Starfield Red Tape Runaround – Governor Hurst Ship Choices

Red Tape Runaround Mission Overview

Mission type: Miscellaneous Mission, second part of the Red Tape questline in Cydonia
Quest giver: Peter Brennan, executive at Deimos Staryards
Location: Cydonia on Mars and Umbriel near Uranus, Sol system
Prerequisite: Complete Red Tape Blues
Rewards: 100 XP and a credit reward that scales with your level, plus extra credits from Governor Hurst depending on your choice
Can you keep Hurst’s ship: No, it cannot be claimed
Quest chain: Red Tape Blues, then Red Tape Runaround, then Red Tape Reclamation

Board Hurst’s ship instead of destroying it on sight. That way you find the evidence against him and get every choice when you return to his office.

If you plan to blackmail Hurst, leave your companion on your ship first. Most of the main crew dislike it.

1 – Report to Work for Peter Brennan

Mission Text:
“I’m now Peter Brennan’s executive assistant. I should go report to him at the Deimos Staryards Corporate Office on the main floor of Cydonia.”

Peter Brennan sits in his office in the Deimos Staryards corporate quarters on the top floor of Cydonia, right next to the HR office from Red Tape Blues. He hasn’t even noticed his last assistant is gone, and he comments on the answers you gave in your job application.

Before he lets you near his computer, he wants his personal shipment. He sends you to Governor Hurst to find it.

2 – Speak with Governor Hurst

Mission Text:
“Mr. Brennan is expecting a personal shipment. He expects me to find it before he’ll let me access his computer. He suggested checking with Governor Hurst, as his previous assistants did.”

Governor Hurst’s office is one door along from the Deimos office on the top floor of Cydonia, next to the Trade Authority. He is holding Peter’s shipment because Peter owes the city back taxes.

He will release it if you do him a favor first: find his stolen ship and destroy it, no questions asked.

3 – Find the Stolen Ship

Mission Text:
“Governor Hurst will release Mr. Bennan’s ship if I do him a favor first. He wouldn’t tell me exactly why, but I am to find and destroy Hurst’s stolen spaceship.”

Open your starmap. The mission marker sits on a ship symbol at Umbriel, a moon of Uranus in the same Sol system.

As soon as you enter orbit, Hurst’s ship hails you. Its engines and grav drive are dead, and the crew asks for help. You can destroy it on the spot or agree to help and dock.

Dock and board. Destroying it right away is faster, but boarding gives you the full story, Hurst’s letter and the most options when you return to him.

4 – Deal with the Pirates

Mission Text:
“I boarded Governor Hurst’s ship. Things escalated with the pirates. Now I need to deal with them, one way or another.”

Hurst’s ship is crewed by Crimson Fleet pirates, and they draw on you as soon as you board. Their leader wants spare ship parts to repair the ship. You have three ways to handle it:

Give them a ship part: they calm down and let you look around.
Persuade them: if the check succeeds, the leader offers you an incriminating letter from Hurst in exchange for keeping the ship.
Attack: kill the crew and take the letter from the leader yourself.

If you are a Crimson Fleet member, you get extra dialogue that makes this part easier. Destroying the ship is optional, so deal with the pirates first.

5 – Search for More Clues (Optional)

If you attacked the pirates, pick up the incriminating letter from the leader who threatened you.

Then climb to the very top of the ship. The body of Sylvija Schloss lies there, carrying a note called THIS IS IT. Together, the two notes show exactly what Hurst is hiding, and they are what you use against him in step 7.

6 – Destroy Hurst’s Ship (Optional)

No, you cannot keep Governor Hurst’s ship. You cannot take it over or add it to your fleet, even after the pirates are gone.

Go back to your own ship. You can shoot Hurst’s ship until it is destroyed, or simply leave it floating there.

If you picked up the evidence and want to report Hurst to CDR Woodard, leave the ship intact. Destroying it after boarding can remove that option.

7 – Return to Hurst

Mission Text:
“I’ve finished with Hurst’s ship. Now I need to tell him the job’s done, so he’ll release Mr. Brennan’s shipment and I can finally move on with my task to help the miners.”

Head back to Governor Hurst’s office in Cydonia. What you can say depends on what you found on his ship:

Tell him the ship is destroyed: he releases Peter’s shipment, even if you lied.
Ask him to pay extra to keep quiet: he adds hush money on top.
Show him the letter: you blackmail him for a much bigger payout, and he still hands over the shipment.
Tell him the pirates got away: he makes you pay for the shipment yourself.
Report him to CDR Vincent Woodard instead: see the Woodard section below.

Whichever route you take, you leave with Peter’s shipment.

Red Tape Runaround Best Choice and Rewards

For the best outcome for Cydonia, report Hurst to CDR Vincent Woodard. Hurst loses his post and Woodard moves into the governor’s office.

For the most credits, ask for hush money first and then blackmail Hurst with the letter.

Destroy the ship or lie that you did: Peter’s shipment, plus about 5,000 credits if you ask for hush money
Blackmail Hurst: 12,000 credits
Hush money and blackmail together: up to 17,000 credits
Report him to Woodard: Hurst is removed, and you can still ask him for hush money
Pirates got away: you pay 10,000 credits for the shipment

Blackmail and reporting him normally rule each other out, because both use the same letter.

If you blackmail Hurst, leave Sarah, Sam, Barrett and Andreja on your ship, because all four dislike it. Vasco does not care.

If you tell Hurst the pirates got away, the quest marker at Umbriel can stay open even though the ship is gone. Ignore it and carry on with the shipment.

Where to Find CDR Vincent Woodard

CDR Vincent Woodard has no quest marker, which is why most players miss him. Walk in through the main entrance of Cydonia, pass the plastic curtains and take the door on the left into the UC security office. Woodard sits in the back room behind the jail cell.

Hand him Hurst’s letter and ask him about Peter’s shipment. If he agrees but never gives it to you, talk to Hurst again to get it released, as this is a known bug.

8 – Deliver the Package to Peter

Mission Text:
“I have Mr. Brennan’s shipment. I need to return to him. Then, he’ll allow me to access his computer.”

Take the shipment back to Peter Brennan in the Deimos office. You can hint that getting it involved some shady business with Hurst, and that Peter owes taxes, but he does not care. He takes the package and finally gives you the password to his computer.

9 – Approve the Equipment Request

Mission Text:
“I have Mr. Brennan’s shipment. I need to return to him. Then, he’ll allow me to access his computer.”

Use the computer on Peter’s desk and log in with his password. Open the Requests folder and approve Replacement Mining Equipment, which is the request Trevor needs.

You can also approve PTO Policy and Drink Selection to give the miners a little extra. Peter’s messages also reveal what happened to his last assistant.

Approving the mining equipment completes the mission with 100 XP and a credit reward. The follow-up Red Tape Reclamation starts, and finishing it unlocks Psyched, another short Cydonia mission.