is now in Earth orbit - but not for long. Using the Shirogane's Tronium Cannon, I'm going to take it out."
"The only problem is the Lady's grunts on the way. That's where you come in. I've sent a similar message to UN Spacy, the ESUN military, anyone who still has a space force. We're gathering a fleet, and then we strike."
"I hope to see you there too, Unity Group. Not even for your own sake. This is a crisis where individual lives and organisations no longer matter. This is for the sake of humankind itself. Lee Linjun, out."
[2 - also route A]

"You're better not thinking about ceding leadership to that pompous buffoon."

"Not in a million years. A state of emergency or not, his actions have no legal authority to them. Unity Group remains independent and we can do whatever we decide. But..."

"But what do we decide to do, indeed, hmm? Ladies, gentlemen..."
Commander Huffman turns to anyone present - and this time the UG leaders do not even meet behind a door. This is in an open area, with UG members' input requested, and welcome.
"What do you believe we should do?"
[3 - route B, talking with NPCs and/or mingle prompt]
"Hey."

"Are you alive?"
Woken up by SSR's Viletta Vadim, you come by inside your machines' cockpit. The surroundings are the Discovery - dark but normal looking, without crazy time-space twisting shenanigans. The Lady or her minions are not here, nor is Loni or his friends. Neither is the Grunbein...
It almost feels like a dream. But it was no dream. Your unit's damage is proof of that.

"Something's different. A lot of the Discovery's systems lied dormant, and now they've activated for some reason. If only I knew how to actually operate them... but there's a reason getting Professor Dupond out to safety was a priority."
Suddenly you have more company as two more familiar SSR units approach. One is the Gunleon you saw fight the Seeker, while the other...

"Bad news guys, there's some kind of barrier blocking the exit. Even Gunleon can't break it and believe me, I tried."

"Even radio doesn't work... Does it mean we're trapped here?"

"..."

"At least the immediate area seems safe. But it looks like we will all have to work together if we're to break out of here."
The characters are now split into two groups that cannot interact with each other. Characters are on route A by default. However people who participated in the mission "the Boon" are now on route B. Characters who did not participate in the mission, but their players decide that they were somewhere around the Discovery when the mission happened (just offscreen) can also be on route B.
[1 - route A, mingle/reaction prompt]
The Discovery has launched into space.
The ancient stone building raised from the earth, freed from the cave that sheltered it for thousands of years. It's no building - but a giant cathedral-like starship. A starship that quickly rose through the atmosphere and before anyone could stop it, took its place on Earth's orbit.
Now it's floating in space, slowly circling the planet and not responding to any signals, seemingly lifeless. Something has obviously happened inside, something possibly not good at all - but there's just only one little problem preventing anyone from getting in close to investigate what has happened.
The Seekers, the Guardians (of Past, Present and Future) - even one of those was a very formidable foe. Now there are many, floating around the Discovery and, as an observation probe found out, attacking everything that comes close.
How much worse are things going to get?
"I'm assuming command of Unity Group."
Here's a message from Lee Linjun.
"Your little game, where the organisation continued to exist and pretend nothing's wrong despite not even having an acting officer, moved on for long enough. As long as it only affects internal affairs I couldn't care less, but now the stakes are simply too high."
"You know well what happened. The alien known as the Lady has made her move. She has the power to affect reality itself and wants nothing less than to subjugate humanity, it's not too late to stop her but we need to act, and we need to act RIGHT NOW. Her vessel, what we all used to know as Discovery, is now in Earth orbit - but not for long. Using the Shirogane's Tronium Cannon, I'm going to take it out."
"The only problem is the Lady's grunts on the way. That's where you come in. I've sent a similar message to UN Spacy, the ESUN military, anyone who still has a space force. We're gathering a fleet, and then we strike."
"I hope to see you there too, Unity Group. Not even for your own sake. This is a crisis where individual lives and organisations no longer matter. This is for the sake of humankind itself. Lee Linjun, out."
[2 - also route A]
"You're better not thinking about ceding leadership to that pompous buffoon."
"Not in a million years. A state of emergency or not, his actions have no legal authority to them. Unity Group remains independent and we can do whatever we decide. But..."
"But what do we decide to do, indeed, hmm? Ladies, gentlemen..."
Commander Huffman turns to anyone present - and this time the UG leaders do not even meet behind a door. This is in an open area, with UG members' input requested, and welcome.
"What do you believe we should do?"
[3 - route B, talking with NPCs and/or mingle prompt]
"Hey."
"Are you alive?"
Woken up by SSR's Viletta Vadim, you come by inside your machines' cockpit. The surroundings are the Discovery - dark but normal looking, without crazy time-space twisting shenanigans. The Lady or her minions are not here, nor is Loni or his friends. Neither is the Grunbein...
It almost feels like a dream. But it was no dream. Your unit's damage is proof of that.
"Something's different. A lot of the Discovery's systems lied dormant, and now they've activated for some reason. If only I knew how to actually operate them... but there's a reason getting Professor Dupond out to safety was a priority."
Suddenly you have more company as two more familiar SSR units approach. One is the Gunleon you saw fight the Seeker, while the other...

"Bad news guys, there's some kind of barrier blocking the exit. Even Gunleon can't break it and believe me, I tried."

"Even radio doesn't work... Does it mean we're trapped here?"
"..."
"At least the immediate area seems safe. But it looks like we will all have to work together if we're to break out of here."