Rising Star

While this one-shot was written with Shadowrun in mind, it can be played in any modern or cyberpunk setting. Sample Characters can be found here.

Just before dinner time, while chilling at a chop shop awaiting a vehicle repair, the runners are suddenly approached by a lizard man. Dressed as a British punk with a frill painted in multiple colors, he quickly introduces himself as Simon Andrews and asks if the runners are willing to make a quick buck. He wants to recruit a scientist but his own crew is stuck in traffic.
Simon explains he's not the only interested party, so he needs the scientist kidnapped as soon as possible. Because of this, he'll pay a sizable rush fee and even pay half upfront. The scientist is doing research at the Observatory of the Leiden University, which has quite a few noisy students still around at this time of day. Simon needs the runners to be as silent and as fast as possible.

---

Ban Kuchen

Metatype

Sasquatch

Gender

Unknown

Birth Year

2057

Awakened/Ware

Adept

Type

Scientist

Personality

Shy

Ban Kuchen is an astronomer that really sticks to themself. No surprise, as they are a rather shy Sasquatch. There are still plenty of metahumans around that treat Sasquatches with undeserved prejudice, despite them being a sentient species. Yet here is Ban, a genius scientist making a huge name for themself with their research into comets and asteroids.
Recently Ban has been investigating several near-parabolic comets approaching the solar system. While observations and calculations are still ongoing, Ban's theory is that these comets have extremely similar orbital periods and last flew through the solar system around 8.000 BCE. This places their previous passage during the Fourth World. While still unproven, this theory has drawn a lot of unwanted attention.

---

The Run

The Leiden Observatory is an observatory in name only, as the actual instruments are located elsewhere. Ban Kuchen, however, seems to enjoy analysing the data from there, supposedly because they really like their privacy. There are evening classes going on in the eastern wing so while the runners can easily enter the building, they can and should avoid being spotted.
The old Observatory is located above the main building and the entire area is currently empty. However, there are sounds of a one-sided conversation. Here the runners can observe a hairy person in a labcoat who currently is in a videocall. The individual is being addresses as Ban, identifying them as the target, and is using sign language themself.

Johnson

Simon Andrews

Job Type

Extraction

Opposition

Popular Will

Base Rewards

¥10,000
8 Karma

Word on the street

"Dr. Kuchen really sticks to themself, only visiting the Observatory at night. You know, some say they're a werewolf."

"Halley's Comet caused SURGE, Shedim, and Ghostwalker. Lord only knows what some comets from the Fourth World might bring..."

"This just can't be right, Ban... These orbital periods appear far too similar. More importantly, their courses quite possibly could lead to a collision."

"That doctor is researching magical comets. This will not stand! Let's kill them at once! Death to magic!"

---

The Complications

Even before the runners can interrupt and snatch Ban, noise and gunfire come from both downstairs and around the building. The building is under attack by dozens of members of Popular Will, who are pinning down security while looking for Ban Kuchen themselves. Their goal is to kill the astronomer for investigating what they suspect is foul magic.
If the runners want to get paid, they'll have to take Ban with them while also either confronting or avoiding the terrorists. With the building fully surrounded and the central hall getting invaded, their best bet is to go out the window and over the rooftop to the western wing. From there they can either try to flee across the canal, or fight back.

The Aftermath

Simon is quite happy when Ban Kuchen is delivered to him, immediately sending them off with a Saeder-Krupp security detail. In the weeks after, more astronomers go missing as Simon extracts everyone that is involved in the same research. He also has the public data completely corrupted, so that only his master Lofwyr still has access. Whatever the real story about those comets is, it seems SK is taking it very seriously.
It won't be until the comets finally pass by Earth before the astronomers are released from service, which means they're stuck for over a decade. Until then, other interested parties will continuously try to steal info or astronomers from SK. The situation will remain hairy for a long while.