Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Joining the Crimson Fleet in Starfield is one of the coolest moments in the early-mid game. Being thrust into a deeply satisfying, roleplay-heavy scenario where you are playing an undercover cop hits all the right places in the old meat computer. Rook Meets King is where it all starts to get moving, and it’s when all the pieces fall into place for an awesome pirate-based ride.
Rook Meets King has you, the rook, meeting up with the leader of the Fleet…but only after you prove yourself. In this guide, we are going to walk you through how you can convince the Fleet to take you under their wing so you can work as a double agent for UC SysDef. It’s going to be a wild ride, so strap in and prepare for a good scrap.
More Starfield content:
Best Skills | Best Ship Upgrades & Mods | All Companions | All Romance Options | All Settlement Locations | Join All Factions | How To Pirate Ships | Secret Companion | Secret Ship & Suit
How To Start ‘Rook Meets King’
This quest is automatically added to your journal once you have completed the ‘Deep Cover’ quest and secured an audience with the Crimson Fleet. To get the quest going, you are going to have to travel to Europe to meet with Mora – the Fleet’s second in command. She is a no-nonsense, shrewd, and incredibly cunning pirate who will see through your ruse if you aren’t fully dedicated to the cause (according to Ikande), so be on your best (worst) behaviour.
Once you warp to Europa you will be immediately hailed by the Astraea, Mora’s ship. Accept the hail to open communications. She has heard of you and wants to prove you are legit. She has a task prepared – hunt down a deserter. Once you are in the Fleet, the only exit is death. There is no running away, there is no retirement. Austin Rake is the target, and you are going to put a bullet in his head.
There is a small problem, however. Rake is onboard a medical ship, you don’t know what he looks like, and he is a slippery customer. She doesn’t care how the job is done, just so long as Rake dies. All bets are off, go prove yourself, rook.
Dealing With The Ragana
The Ragana is a mostly defenceless ship that you can fast-travel to via your ‘Set Course’ command. As you approach the Ragana you will be hailed. We recommend you accept this call before you go in guns blazing. Once communications are established you can inquire about Rake. The captain, Dmitri, will confirm he is onboard.
From here, you have a lot of options, and not all of them are pleasant. You can:
- You can fulfil your role as a pirate and attack the ship
- Use your pull with UC SysDef to board the ship and talk face-to-face
- Get them to murder Rake for you and jettison cargo
Your decision here is up to you and depends heavily on whether or not you want to be a pirate, or just pretend. We recommend boarding the Ragana and talking to Dmitri directly. This will give you more options as you can talk freely without the risk of the Crimson Fleet listening in via comms.
If you play it as a double agent, you can get Dmitri to reveal Rake and convince him to turn himself into UC SysDef. This is the best option if you want to be a pacifist. Dmitri will even give you some spare cargo as evidence that you looted the place.
At any point, you can end the conversation, whip out a gun, and murder everyone onboard. This will give you free rein to loot the ship, loot the corpses, and even take command of the Ragana. You could also leave the ship and simply blow it up, killing everyone on board.
Do what you feel is right for your character, the results will largely be the same in the end. This is a roleplay-heavy decision that is fun to play around with.
Return To Mora
With the Ragana dealt with in any way you saw fit, return to Europa. Things aren’t looking too good, however, as a band of Ecliptic Mercs have jumped in and opened fire on the Astraea. Power up your weapons and take them out. They are level 12 ships, so they might be a bit of a struggle to take out. Luckily Mora isn’t a pushover in combat, tipping the balance in your favour.
Once the dust has settled, she will hail you once more. Impressed with your savagery, she will invite you to the home of the Crimson Fleet, The Key. Before you head there, however, you need to report your findings to UC SysDef.
Report To Commander Ikande
Jump back to Sol and dock with the UC Vigilance. Depending on how you dealt with the Ragana will determine how positive Ikande is with your performance. In any case, you can choose to report the location of The Key if you want. Again, this is very thematic and depends if you genuinely want to be a part of the Fleet, or if you are trying to take them out from the inside.
Tour Of The Key
With business resolved with Ikande, it’s time to head to The Key and meet the new gang. The Key is a massive space station that was formerly part of the UC. You will immediately be met with a murder upon entering – this is just everyday life here. Mora will take you on a tour of the place, showing you key NPCs as well as the location of shops and vendors.
It will culminate with a meeting with Delgado, the leader of the Crimson Fleet. Upon meeting Delgado, you will be welcomed into the fleet but warned that this is a life-long agreement. If you ever try to leave the Fleet, your life will be forfeit.
Reward
As a reward for completing this quest, you will be given a rather dashing set of Apparel and:
- 5000 Credits
- 250 EXP
Not a bad haul, especially if you consider the potential reward for looting, stealing, or destroying the Ragana. Once complete, you will automatically start the ‘Echoes Of The Past’ quest.
That’s all we have on Starfield for now. Be sure to check out our other guides, lists, and walkthroughs for more Starfield content.
