Working Hard Or Working Smart is a level 63 side mission in Star Trek Fleet Command in which a Baelosian named Qrag wants the mercenaries who have taken over his quiet world gone, and you choose how. It is picked up in Talokan, needs warp 1,100 to start and to complete, and runs through Jaicoo and Talokan. After 10 hostiles of level 62 or higher, you either kill the mercenary leader or frame his gang by attacking a Starfleet ship. Both paths pay 404,000 of a raw Σ resource. There is no reputation change.
Working Hard Or Working Smart objectives
Three objectives come before the choice:
- Take Qrag to meet the Mercenaries. Location: Jaicoo.
- Defeat 10 hostiles of level 62 or higher.
- Take Qrag back to his settlement. Location: Talokan.
Qrag left his clan years ago to find peace, away from the Romulans, Section 31 and everyone else, and found it here until mercenaries turned it to squalor. They will not answer hails, so you fight. Back at the settlement their leader, Richardson, a former Federation man, laughs him off as dozens of ships approach. Qrag offers two plans, and Maia asks how you will help the Baelosians.
Take down the Mercenary Leader directly
- Defeat the Jaicoo Merc Leader. Location: Jaicoo. Enemy strength about 4,690,152,757.
- Report back to the Baelosians. Location: Talokan.
Rewards: 1 12 Hr Peace Shield, 404,000 Raw Σ-Dilithium.
Qrag agrees that involving Starfleet could escalate things. Maia finds Richardson’s transponder, you strike before his guards react, and Qrag finishes him, calling his lack of mercy calculated.
Provoke Starfleet and frame the Mercenaries
- Attack the USS Ohio. Location: Solas Astra. Enemy strength about 9,045,315,444.
- Lead the USS Ohio to Jaicoo. Location: Jaicoo.
Rewards: 272,000 Latinum, 404,000 Raw Σ-Parsteel.
Maia masks your transponder and you hit the Ohio without harming its crew. Captain Oiga gives chase, and when you lead her to Jaicoo she blames the mercenaries and turns her weapons on them.
Where and what warp
The mission is picked up in Talokan. Both paths need warp 1,100, and the framing path adds a stop in Solas Astra. The recommended level is 63.
Working Hard Or Working Smart rewards
| Path | Rewards | Fight |
|---|---|---|
| Take down the Mercenary Leader directly | 1 12 Hr Peace Shield, 404,000 Raw Σ-Dilithium | About 4.69 billion |
| Provoke Starfleet and frame the Mercenaries | 272,000 Latinum, 404,000 Raw Σ-Parsteel | About 9.05 billion |
Neutral level 63 side missions compared
| Mission | Pickup | Combat | Donation | Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bearing Down | Jaicoo | One fight, about 91 million | None | 1 12 Hr Peace Shield, 125,000 Raw Σ-Dilithium |
| Home Is Where The Logic Is | Pearl | 8 hostiles of level 62+ | 50M Tritanium | 180 6★ Common Refined Gas, 45,000 Raw Σ-Tritanium |
| Live Long and Profit | Pearl | Three fights, up to about 4.69 billion | None | 7 1 Hour Σ-Speed Up, 270,000 Raw Σ-Tritanium |
| Invincible | Montkreat | 20 hostiles of level 62+, then about 4.52 billion | None | 3,500 Raw Σ-Parsteel |
| Veils In Plain Sight | Mistrare | One fight, about 4.52 billion | 10M Dilithium | 5,000 Σ-Tritanium, 456,000 Raw Σ-Parsteel |
| Working Hard Or Working Smart | Talokan | 10 hostiles of level 62+, then about 4.69 or 9.05 billion by choice | None | Depends on your choice |
Tips
The framing path is the harder fight by far, as the USS Ohio is almost twice the strength of the mercenary leader. Choose it only if you want the Latinum and Raw Σ-Parsteel and your ship can handle about 9 billion. The direct path is the safer pick and adds a Peace Shield.
Qrag is Baelosian, like the Seeker Tokksa in The Seeker; the Baelosians also appear as hostiles such as the Baelosian Cruiser. The Σ resources guide covers both raw Σ rewards, and more missions are on the mission guide.