Roughly half an hour before Lieutenant Stuart and Ensign Tholakath commenced their attack run on the anomaly; the cargo shuttle had touched down on Vargus III, unloaded its passengers, and retreated to a safe location in orbit; were it would remain until called upon. 

Lieutenant Devron led the way into the tunnel.  In one had he carry the old Dominion War era phaser his Grandfather had left him; it was the only weapon he’d carried since.  In the other hand he held a touch, which he kept well away from his body.  The theory being most people would aim for the source of the light and not where he was standing.  Close behind came crewman Appleby, and Ensign C’Rren, both carried more modern phasers and the young Caitain also had a Padd which currently displayed an image of the tunnel system as detected by the USS Cuyahoga Valley; it wasn’t a complete map, there were still a couple of sections it hadn’t been able to penetrate through the rocks, but at least it was able to guide them in the right direction.  A few paces behind them were crewman N’Quith and Doctor Andrianakis; she was the only member of the rescue team not carrying a weapon.  As a civilian she wasn’t authorised to carry one and as a doctor felt her role was to save lives not take them, so would have chosen not to anyway.  Bringing up the rear was crewman Rahul.

More than an hour they’d walked, totally oblivious to the situation taking place in the sky above them; even as deep down as they currently were, they still felt the ground move, as the shockwave hit above.  A few loose bits of rock and dust fell from the roof of the tunnel, nothing large enough to cause any harm.  It did leave everyone coughing though, so they took a few minutes to drink some water and wash the dust out of their faces. 

After the rest, they pressed on, roughly in the same order as before, other than Appleby and Rahul had swapped places.  Another twenty or so minutes passed before, C’Rren tapped Devron on the shoulder and showed him the screen; several lifeform were coming along the tunnel from the opposite direction.  The Lieutenant signalled for everyone to take cover as best they could and switch their torches off, if like him they were carrying one. 

            ********** 

M’Niia was a fraction ahead, acting as guide for the mixed group of Devore and their scientific prisoners.  The device she held had just picked up six life signs two hundred metres ahead.  She chose however not to warn Assistant Inspector Koryl or his men; who were already pretty on edge, after the ground had shook less than half hour ago. 

She was wondering how best to approach, when a beam of energy from a phaser narrowly missed her, striking a Devore soldier in the arm; before he’d even hit the ground, two of his companions had dropped to one knee and returned fire.  The scientists dropped anything they were carrying, and flung themselves to the ground in total panic.  And M’Niia felt the arms of Koryl drag her to one side. 

“Hold your fire!” Shouted a voice out of the darkness. 

Koryl waved his men to stop, but not lower their weapons.  “You started it Starfleet.” 

“That was a mistake.”  The voice shouted back.

“Try telling that to my man you just killed.” Koryl answered 

“He’s not dead, just stunned.  Trust me on that much” Was the voices reply. “Look I’m coming out, so we can talk face to face.” 

From out of the shadows stepped Lieutenant Devron, unarmed and with his hands above his head, palms facing forward. 

“Thought I’d recognised the voice.” Koryl half smiled, before a more determined expression returned to his face.  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t order my man to cut you down?”

“Why haven’t you already?” Enquired Devron in a slightly condescending manor.

“Oh, you Starfleet think you know everything!” Laughed the Devore Officer without humour.  “You know nothing about me or my people; do you?”

“Then explain it to me?” Asked the Lieutenant calmly. 

“That’s it pretend you care.” Mocked Koryl.  “Your people are like a plague spreading across space; converting everyone to your ideals and ways of thinking.   Sweeping aside anything you don’t like or understand.”

“And what’s so noble about what the Devore Imperium do?”

“We merely protect ourselves from those who seek to undermine us.  Is that so wrong?”

“Your people kill and imprison innocent people.  That’s what’s wrong!”

“And who are you to decide who is innocent or not?” There was a tension in the Devore’s voice that hadn’t been there at the start of the conversation.  A sense that this had turned more personal for him. 

“Who did you lose Koryl?” It was a gamble asking the Devore Officer such a direct and probing question.  But he had no idea if the plan to collapse the aperture had worked.  If it hadn’t, they had less than two hours to get back out of these caves. He needed to resolve this matter quickly, and hopefully without casualties.

The Assistant Inspector did not answer the question posed him, but did clearly look down at the ground, as if recalling some past event in his mind.  “I’ll allow the prisoners to go free.” He waved at them to get up and make their way past the Lieutenant.  The scientist, were a bit reluctant to move at first, fearing it was some sort of trick and they’d all be shot in the back once they moved.  But Devron reassured them it was ok, and they started walking to the relative safety of the section of tunnel occupied by the rest of the rescue team.

Only the young female Caitian remained were she was. Koryl had let go of her a minute or two ago, and it was she who grabbed his free hand, looked him in the eyes and shuck her head. 

“You don’t understand, do you?” He said to her softly.  Those were the same words his mother had used when they’d dragged both his parents away.  How could they have helped people escape from the Imperium, betrayed and endangered their own people, their family, him!  He’d been the one to turn them in, only 15.  That had been a lifetime ago, but the memory still lingered; still dug into his soul. “Return to your people, and you sir, consider this conversation at an end.”

When a minute later; Assistant Inspector Koryl ordered his men to open fire, he stood his ground, weapon held out at arm’s length firing into the darkness before him.  The fight was short lived, the Devore were too much out in the open, with little to no cover and illuminated by the lights they had with them; and yet Koryl, standing proud was the last to fall.

Devron moved forward the old phaser once more in his hand, as he carefully checked on the fallen Devore.  Then he rounded on crewman Rahul.  “Step out of line one more time and you are finished.  Do I make myself clear?” The other man merely gave a begrudging nod, and rubbed the spot on his chin were the Lieutenant had punched him; after the Indian crewman had discharged his weapon. 

            **********

It took the group forty minutes to retrace their steps, with almost everyone lending a hand to carry the limp and lifeless bodies of the Devore; though they were only stunned, it would be some time before any of them came round and longer still before they felt in a fit enough state to walk.  

The air by the cave entrance was noticeable thinner; like being up a mountain rather than in a valley were they actually were.  The winds had abated considerably, so when Devron contacted the cargo shuttle to come pick them up, it was able to do so with much more ease than it had done on its first trip.

The rear door opened, revealing Lieutenant Stuart and Ensign Tholakath.  “Good to see you again.” Shouted Stuart, much louder than necessary now the wind had gone. 

“Why are you shouting?” Ask Devron.

“She’s gone deaf Sir.” Replied Tholakath in a more even tone. “From the shockwave I think” 

“I can’t hear you.” The Orion Yelled. “I think I’ve gone deaf.  From the shockwave” 

“You’d better get yourself checked out by Doctor Andrianakis when we’re back on the ship.” Devron told her.

“I’d better get myself checked out by the Doctor when we get back to the Jax.” Came the loud reply.

“That’s what I said!” Devron had now raised his voice to match hers.

Stuart turned to look at Tholakath. “What’s this sled he’s talking about?”  The Cardassian just ignored her and set about helping get everyone on the shuttle.  A few minutes later, it took off,