Before she can investigate further, Killashandra is kidnapped by rebels from a local chain of islands. Marooned for weeks and left to fend for herself, Killashandra uses her Crystal-enhanced resilience to swim from island to island until she finds an inhabited one, where she comes face to face with her kidnapper, Lars Dahl. Killashandra's arduous swim has so physically altered her that Lars does not recognize her, allowing her to gain his confidence in order to learn why she was kidnapped. Killashandra confirms that the Optherian leaders effectively forbid unhappy citizens from leaving the planet, in violation of Federation law, and that they use the Crystal organ to transmit highly illegal subliminal hallucinations to the population at the seasonal Festivals in order to keep them compliant. The islanders, who are less influenced by the subliminals, made a plan to destroy the organ, then kidnap the Crystal Singer sent to repair it, creating an interplanetary incident that would demand a full investigation.