An Unwelcome Surprise is a ten-part Lower Decks mission chain in Star Trek Fleet Command. It opens when you retrieve Rutherford from the Andorian colony on Tau Ceti II, follows the fallout of bringing AGIMUS back to the USS Cerritos, and ends with you purging AGIMUS from your own Station. Every part is recommended for level 34, and warp to complete runs from 1 up to 45. The chain pays Brad Boimler shards in Part 1 and Beckett Mariner shards in Part 10, with Ultra Recruit Tokens, Latinum and 3★ ship parts in between. Expect a lot of fighting, all of it pitched at level 34.
An Unwelcome Surprise at a glance
| Part | Recommended level | Warp to complete | Key reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 1 | 34 | 25 | Brad Boimler shards, 6,960,000 Tritanium |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 2 | 34 | 1 | 1,100 Latinum, 400 Ultra Recruit Token |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 3 | 34 | 45 | 8,414,000 Parsteel, 240 3★ Interceptor Parts |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 4 | 34 | 38 | 475,000 Dilithium, 25 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 5 | 34 | 38 | 400 Ultra Recruit Token, 1,341,000 Tritanium |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 6 | 34 | 25 | 500,000 Dilithium, 360 3★ Explorer Parts |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 7 | 34 | 45 | 11,570,000 Parsteel, 350 Premium Recruit Token |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 8 | 34 | 32 | 310,000 Dilithium, 10 1 Hour Speed Up |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 9 | 34 | 20 | 800 Latinum, 877,000 Tritanium |
| An Unwelcome Surprise Part 10 | 34 | 23 | Beckett Mariner shards, 800 Ultra Recruit Token |
Every part starts at warp 1. The parts run in order, so finishing one is what opens the next.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 1
Rutherford is waiting at the Andorian colony, and a Gelrakian fleet is in the way. This part also asks for a 750,000 Dilithium donation, so have it banked before you set out for Tau Ceti.
- Retrieve Rutherford from Tau Ceti II. (Tau Ceti)
- Drive back the Gelrakian fleet. (Tau Ceti, enemy strength around 647,357)
- Donate 750,000 Dilithium to the Andorian colony.
- Return to your Station.
Warp to complete: 25. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 1x Brad Boimler shards, 6,960,000 Tritanium.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 2
You have to survive the Station Upgrade Alpha subroutine. There is no travel here: the part is three fights back to back at warp 1, each a little stronger than the last.
- Defeat the Bortas. (enemy strength around 647,357)
- Defeat the B’Rel. (enemy strength around 652,792)
- Defeat the D3. (enemy strength around 673,107)
Warp to complete: 1. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 1,100 Latinum, 400 Ultra Recruit Token, 1,238,000 Tritanium.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 3
The job is to bring AGIMUS back to the USS Cerritos. The trip ends in Archer, which makes this one of the two longest parts of the chain at warp 45.
- Bring AGIMUS back to the USS Cerritos. (Tau Ceti)
- Close in on the USS Cerritos. (Archer)
- Defeat 10 hostiles of Level 34 or higher.
- Teach them a lesson! (Archer, enemy strength around 652,792)
Warp to complete: 45. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 248,000 Dilithium, 240 3★ Interceptor Parts, 8,414,000 Parsteel.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 4
Next you strike a pact with the Pakled. They want ship parts plus a Tritanium tribute, so keep 2.5M Tritanium spare for the last step.
- Travel to the Kalla system. (Kalla)
- Defeat 15 hostiles of Level 34 or higher.
- Bring the ship parts to the Pakled on Arle. (Januu)
- Supplement your tribute with 2.5M Tritanium.
Warp to complete: 38. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 25 3★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 475,000 Dilithium, 5 1 Hour Speed Up.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 5
You lead a Pakled fleet in a reprisal attack against the USS Cerritos, and once you arrive in Sirius you end up defending the Cerritos and pushing the Pakled back. All four steps happen in the same system, with three combat objectives in a row.
- Lead the Pakled fleet to the USS Cerritos. (Sirius)
- Defend the USS Cerritos. (Sirius, enemy strength around 673,107)
- Push back the Pakled fleet. (Sirius, enemy strength around 647,357)
- Defeat the Amalgam. (Sirius, enemy strength around 652,792)
Warp to complete: 38. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 1,341,000 Tritanium, 400 Ultra Recruit Token, 38 15 Minute Repair Speed Up.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 6
After escorting the Cerritos to Starbase 80, you head back to the Andorian colony on Tau Ceti II, where the Gelrakians are raiding the Dilithium mines. This part has the most travel legs in the chain: Xerxes, Tau Ceti, Querlz and back to Tau Ceti.
- Escort the USS Cerritos to Starbase 80. (Xerxes)
- Return to the Andorian colony on Tau Ceti II. (Tau Ceti)
- Defend the Dilithium mines from the Gelrakians. (Querlz)
- Destroy the Gelrakian ship. (Querlz, enemy strength around 673,107)
- Return to defend the Andorian colony on Tau Ceti II. (Tau Ceti)
- Defeat the Gelrakian Raider. (Tau Ceti, enemy strength around 647,357)
Warp to complete: 25. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 500,000 Dilithium, 360 3★ Explorer Parts.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 7
The objectives turn hostile toward Starfleet as you set out to teach the Alpha Quadrant a lesson. The run goes from Aiti to Barklay and finishes at Axanar, and it ties Part 3 for the longest reach at warp 45.
- Find some Starfleet victims. (Aiti)
- Kill them all! (Aiti, enemy strength around 652,792)
- The hunt continues in Barklay. (Barklay)
- No escape! (Barklay, enemy strength around 647,357)
- Make contact with the USS Cerritos. (Axanar)
Warp to complete: 45. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 350 Premium Recruit Token, 11,570,000 Parsteel.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 8
Now the USS Longinus is after you. You flee Federation space and drag the Longinus toward Klingon territory, clearing two sets of 10 hostiles on the way.
- Flee from Federation territory. (Sorenle)
- Lure the USS Longinus away from Federation territory. (Vendor)
- Defeat 10 hostiles of Level 34 or higher.
- Lure the USS Longinus into Klingon territory. (Mokba)
- Defeat 10 hostiles of Level 34 or higher.
Warp to complete: 32. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 10 1 Hour Speed Up, 310,000 Dilithium, 50 15 Minute Repair Speed Up.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 9
Rutherford needs time to code a virus that will purge AGIMUS, so your job is to keep the Longinus busy. It is a short part with one fight in Krah’Hor.
- Use the distraction to your advantage and escape. (Krlakh)
- Flee from the USS Longinus. (Krah’Hor)
- Defend yourself. (Krah’Hor, enemy strength around 673,107)
- Return to your Station.
Warp to complete: 20. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 800 Latinum, 877,000 Tritanium, 10 3★ Uncommon Refined Ore.
An Unwelcome Surprise Part 10
The finale is about purging AGIMUS from your Station’s systems. You fight three ships in a row, then escort the Lower Decks crew back to the Cerritos in Xerxes.
- Defeat the Realta. (enemy strength around 652,792)
- Defeat the Hijacked Legionary. (enemy strength around 647,357)
- Defeat the ISS Jellyfish. (enemy strength around 652,792)
- Escort the Lower Decks crew back to the Cerritos. (Xerxes)
Warp to complete: 23. Recommended level: 34.
Rewards: 1x Beckett Mariner shards, 800 Ultra Recruit Token, 375,000 Dilithium.
Tips for completing An Unwelcome Surprise
Check your warp range first. Parts 3 and 7 both reach warp 45, and Parts 4 and 5 sit at 38. The rest of the chain stays at 32 or below, and Part 2 never leaves warp 1.
Two parts ask for resources. Part 1 wants a 750,000 Dilithium donation and Part 4 wants 2.5M Tritanium as tribute. Both are refunded several times over by the chain’s own rewards, but you need the amount on hand when the objective comes up.
Every named enemy in the chain sits between roughly 647,000 and 673,000 strength, so one ship that can beat the D3 in Part 2 can handle the whole chain. The fights come in clusters: three in a row in Part 2, three in Sirius in Part 5, two in Part 6 and three more in Part 10. Heal between them. The 38 repair speed-ups from Part 5 and the 50 from Part 8 help with the later clusters.
Hostile grinds add up too. Part 3 needs 10 kills, Part 4 needs 15 and Part 8 needs two sets of 10, all against level 34 or higher targets. Clearing hostiles near the mission systems saves travel time on the longer parts.
If you like this crew, What Could Go Wrong is another Cerritos chain built around Rutherford and Tendi, and the Lower Decks arc page lists the rest. For other chains, see the mission guide.
Are the An Unwelcome Surprise rewards worth it?
Yes, if you want the Lower Decks officers. Part 1 gives Brad Boimler shards and Part 10 gives Beckett Mariner shards. Around them the chain pays 1,600 Ultra Recruit Tokens, 1,900 Latinum, close to 20 million Parsteel and over 10 million Tritanium, plus 3★ Interceptor and Explorer parts. The cost is time: ten parts, dozens of fights and a few long jumps. For a level 34 commander the return is strong.
