» Incoming message from »»[trace unavailable]««

Mr. Gumrak, we have an opportunity for enterprising operatives the likes of which you have supplied in the past. In the early days of the 21st century the »»[transcription unavailable]«« corporation built a research facility beneath the North American permafrost. Our interests concern objects and information buried within the facility. Located near the boundary between the Algonkian-Manitou Council and Republic of Quebec, this operation is expected to extend for a period of 48 hours from the time of insertion.

The operatives will, under the direction of a science advisor, locate and breach the facility, and hold it for the duration of the mission. Success will be measured by the safe return of the advisor and data they gather from the site. We believe »»[transcription unavailable]«« may also have interests in the area, and will likely serve as primary opposition.

We have full confidence in your ability to select a team suitable to this task, including those proficient in wilderness survival, squad tactics, aerial reconnaissance, magical surveillance, and electronic codebreaking. I am authorized to offer up to »»[transcription unavailable]«« nuyen, your fees inclusive, with an additional up-front for materials and equipment. Recovered artifacts, as determined by the science advisor, may yield additional bonuses.

Secure passage to the area will be provided, as well as exfiltration at a predefined time and place. Early or late departure from the facility is not provided. Payment is dependent on the accomplishment of all required mission objective, of course.

This is a non-exclusive contract—similar messages to this have been dispatched to “colleagues” of yours in an effort to find the best possible team at the best negotiated rate. In-person interviews between our operational security staff and the recommended independent agents will be conducted this Friday evening to assess viability.

We look forward to working together with you again.

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The genesis of this run idea comes from mixing an old Shadowrun adventure module/sourcebook—Native American Nations volume 2—and the 2008 movie Outpost, both of which concern themselves with abandoned underground research bases and the unfortunate horrors which may wait within. Gamemasters are highly encouraged to get creative with what the corporation is interested in; pre-Crash technology, biological agents, pre-Awakening artifacts, the first genome soldiers? The options are all but endless, as are also the types of threats—both within and without the base—the team may encounter.

If you use this run in your campaign, please let me know how it went!

Header image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay, a fantastic source of royalty-free stock photos