“Red Tape Runaround” is one of several side missions that you can complete for bonus XP and Credits in Starfield. In this case, you will be running an errand as an executive assistant for a mining executive who decides to do commit corporate espionage in Starfield.
How to unlock the Red Tape Runaround mission
To unlock Red Tape Runaround, you must first complete the Red Tape Blues mission where you apply to be an executive assistant to a mining executive known as Peter Brennan on the planet Mars in Starfield.
Once you’re been accepted for the post of executive assistant, a prompt will show asking you to speak with Trevor and start the Red Tape Runaround side mission.
How to complete Red Tape Runaround in Starfield
To complete the Red Tape Runaround side quest in Starfield, you must speak with Trevor, a miner who wants you to gain access to Peter Brennan’s computer and approve some mining equipment to make the miners’ lives easier.
However, when you show up at Peter Brennan’s office, he’ll ask you to do a small favor for him before he provides you access to his computer.
Peter Brennan will ask you to speak with Governor Glenn Hurst in the nearby UC office and persuade the Governor to let go of a special package for him.
Speak with Governor Glenn
Governor Glenn is surely a cunning man because when you go and speak to him in his office, he’ll want to do a trade for the special package requested by Peter by doing a small favor for him.
The Governor wants you to reclaim a ship of his that has been lost for a while now. The lost ship can be found orbiting the Umbriel planet in the Sol system near Uranus.
Open your Starmap and set a course to Umbriel.
The stolen ship – deal with the pirates
You will encounter the lost ship as soon as you enter Umbriel’s orbit in Starfield. You will then be hailed by the ship to reveal that it is under the control of pirates.
Your next objective will be to find a way to deal with the pirates. There are a few ways in which you can do so.
- Blow the Ship.
- Dock with the ship and kill the pirates.
- Dock the ship and retrieve sensitive information on the Governor.
Should you blow the Governor’s ship or make a deal?
Blowing up the ship is quite easily the fastest way to get done with the Red Tape Runaround side quest in Starfield. Just shoot down the ship and head back to the Governor to claim your rewards.
You can also trick the pirates into thinking that you’re one of them and could go in guns blazing, killing everyone to loot the ship before heading back to the Governor.
If you’re a member of the UC Vanguard and want to add more depth to the side quest, board the ship, and make a deal with the pirates to let you in on some incriminating evidence against Governor Glenn for letting them keep the ship.
After you’ve made this deal, roam around the ship and reach the bottom floor using the ladder where you’ll find the corpse of a woman. Loot her to find more information against the Governor.
Return to Governor Hurst
Once you’re done with the ship head back over to the Governor to finish the next step in completing Red Tape Runaround in Starfield.
If you chose to make a deal with the pirates, you’ll have some incriminating intel against the Governor. What you do with this information is up to you.
You can blackmail the governor and squeeze a good chunk of his net worth or be a good citizen and hand in the intel to the CDR Woodard in an open activity.
Should you blackmail the Governor or hand in the evidence?
As you speak with the Governor, you can choose to tell him that the ship has been destroyed whether or not it is true to get done with the Red Tape Runaround side mission.
Alternatively, you can choose the other route of blackmailing him and depriving him of 12,000 Credits while the evidence gets destroyed
If you want to be an honest man making an honest living, take the evidence to the CDR Woodard to expose the Governor and his true intent. This route doesn’t reward you but gives you the satisfaction of providing justice to the people of Cydonia.
Speak with Peter Brennan
After you’ve dealt with Governor Glen, make your way to Peter Brennan to let him know that his request has been accepted by the Governor.
Access his computer, click on the ‘Requests’ document, and click ‘Approve’ on the ‘Replacement Mining Equipment’ to complete the Red Tape Runaround mission.
Starfield – Red Tape Runaround mission rewards
- 1300X Credits
- 100 EXP
- 12,000 Credits (Blackmailing Governor Glenn)
