Quest Line · Original Adventure · Cyberpunk RED
One-shot
Popstar sensation Aurora Lux is trapped in the Concrete Gardens district when the Chrome Vipers and Steel Saints kick off a brutal gang war at the worst possible time. The party has exactly four hours—from midnight to 4 AM—to extract her from a besieged nightclub, navigate three miles of war-torn streets, and deliver her to the fortified Greene Tower before her career-making live broadcast at dawn. Every gang, fixer, and opportunist in the district wants a piece of the Neon Angel.
Player briefing: The party are edgerunners (freelance operatives) working as independent contractors. They can be media, solos, fixers, netrunners, or techs—the mission needs diverse skills. Establish how the party knows each other and whether they're doing this for money, favors, or reputation.
Content warnings: Gang violence, urban warfare, potential civilian casualties, corporate exploitation of artists. The mission includes a ticking clock and resource management stress.
Tone: Fast-paced action thriller with neon-soaked atmosphere. Think high-octane chase sequences mixed with tense negotiation and tactical problem-solving.
Choose one approach based on your party's background:
Hook 1 - The Money Play: A mid-tier fixer named Castillo contacts the party with an emergency gig. Aurora Lux's corporate handlers at Stellar Entertainment will pay 5,000 eurodollars per head—half up front—for safe extraction. Time-sensitive: accept within 10 minutes or they call someone else.
Hook 2 - The Debt: The party owes a favor to Mama Kross, an info broker who runs the Velvet Circuit club where Aurora is trapped. She calls it in tonight: get the popstar out, and the party's slate is clean. Refuse, and their next job gets mysteriously leaked to their enemies.
Hook 3 - Wrong Place, Right Time: The party is already at the Velvet Circuit when the war kicks off. Aurora's panicking bodyguard, critically wounded, uses his dying breath to transfer 10,000 eurodollars to the party's accounts. "Get her to Greene Tower. Broadcast at 4 AM. Don't let them..." He doesn't finish.
The Velvet Circuit nightclub is a three-story chrome and hologram palace in the heart of Concrete Gardens. When the party arrives (or realizes they're trapped inside), the scene is chaos. Bouncers have sealed the armored doors. Three hundred panicking civilians pack the main floor. Gunfire echoes from outside—the Chrome Vipers are executing anyone on the streets wearing Steel Saints colors, and vice versa.
What the players find:
Aurora Lux huddles in the VIP section on the third floor, guarded by two surviving bodyguards (both wounded, down to 15 HP each). She's a twenty-two-year-old woman in a distinctive holographic dress that pulses with soft pink light—impossible to hide. She's terrified but trying to maintain composure for the dozen fans who've surrounded her like a protective barrier.
The club manager, Dice, wants everyone to stay put until morning. "Those doors are the only thing between us and a meat grinder out there."
Immediate challenges:
Key NPC: Aurora herself will ask the critical question: "Can you really get me out alive, or should I just wait here?" The party's answer and confidence determine her cooperation level.
The party must choose their extraction route. Give them intel from Netrunner surveillance, local knowledge, or questioning NPCs:
Route A - The Underground: Old maintenance tunnels run beneath Concrete Gardens. Dice knows the entrance behind the club's kitchen. It's a maze down there, possibly flooded, definitely home to tunnel dwellers and worse. Avoids gangs but introduces new dangers. Requires a Tech to navigate the service tunnels (Basic Tech check, DV 13) and a Scout to avoid getting lost (Tracking check, DV 15).
Route B - The Rooftops: Use fire escapes and maintenance bridges to travel above street level. Exposed to snipers but faster. Requires Athletics checks (DV 13) to jump gaps while protecting Aurora. Her holographic dress makes stealth impossible (Stealth checks at DV 17 instead of normal DV 13).
Route C - The Street Blitz: Steal a vehicle and crash straight through gang lines. Fastest route but highest combat risk. The party will need to either hotwire a vehicle (Basic Tech check, DV 11) or commandeer one from gang members. Involves at least two vehicular combat encounters.
The Complication:
Whichever route they choose, introduce Razor, a Chrome Viper lieutenant (Solo 5, HP 45, Very Heavy Armorjack SP 18, paired SMGs) who's monitoring police scanners and social media. He knows Aurora is trying to escape and sees an opportunity: ransom or reputation. He'll deploy a six-person squad to intercept.
Chrome Viper Gang Squad: Six members (Solo 3, HP 30 each, Medium Armorjack SP 11, assault rifles). They're coordinated but can be outmaneuvered with tactics.
Halfway through the chosen route, the squad ambushes the party. This combat should be intense but winnable with smart play. Aurora will panic unless a party member succeeds at a Conversation check (DV 11) to keep her calm. If she panics, she might run or freeze, complicating the fight.
Skill checks for this scene vary by route chosen:
The party reaches the final stretch: Greene Plaza, a corporate-controlled zone six blocks from their destination. Greene Tower rises forty stories, its peak lit with landing pad lights where Aurora's broadcast equipment waits. It's 3:30 AM—thirty minutes to spare.
The Situation:
Razor has called in favors. He's blockading the plaza entrance with his remaining forces and a stolen CHOOH2-powered combat vehicle (essentially a weaponized truck with a mounted machine gun). He broadcasts on open channels: "Send out the Neon Angel and walk away rich. Keep her, and none of you leave here."
The party has multiple options:
Ending 1 - Deal with the Devil: Negotiate with Razor. He'll accept 15,000 eurodollars to let them pass (Conversation or Trading check, DV 15, reduced to DV 13 if they offer something extra like information or future favors). If they don't have the money, Stellar Entertainment's handler will authorize the payment—but the party owes the corp a favor later. Aurora gets to her broadcast. Razor lives to fight another day.
Ending 2 - Tactical Victory: The party engineers a combat solution. Use the environment: construction barriers, storefronts, corpo security drones they can hack. If they neutralize Razor's vehicle (targeting its fuel tank with Called Shot, DV 17) and scatter his forces, they can punch through. This is a climactic combat requiring teamwork. Aurora records footage of the fight on her personal camera—it goes viral, boosting the party's Street Cred significantly.
Ending 3 - The Hidden Path: A Netrunner or Tech notices the plaza has underground parking with direct tower access (Notice or System Knowledge check, DV 15). They can bypass Razor entirely by breaking into the parking structure (Electronics/Security Tech check, DV 13) and taking service elevators straight to tower security, who are expecting Aurora. Razor realizes too late, smashes his fist into his vehicle's hood, and swears revenge. Cleanest ending but creates a recurring enemy.
The Broadcast:
Regardless of ending, if Aurora makes it to Greene Tower by 4 AM, she performs her live holographic concert to eighteen million viewers across the city. The party watches from a greenroom, exhausted and bleeding, as she dedicates her opening song to "the angels who brought me home."
Aurora Lux: Twenty-two-year-old popstar, genuine talent trapped in corporate machinery. Frightened but resilient. Wants to survive and prove she's more than a manufactured product. Will remember the party's kindness—or ruthlessness.
Dice: Velvet Circuit club manager, forty-something ex-corpo. Cautious and protective of his establishment. Motivation: keep his club and patrons safe, avoid gang attention.
Razor: Chrome Viper lieutenant, cybered-up enforcer with a tactical mind. Sees Aurora as a career-making opportunity. Motivation: climb gang hierarchy through bold plays and reputation building.
Castillo: Mid-level fixer, professional and efficient. Works for whoever pays but has standards. Motivation: maintain reputation as someone who delivers results without unnecessary bloodshed.
Mama Kross: Info broker and club owner, sixties, dangerous despite appearance. Extensive network across Concrete Gardens. Motivation: protect her territory and the people she considers hers.
Payment: 5,000 eurodollars per party member (or debt cleared if using Hook 2). Bonus 1,000 eurodollars each if Aurora arrives unharmed.
Street Cred: Major boost to reputation—word spreads about the crew who extracted the Neon Angel from a war zone. Future fixers will seek them out.
Corporate Favor: Stellar Entertainment owes them. Can be called in for one significant request: resources, information, or access.
Enemy Created: If Razor survives and they embarrassed him, he becomes a recurring antagonist—dangerous but potentially redirectable.
Aurora's Gratitude: She gives each party member a personal commlink code. "If you ever need help, call me." She means it. A popstar contact opens unusual doors.
XP Milestone: Award 8-10 IP (Improvement Points) for completing the mission, with additional IP for creative problem-solving and protecting civilians.
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