Rückläufiges Licht is Part 18 of the Augments mission chain in Star Trek Fleet Command, and it is the point where Khan stops theorizing about the anomaly and starts experimenting on it. Five objectives run across Ifrea-3 and Olassa, with a Vaaran research vessel to destroy and an assault on Khan’s outpost to break. Warp 23 covers the whole thing. Completion pays 752,000 Parsteel and seven 3 Hour Speed Ups.
The story beat is Khan starting a volatile experiment on an anomaly, and the Vaaran taking a very close interest in what he is doing. Your part of it is transport first, cleanup second, defense last. Two of the five objectives are fights, so this is not one you clear with a survey ship parked in orbit.
Receding Light objectives
Five objectives, in this order:
- Bring Khan to the anomaly in Ifrea-3 (system: Ifrea-3)
- Destroy the Vaaran Research Vessel (system: Ifrea-3, enemy strength around 102,720)
- Discover the Vaaran Assembly (system: Olassa)
- Defeat 8 hostiles of level 27 or higher
- End the assault against Khan’s outpost (system: Olassa)
There is no choice split in this one, so every player runs the same five steps in the same order and lands on the same payout. Worth noting: the hostile-grinding objective does not name a system. You can clear those eight kills wherever level 27 or higher spawns are convenient instead of hunting for them around Olassa.
Wo und welcher Warp
The mission opens at warp 1, but finishing it needs warp 23. That second number is the one to plan around. Ifrea-3 holds the first two objectives, Olassa holds the third and the fifth, and the hostile kills can happen anywhere you find the right level spawns.
If your warp range tops out below 23, the mission stalls halfway and sits in your log until you push warp research or move to a ship with more range. Check the range before you accept it rather than after you have already flown Khan out to the anomaly.
Receding Light rewards
Finishing Receding Light pays:
- 752,000 Parsteel
- 7 x 3 Hour Speed Up
Completing it also opens the next part of the Augments chain, which for most players is the actual reason to run it. The Parsteel is a healthy single-mission payout, and 21 hours of speed ups matter more than they look on the reward screen if you are sitting on a long building or research timer.
Tips
Sort the warp problem first. Warp 23 is the gate on this mission, and there is no way to work around it once you are mid-chain.
The Vaaran Research Vessel sits at roughly 102,720 strength, so bring a combat ship with a crew you would take into a normal hostile grind, not whatever was closest to the dock. Repair time after that fight is the main thing that slows this mission down, which is one reasonable use for the speed ups the mission itself hands you.
The eight level 27 or higher kills are the longest stretch of the mission by time. Because the objective is not tied to a system, it stacks with whatever grinding you already do. If a hostile-kill event or a daily goal is running, line the two up and get paid twice for the same kills.
The last objective is a defense beat at Olassa, so keep a repaired ship available for it rather than closing out the hostile grind on empty hulls. Between the research vessel, the eight hostiles, and the outpost assault, this part of the chain asks for more combat readiness than the Augments Missionen on either side of it.
