Academy Dropout is a story mission in Star Trek Fleet Command in which you join Starfleet Academy cadets on a mission to retrieve Lucia Gonzales from the Borg. You investigate her transmission in Benes Gamma, fight eight Borg hostiles, disable her vessel and take the cadets home to Jihao. It can be accepted at warp 1 and needs warp 25 to complete. The game lists a recommended level of 1, but her vessel is about 344,145 strength. The reward is 80,000 Dilithium and 37 15 Minute Repair Speed Ups, and finishing it unlocks The Chancellor’s Daughter.
Academy Dropout objectives
There are five objectives in a fixed order and no choice split:
- Investigate the origin of Gonzales’ transmission. Location: Benes Gamma.
- Defeat 8 Borg hostiles in Benes Gamma. Location: Benes Gamma.
- Find Gonzales in orbit over Tebik. Location: Benes Gamma.
- Disable Gonzales’ vessel. Location: Benes Gamma. Enemy strength is roughly 344,145.
- Return the cadets to Jihao. Location: Lainey.
Four of the five steps are in Benes Gamma, including both combat objectives. Unlike most kill objectives, the eight Borg hostiles have to be defeated in Benes Gamma specifically. The mission then ends in Lainey, where the cadets are dropped off at Jihao.
Where and what warp
The mission can be accepted at warp 1 and needs warp 25 to complete. Benes Gamma and Lainey are the only two systems involved.
The recommended level is listed as 1. The real tests are the eight Borg kills and Gonzales’ vessel at about 344,145 strength.
Academy Dropout rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dilithium | 80,000 |
| 15 Minute Repair Speed Up | 37 |
Completing the mission also unlocks the next mission, The Chancellor’s Daughter.
The 37 repair speed ups add up to 9 hours and 15 minutes of repair time, a useful stack for a ship that has just fought nine battles in a row.
Borg hostiles in Benes Gamma
Current hostile data lists three Borg hostile types in Benes Gamma, all at level 27:
| Hostile | Level |
|---|---|
| Borg Tactical Probe | 27 |
| Assimilated Ferengi Trader | 27 |
| Assimilated Trader | 27 |
All three are Borg hostiles in the right system, so they match the kill objective. Lainey, the final system, has Federation hostiles between level 24 and 30 and a few Kriosian Rebels, none of which are needed for the mission.
Lucia Gonzales
This mission is about rescuing Lucia Gonzales, but it does not pay her shards. Early missions that do include Diamonds in the Rough, Know Your Enemy and Unhealthy Competition, which pay one shard each and need only warp 5 to 7. All three can be picked up in Imgra or Fostaa.
Tips
Bring a combat ship that can handle level 27 Borg. The eight kills come before the Gonzales fight, so repair between them if the ship is getting worn down.
Save some of the repair speed ups for the fight itself. Using a few after the Borg kills lets you face the 344,145 strength vessel at full health.
Other missions are listed on the mission guide.
