Back to Vectera is a main story mission in Starfield. The mission is unlocked after the player completes the main mission The Old Neighborhood.
Background[]
Sarah Morgan recommends the Spacefarer goes to check on Barrett at Argos Extractors Mining Outpost. She recommends we complete this first (before completing the missions The Empty Nest and Into the Unknown). She recommends this because no one from Constellation has heard from Barrett since he decided to stay on Vectera to help Lin, Heller, and the rest of the miners fend off any additional attacks from the Crimson Fleet.
Objectives[]
- Return to Vectera
- Talk to Lin
- Fix the comms computer
- (Optional) Obtain 3 Power Cells
- Find a clue to Barrett's location
- Return to Lin
- (Optional) Recruit Lin as Crew
- Travel to [random planet]
- Find Barrett and Heller
- Talk to Heller
- Listen to “Emergency Transmission 02”
- (Optional) Recruit Heller as Crew
- Travel to Bessel III
- Rescue Barrett
- Return to the Lodge
- Enter the Library
- Talk to Barrett
Detailed Walkthrough[]
Go to the Argos Extractors Mining Outpost on Vectera. Supervisor Lin will initiate dialogue with you; informing you that more pirates showed up after you left and attacked them again. Calvert, Troy and some new dusties didn't survive the attack. In a last-stand scenario with Lin and Barrett pinned behind some crates, Barrett rose up, killed two pirates and held the third pirate at gunpoint to use as leverage to negotiate. Unfortunately, the pirates had already captured Heller. After this, the pirates and Barrett seemed to come to some sort of agreement. Barrett and Heller were last seen being taken into the pirate ship with their hands up. Lin mentions she tried pinging a transmission to the ship in the comms building, but the pirates must have fried the comms computer. She says the Spacefarer can try their hand at making any communications, but the odds that either Heller or Barrett are alive is low. After giving you this information, Lin seems overwhelmed by the losses she has seen on this mining run and says she wants to pack up, leaving you to handle the rest.
Head inside the communications building, go inside the office to the left and grab the Vectera Control Room Key. Use this to unlock the door that leads to the comms computer. Alternatively, you can digi pick the door (Novice difficulty) to get inside. Before you can access the computer, you will need to power it up by inserting three emergency power cells in the power sockets outside the room. These cells can be found around the outpost. Once you've powered up the comms computer, open up the Emergency Transmission folder to listen to Emergency Transmission 01 from Barrett and Heller regarding their last known locations. Return to Lin and she'll mark the location on your Starmap. Alternatively, if you have skill points into Security, you can pull the data storage from the computer without needing to fetch 3 emergency power cells. This option will also provide you with Emergency Transmission 01.
Return to Lin and tell her you found a transmission from Barrett. Lin listens to the transmission and sends you the location data embedded in the transmission, requesting you go find them. After asking the Spacefarer to go find Heller and Barrett, Lin will mention she has been considering a career change. After this conversation, you can recruit Supervisor Lin to your crew, since her contract is now up with Argos. She has the Demolitions skill (Rank 1) and the Outpost Management skill (Rank 3).
The planet you'll be going to is random, but the objectives will remain the same. Land at the crashed ship and talk to an injured Heller. He will explain that Barrett came up with a plan to stage a pretend fight with him to force the pirates to come in and separate them (to avoid any deaths). Once the pirates came in to break the fight up, Barrett took one of the pirates guns and accidentally shot the pilot in the back, and the bullet went through into the flight console. This sent the ship crash landing into the planet.
Later when Heller came to (he had blacked out) a ship showed up, which turned out to be a Crimson Fleet ship. Barrett mumbled something to the Crimson Fleet pirates (Heller heard the word “ransom”), then they left. Heller received a transmission shortly after, which he assumes was Barrett. He gives this to you (Emergency Transmission 02).
After this conversation, Heller can be recruited as part of your crew. He has the Geology skill (Rank 1) and the Outpost Engineering skill (Rank 3).
Looking at the back side of the crashed ship, there is an advanced locked safe on the left side of the ship which you can loot if you have the required lockpicking skill.
Listen to the Emergency Transmission 02 slate that Heller gave you to find out that Barrett is being held on the planet Bessel III. Return to your ship and travel there. You will be directed to land at the Ransacked Research Outpost. Upon landing, head towards the outpost (to the west), where a handful of pirates will be waiting for you. You can attack them head on or snipe them down from the hill. Look for the entrance of the Crimson Fleet Outpost marked by your objective marker and enter it. Go down the stairs to find Matsura and Barrett having a friendly conversation. Walk down the stairs and speak to Barrett.
- If you have Lin or Heller following you, your follower will have unique dialogue with Barrett. Both Heller and Lin thinks that Barrett is dead or in grave danger, so they will be furious at Barrett for having a laid back conversation with Matsura. Barrett will acknowledge them in the same laidback manner.
- If you have a Constellation member as your active follower, they will comment that this is not an uncommon situation for Barrett. Barrett will comment that this is becoming a regular Constellation party.
You can free Barrett through 3 (potentially 4-6) methods:
- Pay 4000 Credits to Matsura
- Persuade Matsura to let Barrett go.
- Kill Matsura
- Optional: If you brought Sarah with you, choose her conversation option, and she will automatically pay the ransom using Constellation insurance money (doesn't take any of the Spacefarer's credits)
- Optional: Use your Starborn skill to convince Matsura that this will not be the last time Barrett escapes the Crimson Fleet.
- Optional: If the Player has joined the Crimson Fleet they can ask Matsura to "Let Barrett go or take it up with Delgado" which he immediately agrees to as a Favor from the Fleet, although Barret comments on the amusing fact that hes been traded from "One Crimson fleet pirate to another Crimson Fleet pirate only in this case the pirate is IN Constellation."
If you decide to kill Matsura, be prepared to face every other pirate in the room as well. Barrett will fortunately also fight alongside you during this.
With Barrett freed from captivity, fast travel to the Lodge (Jemison: New Atlantis) and head to the library, where the other Constellation members are gathered. End the quest by talking to Barrett, where you will unlock the option to recruit him as your companion or add him to your ship's crew.
Rewards[]
- Levelled Credits
- Levelled XP
- Unlock Lin as a Companion
- Unlock Heller as a Companion
- Unlock Barrett as a Companion
Notes[]
- It is not known exactly how the Spacefarer discerns which planet the Crimson Fleet took Barrett to, but we can assume there is location data embedded in the transmission. This was likely accessed the same way as Lin accessed the location data within Emergency Transmission 01.
- Don't forget to grab Heller's Cutter from the communication/office building in the cutter crate directly to the right of the entrance to the office/communications building.
- Don't forget to grab the skill magazine Trackers Primer 05 from the dormitory/bedroom area at Argos Extractors Outpost.
- Don't forget to grab the skill magazine Kryx's Journal Entry 01 from the Crimson Fleet Outpost at the Ransacked Research Outpost on Bessel III in the storage room next to the weapon case.