It turns out there are some seedy elements in the Martian city of Cydonia in Starfield. What’s more upsetting, yet unsurprising, is that they run all the way up the chain to some pretty powerful people. In what was initially a pretty benign job application, you’re finding yourself in the middle of some deadly cover-ups on behalf of powerful political players. But is it worth the stress? Or would you rather use the evidence to put a powerful wrongdoer potentially behind bars? Should you show Governor Hurst’s note to Commander Woodard in Starfield?

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Should You Turn Hurst Into Woodard or Cover for Him in Starfield?

From a material benefit standpoint, there’s not much difference between covering or turning in Hurst’s note to Commander Woodard in Starfield. If you don’t see the option to bring the note to Woodard, it should show up in your Activities list, and he is in his UC office just as you enter the city. Choosing either option results in a few thousand credits to your name and access to the Red Tape Reclamation mission, but turning in Hurst is the better choice from an ethical standpoint.

Related: Should You Side With UC SysDef or the Crimson Fleet in Starfield?

However, in Starfield, you can make your own ethics, even if some companions might not react super-positively. Before you get Hurst’s note, you’ll have to interact with the pirates aboard his ship. One of his optional objectives is to destroy the ship, which gets you a decent amount of XP (8300 in my case) and the same rewards as if you pass a Persuasion check. But hear me out on this: don’t destroy the ship after encountering it, talk down the pirates, and lie to Hurst instead.

Should You Destroy Hurst’s Ship or Spare it in Red Tape Runaround?

Destroying Hurst’s ship gives virtually no other benefits than XP and a potential point on your Piloting challenge in Starfield. Sparing it isn’t much better but you still get Hurst’s note, and there’s a feeling of finesse to talking down pirates who are holding you at gunpoint when you board. It’s hardly got the gravity of some choices in the game, but it’s a fun one to roleplay.

Either way, when reporting back to Hurst, you’ll see a dialogue option “How about you pay me a little extra to keep all this quiet?” Do this, and then you’ll get several thousand credits (5000 in my playthrough) on top of the mission rewards. Then proceed to lie to his face, go to Woodard, and turn Hurst in. This nets you cold-blooded justice against corruption, and the next mission in the Red Tape mini-questline.

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