'Known,' said Horus.

'Ja,' said the warrior king, 'Sorry, I learned your language only five days ago.'

Horus raised an eyebrow at that. It was an impressive feat.

'You know of the Crusade?' said Horus. The room had been set out for a meeting of minds. There were comfortable chairs in the room made for a primarch's stature. They both remained standing.

'I do know of this war. The… Emperor?' he said, again slightly questioningly. 'He has told me what I am, and what I made for.'

'Do you agree with His aims?' said Horus.

'An empire in the stars? Who could not agree with that?' said Leman of the Russ. 'If I did not, I would come along for adventure. No one of the Russ make murder in the Uppland.' Russ held a cup he did not drink from, lightly gripping the rim with his giant's fingers. 'But I have no choice. It is written in my wyrd.'

Horus' face expressed an unspoken question.

Russ searched for an appropriate translation. 'My fate, though it is more than that.'

'We do not believe in fate.'

'This is the Imperial Truth? This the Emperor also says to me on our trip here. An interesting idea,' he said, as if he had evaluated and rejected the concept. 'The Imperial Truth,' he repeated, changing the emphasis as if trying out which way suited him best.

'You do not believe it?' said Horus.

Leman of the Russ shrugged. 'When gods come from the sky and tell you there are no gods, it takes little time to see what is true and what is not.'

'And what do you think is true?'

'I think a believer who ceases to believe when the truth of his world confirms those beliefs is a fool,' he said simply, 'It doesn't matter what gods say. We don't pay much attention to them. They are as drunk and stupid as we.' He grinned.

The warrior knew exactly what Horus thought of him.

Do not underestimate him. The Emperor's words came back to Lupercal.

'That will change,' said Horus. 'You will see that the Imperial Truth is correct. The Emperor is a man, a great man, but He is a man. He is not a god.'

Russ shrugged again and then he drained his cup. 'My people already call Him the Allfather - they believe Him the king of our gods. My warriors out there believe they are in the Oververse, in Uppland.'

'Where?'

'The afterlife,' said Russ with a feral glee, daring Horus to guess whether he believed this himself or not.

'There is no afterlife,' said Horus. 'This place is as real as your world. I am glad to meet you, Leman, King of the Russ. We shall grow to be great comrades, I am sure.' He held out his hand.