Xenowars | Defense, Dungeon, And Dung
Starfield | The Red Mile
Sometimes to get answers you must do something rather strange. Such as doing something everyone is betting will get you killed just to have a meeting with someone. I’d quickly be learning all about the Red Mile and I was shocked, so few had survived it.
All this investigating, tracking down leads, and hitting lots of roadblocks and dead ends now lead me to yet another place. I however was told I could not just have a meeting with the person I needed to speak with for answers Why that would just be too simple.
Instead, I needed to prove that I was worth having a meeting with. It appears the people here are quite bored and looking for a bit of entertainment. I’d be the person giving them their entertainment that night.
I was tasked with entering what is known as the Red Mile. I don’t know much more about it than the name. I’m supposed to go in, reach an endpoint, and trigger something. Then all I had to do was make it back alive and I’d get the meeting I wanted.
Meanwhile, everyone else would be better if I lived or died attempting the red mile. What a great time for everyone, I thought. Even more so since these people think yet another sucker seeking glory was about to enter this red mile thing. I can handle myself quite well, thank you very much.
It’s such an event even when anyone attempts the red mile they get brought up onto a stage and announced. Everyone then cheers you on and you start to make your way to the elevator that takes you down into it. Along the way, some are encountering, and not-so-encouraging things written on the walls and floors.
The view you get from the top of it sure makes it look a lot worse than it is. It also looks like from here there is more than one way to make the switch at the end. I would also quickly find out it’s easier to get to the switch than it is to make it back from it. A little surprise would be in store.
Not wanting to waste any time I went to the bottom and got started. At first, it seemed quite simply. Perhaps it was supposed to be the chill of the night that was supposed to get me. I, however, knew better than that. They just like to start off nicely and easily. Perhaps getting some people to put down their guard just long enough to get taken out by whatever lurks down there.
For a while, it seemed more like an obstacle course than anything else. I’d attempt to find a path forward through the forest, cargo containers, and rocks. I was more concerned with what the terrain was attempting to hide from my line of sign than anything else.
While it was tempting to just run this thing as quickly as I could. There were far too many people who never finished it to tell me there was something that would be in there to keep it from just being a jog through the forest.
After a while, I started to encounter some creatures. At first, there were not many of them. They were also quite low-level. Some of them I was able to snipe off before they even got close to me. Others were waiting to ambush me, but I took them out quick enough that they did little if nothing to me whatsoever.
My biggest downfall is I did not have enough ammo for my shorter-range guns. There were a lot of hiding spots keeping many of the engagements I’d find myself in short-range combat situations.
The pistol I had only had a couple of shots left in it. The rifle I had I’d end up using over half of my remaining ammo in it before I reached the back of the red mile and triggered the next phase.
Once you get back there and trigger the device it angers the creatures that are in the red mile. I suppose this was intended to increase the difficulty and finish off anyone who had made it that far. For me, it just meant I’d be blowing a bit more ammo.
I was also at a point now where I understood this place well enough that I could speed run the way back. I started sprinting and shooting. This was not as challenging as they made it out to be. Once daybreak hit, I was done with the challenge and made my way back inside.
I was more thrilled this red mile did not live up to the hype. I almost intended on running it again. From what I gather I’d be allowed to do so if I wanted. Perhaps that would be best for another day after rethinking things. I had a meeting to get to anyway.
The person I was getting a meeting with really thought highly of himself. It also appears he used to be behind the unit that was seen in the stolen ship attempting to steal farmland. He more than wanted me to know that I was outnumbered on his ship and if I did not go along with what he wanted I’d not be leaving that ship alive.
What did he want to let me live and give me the information I needed to get to the bottom of everything? Just ignore whatever he wants to do and have the rangers keep their distance from him and any operation he wishes to carry out in the region.
While there are many things I don’t like about the guy. It seems we were both not on different pages about one thing. He went into quite the rant about the Council of Governors. The very people who I kept having to have both my hands tied behind my back before interacting with.
The very people who would pull funding from the rangers if things were not going in the direction, they wanted them to. It seems he wanted to go after this group themselves. It also seems he was rather displeased with the lack of intervention on the part of the rangers with the corruption and other crimes being committed by people on the council.
All I can tell you is this was all before my time. I have no idea who most of the Council of Governors are. Let alone what they may or may not have done. It, however, seems they do have quite angry and powerful enemies.
While it was quite tempting to take him up on his offer. I can’t exactly speak for all the Freestar Rangers. I also had just survived the red mile so finishing off a ship of people did not seem out of the question. So, I turned him down and I opened fire.
Final Thoughts
While it was not helpful in any way that some of my favorite guns are now out of ammo. I more than made my way off that ship alive. I then went and reported back to the rangers along with turning in any evidence I had found while on that ship having a meeting that was always going to go the way it did from the very start.
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Screenshots were taken and content was written by @Enjar about Starfield.
Disclosure: Starfield received for free through AMD rewards from the graphics card I purchased.