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Starfield Shadows in Neon quest guide

Your time with the Freestar Rangers is now taking you to the pleasure city of Neon.

The player speaks with Billy Clayton in Starfield
Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

After spending some time with the Freestar Rangers in Starfield, your main assignment will have you trying to track down a ship that was stolen from HopeTech by the First mercenaries. During the ‘Shadows in Neon’ quest, you’ll wind up exploring the pleasure city of Neon in an attempt to get closer to the stolen ship.

In the process, you’ll end up clearing more debts and practicing your persuasion techniques as you try to gain more information. That’s the life of a Deputy, after all! So, here’s how to complete the Freestar Rangers ‘Shadows in Neon’ quest in Starfield.


Starfield Shadows in Neon quest guide

Kick off the Shadows in Neon quest by making your way to the city of Neon. When you arrive, enter the Freestars Rangers outpost and speak with fellow ranger, Jaylen Pryce, who is a pretty nice guy.

The player speaks with Jaylen Pryce in Starfield
I like this guy. I hope we see more of him. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

He’ll then take you to meet his friend, a ship mechanic, in Ebbside. Follow Jaylen over to his friend, which is quite a walk, so be careful to not run too far ahead of him.

When you approach Billy Clayton, let Jaylen speak and then talk to him about the stolen ship. He’ll reveal that he’s in trouble with a Syndicate after his brother owed money to them. His brother is now gone, which means they’re trying to have Billy pay up the debt.

The player speaks with Billy Clayton about a missing ship in Starfield
Tell Billy that you’ll take care of his debt. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

Billy strikes us a deal and says that if we can take care of the debt, he’ll give us the information that we need. So, we agreed to speak to the Syndicate for him and return later once it’s been taken care of.

Make your way into the Underbelly of Neon and over to the Syndicate hideout, and quicksave your game. A guard will be at the door to the hideout, but you can persuade him to let you in.

The player speaks with a Syndicate security guard in Starfield
Persuade the guard to let you in. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

If you’ve completed the Ryujin Industries questline and been fitted with a Neuroamp, you can actually use Manipulation when persuading NPCs to convince them with ease. Alas, if you don’t have this yet, you’ve your quicksave to return back to if you fail the persuasion check.

The player speaks with Emmet Goodman in his office in Starfield
Persuade Emmet to let the debt go, or pay it for Billy. Also, why does this guy look so much like Jack Nicholson? | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

Soon enough, he’ll let you in. Go upstairs and speak with Emmet Goodman about Billy’s debt. He’ll be hesitant to let it slide, but again, you can persuade him to do so (and use manipulation in the process). Alternatively, you can simply pay off the debt for Billy, which is only 4000 Credits.

With the debt taken care of, return to Billy and Jaylen. Billy will tell you to look for someone known as Grace Early, who frequents Madame Sauvage’s Place. She knows everything when it comes to stealing ships and selling them off in the city of Neon.

The player speaks with Grace Early in Madame Sauvage's Place in Starfield
Persuade Grace to tell us what she knows about the stolen HopeTech ship. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

So, make your way to Madame Sauvage’s Place, quicksave, and speak with Grace. Again, she’ll be hesitant to tell you anything, but you can persuade her to do so. She very much wants to help, but doesn’t want to get herself into trouble, so persuasion prompts playing on that will be successful.

The player speaks with Alex Shadid about an encrypted slate in Starfield
Return to Akila City and give the encrypted slate to Alex. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

Grace will then hand over an encrypted slate with evidence that we can use. Return to Akila City and speak with Alex Shadid in The Rock; give him the slate to de-encrypt.

The player speaks with Marshal Daniel Blake in Starfield
Update Daniel Blake on your progress, where he’ll begin to detail your next assignment. | Image credit: Bethesda/VG247

After speaking to Alex, return to Marshal Daniel Blake and update him on your progress. He’ll help point you in the right direction of our ship thief, and that’s The Clinic. So, it’s now time to complete the ‘Surgical Strike’ quest.

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