Imperial Reckoning: Humanity Return

Chapter 31: Nostramo

Nostramo, a world cloaked in eternal darkness, had long since succumbed to the weight of its own sins. Crime, corruption, and violence ran rampant through the decaying hive cities. The weak were exploited, and the strong were viciously cut down by even stronger predators. The planet was a cesspool of hopelessness, where the only reason the population didn’t collapse entirely was that the murder rate kept it in check.

This was the world that Konira Curze, stolen by the warp and hurled across the galaxy, had landed on. The powers of the Immaterium had ripped her from the Emperor’s embrace when she was just an infant and flung her into the dark corners of the galaxy. Nostramo became her prison, though at first, she did not know the significance of who she truly was. All she knew was the cruel reality of survival.

She was raised by one of the few decent families left on the planet. Her parents, factory workers with little power but a wealth of love, sheltered her from the darkness as best they could. They tried to instill hope, teaching her that even in the blackest of nights, there was always a glimmer of light. But Nostramo was not kind to the hopeful.

When Konira was seven years old, that fragile illusion of safety was shattered. One night, as she returned from running an errand, she found her parents standing outside their home, confronting a group of gang members. It was clear the gang was there to make a point — to show everyone that even the good people of Nostramo were not untouchable. With a cold detachment, the gang leader raised his weapon and opened fire.

Konira watched in horror as her parents’ bodies crumpled to the ground, their lifeblood seeping into the cracked pavement. She stood frozen in place as the gang vanished into the night, leaving her alone in a world that had now taken everything from her.

In that moment, something deep within Konira shifted. The gentle child was replaced by something colder, harder. She swore to herself that she would have her revenge — not just on those who had killed her family, but on the entire broken world that allowed such evil to thrive.

As she grew older, that promise fueled her every action. By the time she was eighteen, Konira had become a force of nature. She prowled the streets at night, a vigilante who dispensed her own brand of brutal justice. The gangs of Nostramo quickly learned to fear her; they whispered of the Night’s Blade, the shadowy figure who stalked criminals in the dark, offering them no mercy.

Those who broke the law were hunted down and executed with cold efficiency. Under her iron fist, crime began to dwindle — not because the criminals were gone, but because they were too terrified to act. The people of Nostramo feared Konira more than they feared the gangs, and for a time, it seemed like she might succeed in bringing some measure of order to the lawless world.

But Nostramo was beyond saving. The rot was too deep, the corruption too entrenched. No matter how many criminals Konira killed, more always rose to take their place. The planet’s heart was black, and even Konira knew she could not cleanse it alone.

It was during this time that the Imperium found her.

The skies over Nostramo, perpetually clouded with smog, were split by a brilliant light. A ship descended from the heavens, its hull emblazoned with the sigil of the Astral Knights. It was an awe-inspiring sight, unlike anything the people of Nostramo had ever seen. The Imperium had come, and at its helm was one of the Emperor’s greatest warriors — Lord Commander Shepard, the Primarch of the Astral Knights.

Konira met Shepard in the ruins of the old governor’s palace, which she had claimed as her fortress. The two stared at each other across the grand hall, Konira’s cold eyes locking with Shepard’s piercing gaze. He was a towering figure, clad in the majestic power armor of the Astral Knights, a beacon of strength and authority.

“You’ve done well to survive this long, Konira Curze,” Shepard said, his voice calm but powerful. “But you were never meant to live like this. Nostramo is not your true home.”

Konira scowled. “And what would you know of me? I don’t need your help or anyone else’s. I’m fixing this world on my own.”

Shepard stepped forward, his gaze unwavering. “Nostramo is broken, and you cannot fix it alone. But that’s not why I’ve come. You are more than you realize. You are a daughter of the Emperor, a Primarch — stolen by the warp and cast into this forsaken place.”

Konira tensed, the weight of his words crashing down on her. “What are you talking about?”

“You were created by the Emperor, one of his Primarchs, meant to lead his legions and shape the galaxy. But the powers of the warp tore you away from him, and you were lost here, on Nostramo,” Shepard explained. “Now, I have come to bring you home. The Emperor has sent me to return you to your true destiny.”

Konira shook her head, refusing to accept it. “I don’t need the Emperor. I don’t need any of you. This is my world, and I’ll bring it to order one death at a time.”

Shepard remained calm, though his voice took on a firmer tone. “With the Emperor’s help, you won’t have to do it alone. You will have an entire legion at your command — the Night Lords. They will be yours to shape, to enforce your will. But only if you come with me, to Terra. Only if you take your rightful place at the Emperor’s side.”

For a moment, Konira was silent. The rage and pride that had driven her all these years warred within her, but deep down, she knew that Shepard was right. Alone, she could only do so much. With an army at her command, she could bring true justice to Nostramo — and beyond.

“And what does the Emperor want from me in return?” she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

“Your loyalty,” Shepard replied. “He asks only that you serve him as one of his Primarchs, leading the Night Lords to bring order and terror to the enemies of the Imperium.”

Konira considered his words. She had spent years fighting to bring order to Nostramo, but the prospect of wielding real power — of leading an army capable of reshaping entire worlds — was too great to ignore. She could finally bring justice, not just to her planet, but to the galaxy itself.

After a long pause, she nodded. “I’ll come with you. But understand this, Shepard: I’m doing this for Nostramo, not for the Emperor.”

Shepard smiled slightly, understanding the fire within her. “Then we are agreed.”

And so, Konira Curze, stolen from the Emperor by the warp and shaped by the darkness of Nostramo, was returned to her true lineage. As the Primarch of the Night Lords, she would soon lead a legion that mirrored her methods — ruthless, terrifying, and unforgiving. The daughter of the Emperor had been reclaimed, and the Night Lords would spread fear and death across the stars in the name of order.