How to complete the Red Tape Runaround mission in Starfield

In Starfield, you’ll encounter interesting missions and activities, usually in places where the population density is the greatest. That tendency extends to Mars, which has the easily overlooked city of Cydonia. There’s a lot of stuff happening there, especially when you pay close attention to the people in charge. They’re up to some shady dealings. To help you get to the bottom of the matter, here’s our guide telling you how to complete the Red Tape Runaround mission in Starfield.

Starfield – How to complete the Red Tape Runaround mission

Cydonia is a mining colony that produces precious resources used throughout the galaxy. There are a lot of competing interests, which you’ll find when you complete the Red Tape Blues mission. The Red Tape Runaround mission automatically follows it. To complete the Red Tape Runaround mission, accept a task from Governor Hurst and deal with some space pirates who know too much.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

As the mission begins, your first task is to report to work for Peter Brennan. From the lower level, where you dealt with the miners in the previous mission, follow the mission beacon upstairs to find Peter Brennan in his office. He reveals he is expecting a personal shipment, but that Governor Hurst is somehow involved in retrieving it. Clearly, you need to speak with Governor Hurst. Before you do, I suggest that you consider joining the Crimson Fleet (if you haven’t already). Doing so will give you additional options as the mission unfolds.

Related: How to join the Crimson Fleet in Starfield

Follow the mission beacon to Governor Hurst’s office. He keeps a room not far from the main entrance to Cydonia itself. Tell him you have come on behalf of Peter Brennan. After a tense exchange, tell him you need the package. Governor Hurst asks you to do him a favor in exchange for the package.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

Governor Hurst’s Ship

Governor Hurst relates a story about a stolen ship. He wants you to find his vessel and destroy it. He doesn’t want you to ask questions, either, or let details about your assignment leave the room. Suspicious yet?

Open up the menu and review your mission objectives. You can select one of them to fast-travel to Umbriel. The coordinates the governor provided take you right to your destination near the vessel. When you appear within range, the crew on board the ship will Hail you. Accept their message to learn they need your help.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

You have a few options. If you are a member of Crimson Fleet, you’ll have the option to indicate you are ‘on the account’ and aware of the situation. Otherwise, you can say you have orders to destroy the ship. By this stage in the game, you hopefully are a Crimson Fleet member, as I was. In that case, I suggest that you board Governor Hurst’s ship. If you prefer, you can optionally destroy the ship instead.

When you board Governor Hurst’s ship, talk to the crew members. Your goal here is to deal with the pirates. Since you are a member of Crimson Fleet, they will let you explore. Your options when you talk to their leader will depend on your circumstances and current inventory. If you have ship parts, you can Give 1 ship part to help them repair the ship, or Lie and say you don’t have the parts. You can also Attack them at this point, in cramped quarters instead of from space. I recommend talking a bit more before you make any decision.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

Ask about the blackmail the pirates mention. You will learn more of the story behind the scenes. At the end, I handed over ship parts. The game then gives some additional options about how to proceed. You can destroy Hurst’s ship or search for more clues. Thanks to your satisfactory conversation with the Pirate Leader, you should also have the option to show Hurst’s note to Commander Woodard.

Before leaving the ship, look for clues. There are around 4000 credits in a safe in the cockpit, along with some gear. Check a side cabin on the ship’s lowest level to find the reason Governor Hurst probably wanted you to destroy his ship: a dead body on the floor. The victim is Sylvija Schloss. Finding the body will complete the search for more clues optional task. You receive This Is It, an apparent suicide confession that you can read from Notes in your inventory.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

Another exchange with Governor Hurst

With the evidence you need now collected, it is time to return to Governor Hurst. Fast-travel to Cydonia and meet with him in his office once again. You can destroy the ship first, if you wish, but I left it intact.

When you meet with Governor Hurst in his office, he wants to know how things went. This conversation can progress in a number of ways. I started off by telling him I found the ship, but the pirates got away. In that case, Hurst understands but wants 10,000 credits before he will hand over the package. Not liking that option, I then admitted to finding the ship and mentioned that things looked bad for him. This revelation causes him to offer compensation, beyond just the package.

If you wish, you can still choose to pay 10,000 credits. I wound up taking that approach. Leverage seemed like a good idea.

Screenshot: PC Invasion

Approving the request

Once you retrieve the package, through whatever means you settle on, deliver the package to Peter.

After you deliver the package, head past Peter to approach his desk. You will have the option to Unlock his computer using Peter Brennan’s password. Once you gain access, view Requests and approve the Replacement Mining Equipment item. Doing so will complete the Red Tape Runaround mission and activate the next mission in the series: Red Tape Reclamation.

Starfield is available to purchase on Steam and the Microsoft Store.