Welcome to NGB and our guide for the Surgical Strike mission in Starfield! This guide will walk you through starting the mission and detail the necessary steps for its completion. If you need help with a specific mission objective, check the quick links section to easily find the information needed.
Some of the planets referenced in our guides and walkthroughs may not match yours due to how Starfield was created. In these situations, what you do and the places you visit on those planets should remain the same.
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How to Start the Surgical Strike Mission
Surgical Strike is one of the faction missions you’ll have to complete during the Freestar Collective questline. You’ll get this mission automatically after completing the Shadow In Neon mission.
Surgical Strike Walkthrough
Go to the Clinic
To reach the Clinic, you’ll need to travel to the Starstation orbiting the planet Deepala in the Narion System. When you get there dock and disembark from your ship then head for the Ranger Office in the lobby. Once there, speak with Ben Armistead. After making your introductions, follow behind as he leads you to Ari.
Talk to Ari Miller
Speak with Ari and tell him you’re looking for Maya Cruz. Follow him over to his terminal where he can access the patient records. After he searches through the records, speak with him again. He’ll then give you the names of two patients to speak with. If you happen to have the Security perk, then you’ll have another option to search for the source of the system disruption which becomes an optional objective.
Talk to Jane Nakamori
Jane can be found in the first room past the office. Head inside and speak with her. She’ll tell you she’s a courier whose ship was attacked by pirates. She was rescued and put into intensive care two days ago. If you persuade her for some more info, she’ll tell you that she’s actually an information broker and came to the hospital to steal some secrets she can sell for a load of credits. She’ll offer to pay you 1,000 credits for your silence or you can turn her into Ranger Armistead.
Talk to Candance Doolin
Candace’s room is two rooms over from Jane’s. Head inside and speak with her. She’ll complain about her husband some then tell you she’s been there for 3 months and they still don’t know what’s wrong with her.
(Optional) Search for the Source of the System Disruption
Head into the Ranger Office and access the Freestar Rangers Terminal. Select “Admin Access”, “Active Processes” then “Query: Disruptor Mk4” to trace the disruption source to the VIP Wing.
*If you don’t have the security perk, then speak with both patients and return to Ari afterward. He’ll then give you the name Catalina Rivera who is staying in the VIP wing.*
Gain Access to the VIP Wing
To gain access to the VIP Wing you have two options: Convince Titus Cassidy to let you in or steal the extra pass from his office. If you go the first route, he’ll automatically let you in if you have the Medical skill. Otherwise, you’ll need to pass a persuasion check to convince Titus to give you access. If that fails or you’re feeling like some light thievery, you can steal a VIP Wing Keycard from the safe in his office. You can find both Doctor Cassidy and his office in the Staff Area. Once you have the keycard, use it to access the VIP Wing from the lobby.
Talk to Catalina Rivera
Upon entering the VIP Wing, you’ll be attacked by a ceiling turret. Deal with it then press on to Catalina’s room. Enter the room, but back out real quick as there is a mine planted near the bed that will go off. Go over to the nightstand near the wall and read the Urgent – Read Immediately slate.
Go to Sakharov
Maya got a head start, but she won’t get away. Set a course for the Sakharov System. This will place you in an asteroid field near planet Bonner housing Maya’s base, Eklund Excavation Site Cl25. Head there, dock and board it.
Investigate the Abandoned Asteroid Mine
Head into the facility where Maya will greet you on the intercom. There are some side rooms you can explore if wish. When you’re ready, head north into the mine. You’ll need to use a cutter to open the Emergency Cuttable Wall allowing you to proceed. The wall will literally tell you where to cut!
Just past the door, you’ll find some insects and a robot. After that, you should arrive in a giant cavern. On the right side (south) there will be a building with a terminal inside you’ll need to hack to open the door blocking the way forward. It will be guarded by a level 20 robot. This cavern is also home to more of the insects from before.
Head through the newly opened door and keep going forward until you reach an even larger cavern filled with turrets and robots. In the center of the room will be some stairs that will take you up to a room at the top. Deal with the robots and turrets then make your way to the top of the stairs. You’ll need to use your cutter again to open the emergency cuttable wall. As soon as it falls, Maya will attack you. Defeat then speak with her. You can let her live and she’ll give you an encrypted slate with the info you need on it. You can also kill her and loot it off of her afterward.
Give the Encrypted Slate to Alex Shadid
There is an elevator in Maya’s room that will take you back down to the bottom of the cavern. From there you can open another door that leads to Maya’s workshop that could have some good loot there. You’ll then be able to take an elevator that back up to the entrance of the facility or you can just fast travel. Return to Akila City in the Cheyenne System then head to the Rock and give the slate to Alex. This will complete the mission and you’ll be rewarded with 350 EXP and 7300 credits.
Additional Starfield Guides and Walkthroughs
Be sure to check our main Starfield Guides and Walkthroughs page for additional content on Starfield, such as additional guides to assist you during your adventures in the Settled Systems!