It had only been a few days before the warships carrying Sejanus and the others on their diplomatic mission returned from Canopy Star to the XVI Legion's "Shadowmoon Wolves" fleet, stationed in orbit around the outskirts of the Taiwei Star Sector. They immediately held a secret meeting with their Primarch, Horus, and brought him the worst possible result from the negotiations.
Yet, astonishingly, Horus—the commander of the Terran Empire's Expeditionary Fleet Second Fleet, and Primarch and Legion Master of the XVI Legion, the "Shadowmoon Wolves"—did not react strongly.
He did not fly into a rage as everyone had expected, nor did he lose his temper and immediately issue angry orders to engage. Instead, he carried on with his work as usual.
In the days that followed, neither his expression nor his words and actions changed much. He remained as he always was: deep and composed, as if every twist of fate—even the outcome of the negotiations—had been within his expectations.
In any case!
Over the next few days, Horus seemed to become a thoughtful strategist. He quietly arranged everything aboard his flagship, making a few seemingly trivial adjustments to the Astartes of the XVI Legion and its vast fleet, as though he had no intention of reacting to Sejanus's failed negotiations and fruitless return.
However, his composure and confidence did little to dispel the doubts in some people's minds, especially among those who knew the negotiations had broken down.
Sejanus, for one. The Astartes who had accompanied him to Canopy Star, for another. And perhaps Abaddon, who had long harbored resentment?
They all wondered what their Primarch, Horus, was thinking.
Or what he was planning to do.
Those questions hung like a veil of mist over the hearts of every warrior in the XVI Legion who knew even a little