Starfield: Rook Meets King - walkthrough Starfield guide, tips

Rook Meets King is a mission with joining the Crimson Fleet faction in the game Starield. This guide page explains how to contact Astraea, how to solve the problem with Austin Rak, how to destroy enemy fighters and how to reach the pirate station Key from the Kryx system.

Last update: 14 September 2023

One of the joinable factions in Starfield is Crimson Fleet, an alliance of star pirates. During Rook Meets King quest, you'll prove that you have what it takes to join this rag-tag group. Our walkthrough for this quest shows how to contact Naeva Mora, the choice whether to kill or spare Austin Rake, how to win the battle against enemy fighters, where to find The Key station and how to properly dock on it, and where and how to meet Delgado, the leader of pirates.

• Reaching spaceship Astraeia orbiting around Europe
• Finding Ragana near Enceladus
• Return to Naeva and repelling an attack of Ecliptica fighters
• Checking in on UC Vigillance
• Reaching The Key station
• Docking at Key station
• Conversations with Naeva, Voss and Delgado

Reaching spaceship Astraeia orbiting around Europe

1. This mission is about proving your worth to Crimson Fleet, but before it can be initiated, you need to complete Deep Cover quest - we describe it on the previous page of the walkthrough.
2. Your first destination is Europa, moon of planet Jupiter in Sol system. The spaceship Astraea is in Europa orbit, and once you make it here, you'll be summoned by Naeva Mora. From the conversation, you'll learn that your test will be eliminating Austin Rake.

Finding Ragana near Enceladus

The next destination is Enceladus - a moon of Saturn, in Sol system . You will be summoned by Ragan's ship once you are in the moon's orbit and you have several options:

1. Force permission to dock - you can invoke UC or Crimson Fleet.
2. Force the crew to murder Austin Rake - this variant is possible after successful docking.
3. Attacking Ragana - this is the most evil way, as it will result in destroying a large ship with many civilians on board.

If you've received permission to dock, fly closer and enter the Ragana interior. Once on board,a conversation with Dmitri will start and you have several behavior variants:

1. Spare Austin Rake - invoke UC. The man on Crimson Fleet's kill list will be removed from the list of crew members and handed over to UC, but he won't die.
2. Persuasion check - successfully completing this check will persuade crew members to kill Austin Rake.
3. Attacking Ragana's crew - this will initiate a battle against all characters onboard.

Return to Naeva and repelling an attack of Ecliptica fighters

1. Before making a grav jump back to Europa, we recommend saving your progress, as instantly after returning to Astraeia, a battle against enemy fighters will begin. Also, make sure that you rerouted power to key systems (shields, engine, main weapon).
2. Once the combat starts, focus on one enemy at a time. Start with lasers to deplete their shields, and once shields are down, fire ballistic weapon and rockets. Monitor your shield and if damaged, try to avoid being hit for a moment. To maintain good state of the hull, use Ship Parts and apply them on the fly.
3. You don't have to worry about your allies - they cannot die in this battle. Once the battle is won, summon Astraea. If Austin Rake was spared, you can lie about his fate (without any consequences).

Checking in on UC Vigillance

1. You'll receive the location of Crimson Fleet's base, but don't go straight to it. This is because the game won't allow you to dock at the pirate base until you report your progress to UC. For this, you must return to Phobos orbit and dock on UC Vigilance.
2. Once onboard, proceed to the command center and talk to Commander Ikande. You'll receive dossiers on Naeva, Adler, and Delgado, but viewing them is optional.

Reaching The Key station

1. The Key is the mother station of Crimson Fleet and you can find it in Kryx system. Kryx system is really remote, and if you're still using the starting ship (Frontier) the jump may not be possible because of limited fuel supply, or the game will display a message regarding that there are no surveyed systems along the way.
2. The solution to the problem is simple - make a few shorter jumps between systems along the way, such as Olympus, Cheyenne, or Sagan. Additionally, you'll unlock new systems to explore on the galaxy map.

Docking at Key station

1. If you followed our tips and made a report in UC Vigilance, you can dock on the Key. To do that, approach the station to a distance less than 500 meters and press the interaction button. Nevertheless, if you haven't made a report at UC Vigilance, you'll only have the useless option of summoning The Key.

Conversations with Naeva, Voss and Delgado

1. After docking on The Key, watch the cut-scene and talk to Naeva Mora. Follow her and she will tell you that you now have access to all traders from The Key. You can sell them contraband and stolen items, as well as upgrade the ship with scan jammers and shielded cargo bay - this topic is described in more detail on the How to hide contraband on a spaceship from the scanner? page.
2. The mission is concluded with conversations with Shinya Voss and Delgado - the leader of the Crimson Fleet. You are now officially a member of the pirate faction. As rewards go, you'll receive XP, 5,800 credits, and Crimson Fleet gear. You'll also initiate a new quest - Echoes of the Past.