In the final days of the Dari rebellion against the Dro'Xaren Ephex, after Nari Arian's apparent assassination and Kathra's ordeal with Saal'Ku, the three old friends who were left the leaders of the only hope of liberating their planet returned to Syrani to either lead their people away into hiding or confront the Ephex. Kathra, Dema, and Jere, along with Eryk Dimitri, who had been stranded with Kathra on Haea during the Saal'Ku ordeal, met with the rest of the Dari at a secret meeting place. However, the location of this hideout had been leaked by a traitor, and the Seekers attacked. Many Dari were killed, including Dema, leaving Kathra and Jere with a desperate situation. On top of that, the Dromi's Son, who was overseeing the extermination of the Dari, had ordered his flagship, the Kora'Chi, over the city to prevent any ship from escaping, and the Seekers scoured the city capturing relatives of known Dari, including Kathra's younger brother, Kiril. Help came in two ways, firstly in the surprise encounter between Kathra and her adopted mother, who had been missing for years, Rieka Tashlion. The rebel-turned brainwashed Seeker voted to help her estranged friends and family and betray the Ephex, and led Kathra to rescue Kiril and then blitz Syrani Palace in hopes of capturing and ransoming the Dromi's Son. The second form of assistance was the hidden Dari fleet, called in by Jere Gaz, to engage the Kora'Chi and buy them time to escape. However, the two plans went horribly awry. Rieka was killed by Saal'Ku in Syrani Palace, and though Kathra reached Reylan, Saal'Ku shot him before the eyes of his father, then proceeded to attack Kathra. And the Dari fleet scored several lucky hits on the underside of the Kora'Chi, which began to lose altitude rapidly, crashing into Syrani Palace. Both Kathra and Saal'Ku were nearly flung out of the building, and their fight was forgotten as they held on for their lives. Kathra lost sight of her adversary, and, despite all odds, she survived. Beaten and bloodied from the the stomach-shaking descent from high in the Palace to the toppled ruins on the jungle floor, her fight with Saal'Ku and a dozen Seekers, Kathra was about to give up and lie down to die in Syrani's undergrowth when her love Eryk arrived, having left Jere and Kiril to facilitate their escape while he helped her get back to them. The two trudged their way through the increasingly dangerous jungle city, avoiding fighting as much as they could, and aided by the beginning of a rainstorm, which covered their tracks and masked their presence from the eyes of the Seekers. Nevertheless, they fought more than one, and with Kathra as close to death as she was, their only weapon was Eryk's small pulse pistol, against the might of the heavily armored, nine foot tall, rifle and sword wielding Seekers that prowled the lower levels of the city.