This page describes the post-Apotheosis branch of the Paranid story line if you choose the Unification option.
For the War option, see Paranid War.
When you exit the station, Gride and her forces will turn on the HOP honor guard. (The mission is to “protect the duke” but he can survive without you — his ship can’t be destroyed.)
Join the battle, or watch from a distance. After a brief battle, the opposing forces will put their battle aside and join to attack Gride’s reinforcements. The ships will suddenly become neutral, so be careful about who you’re attacking.
If you need to, reset back to an earlier save point and bring in some reinforcements before completing the mission and exiting the station. [You can wait in the station for a long as you like — there’s no time limit — but be aware that leaving the station will count as having made a decision.]
Note that you won’t suffer any reputation penalty from the battle, as long as you don’t attack any ship that isn’t hostile. There’s a chance you may trigger friendly fire from HOP police forces, though, so be prepared to evacuate ships from the sector if needed.
Be sure to collect any valuable ship mod parts in the drop from the battle
Once Gride and her reinforcements are dealt with, you’re done for now. When you’re ready, go talk to Dal at your HQ.