As an explorer, you’re bound to make plenty of morally questionable decisions, but one of the first that you might find yourself faced with in Starfield is going to be regarding Governor Hurst of Cydonia. As you play through the Red Tape Blues quest line, you’ll meet the politician and his little problem, so here’s whether or not you should destroy Hurst’s ship.
Why Does Governor Hurst Want His Ship Destroyed?
When you go to Governor Hurst to get the shipment for Peter Brennan, he’ll tell you that his ship was taken by Crimson Fleet pirates and that he wants them eliminated, preferably destroying his ship in the process. He claims that this is because it’s easier to deal with the insurance that way, but as you fulfill his request, you’ll find his real motives.
When you get to Hurst’s ship, you can hail it and speak with the pirates on board, which will allow you to dock and gain access to the ship. The pirate leader will demand some ship parts and your ship for their escape, but if you successfully persuade them to not attack, you can get a letter written by Hurst that can be used to blackmail him.
What you decide to do with the pirates after the fact is up to you, but go further down in the ship, and you’ll find a slate called “This Is It,” from the woman who Hurst was having an affair with, now lying dead on the ship’s floor. The governor wanted the whole thing covered up and written off for his insurance, which is not a good look for a self-described “man of the people.”
Should You Blackmail Governor Hurst or Turn Him In?
Naturally, as is the case for Bethesda’s style of quest, this is where you have a choice in the matter. You can choose to do absolutely nothing with the situation and just get the package for Peter Brennan after claiming to have destroyed the ship, regardless of whether or not you actually did. If you feel more inclined to make use of your findings, you can either take the evidence back to Hurst and use it as blackmail or not say anything to him and give the evidence to CDR Woodard, removing Hurst from his post.
If you decide to blackmail Hurst, you’re not going to be doing the city of Cydonia any favors, but you’ll certainly be helping your wallet. Blackmailing Hurst will reward you with 17,000 credits, along with the package that you need for Peter Brennan. He certainly won’t like you very much after that, but he’ll like it more than the alternative. Those who want to get 17,000 credits from Hurst must choose ‘How about you pay me a little extra to keep this quiet’ before initiating the blackmail dialogue points.
To turn Hurst in, make your way up to the UC Security office in Cydonia and speak with CDR Woodard, where you can give him the two pieces of evidence to incriminate Hurst. After that, they’ll take action, arrest him and Woodard will take the role of acting governor. You can also lie to Hurst and turn him in if you want to reap the benefits from the package delivery. The deception route doesn’t seem to impact the storyline in any significant way, but there still could be repercussions during the end-game stages.
Can You Take Hurst’s Ship in Starfield?
Unfortunately, players can’t take Hurst’s ship, no matter which route they choose. We’ve tested to see what happens if you try to take control of the vessel, and it triggered a prompt that states, “You are not authorized to pilot this ship.”
Although you can’t get this ship, there will still be plenty of opportunities for you to claim a free vessel, like the Kepler R.
That’s all there is to know for if you should destroy Hurst’s ship in Starfield. Keep in mind, if you do this with Sarah Morgan, she won’t like you blackmailing Hurst and letting him get away with it, so remember that if you’re trying to romance her. Or, if you just want to get rid of her, you can learn how to do that here.
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