Refraction is a five-part Star Trek Fleet Command mission chain in which you extract an informant named Inara from Romulan space, present Neletha’s case to Starfleet, fight off a Tal Shiar assault and then rescue Neletha. The game lists recommended level 1 for every part, but the chain needs warp 15 to 18 and puts you against Tal Shiar ships of about 74,000 to 75,000 strength, so plan on a mid-level ship. It begins at Kepler-018. Rewards include two batches of Honorguard Worf shards, over 2.3M Parsteel, 3★ ship parts and, on one branch, 600 Premium Recruit Tokens.
Refraction at a glance
| Part | Recommended level | Warp to complete | Key reward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Refraction Part 1 | 1 | 18 | Honorguard Worf shards |
| Refraction Part 2 | 1 | 18 | 60 × 3★ Explorer Parts, 7,000 Dilithium |
| Refraction Part 3 | 1 | 15 | 6 × 3 Hour Speed Up, 302,000 Parsteel |
| Refraction Part 4 | 1 | 18 | 619,000 Parsteel, plus Premium Recruit Tokens or Dilithium (by branch) |
| Refraction Part 5 | 1 | 18 | Honorguard Worf shards, 1,087,000 Parsteel |
Refraction Part 1
A distress signal leads you to Inara, an informant who needs to get out of Romulan space. You pick her up and bring her to Federation space. There is no combat in this part.
- Follow the distress signal. (Kepler-018)
- Pick up Inara. (Kepler-018)
- Bring Inara to Federation space. (Gemet)
Warp to complete: 18. Rewards: Honorguard Worf officer shards, 15,000 Tritanium, 101,000 Parsteel.
Refraction Part 2
You present Neletha’s case to Starfleet. This part is all travel through Federation systems: regroup with the Enterprise, meet the Admiralty board, attend a demonstration and hear the decision.
- Regroup with the Enterprise. (Hann)
- Meet with the Admiralty board. (Lorillia)
- Accompany Inara to the demonstration. (Priya)
- Return to hear the Admiralty board’s decision. (Lorillia)
- Return to your Station.
Warp to complete: 18. Rewards: 7,000 Dilithium, 60 × 3★ Explorer Parts, 218,000 Parsteel.
Refraction Part 3
The Tal Shiar strike back with an assault on your Station. You fight off an agent and the attack itself, then pursue the attackers to Fastolf.
- Defeat the Tal Shiar agent. (enemy strength about 75,312)
- Defend your Station. (enemy strength about 74,100)
- Pursue the attackers. (Fastolf)
Warp to complete: 15. Rewards: 6 × 3 Hour Speed Up, 45,000 Tritanium, 302,000 Parsteel.
Refraction Part 4
To save Neletha, you track the Tal Shiar agents into Romulan space. At Sufiday the warp trail splits and you choose which ship to follow. Both branches end in Nabok.
- Track down the Tal Shiar agents. (Draken)
- Attempt to follow the warp trail. (Sufiday)
- Choose which ship to follow.
Warp to complete: 18.
Follow Thojex’s ship
- Investigate the mining field. (Huebr)
- Assist the Enterprise. (Nabok)
- Defeat the ambushers. (Nabok, enemy strength about 75,312)
Rewards: 600 Premium Recruit Tokens, 150 × 3★ Interceptor Parts, 619,000 Parsteel.
Follow the Romulan warbird
- Investigate the dockyard. (Nabok)
- Survive the ambush. (Nabok, enemy strength about 74,100)
- Defeat the Tal Shiar Commander. (Nabok, enemy strength about 74,100)
Rewards: 19,000 Dilithium, 150 × 3★ Battleship Parts, 619,000 Parsteel.
Refraction Part 5
The rescue itself. You prepare a distraction at Zova Rhen and choose how to draw the guards away, then regroup with the Enterprise back at Kepler-018.
- Prepare a distraction. (Zova Rhen)
- Choose how to distract the guards.
Warp to complete: 18.
Launch an assault on the base
- Defeat the Tal Shiar guard. (Zova Rhen, enemy strength about 75,312)
- Defeat the Tal Shiar agent. (Zova Rhen, enemy strength about 75,312)
- Regroup with the Enterprise. (Kepler-018)
Rewards: Honorguard Worf officer shards, 160,000 Tritanium, 1,087,000 Parsteel.
Detonate an unstable asteroid
- Disable the Romulan survey ship. (Zova Rhen, enemy strength about 74,100)
- Destabilize the asteroid’s core with 35,000 Dilithium.
- Reach the minimum safe distance. (Zova Rhen)
- Regroup with the Enterprise. (Kepler-018)
Rewards: Honorguard Worf officer shards, 260 × 3★ Explorer Parts, 1,087,000 Parsteel.
Tips for completing Refraction
Parts 1 and 2 are pure travel, so you can clear them quickly with any ship that reaches warp 18. The fighting starts in Part 3, when the Tal Shiar hit your Station, and every fight from there on sits between about 74,100 and 75,312 enemy strength.
The route crosses three kinds of space. Parts 1 and 2 run from neutral Kepler-018 into Federation systems (Gemet, Hann, Lorillia and Priya), Part 3 starts at your own Station, and Parts 4 and 5 go deep into Romulan territory at Draken, Sufiday, Huebr, Nabok and Zova Rhen. Part 5 also ends with a return trip from Zova Rhen to Kepler-018, so expect a long haul to finish.
In Part 4, following Thojex’s ship means one fight and pays 600 Premium Recruit Tokens with Interceptor parts. Following the warbird means two fights for 19,000 Dilithium and Battleship parts. Unless you need Battleship parts, Thojex’s ship is the better pick.
In Part 5, the assault route is two fights and pays 160,000 Tritanium. The asteroid route is one fight plus a 35,000 Dilithium donation, and it pays 260 × 3★ Explorer Parts. Both give the same Honorguard Worf shards and 1,087,000 Parsteel, so pick by which resource you would rather spend or earn.
Refraction continues the story from Duality, and other arcs are listed on the mission guide.
Are the Refraction rewards worth it?
Yes. Honorguard Worf shards on Parts 1 and 5, over 2.3M Parsteel in total, 3★ Explorer parts and a choice of Interceptor or Battleship parts make this a good return for five parts at warp 15 to 18. The Thojex branch in Part 4 adds 600 Premium Recruit Tokens on top. The fights are small, and the only donation is the optional 35,000 Dilithium in Part 5.
