Deep Cover is the first mission of the Crimson Fleet faction in Starfield. There are two ways to start the Deep Cover mission.
The first method to start Deep Cover is to complete the first two UC Vanguard missions, “Supra et Ultra” and “Grunt Work.” Commander Tuala of the UC Vanguard will then order you to head to the UC Vigilance ship orbiting Deimos, a moon on Mars, to start Deep Cover. He will also hand you the third UC Vanguard mission, “Delivering Devils.”
The second method to start Deep Cover is to get arrested in a United Colonies-controlled territory. The first time this happens, you will wake up at UC Vigilance, where Commander Ikande will interrogate you.
Embarking on this quest serves as a crossroads: either plunge into a life of lawlessness and piracy or become an ally to the UC SysDef, aiding them in unveiling criminals’ corrupt deeds by collecting incriminating intel. A critical decision looms large, and eventually, you will have to pick a side.
The mission primarily concentrates on your inaugural encounter with UC SysDef while also outlining how to capture the attention of the enigmatic Crimson Fleet operatives with the intention of joining the pirate organization.
Crimson Fleet Mission 01
Planets: Mars (Sol System)
Special Note: If you want to spice things up during Deep Cover, you can light UC Vigilance up or attack anyone inside it (you even have the dialogue option to attack Commander Ikande inside the Operations Room), making SysDef your enemy. Should you make such a decision, the objectives of the mission will be completely different, but the upcoming Crimson Fleet missions will remain the same. You just won’t have to report to Ikande at the end of each mission. I don’t recommend doing this in your first playthrough though.
The first time you get arrested, e.g., for pickpocketing in New Atlantis or any other UC-controlled territory, it will go differently than expected. Instead of paying your bounty, you will be transferred to UC Vigilance for interrogation.
Undergo the Interrogation
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After some waiting time inside the interrogation room, Commander Ikande will show up to interrogate you and eventually extort… make you an offer, I mean to work with SysDef against the Crimson Fleet. Even if you reject Commander Ikande’s offer here, you will still receive the mission from Commander Tuala after Grunt Work (I think).
UC Vanguard Route
If you are alienated by the fact that the UC Vanguard has sent you on a Crimson Fleet mission, you probably know what will happen here.
Proceed to the UC Vigilance
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Once you jump to UC Vigilance‘s location, approach the ship within 500 meters and dock with it. Board the ship to encounter a SysDef guard at the entrance.
Speak to the SysDef Guard
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Speak to the SysDef guard. You can ask him about Commander Ikande or tell him that you will save the questions for the commander.
Follow the SysDef Guard
This is where the “Get Arrested” and “UC Vanguard” routes converge. Next, follow the SysDef guard to the elevator to the Operations Center to meet Commander Ikande.
Speak to Commander Ikande in the Operations Center
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Commander Ikande asked for you personally to carry out a very delicate operation. He wants you to join the ranks of the Crimson Fleet pirates as an undercover agent and collect hard evidence of their activities to use in a case against them. As he explains, SysDef is a division of the UC Navy whose primary goal is to destroy the Crimson Fleet.
You will be sent to Saoirse Bowden in Cydonia‘s Trade Authority on Mars. You will have to give Bowden a sample of Aurora to sell her an entire container, but you must make sure she doesn’t sniff you out.
Your conversation with Ikande will go into significant detail about what’s expected from you as an undercover agent. Even if you must kill someone, “do what you must do.” Note that Commander Ikande won’t like it if you kill anyone, so if you are RPing the good guy, don’t kill anyone.
Speak to Lieutenant Toft
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Your conversation with Lieutenant JillianToft will have her explain that she needs you to collect any incriminating evidence against the Crimson Fleet: Data Slates, Computer downloads, handwritten notes, whatever you can find. Completing your conversation with Toft will mark the beginning of the Burden of Proof mission, which tasks you with searching for evidence about the Crimson Fleet’s illegal activities. Burden of Proof is the lengthiest quest in Starfield, as you will need to collect many pieces of evidence to convict the Crimson Fleet.
Proceed to Cydonia
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Once you land in Cydonia, you can head straight to the city’s Trade Authority. Head into Cydonia’s Central Hub and go down the main hall ramp. Turn right at the end of the ramp to find the store.
You will find Saoirse Bowden to your left as you enter the shop. Show her the Aurora sample, and she will explain that this type of contraband is too hot to handle even for the Trade Authority. She will ask a finder’s fee of 1,000 Credits to reveal a contact that could be interested in your product.
You cannot avoid paying her the 1,000 Credits regardless of the dialogue options you choose.
Speak to Adler Kemp at the Broken Spear
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The contact is Adler Kemp, who works for the Crimson Fleet and is a regular at the Broken Spear. Go back up the ramp and turn left before Cydonia’s entrance. The road will take you to Broken Spear. You will find Adler Kemp to your right as you enter the bar.
After you show him the Aurora sample, Kemp wants you to find Karl Fielding, a miner at Deimos’ Miner’s Quarters who owes him 3,000 Credits. Like the previous dialogue with Saoirse, there is no shortcut here; You must find Fielding in Cydonia’s Residetial Hub.
Recover Karl Fielding’s Debt
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Follow the ramp down again and take the door to your left to get to the Residential section. Take the stairs down and turn left. Make it past the room to reach the Deimos Miner’s Quarters, where you will find Fielding close to the left corner at the back.
After threatening Fielding, he will remember who the Adler guy is. You can persuade Fielding to pay the debt, attack him, or pay his debt for him if he promises to never borrow from Kemp again (as long as you have 3,000 Credits to spare).
The persuasion path should work well if you mention Fielding risking his family’s safety.
Return to Adler Kemp
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Once you return his collected debt to Kemp, he will praise you. Eventually, he will tell you to head to Europa to meet Naeva Mora, the Crimson Fleet’s second-in-command. You will receive 250 EXP and 7,800 Credits for the shipment of Aurora that Kemp pushed into the market. This will also start the Rook Meets King mission (despite the name, you are meeting a lady, not the big boss of the fleet himself).
Burden of Proof: Naeva Meetup (Evidence)
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Before you leave, take the Naeva Meetup (Evidence). This is your first piece of evidence for the Burden of Proof mission. You can now return to the UC Vigilance for further briefing
Anastasios Antoniadis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Meta Game Guides. He has been covering and writing about video games and technology for over 4 years. He is a 2014 graduate of the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications of the University of Athens. In his off-time, he enjoys playing video games, watching films and TV shows, reading, and enjoying the outdoors. Currently he is invested in Starfield, Persona 3 Reload, Helldivers 2, Palworld, and Baldur's Gate 3.
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