Perturabo stepped down onto the flight deck and immediately saw the Warmaster waiting on the landing pad.
His gloomy ice-blue eyes brightened slightly as he walked toward Horus with long strides.
Perturabo stiffly accepted Horus's embrace. As their armor collided, he sensed the immense strength concealed within that powerful body—far greater than he had imagined.
They separated, and Perturabo spoke. "Warmaster."
Horus draped an arm around him warmly. "Perturabo, my brother."
"I have long wished to meet with you—face to face, I mean. Now, at last, we have the chance."
Led by the enthusiastic Horus, Perturabo entered his private chambers.
The doors shut, leaving only the two brothers.
Horus looked at Perturabo across from him. "My brother, something seems to be troubling you."
Perturabo remained silent for several seconds before speaking. "I made an irreparable error."
"What error?" Horus leaned forward, listening intently.
Perturabo looked into Horus's attentive, trusting eyes and hesitated for more than ten seconds before he spoke.
"Olympia rebelled—"
"—That was what happened. My orders nearly destroyed all of Olympia. Four million seven hundred and fifty thousand died because of my orders."
Perturabo calmly described the burden in his heart as he studied Horus's reaction.
He had chosen to see Horus because he had learned of the Warmaster's attitude toward Angron. He hoped to receive the same treatment from the Warmaster.
"What you did was not wrong in the slightest. Traitors must be dealt with through thunderous measures."
"It is a pity you could not attend the celebration of the great victory at Ullanor, though that day was not entirely filled with pleasant memories." Horus spoke with self-mockery.
"You have probably heard that, after the celebration, Angron flew into a rage like an animal trapped in a cage."
"I employed every diplomatic skill I possessed to soothe