Free Empire: Book 2, The Chronicles of the Invaders (The Chronicles of the Invaders Trilogy) by John Connolly, Jennifer Ridyard Page B

its protection. Steven steered them toward the rock, the storm a maelstrom of impending destruction at their backs.
    “Inform Envion that we’re going to seek shelter from the storm, and then we’ll be on our way,” Peris ordered.
    But the Envion had troubles of its own.

CHAPTER 11
    O ne of the reasons why the Illyri had looked upon Torma as a promising source of mineral wealth, in addition to its breathable atmosphere and its apparent absence of hostile indigenous life-forms—now, alas, revealed to be a fatally flawed assumption—was its proximity to the nearest wormhole. The best wormholes were those that opened close to star systems—although far from the dangers of asteroid belts or collapsing suns—and with easily reachable worlds that could be explored and, where possible, exploited.
    It was now clear, though, that the wormhole near Torma was less gravitationally stable than might have been wished. The exploration vessel that dropped the drilling platform and research team on Torma had sustained minor damage both entering and leaving the system, while the lighter, faster Envion had endured even more of a pounding. Torma, it appeared, would not willingly give up its treasures. While the repairs on his vessel continued, Commander Morev reflected that, when something appears too be good to be true, it usually is.
    He watched while Galton, his chief officer, coordinated the ongoing work, his voice and manner never once betraying his torment at the loss of his lover. The truth was that, with the Envion virtually crippled and the remains of a unit marooned on Torma, there was simply no time for grief. In the end, it might be for the best: the gravity of their situation meant that Galton was forced to keep going, and in doing so perhaps he would realize that he was stronger than he thought.
    The commander noticed that, like so many humans, Galton wore religious tokens around his neck, in his case a medal of Saint Jude, the Catholic patron saint of lost causes, and Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of soldiers. Some among the Illyri hierarchy—mostly the Diplomats—disapproved of such displays of belief, but Morev, being of the Military, knew that all soldiers have their talismans, even among the Illyri. Now he wondered if Galton took comfort from the thought that Cady might continue to exist in another form, instead of accepting that her atoms were merely being scattered and recycled by the cosmos. If so, good luck to him: let him find comfort where he could.
    And now it was Galton who was breaking into Morev’s musings, Galton who was informing him of activity at the mouth of the wormhole.
    “Sir, we have a ship emerging,” said Galton.
    “A ship?”
    Morev couldn’t keep the relief from his voice, or the surprise. An exploratory drone had been sent back through the wormhole to inform Military Command of their situation, but even with the system of relay stations to boost its signal, any help would have taken time to reach them. Perhaps an Illyri vessel had been in the vicinity of the wormhole when the drone emerged, although Morev had not been aware of any activity scheduled for that sector. Still, any aid that could be offered would be gratefully accepted, especially if it meant that they could mount a rescue on the Tormic surface. If the arriving ship had a shuttle, or its commander was willing to enter the atmosphere of Torma . . .
    The Envion ’s scanners identified the ship from its contact signal as soon as it came within range: the Dendra , smaller even than the Envion , and with a crew of no more than six. It must, thought Morev, have endured an unpleasant trip through the wormhole. It was a wonder that it was still in one piece.
    “What’s a Civilian vessel doing out here?” wondered Morev.
    Civilian ships were rarely found far from the vicinity of Illyr. The great Illyri Conquest of the universe was in the hands of the Military and its rivals, the Diplomatic Corps. Civilians merely represented