Something of an Expert is a level 61 main storyline mission in Star Trek Fleet Command in which you bring Ed Howards, a data archaeologist who used to work for Starfleet, to the Progenitor fleet in Omega Rura. It starts at warp 1 and needs warp 700 to complete. A choice near the end decides the reward: defending the Progenitor ships pays 1,665,000,000 Dilithium and 300 5★ Uncommon Survey Parts, while fleeing pays 1,150 Trait XP and 300 5★ Uncommon Battleship Parts.
Something of an Expert objectives
Howards contacts you after seeing your ship interface with the ancient Progenitor vessels. After three years studying them, Howards thinks it is possible to help you survive the data overload and reach their full databanks. The first four steps are the same for everyone:
- Meet with Howards. Location: Nerokira.
- Bring Howards to the ancient fleet. Location: Omega Rura.
- Defeat 12 hostiles of level 59 or higher.
- What should we do?
Omega Rura has turned into a free-for-all by the time you arrive, with ships fighting close enough to the Progenitor fleet to put it at risk. Once you clear a path, a stray phaser hit on the command vessel means Howards needs time to bypass the corrupted data paths, and Maia asks whether to hold the line or leave.
Defend the Progenitor ships
- Defeat the attacker. Location: Omega Rura (enemy strength about 2,618,077,029).
- Return to your Station.
You hold off the attacker while Howards works, but once Howards gets in, the database has already been wiped. The chaos in the system looks like a distraction staged by whoever reached the data first.
Flee
- Return to your Station.
Here you pull out without a fight and leave the Progenitor data behind. On both paths Howards ends by pointing out that your ship still holds the data from its first interfacing, which may still be of use to the research.
Where and what warp
There is no pickup system listed; the mission follows The Frontier in the storyline. It starts at warp 1 and needs warp 700 to complete. The first stop is Nerokira, and the rest of the mission plays out in Omega Rura, the same system where The Frontier had you examine the ancient ships. The recommended level is 61.
Something of an Expert rewards
| Path | Rewards |
|---|---|
| Defend the Progenitor ships | 1,665,000,000 Dilithium, 300 5★ Uncommon Survey Parts |
| Flee | 1,150 Trait XP, 300 5★ Uncommon Battleship Parts |
Either choice unlocks Dishonor and Blood, the next mission in the storyline.
The storyline around it
| Mission | Recommended level | Warp to complete | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Frontier | 61 | 700 | 1 10 Day Speed Up, 44,105,600 Parsteel |
| Something of an Expert | 61 | 700 | Depends on the choice |
| Dishonor and Blood | 61 | 600 | 15,000 Latinum, 160 5★ Uncommon Battleship Parts |
| Sacrilege (level 61 version) | 61 | 700 | 5,450,000,000 Parsteel, 32 5★ Uncommon Explorer Parts |
Tips
The 12 hostiles of level 59 or higher are required on both paths, so bring a combat ship either way. The choice only adds or skips one fight after that grind.
Pick by what you need. The defend path costs one extra battle against a target of roughly 2.6 billion strength and pays a large Dilithium haul plus Survey parts. Fleeing skips that fight and hands out Trait XP with Battleship parts instead, which suits players already short on Trait XP. The story outcome is the same either way, since the databanks are lost on both paths.
After this, the storyline heads into Klingon space with Dishonor and Blood and then Sacrilege. The full order is on the main storyline missions page, and other missions by level are on the mission guide.