Prologue.
Captain Baraga could hear music with words which were unknown to him. The music resembled an strangely familiar tune which he couldn't make sense of. After a few moments he remembered where he had heard music somewhat similar to this one before. That was back home at Bakkah, where he was from. He could remember the similar sounding instruments as well as the general tune even though the language was completely different. As a child he had heard the performance of famous opera The Temptations of Assus Farn with his family. Famous tale of an Jedi knight who eventually fell in love to his padawan and paid the prize. As a small boy, he didn't cared about the performance at all, it was boring and way too long for his taste. Then again, most boys of that age didn't care anything else than playing starfighter pilots, jedi's and heroes of the universe. Still, the memory of that particular night had somehow surfaced just now, while he stared towards the stairs where the music came from.
The command deck of the battlecruiser Invictus was the size of an concert hall. Hall, which was currently used for such purpose. Before the stairs captain Baraga could see the performers, old overweighted blue skinned Twi'lek male wearing a dark red robe, two young red skinned female Togrutas playing odd looking flute like instruments. Baraga could also see one brown skinned human female who was playing an instrument which looked like a combination between a harp and some sort of an horn. All of the females where dressed into well crafted blue robes which had golden stripes running over their surface in odd patterns. He didn't knew their names, nor cared. All what he desired from them was to get rid of them, but that wasn't about to happen, a fact which angered him.
The tempo of the music became chaotic and the singer began to shout out loudly odd words, which made no sense to Baraga. Exertion of the performance could clearly be seen from the skin of the Twi'lek as drops of sweat began to form on it. The alien opera was heard all around the bridge and captain Baraga could see that the crewmembers who observed the different panels, from which the Invictus gave information to them, where transferring information to each other with slight shouts. They were clearly careful as they didn't want nor dared to bother the single person, observing the performance from high above the stairs. A person who sat on a black bench which was more of a throne than a bench. Above the bridge's crew, observing all of its surroundings. There were two grey furred canine beast sitting, one on each side of the bench.
Captain Baraga knew too well, who this person was and because of that he didn't order the performers to be arrested and thrown to the brig from disturbing the peace on the bridge. He didn't dare even to think what would happen if he would do such an act. He quickly began to suppress the anger this performance caused from his mind, while he glanced upwards. As if his anger would have caused a reaction, the person above glanced back briefly. Captain Baraga quickly lowered his gaze, but noticed an brief, predatory smile forming on the lips of the fair skinned, bald female who sat there. After a moment of suppressing his anger, captain Baraga looked up again carefully, trying to observe the mood of his mistress.
He noticed that attention of his mistress had turned towards the performers again, as if he didn't pose anything of interest no longer. Baraga observed his mistress for a brief moment. He noticed that the thin Rattataki female was wearing a black skirt which began from her waist and which was cut so that it would allow her great mobility if needed be. Only the tips of her dark shoes could be seen under her long skirt, her upper body was covered with grey shirt which held itself tightly against her thin form. The fabric of her clothes was exquisite, clearly hand made from the finest materials, with great skill. That much was certain even in Baragas unfashionable mind. The only part of her body which weren't covered with fabric where her hands and her head. Baraga noticed that his mistress was sliding her right hand fingers absent mindedly over the neck of the large canine beast on her right side. The beast seemed to like the attention. The face of his mistress was emotionless while she observed the performance. Her white skin was contrasted by the dark make-up which she had on her lips and around her eyes.
She looked young as she would be between 20 to 25 human years. He knew this to be deceiving. The young, innocent looking Rattataki girl he looked at was at least over 120 years old. That much he knew for sure from the rumors which began to spread around the ship after her arrival. The very same day he and his command crew got a transfer orders to the Invictus. The same orders which subjucated them under her command. Under the command of a Dark Lord Ephialtes. Dark Lady, not a Dark Lord, Baraga reminded himself. It was made clear to him to address her with that title by his superiors as a personal request from the Dark Lady. He didn't felt like trying out what would happen if he would forget this. So far the Dark Lady had been polite, even friendly towards him the few times they have exchanged words, but he knew the reputation of the Dark Lords and didn't wait eagerly for the day when they would see the inevitable reasons for that reputation.
He knew that the Dark Lady had gained the command on the Invictus by killing it's previous ruler Dark Lord Frastis in a duel. He wasn't there to witness the duel, but the aftermath of it could still be seen on the bridge. Buckled armor plates, blackened sections of walls and the floor, crushed statues, neat burn marks around the walls and the doorway. The most disturbing evidence was broken lightsaber which lie on the fourth step. While other repairs had began, it had laid there as long as Baraga had been aboard and no-one seemed eager to go and move it away.
Captain Baraga allowed himself to glance his mistress one final time, before turning away. He noticed that Dark Lady wasn't looking at the performance no longer. She seemed to turn round, damaged metal necklace on her left fingers and she looked towards it with an conflicted look on her face. The look staid on her face only mere moments, before it was replaced with that pleasant look she wore most of the time.
He turned his back to the cacophony of alien words and music and began to walk towards his first officer. After all, he had a journey to plan ahead from Korriban and what a journey it would be.
