"According to those historical records, there was a reason my original self arrived late."
Under Dorn's serious, furrowed scrutiny, Guilliman could not help defending his original self, lest this discussion leave everyone with only one conclusion: if Guilliman had reached Terra sooner, everything would have turned out all right.
The Emperor had taken the Throne because Guilliman had not arrived in time, ultimately making the war's outcome depend entirely on the duel aboard the bridge of the Soul of Vengeance.
Guilliman did not want his brothers to think that way.
"If you were leading a fleet to provide reinforcements, only to discover that your scanners had detected countless Glorious Queen class warships like the Soul of Vengeance along the way, what would you do?"
"Dorn, don't tell me you would order the fleet to charge straight through."
Having said that, Guilliman looked up at Dorn and waited for an answer. Their gazes met.
It was difficult for Dorn not to feel that Guilliman had a point.
According to a secret work personally compiled by Guilliman's original self, Warp disturbances had raged around Terra during the Horus Heresy. On his way to reinforce it, he had scanned countless Soul of Vengeances.
So many that it was enough to inspire despair.
Dorn knew this as well. He had also seen the data-slate Horus held.
"If we clone Primarchs had fought that war... then Lion should have gone to Terra." Guilliman pointed at Caliban on the star map Fulgrim had drawn across the table. "Lion's fleet had already run into the Warp Storm caused by the anomaly in the Solar System."
Guilliman then pointed at Terra on the illustrated star map. "If anyone's fleet had a good chance of reaching Terra, it would have been Lion's. Who knew how many good things he