Red Tape Blues is a side mission in Starfield you can begin once you get to Cydonia on Mars.
Speak to Trevor
To start Red Tape Blues - Land on Mars at Cydonia and head into the mining colony. Make your way straight ahead and down the stairs to the construction-like area, and Speak to Trevor should pop up in your Mission Log. Look around near the mining equipment; this is where you will find Trevor Petyarre.
Talk with Trevor, and he will explain his situation; during the dialogue, choose the option "I used to do mining for Argos", then agree to his off-the-record job offer.
Gather Iron
Once the conversation with Trevor ends, Gather Iron will be your next objective in this side mission. You will need ten pieces of iron to complete this task; luckily, iron is all over this area, so equip a cutter to harvest the ore.
If you do not have a cutter, head upstairs and to the shop on the right; you can purchase a new one from Denis Averin. With a cutter equipped, open up your scanner to see the deposits easily and begin to gather the ten required pieces.
TIP - If you have already mined this area before the quest, you must source more Iron by purchasing from a store or mining on another planet and then return to the mining area.
Deposit 10 units of Iron
Now that we have the Iron Trevor has asked for, a marker should show on one of the orange carts near the bottom of the stairs we came down earlier.
Activate the cart to deposit the Iron, and the following prompt will tell you to speak with Trevor again.
Speak with Trevor
Trevor is standing near the stairs beside the cart we have just placed the Iron into, so head over to where he is standing and begin a conversation.
Select "I dropped off the ore, as you requested." he will tell you about a further opportunity where he wants you to get a job as an assistant to the Director to get his approval forms signed. Pick the option "Sure, I'll take the job." he will tell you to head to the Deimos Staryards starstation in orbit to apply for the position.
Apply for the Assistant to the Director job
You can open your Starmap and set a course to Deimos; the blue quest marker should highlight the location. Fast travel to the station, then dock and board. Once inside, you can just head forward and take a left at the front desk to the Deimos Sales Computer outside the Victory Hall.
Use the computer and choose Job Posting: Executive Assistant, then select Apply for Job: Executive Assistant. Now, you will see the first of several questions. You don't have to worry about the answers you choose here; they won't affect the outcome. Once you have finished the application, you can exit the computer.
Speak with Trevor
Now that you have applied for the job, it is time to head back to Cydonia and chat with Trevor again. Tell him you have filled out the Executive Assistant application, and he tells you to access the HR terminal to delete the other applications to guarantee you get the position.
Choose "Sounds easy enough, I'll do it." to receive Tia's password - which is password backwards (drowssap)
Delete the other candidates' applications
You can head up the stairs and to the left to access the office where the HR computer is. Tia's computer is at the far end; the quest marker should highlight the correct terminal.
TIP - Using the computer before 17:00 will result in a bounty; if you have zero chill, go ahead and hack the computer immediately. If you would rather remain bounty-free, find a chair to sit on and wait until all the employees have left the office.
Either way, you will need to hack the computer to progress. Once in the computer, select job applications and then delete all other applications.
Speak with Trevor
Head back to the mining area once more to speak with Trevor. Select "I did it, I made sure I was the only applicant." and Trevor will tell you they have hired you as the new assistant.
Next, pick "I'm ready for the next step of your plan", and he will tell you to start work for Peter, thus completing Red Tape Blues and beginning Red Tape Runaround.
Mission Rewards
- EXP - 100
- Credits - Differs per level
- Unlocks Red Tape Runaround mission
That's it for our Red Tape Blues walkthrough. Check out our other guides and articles while you are here. Our Freestar Collective guide will tell you all there is to know about space cowboys like Sam Coe and provide a walkthrough for all their faction quests.
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