How to complete Rook Meets King in Starfield

In Starfield, it’s best not to spend all of your time worrying about advancing the main plot. The game has a lot more going for it than just that central narrative. There are numerous factions, each with their own string of missions to complete. One of the earliest faction missions you’re likely to encounter is Rook Meets King. Here is our guide telling you how to complete the Rook Meets King mission in Starfield.

The Rook Meets King quest in Starfield

You might encounter the Rook Meets King mission a few different ways, but always as part of your overall effort to join the Crimson Fleet. To complete the Rook Meets King mission, infiltrate the Crimson Fleet organization and secure an introduction to its leader, Delgado.

Once you complete the Deep Cover mission, which requires you to complete a job for Adler Kemp, he arranges for you to meet with Naeva Mora. This kicks off the Rook Meets King mission.

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Rendezvous with the Astraea at Europa

Your first order of business is to head to the Sol system. Fast-travel to the desired area by highlighting the blue mission beacon. Its position is close enough to Jupiter that when I wasn’t careful, the game kept trying to send me to that larger planet. You don’t want to go to Jupiter. Watch closely and take advantage of the Travel option only when your destination is Europa.

When you arrive near your destination, you will see a large ship ahead of you. The Astraea’s captain sends you a transmission. I’m not sure the answer you give here matters, but I chose ‘Damn right I am.‘ She tells you about the Crimson Fleet and indicates she wants you to kill a traitor, Austin Rake.

You have options as to how you respond. I went with, ‘A medical supply ship? Why not a ship with some actual loot?‘ The answer that seems to keep things moving along is, ‘Consider it done.‘ Then you activate your next objective.

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Find the Ragana near Enceladus

Now that you know you need to track down Austin Rake, fast-travel to Enceladus. Just access your Starmap and highlight the blue beacon, which should set Enceladus as your next destination.

Related: How to fast travel in Starfield

When you appear in space after fast-traveling, you should see a ship ahead of you. There is a moon beyond it, which is Enceladus. However, your destination is the ship itself, The Ragana.

Wait for the Ragana to arrive

Your appearance in the area prompts Dmitri Moldavski, a pilot on the ship, to send you a transmission. Accept it to begin a conversation. Here, you have the option to either Attack the ship or Hail the ship. Since I was, at this point, a member of UC Vanguard, I decided to try for a peaceful resolution. I answered, ‘You have a crewman on board I’m looking for.‘

Now, choose how you wish to approach the situation. You can either Convince the Ragana to kill Austin Rake or Find a way to spare Austin Rake. A quick space battle with a level 10 ship is likely manageable, but I went with the peaceful option.

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Find a way to spare Austin Rake

Your effort to spare Austin Rake begins with a few dialogue options. In my case, as a member of UC Vanguard, I had one option you may not. I chose, ‘The Fleet wants Austin Rake dead. I’d like to board your ship and talk about how to spare him.‘ I was concerned someone might overhear this exchange and penalize me for it later, but that didn’t happen.

A peaceful answer works for the ship’s captain. Then you can fly close enough to the ship that the option to Dock appears. Press the button or key indicated to board the Ragana.

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Talk to Dmitri

Aboard the Ragana, proceed through the Door to meet with Dmitri. Astutely, he recognizes that if you meant to kill him, you could have made the attempt already.

You have a few options here. If you’re feeling wicked, you can still attack. I chose, ‘I don’t know who’s listening over comms. This is safer.‘ Then new options appear. As a member of UC Vanguard, you can say, ‘The Fleet wants Rake dead, but I want to resolve this without violence.‘ Again, violence is also a choice. If you wish, you can try to Persuade the crew to kill Austin Rake for you. I chose to ask, ‘Why risk your lives to protect Rake?‘ and then expressed my interest in resolving the issue without violence. Sarah Morgan, my companion at the time, liked that. She has a thing for sparing lives.

Dmitri proposes an option that could spare Rake. You once again have choices. I chose, ‘Deliver him to SysDef. If the Fleet find out about this deal, we’re both exposed.‘ This works out for the best. You even receive a crate of Medical Supplies. Then your next objective appears.

Note that if you board the ship and kill everyone, or let Dmitri and Rake kill each other, you’ll find the Mark 1 Spacesuit and Helmet on Dmitri’s body, which are some of the best items in the game. Will this tempt you toward a violent solution?

Related: How to create an adhesive farm in Starfield

Return to Naeva in Europa’s orbit

Fast-travel to The Astraea. If you try to do so from your ship’s cockpit while docked, you will find you must first undock. Otherwise, there shouldn’t be any difficulties, but you encounter a new objective as you approach your destination.

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Fend off the Ecliptic fighters

As you approach The Astraea, you see enemy ships attack the vessel. They actually are working to destroy your destination. You don’t want that attack to succeed, so join the fray and take out the ships.

This shouldn’t be a particularly difficult battle. Make sure to activate your shields. Use your engines to avoid remaining a stationary target. If possible, use targeting capabilities to quickly take out one ship at a time.

Hail the Astraea

After you eliminate the Ecliptic fighters, approach The Astraea. Get near enough to Hail it. This begins a new conversation. You can ask questions about the recent fight, but the answer to keep things moving is the Lie option: ‘Austin Rake is dead. The Ragana survived.‘ If you instead went with a more violent approach, that won’t be a lie.

Naeva welcomes you to the fleet. Then you can choose how to respond. I said, ‘Best decision you ever made.‘ I can’t see that the precise answer you give matters much, however. She tells you to report to the ship at your earliest convenience to meet with her and Delgado. However, you may have a prior obligation.

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Report to the Vigilance

Instead of going directly to The Key, which is where you’ll find Crimson Fleet headquarters, you likely need to make a detour to the Vigilance.

Fast-travel to the UC Vigilance. Get close to Dock with the vessel, and then follow the SysDef cadet who greets you as you board. He leads you to a meeting with Commander Kibwe Ikande. You have options here, which I don’t figure matter a whole lot. I chose, ‘Any point in trying to get Rake to give up information about the Fleet?‘ Continue through a few quick prompts and let them know you have joined the Crimson Fleet. Also tell them about your planned meeting at The Key.

At this point, you should receive some intel-related items: Crimson Fleet Profile: Delgado, Crimson Fleet Profile: Naeva Mora, and Crimson Fleet Profile: Adler Kemp. Then it is time to leave.

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Travel to The Key

Return to your ship. Once you have returned to your cockpit, undock and then fast-travel to Kryx, if possible. In my case, as I attempted this mission early in the game, I had not accessed a few systems along the necessary route. You may have to jump from one system to the next as you go. Possible stops along the way include Olympus, Phobos, Cheyenne, and Sagan ahead of your destination system.

When you finally arrive near Kryx, find The Key. It is a large space station floating in the atmosphere near the planet. Approach it and Dock.

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Speak to Naeva

Now you finally get to meet Naeva Mora, face to face. She is talking to a Crimson Fleet Marauder as you approach. When that conversation ends, she turns her attention your way. You have options when you respond, but the selection that got me places was, ‘Job’s done and I’m here, so back off.‘

Naeva then gives you a brief history lesson and takes you on an extended tour of the ship.

Follow Naeva

The ensuing tour introduces various other members of the Crimson Fleet. Continue following Naeva and finally, you meet an important character named Shinya Voss.

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Speak to Shinya Voss

Now you are briefly on your own. As the game instructs, speak to Shinya Voss. A conversation follows, where he explains his role within the organization. Then you receive the mission’s final objective.

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Speak to Delgado

Ride the nearby elevator to the Operations Center on the upper level. The blue beacon should guide you if you have trouble finding it. The elevator is very close to Shinya Voss.

On the upper level, talk to Delgado. You will also meet Mathis. From this point on, I always fought with Mathis when the opportunity arose. It’s fun to get under his skin, but you could always play nice and gain an ally if you prefer.

When your conversation with Delgado concludes, you will be a member of the Crimson Fleet. You also receive 250 XP, Pirate Swashbuckler Gear, and 5800 credits. The Rook Meets King mission concludes, and you can get to work on the Echoes of the Past mission.

I hope you enjoyed our guide on completing the Rook Meets King quest in Starfield. If you want to enjoy even more Starfield content, look no further than PC Invasion.