"A dark domain in forgotten corners."
Shrieking winds thrashed through the frozen mountains of Nordra.
The past few months had been arduous. Relentless blizzards and murderous cold had made conditions almost intolerable for the construction teams tasked with laying the first foundations of a far larger facility hidden within the mountains. Entire shifts had vanished beneath avalanches. Machinery froze solid overnight. Supply convoys disappeared into whiteout storms, never to be seen again.
Oversight of the operation had fallen to a handful of the Tyrant Queen's more trusted agents while Darth Virelia herself remained occupied elsewhere across the galaxy, weaving her will through distant wars, courts, and conspiracies. Even so, progress continued. Brutal shifts, impossible quotas, and the constant threat of death that the environment posed would have shattered morale long ago were it not for the quiet cooperation of local authorities in the region or the strength of the off world workers that had been brought time and time again to build in the name of their Queen.
The native Nord were a stubborn and hardy people, shaped by a world that demanded resilience simply to survive. Off-world officials, however, proved far more susceptible to pressure. Credits changed hands in darkened offices. Threats were whispered behind closed doors. Supplies were rerouted. Reports vanished. Permits were signed without scrutiny.
As always, corruption served as one of the Tyrant Queen's most dependable tools.
But the situation had begun to spiral beyond the control of her agents.
The nearby Nord settlement of Hashelm had recently suffered catastrophic damage after a violent storm tore through the region. Homes collapsed beneath ice and stone. Power generators failed. Entire districts were left buried beneath snowdrifts taller than speeders. In response, neighboring Nord clans mobilized quickly, gathering emergency supplies and manpower to aid the settlement before the cold finished what the storm had started.
Unfortunately, many of those same resources had already been quietly diverted toward Virelia's hidden construction efforts deeper within the mountains.
Food shipments vanished before reaching Hashelm. Medical equipment was redirected. Fuel reserves were siphoned away under falsified orders issued by compromised off-world administrators. It did not take the Nord long to notice.
What began as suspicion soon erupted into confrontation.
Workers were stopped in the streets. Storage depots were searched by angry locals. Armed security personnel attempted to disperse crowds, only for violence to break out amidst the snow-covered settlements. Several off-world contractors had already disappeared into the wilderness, dragged from transports or simply never returning from patrols. Rumors spread rapidly through the mountains that outsiders had come not to help Nordra, but to bleed it dry.
Such a situation demanded Darth Virelia's full attention.
An obsidian shuttle descended through shrieking sheets of snow beneath the cover of night, its silhouette barely visible against the raging blizzard as it carved silently between Nordra's jagged mountain peaks. Searchlights from the settlement struggled to catch the craft through the white haze, beams scattering uselessly against the storm before the shuttle disappeared behind the half-frozen landing platforms of the hidden black site.
The howl of the wind deepened as the vessel settled onto the durasteel pad.
Then the ramp lowered.
Six violet eyes gleamed within the darkness before Darth Virelia emerged from the shuttle, black armour drinking what little light remained beneath the storm-choked sky. Snow and frost swirled around her in violent currents, yet not a single movement she made appeared hurried.
Two figures awaited her arrival.
The first wore armour not entirely unlike that of her Mistress, an acolyte. Silent. Disciplined.
The second stood in stark contrast: an officer clad in a sleek formal uniform that looked catastrophically unsuited for the murderous cold of Nordra. Even through the blizzard, tension was visible in the stiffness of his posture. The moment Virelia approached, he straightened himself and prepared to speak.
"Glad to see you made it safely, Commander."
The acolyte, rather than offering words, lowered herself immediately to one knee before the Tyrant Queen.
Virelia's mechanical gaze lingered upon the kneeling figure for only a moment before shifting toward the officer.
"I'm pleased to see neither of you have come to harm," she stated calmly, the modulated voice of her helmet carrying cold authority through the storm. "I have been informed we are facing... local resistance?"
The officer exhaled heavily, condensation leaving his mouth in frantic clouds.
"Yes. The local Nord population has been in an uproar since discovering how much material was diverted from Hashelm. Tensions are escalating faster than anticipated." His eyes briefly shifted toward the mountains beyond the facility. "It would be best to discuss the details once we are inside."
One of the six glowing lenses slowly traced him from head to toe.
No wonder he was eager to retreat indoors. His uniform may have looked impressive within the safety of an office, but against Nordra's lethal temperatures it bordered on suicidal. Her armour's internal systems already displayed warning readings regarding environmental exposure around the landing zone.
Her response came quickly.
"Agreed. I will join you shortly."
The officer visibly relaxed.
"I need approximately half an hour alone with my apprentice."
Relief nearly broke through his professional composure.
"Acknowledged," he answered quickly. "Welcome back to Nordra."
Without further delay, the officer and accompanying security personnel hurried back toward the partially completed sections of the facility, disappearing behind reinforced blast doors as the storm continued to batter the mountainside.
