After ending the mentally exhausting call with Terra, Lorgar sat in his chair, pressing his fingers against his aching temples. He felt certain that the endless duties a Primarch was born to shoulder had never included dealing with a family drama this absurd.
Just then, the door to his private communications room was pushed open without warning.
A slender figure slipped inside, her long silver hair flowing beneath the room's cold light.
Anastasia walked over to Lorgar. Her azure eyes, reflecting a sea of data, stared at him without blinking, filled with undisguised curiosity born of pure reason.
"Lorgar, I intercepted some signal leakage from the encrypted channels." Her voice was ethereal and melodious.
"You said that one of the brothers you found has a 'mother' who is one of the Men of Iron?"
Lorgar looked up at the trouble he had "picked up" from an ancient database and sighed. "Yes. An enormous intelligent Construct calling itself 'Silverheart.' Turing—that brother—calls it his mother. Their bond seems very strong."
Anastasia tilted her head and continued, "Interesting. The logical inference is that you need an 'interface' or 'example' capable of communicating with that intelligent entity on equal terms." She offered her suggestion calmly. "I'd like to go down there. Perhaps you should come with me."
"No. I refuse." Lorgar raised a hand in a decisive gesture. "Anna, the situation is already complicated enough."
"That isn't logical, Lorgar." Anastasia walked over to the sofa and sat down gracefully, crossing her legs, her gaze still fixed on him.
"Think about it. You already have an individual from the Men of Iron, originating in the Dark Age, under your command—me—and have made effective use of my abilities. So, from the perspective of expanding your resources, would adding another brother with a 'mother' from the Men