Starfield:The Hunter
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| The Hunter (00018EB1) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Editor ID | MQ_StarbornHunter | ||
| Race | Human | Gender | Male |
| RefID | N/A | BaseID | 00018EB1 |
| Other Information | |||
| Faction(s) | MQ_HunterAllyFaction, MQHunterCrimeFaction | ||
| The Hunter (0010BD27) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Editor ID | MQ204_StarbornHunter | ||
| Race | Human | Gender | Male |
| RefID | N/A | BaseID | 0010BD27 |
| Other Information | |||
| Faction(s) | MQ204StarbornHunterFaction | ||
| The Hunter (0021C5B4) |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Editor ID | PreMQ106_StarbornHunter | ||
| Race | Human | Gender | Male |
| RefID | N/A | BaseID | 0021C5B4 |
| Other Information | |||
| Faction(s) | United Colonies | ||
The Hunter is a very old and powerful Starborn, who seeks to increase his power by repeatedly traveling between universes and collecting Artifacts, by any means necessary. He is one of the primary antagonists of the main quest.
Background[edit]
The Hunter is completely ruthless in pursuit of his goals, willing to resort to deception, manipulation, and murder so long as he can gain control of more Artifacts. He is a firm believer that the Unity should be open to anyone able to reach it, and for both this reason and his callous disregard for human life, he is an enemy of the Emissary.
The Hunter is not unique - there are many iterations of him. Older iterations of the Hunter eventually become disillusioned with the endless quest for Artifacts and hunger for power, instead becoming more inclined to retire to a particular universe. These iterations of the Hunter become the Pilgrim, and eventually take up the guise of Keeper Aquilus.
The Hunter pilots a unique black Starborn Guardian, the Scorpius.
Story[edit]
In the early stages of the main quest, the Hunter can be encountered as an NPC in various spaceport bars (The Viewport, The Hitching Post), where he will discuss some elements of his philosophy with you, although he will not reveal himself as a Starborn. He disappears after the events of Starborn.
The Hunter reappears during the events of High Price to Pay, where he attacks the Eye, and then the Lodge in order to steal the Artifacts. This is a recurring event in every universe, and there is always a casualty. In every previous universe, this casualty has been you, but in this universe, one of your companions will die instead. The Hunter finds this development so interesting that he willingly abandons his pursuit, purely to see how things will play out.
You encounter the Hunter again in In Their Footsteps, where he invited you to a meeting with himself and the Emissary, and they explain their philosophies and positions in detail. He appears once again at the end of Unearthed, where he endorses the actions of Victor Aiza. At this point, you are allowed to either take the Hunter's side, take the Emissary's, or reject both their ideologies.
Dialogue[edit]
First Meeting[edit]
If you speak to The Hunter before the attack on Constellation, he will be quite surprised that you interacted with him:
- "Huh. Not used to people coming up to me. The suit usually scares them off. *chuckle* Although I guess that's my fault, isn't it?"
| Player Dialogue | Response |
|---|---|
| It's an impressive suit. If a little intimidating. (Progresses Conversation) | Yeah, well, I go all over. A little psychological warfare up front tends to make things easier. |
| Scary? No. Just looks like you're trying too hard. (Progresses Conversation) | Ouch. Two minutes into this conversation, and I'm already getting sized up. Well, outside "heroic" individuals like yourself, the suit can give people pause. That can be handy when I need it. |
| Where'd you get that suit, anyway? | I guess you could say I've always had it. Once you've been all over like I have, you might find yourself in something like this too. |
| Player Dialogue | Response |
| I'm guessing you're a mercenary then. Or military. (Progresses Conversation) | Retired, actually. From too many lives to count. But I've been all those things, yeah. And a few more. |
| So you're saying you're a thug. (Progresses Conversation) | *laughs* I guess maybe I am. Hell, I've been everything else in life. Why not add that to the list? |
He will then continue:
- "I spend a lot of time in the fringes these days. God help you if you come across something someone wants. You'd think it was things like civilization and factions that cause people to want to shoot each other. Nope. Even without that, it's still winner take all."
| Player Dialogue | Response |
|---|---|
| That's bleak. Plenty of people are out there helping each other. | Of course. That's what makes the reality so tragic. |
| As long as I'm the winner, that sounds fine by me. | You got that right. |
| There's a whole philosophy behind that sentence, isn't there? | You're on to me. |
He will the conclude by saying:
- "Wait a second. I think I'm in danger of having a real conversation with someone for a change. *chuckles* Better stop here. I'm sure we'll see each other again."
Second Meeting[edit]
The Hunter will be observing your progress, and if you speak to him again he will greet you with:
- "Well, look who it is. How're the Settled Systems treating you? *chuckles* Make any enemies yet?"
| Player Dialogue | Response |
|---|---|
| I'm trying to help as many people as I can. Not make enemies. (Progresses Conversation) | Choosing to act is what puts you in conflict with others. It's not about how the pure the intentions are. |
| A few, but I've come out on top so far. (Progresses Conversation) | Good for you. Let's hope you stay on top, then. |
| What're you doing here? | Waiting. I do a lot of that these days. But the shortest path to a goal sometimes requires patience. |
He will then continue:
- "Once you start making a real impact on the universe there's always more and more people who end up on the losing side of your decisions. Someone always gets hurt."
| Player Dialogue (Progresses Conversation) | Response |
|---|---|
| That's not true. I choose to help. Make things better for people. | Now you sound like one of the Factions. I'm sure both the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective think they're "making things better" but that didn't stop them from going to war. |
| As long as the person getting hurt is someone else, that's fine by me. | You and I might agree there, but someone always comes along thinking there's a better way. That they can "help." Take the United Colonies, or even the Freestar Collective. Both of them full of people trying to "make the Settled Systems better" but that didn't stop them from fighting each other. |
| I'm just trying to get by as best I can. | Look a little harder at yourself. Space is a dangerous place. Even if you just defend yourself when someone pulls a gun on you, you've ruined someone's day. Eventually, someone will come along thinking that maybe space needs to be controlled. Brought into "order." That's what happened in the United Colonies. Even the Freestar Collective has rules. But that didn't stop war from breaking out, did it? |
His next line will be:
- "I guess that's just the nature of things, isn't it? People start by thinking they're doing the right thing. And then your version of what's right collides with someone else's."
| Player Dialogue (Progresses Conversation) | Response |
|---|---|
| Conflict isn't inevitable. Peace and trade get brokered just as often as war does. | But it doesn't last. That's my point. Even if everyone is benefiting, some people are benefiting more than others. And then eventually someone thinks it's time to re-balance the scales. |
| That's why you always need the upper hand. Even among friends. | Why even bother? You can play the game of power. Call it "leadership", call it "righteousness" but it's all manipulation in the end. |
| I'm not trying to push anything on anyone. | Someone will. That's what I'm saying. If you want to hold on to living life your own way, then stay away from the do-gooders. |
He will then finish:
- "Better to just let people be. A single person achieving their own ends is at least honest. Helping people is just another form of control. Ah, there I go again. I was in danger of waxing philosophical last time, and now I'm knee deep in it. I should stop while I'm ahead. I'll catch you around."
If you interacted with him, you will have a special option after the attack:
- I met you before you attacked the Lodge. What was that all about?
- "You know I wonder how many versions of you never find me? There I am. A Starborn in plain sight, and some of you miss it. But I enjoyed our little chats. I never know what I'm going to get with you. And now my curiosity is finally paying off."
In Their Footsteps[edit]
A snippet of dialogue among The Hunter, The Emissary and yourself taken during the In Their Footsteps quest. The player's dialogue can be changed based off of prompts during the sequence.
- The Emissary: We are not a monolithic people. The Starborn are individuals. Some are united in cause. Others are... in it for themselves.
- The Hunter: We're all in it for ourselves. Some of us are just more honest. The Emissary threatened your ship. Demanded you hand over your Artifact. How is that so different from what I did?
- The Emissary: We needed to warn you off. Every encounter with one of our kind could spell disaster.
- The Hunter: For whom, exactly? I say whoever can collect them should.
- You: That doesn't justify murder.
- The Hunter: And who gets to say that? You? Me? The Emissary? I have debated morality for near infinity. And all I have found are groups of people enforcing their will on others. Rules and laws spoken as principles but backed by arms and violence.
Gallery[edit]
The Hunter's face revealed during In Their Footsteps.
The Hunter describes why he thinks the artifacts and temples were created
