Discontent Stirred
Nimrod's psychic projection crossed the void, following the guidance of the Astropath, and arrived aboard the Vengeful Spirit.
He had only just taken his seat amid the guiding voices of the Astropathic choir when he immediately sensed the enormous changes in the War Council.
It was not only that Mars's Fabricator-General, Kelbor-Hal, the Sigillite Malcador, and the lord of the Adeptus Custodes, Constantin, had departed after The Emperor ceased to preside over the War Council; the seating order of the primarchs had also changed.
The seat opposite Warmaster Horus Lupercal was empty, displaying the shift from the Imperium's dual-headed politics to a single, unrivaled authority.
From the arrangement of the seats, Nimrod read Horus's intentions, and how he meant to use this meeting to display the new political relationships he was shaping.
Unsurprisingly, on his right sat his close friend and adviser, Sanguinius.
That was the inevitable choice. If he had chosen anyone else, it would have been seen as a betrayal of their bond.
Opposite him sat another close friend he had instructed, Fulgrim. The silver-haired Purple Phoenix was clearly proud to be seated there, his eyes flicking toward Ferrus from time to time.
Beside Sanguinius was Lorgar Aurelian. After the destruction of the Perfect City, the Urizen had "seen the error of his ways."
The Old Man in Yellow was pleased by Lorgar's transformation. In several War Council sessions, Nimrod could sense that he was satisfied with his own "excellent teaching."
His battle record had risen rapidly, and the number of worlds brought into compliance under him had already surpassed Lion El'Jonson's, second only to Horus, Nimrod, and Roboute Guilliman.
His Legion's numbers exceeded "one hundred and fifty thousand," and it was considered the fifth-largest Legion.
He had also been invited by the Warmaster to become