"Heh, do you really think Lorgar will stand with us, Horus?"
Fulgrim's voice rang through the Court, flippant and amused, as though he were questioning an overly optimistic assumption.
He leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, his posture relaxed and elegant, but a sharp gleam flickered in his eyes.
His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, the rhythmic sound exceptionally clear in the quiet conference chamber.
Horus turned toward Fulgrim's projection, his voice certain, as though answering a question that needed no debate. "Even you have come to stand beside me. Why wouldn't Lorgar?"
"He is the brother who looks most like Father—we all acknowledge that. His features, his bearing, his innate majesty and warmth. He resembles the Emperor more than any of us. But at his core, he is nothing like the Emperor."
Horus paused and leaned forward slightly, his gaze growing more intent. "The Emperor is hidebound and hypocritical. He is surrounded by those bureaucrats and advisers on Terra, shackled by antiquated laws and traditions, blinded by his own grand narrative of 'serving all humanity.'"
"He has forgotten why we left Terra in the first place, why we launched the Great Crusade."
"It was not to build an even larger bureaucracy, but to liberate humanity, to free mankind from ignorance and oppression."
"But Lorgar is different."
"He pursues justice, freedom, and equality—he liberated the oppressed people of Colchis, established just orders on countless worlds, and spoke up before the Emperor for the weak and helpless."
"He is not the sort of man power and status can corrupt—he has convictions, principles, and lines he will not cross."
He drew a deep breath, then continued with a fervor that seemed meant to convince himself as much as everyone else. "He will understand me. He