Red Tape Runaround is one of the side missions in Starfield. In what seems to be just a simple fetch request, the Traveler uncovers some shady dealing involving the Crimson Fleet.
Read ahead as we go through the events of the Red Tape Runaround mission in Starfield and share the outcomes of the choices within the mission.
Starfield: How to start the Red Tape Runaround Mission
In order to get the Red Tape Runaround mission, you must first complete the “Red Tape Blues” mission in Cydonia.
Starfield: Red Tape Blues Mission Walkthrough
One of the staff of the HR Office at Cydonia, Peter Brennan still needs help and is looking for his assistant.
Red Tape Runaround Objectives:
- Report to work for Peter Brennan
- Speak with Governor Hurst
- Find the Stolen Ship
- Destroy Hurst’s Ship (Optional)
- Enter the Ship
- Deal with the Pirates
- Search for more clues (Optional)
- Show Hurst’s Note to CDR Woodard (Optional)
- Return to Hurst
- Deliver the Package to Peter
- Approve the Equipment Request
Report to work for Peter Brennan
Talk to Peter Brennan and assume the position as his assistant. For some reason, he immediately accepts as if he knows that you were one of his assistants after all. He then tells you that he needs help in asking for a package that he has been waiting to arrive. Peter then points you over to Governor Hurst who his last assistant spoke to about a previous package.
Speak with Governor Hurst
Head over to Governor Hurst’s office and speak to him. He then tells your that because of Peter’s unpaid taxes, they decided to hold his package to motivate him to come and settle his debts. The Governor will then strike a deal with you, saying that he’ll let the package be released if you do a job for him.
Governor Hurst tells you about his personal ship that got stolen by pirates. He wants you to go to his ship, but instead of taking it back, you will have to destroy it instead.
Find the Stolen Ship
The stolen ship can be found near Umbriel, one of Uranus’ moons. Fly over to the area and approach the ship. You will then get a transmission from the pirates who have taken over the ship, asking for some help as they have been stranded for days.
At this point, you have the option to destroy Hurst’s ship and get back to him to complete his deal, or you can board the ship to get an opportunity to get more out of the job.
Destroy Hurst’s Ship (Optional)
Destroy the ship by shooting at it. Since the ship needs repairs, it won’t fight back. Once it’s destroyed, you can then go back to Hurst and tell him that the job is done.
This objective remains optional as you can still board the ship and deal with the pirates, and leave without destroying the ship at all. You can then return to Hurst and lie that you have destroyed the ship once you get a piece of item from the pirates.
Enter the Ship
If you decide not to blow up the ship yet, you can board it instead. As you get in, it will be revealed that the pirates didn’t buy your lies and is now confronting you about it.
Deal with the Pirates
During the confrontation, you can try to persuade the pirates or attack them. If you fail the persuasion, they will still turn hostile against you, but if you succeed in persuading them, then they will let you off the hook with a deal instead.
With a successful persuasion, the pirates will strike a deal where you let them leave with the ship instead. They will also give you a note that you can use to blackmail Hurst as it shows that he has been illegally working with the pirates.
If you ended up fighting the pirates, you can still find the same note from the pirate captain by looting his corpse.
Search for more clues
Once the situation has calmed down inside the ship, you can search for the body of Sylvija Schloss to find the This Is It note that she left behind. If you get this note and the note to blackmail Hurst, this objective will be completed.
At this point, you can leave the ship and fly back to Cydonia, or you can destroy it instead (the ship cannot be claimed). This may not be intended or just a bug, but pay attention to the ship’s cargo once it explodes. In it is where you will find duplicate copies of Hurst’s note and Schloss’ note that you can take with you. Though it is not needed, you can keep another copy of the note just in case something happens with the one you got.
Show Hurst’s Note to CDR Woodard (Optional) – What happens when Hurst’s note is turned over to the authorities?
Now with the note on hand, you can go to Cydonia and show it to CDR Woodard to incriminate Hurst. There’s no real reward or consequence for doing this step other than the opportunity to screw Hurst over. This step can be done before or after talking to Hurst about the job, or it can just be abandoned.
Return to Hurst – What happens if Hurst is blackmailed?
Go back to Hurst to tell him about the job. Before doing so, just know that you can extort Hurst for more credits with the following dialogue options:
- “How about you pay me a little extra to keep this all quiet?” – Choosing this option will make Hurst give you 5,000 credits.
- “I found your note to the pirates. Seems like it’d be real bad for you if people knew.” then “Deal. Take the note, and I’ll stay quiet.” – Choosing these options will make Hurst give you 12,000 credits.
You can pick the first option, then go with the second option to get both bribes from him and still get the package for Peter. You can lie about destroying the ship (if it’s not destroyed) and miss out on the second bribe, but keep away from telling him that the pirates have made their escape unless you want to pay 10,000 credits to get the package.
Choosing the second bribe option will remove the note from your hand, locking you from showing it to CDR Woodard, unless you have the duplicate.
Deliver the Package to Peter
Go back to Peter and give him the package. He will then give you the password to his computer and assign you to take care of his messages, specifically the one that requests for replacements of mining equipment.
Approve the Equipment Request
Access Peter’s computer and look for the Replacement Mining Equipment email. Approve the request to complete the mission. You will then be rewarded with 4,800 credits and 100 XP.