Starfield’s “Rough Landings” presents an engaging optional side mission where players can make a significant difference for the Jansen family, who have recently sought refuge from Cydonia. In their current plight, the Jansens are barely surviving, and that’s only thanks to The Low House’s assistance. Marko Jansen, however, holds onto the hope that by communicating their struggles to Milena Axelrod, his wife’s cousin, she might be persuaded to offer him a job that could turn their fortunes around.
This Starfield guide offers a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough for successfully navigating the challenges of the Akila City Side Mission, ‘Rough Landings.’ It provides all the necessary instructions and strategies to ensure a successful mission completion, helping the Jansen family in their time of need.
- Side Mission in Akila City
- Planet: Akila
- Rewards: 82 EXP and Credits proportional your character’s level
How to Start Rough Landings
Rough Landings begins with an encounter in Akila City, where you may overhear a city guard discussing the Jansen family’s plight. However, the mission truly commences when you engage with Marko Jansen in The Stretch.
To locate Marko, begin your journey at the Akila City spaceport gate, then head east towards The Rock. Veer slightly left, navigating the alley next to Rowland Arms and Chunks. Progress in a northeast direction, turning left at Sinclair’s Books. Descend the nearby stairs to enter The Stretch. Once there, head right, moving eastward, and you’ll spot Marko standing outside a shack, just beyond the stairs that lead to the northern wall.
Another way to find Marko is to get to Aggie’s in The Stretch and then move east, you will find Marko Jansen outside the third shack on your left side.
Engage in conversation with Marko and he will reveal that he moved to Akila City and he has been just stuck. Marko is desperate and you can express your willingness to assist his family. He’ll share that his wife’s cousin, Milena Axelrod, operates freight services to Akila City. Marko is optimistic that if you can reach Milena and convey the hardships faced by his family, she might consider offering him employment.
Upon agreeing to speak with Milena, Marko will inform you that she is likely still in the Cheyenne system. Your task is to find the Dalliance, Milena’s ship, in the Cheyenne system and confince Milena to help Marko.
Meet Up with Milena Axelrod
To successfully track down Milena, start by accessing your Missions menu. Here, make sure to set ‘Rough Landings’ as your active mission. With this mission selected, proceed to open your Starmap.
Milena’s ship, named the Dalliance, will be in orbit around one of the planets or moons in the Cheyenne system, but its exact location varies. Once you pinpoint the location of the mission marker, utilize the fast-travel feature to swiftly move to the designated area. In my case, the blue objective mark is in planet Skink’s orbit in the Cheyenne system.
Defeat the Crimson Fleet
Three Crimson Fleet ships have cornerned the Dalliance, so must engage in space combat and take them down before you can approach the Dalliance and dock with it. Ensure that you collect any loot, including Ship Parts from the remains.
Board the Dalliance and Talk with Milena
After taking down the Crimson Fleet, get within 500 meters of the Dalliance and target it, then hold down “R” on your keyboard or “X” on your Xbox controller to dock with Milena’s ship. Board the Dalliance and you will find Milena in the hab just before the cockpit. Inform Milena about the Jansens’ financial situation. While Milena wants to offer assistance, she has been blacklisted by Akila City for smuggling.
Get Milena Access to Akila City
To restore Milena’s access to Akila City, you can either talk to the mayor, Elias Cartwright, or find the Trade Authority’s fixer, Tom Starrett.
Should you decide to sway Mayor Cartwright in the Starfield mission, navigate towards Cartwright Manor by ascending the staircase located to the right of The Rock’s main entrance. Look for a residence distinguished by its white brick construction. Here, you’ll typically find the mayor on the balcony.
Upon engaging in dialogue with Mayor Cartwright, you’ll be presented with several options:
- [Pay 5000 Credits]: Offer this sum to settle Milena’s bounty. This approach is guaranteed to succeed.
- [Freestar Ranger]: Claim your status as a Ranger to stand as a guarantor for her. This option is always successful, but it only becomes available if you have already accomplished the Deputized Side Mission and become a Freestar Deputy.
- [Persuade]: Argue that everyone merits a chance at redemption. The effectiveness of this persuasion attempt can be enhanced by increasing your Persuasion Trait or by using support items such as Hippolyta to boost your persuasive abilities.
Alternatively, you may consider seeking Tom Starrett’s assistance. Begin by ascending the staircase to the right of The Rock’s entrance. Before reaching Cartwright Manor, take the second right turn. Continue until you encounter a railing, then proceed right down the stairs. Following this path, turn left, passing by Weston Filburn’s House, which you may have visited for Charity of the Wolf. You’ll find Tom casually leaning against a wall just beyond the Filburn residence.
Tom will propose a solution to grant Milena city access: she’ll need to adopt another captain’s identity. Fortunately, Tom can arrange this for just 1,000 Credits, a significantly more affordable option compared to settling Milena’s fine with Mayor Cartwright, which would cost 4,000 Credits more. However, Mayor Cartwright is a better option if you are a Freestar Ranger or you have faith in your Persuasion skills, as you will complete the task for free.
Report Back to Marko Jansen
After deciding between Tom and Mayor Cartwright for clearing Milena’s record, your final task in this phase of the mission is to return to Marko Jansen and update him on the progress. Head back to The Stretch and inform Marko of your success to receive 82 EXP and Credits proportional to your character’s level (I received 13,500 Credits at level 70).
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