Breaching Security

Breaching Security is a quest in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Overview

 * Prerequisite: Bound Until Death
 * Quest Giver: Astrid
 * Reward: 750 gold and Olava's token
 * Reputation Gain: N/A

Background
"I must kill Gaius Maro, an agent of the Emperor's security force. Once he's dead, I must plant a letter on his body that will incriminate him in a plot to kill the Emperor. If I wish to earn a bonus, I must not kill him in Dragon Bridge, or on the road, but in one of the cities he visits."

Walkthrough
To receive the bonus Gaius Maro must be killed in a major city. Travel to Dragon Bridge and steal his schedule. Try to meet up with him in Riften. Enter the alleyway to your left after fast traveling to Riften (you may need to pick the lock on the gate). Shoot an arrow from the alley at Maro as he leaves (around 11PM) in order to avoid detection and any bounty. If you are a low level he may not die with one sneak attack, so be prepared for a fight. Another option is to wait in the corner of Riften castle's courtyard, behind the small grouping of trees, and wait for him to exit (he exits that side every time at around 1:30 A.M *Note, time may vary, for me he exited at 6:30 A.M*). He will be alone and far enough away from any guards to allow you to kill him without any worry about bounty.

Alternatively, if you have progressed far enough in the main quest to have become the Thane of Whiterun, then you may kill Gaius Maro anywhere, even in the tavern in front of everyone. When a guard comes to arrest you a dialogue option appears: "I am the Thane of Whiterun and I demand that you let me go!", afterwhich the guard will say that he did not recognize you and that they will look the other way this time, but that the Jarl's influence only reaches so far. This can make it very easy to complete this quest.

Another alternative method is to approach Gaius Maro and use the option of telling him how you'll kill him, and then the Emperor. After this, he will begin to attack you. You can then fight back without obtaining a bounty. This method can be used in any major city in order to receive the bonus.

Gauis Maro's Schedule

 * Morndas - Solitude, the Emperor's Tower
 * Morndas Evening - Solitude, Castle Dour (food and sleep)


 * Tirdas - Windhelm, the Palace of the Kings
 * Tirdas Evening - Windhelm Barracks (food and sleep)


 * Middas - Riften, Mistveil Keep


 * Turdas - Whiterun, Dragonsreach
 * Turdas Evening - Whiterun, the Bannered Mare (food and sleep)


 * Fredas - Markarth, Understone Keep
 * Fredas Evening - Markarth, guard tower (food and sleep)


 * Loredas & Sundas - To be spent at your discretion

The guards and Jarls of the cities have been informed of your arrival, and will leave you to your work. Study the guard patterns, examine any entrances and exits, and make note of any irregularities.

Talk to no one - the fewer people who know about your mission, the safer the Emperor will ultimately be.


 * note - This contradicts the fact that his father Maro has informed the guards and Jarls of all cities since Windhelm the Stormcloak headquarters and thus making them at war with the Emperor.

Bugs

 * Gaius Maro and his companion might attack instantly when the player enters Dragon Bridge, meaning that you can't follow him to a city and you immediately lose the bonus. (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) Currently there is no patch. (PC fix: Get caught by a guard, pay the fine, travel back and they wont attack. Cost: 1030g.)
 * In Winterhold's palace barracks, Gaius Maro can be killed without the need to engage in combat. To do this, shoot him while hidden in a corner of the barracks then let him hit you once. The guards will attack Maro but will not kill him, you can kill him by shooting him again while hidden and you will still get the bonus for killing him in a major hold. Note that none of the guards will attack you, but after you finish him off one guard may fight you, simply run out of the city and no bounty will be placed on your head.
 * Whenever Gaius Maro sees you he begins taking an alternate route. This can make the quest quite hard as he will turn away from a city if he sees you anywhere near it. I suggest just waiting in a tavern in Whiterun as he will follow his normal journey until you appear out of it. Then, kill him anywhere in Whiterun and use your position as Thane to remove the bounty placed on you.
 * [PC] The dialogue option to turn in this quest occasionally doesn't show up. Instead, she'll say "Gaius Maro still lives. I assumed you were more competent." This can be Quite annoying. So far, there isn't a known patch.
 * [PC] If you attempt to kill Gaius Maro using the console, he will act as if immortal and simply fall to the floor, only to rise on full health. If you must kill him with the console use "tgm" to toggle god mode, and then kill him as you would.

Breaching Security