Sauron's loyalty after the First Age

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Boromir88

Where, simply put, it's very difficult for one evil to be loyal to another evil. I mean would one argue that Orcs had a strong sense of loyalty to Morgoth, or Sauron?

I think this is the issue. Evidently Sauron admired Morgoth at first, before either of them had wholly fallen into evil, but it would seem to me that as both of them descended into darkness Sauron would have become incapable of this kind of positivity. Professor Tolkien certainly casts doubt upon the "shadow of good" in Sauron's nature by the time of the downfall of Númenor. He "profited by this darkened shadow of good and services of ‘worshippers’" - it had become part of his nature to twist anything, even apparent acts of humility, to his own gain. It's hard to imagine Sauron in the Third Age, who evidently loved no one but himself, still feeling any affection for Morgoth or devotion to his cause.