Walkthrough for the mission Friends Like These in the game Starfield. This page covers all main objectives, key steps, or helpful tips to guide you through the mission smoothly. Whenever possible, the guide points out locations for key items and details interactions with NPCs, among other tips. To ensure maximum clarity, in-game screenshots are included for easy-to-follow visual guidance.
Quest Group: Faction Missions
Faction: United Colonies
Prerequisites: To play this mission, you must first complete the mission Eyewitness.
This mission starts automatically after completing the "Eyewitness" mission.
President Abello has directed me to speak to Deputy MacIntyre over in Interstellar Affairs. It sounds like she's going to help me get access to the Archives.
You will find her in one of the adjacent rooms. She will inform you what you need to do to gain access to the archive. Ask her about the two ambassadors and you'll learn something about them and obtain the relevant items - FC Embassy Security, Freestar Diplomatic Access Card, Va'ruun Embassy Entrance Override, and 12,000 Credits.
I've gotten the run down from Deputy MacIntyre on both ambassadors. She's suggested I start by trying to negotiate with Ambassador Radcliff of the Freestar Collective - and dig up some dirt on her if she doesn't agree.
Head to the Freestar Collective Embassy in New Atlantis and talk to Evangeline Radcliff. She will not want to give you access, but you can try to persuade her to change her mind.
Radcliff's demanded that Freestar monitors observe all research done with the Terrormorph data... but I'm not comfortable agreeing to that without MacIntyre's say-so. I need to run this by her first.
If you have persuaded Radcliff to give you the access code but are not sure whether to agree to her terms then you can return to MacIntyre but you will only learn from her that you should accept these terms as soon as possible.
Deputy MacIntyre's agreed to permit the Freestar observers to monitor all research done with the Terrormorph data. Now I just need to let Radcliff know.
If you persuaded Radcliff to grant you access to the archive and agreed to her terms.
I've convinced Radcliff to hand over her Archival Code. She's directed me to follow her.
Just follow her to another room and after a while you will receive the Freestar Archival Code from her.
If you have not been able to persuade Radcliff to grant you access to the archive then you need to find another way to obtain the codes.
I wasn't able to convince Ambassador Radcliff to help us. Looks like I'll need to find some other way to get her to play ball. Time to find that listening device and speak to Radcliff's staff.
You have a few of options:
For example, you can pickpocket Radcliff to get the Freestar Code Machine Key, but it won't be easy,...
...and then unlock the door (Master Lock) to the room where the Archival Code Generator machine is located...
...and interact with it to retrieve the code.
However, there is another way that is much easier to execute using the eavesdropping device that Deputy MacIntyre mentioned to you a little earlier.
You can read the note received from the Deputy to get some information about the security situation at the embassy. It will suggest to you that you can access the Ambassador's rooms through a utility section.
The door to the utility section located in the conference room is locked (Expert Lock). You can unlock them yourself, but you can also easily get a key to open them.
Talk to Cameron who you may run into in the kitchen. Say, for example, that you want to recruit him and then he will offer to talk to you in a private place.
It seems Radcliff's assistant - Mr. Long - feels like he's being underused and I've convinced him he should work with me instead. He's agreed to hear me out and has directed me to follow him somewhere a bit more private.
Go after Cameron and then talk to him and ask him how to get into the private rooms of the ambassador. It's best to lie because if you try to bribe him he won't accept your first offer and it will end up costing you 8,000 credits. Eventually you will receive the Freestar Utility Access Key from him.
Cameron's given me directions on how to enter Radcliff's quarters undetected - through the utility section accessible through the main conference room - and the key to unlock the door.
The door Cameron mentioned is in the conference room. Open them when there is no guard nearby.
Then climb up the crates to the duct above and proceed through it to the ambassador's rooms.
Interact with the spy device located in the plant pot. In this way you will gain information that discredits the ambassador.
Well, well. It seems the Ambassador had some plans to get rid of one of the members of the Freestar Council of Governors. This should help me to convince her to aid our cause. I need to confront her.
Go back to Radcliff and tell her that you know about her shady plans. She will want to make a deal with you to keep it a secret. Before you agree, ask her for a gift and you will receive a rare pistol - Ambassador.
Once you agree, you will go down together to the room where she will download the code and hand it to you.
You can find one of the magazines - Gunslinger's Guide 05 - in one of the rooms on the upper floor of the embassy. Take it before you leave the embassy.
I got the Freestar Archival Code! Now I just need the Va'ruun code. Time to speak to Ambassador Bal'mor.
You can get to the Va'ruun embassy through the entrance located near the GalBank.
Using the key you received from MacIntyre, enter the lobby and then take the elevator to the desired floor. Approach the intercom that is located there and use it.
A crackling voice just beckoned me towards the nearby intercom. I should go check it out.
I think someone's speaking to me through a broken intercom. I'm not exactly sure what they said, but it sounds like they want me to throw the nearby power switch.
It sounds like the voice has moved somewhere deeper inside the embassy. I think I'm supposed to follow.
Follow the path through the subsequent rooms deeper into the embassy. Along the way, you'll encounter several battle robots and guard turrets.
Eventually you will reach another intercom. Interact with it and then with the power switch.
Another intercom, another power switch. Guess I should throw this one too.
Another power switch down. Once I threw it, though, the voice moved to a different spot in the embassy. Guess I should follow.
Take the nearby stairs to the upper floor.
Eliminate the robots and defense turrets and find the intercom in one of the rooms.
The voice led me to yet another power switch. Sounds like I should throw this one as well.
Looks like we've got more power. The voice now seems to have moved down towards the basement. I should follow.
Return to the staircase and go down it. There you will find the intercom you are looking for.
I approached another intercom in the basement, but this one had a warning about "guardians." I guess I should be cautious as I proceed inside...
Enter the basement. There you will encounter two, slightly more powerful combat robots. Kill them.
There are combat robots on the hunt down here! I should take them out!
Both robots are dead and an old man's come out from a chamber on this floor. Could he be Ambassador Bal'mor?
When you get rid of the robots then a male stranger will enter the room. Just walk up to him and it will turn out that he is an ambassador you are looking for.
I found Ambassador Bal'mor, alive and kicking. He invited me to speak to him.
Talk to the ambassador and agree to his request.
The Ambassador has agreed to help me. I should follow him.
When you agree to the ambassador's request he will approach the code-generating machine and after a while you will get the second code you need.
You can also try to pickpocket or kill the ambassador to get the Va'ruun Code Machine Key.
I killed Ambassador Bal'mor. I'll need to collect the Va'ruun Archival Code myself.
Then you can use this key to get the code from the Archival Code Generator machine.
I've got Bal'mor's biometric key. Now I can go collect the code piece myself.
You can find one of the magazines - Va'ruun Scripture 06 - in one of the rooms of the embassy. Take it before you leave the embassy.
I've got both codes in hand. Time to return to Deputy MacIntyre to collect the UC's Archival Code.
Return to the MAST building to talk to MacIntyre. You will receive from her the last of the codes and instructions on what to do next.
Deputy MacIntyre has given me the last code and directed me to the Archives - across the plaza from MAST.
Head to the Armistice Archives building.
Take the elevator and approach the Monitor Station.
The United Colonies Archival Monitor has asked me to approach her station.
I need to deposit the three codes into the code receptacles to get them verified. Only then will I be allowed inside the Archives.
Insert code cards into three different readers located in the room.
All codes verified. Time to collect the data.
When you put in all the cards then the door to the archive will open. Enter the archive and collect the data.
I've now got the data in hand. Time to return to Deputy MacIntyre.
Deputy MacIntyre's directed me to hand the data over to Hadrian. I should speak to her.
Sounds like Deputy MacIntyre has a couple things she wants to discuss - including becoming a citizen. She's asked me to follow her.
Follow her to the roof of the MAST Building.
Time to speak to Deputy MacIntyre about becoming a UC citizen! Though it sounds like there might be something else we need to discuss as well.
There you will be nominated as a full-fledged UC citizen. This mission will end, you will receive 350 XP, 5,000 Credits, and UC Citizen ID, and, if you agree to the terms, next mission will begin - "The Devils You Know".
Now that the Terrormorph data is in Hadrian's hands, Deputy MacIntyre has stated there's someone who has asked to speak to me. I'm to proceed down to Subsection Seven to find them.
After completing this mission, you will be able to play the mission The Devils You Know.