A Surprise Catch
The "A Surprise Catch" event in Stellaris — flavor, choices, and how to trigger it with the event console command.
A Surprise Catch

Country eventDLC: Nemesis
Our Spymaster watching over the … reports the surprise, successful acquisition of a new Asset - a sympathetic contact who will be of service to our operations as and when we need them. All efforts have been taken to ensure that this new contact is genuine. Protocols have been established which seek to minimize the risk of potential double agents, for example.
The command below will trigger the "A Surprise Catch" event in Stellaris:
Player choices
When this event fires, you can choose between these 2 options:
- Excellent.
- We have acquired a new Asset for our Spy Network in the ….
- Good.
- We have acquired a new Asset for our Spy Network in the ….
Regardless of your choice
- Leads to event: Tutorial: Assigning Assets
Event chain
Stellaris events fire in chains — one event leads to the next. Here is how A Surprise Catch (espionage.1040) connects.
Triggered by
- in the … System!
operation.2010 - Contact Lost
operation.5000 - Multi-Phasic Force Fields
operation.5016
Can lead to
- Tutorial: Assigning Assets
tutorial.2010
Firing conditions
Show raw conditions
has_nemesis = yes
has_active_spynetwork = yes
OR = {
AND = {
NOR = {
has_country_flag = espionage_caught_spies
has_country_flag = espionage_caught_saboteurs
}
any_spynetwork = {
owner = { is_same_value = root }
is_spynetwork_level > 0
target = { is_country_type = default }
}
}
AND = {
OR = {
has_country_flag = espionage_caught_spies
has_country_flag = espionage_caught_saboteurs
}
exists = from
any_spynetwork = {
owner = { is_same_value = root }
is_spynetwork_level > 0
target = { is_same_value = from }
}
}
}
NOT = { has_country_flag = recently_received_espionage_asset }