On the home world of the Ra, Jun'Ca, High Priest of the Ca'Ra of the First Order, waited alone nervously in the heart of the Forbidden Temple, outside the hidden Hall of the Dark Master, waiting for the Dark One's command to enter. Jun'Ca was actually relieved to be called into the presence of his Dark Master; it had been more than a hundred days since the last such call, and the Ca'Ra were in dire need of The Master's guidance.
Since the failure of the Earth mission, Ra was in turmoil. The Ra had managed to barely retain their Galactic League membership through a proliferation of talented lies and deception, but they were put officially 'on probation'. Their operations were now hampered greatly by the red tape implied by this form of second class Galactic citizenship.
Even worse, the Galactic League was cracking down on illegal Ra operations all over the Galaxy, aided by Earth police methods and personnel. The damned humans already had full League membership, and were suddenly everywhere! With their psy talents, the humans were an even worse threat than the Na'Ra had feared.
Of even greater concern to Jun'Ca at the moment however, was the odd reaction and behavior of the Dark One. The High Priest was usually able to predict the Master's reactions to some degree; that's how he had remained alive as the top Ca' Ra for so long. Still, he was glad that he was wrong about his expectations with regard to the failure of the Dannos event. The Dark One didn't kill him outright when he brought the news of the failed Earth mission to him. In fact, Jun'Ca had the strangest impression that The Master already knew of the failure.
Then there was the mysterious appearance and disappearance of Twi'Na to consider. A year after the Earth mission failure, a Gorag freighter coming from Earth had discovered a small Ra Warren ship escape pod orbiting the Earth, and demanded an exorbitant fee for its secret return to Ra. Everyone was picking on the Ra nowadays, even the fat, placid Gorag.
The pod contained a single Ra, preserved in stasis. Once revived, Twig would have been promptly executed by the Na'Ra, had it not been for her insistence that she had valuable information for the Ca'Ra. The insolent Twig then proceeded to talk her way up the Ca'Ra ranks all the way to the High Ca'Ra, Jun'Ca! When the impudent Na'Ra refused even to talk to Jun'Ca, other than to demand an audience with The Dark Master, Jun'Ca nearly killed her himself. How had a mere Na'Ra learned of the existence of The Master? That information alone would ordinarily be a death sentence. But ultimately, just as the lower echelon Ca'Ra had done, Jun'Ca passed her along to the next and only one higher in rank: The Dark Master himself!
Jun'Ca remembered well Twi'Na's entry into the Dark One's Hall. Twig carried with her several items that she had retrieved from Earth, including recording devices and a piece of what looked like white plastic. Jun'Ca had fought back laughter. Did this fool think that such trinkets would save her? Twi’Na should have herself demanded that the first Ra she encountered kill and eat her outright! None but the highest in Ca'Ra rank had ever seen the Master and lived, and Jun'Ca rather looked forward to the spectacle of The Master tearing this young fool Na'Ra to pieces.
But then the impossible happened. The Master took one look at Twig and dismissed Jun'Ca from the hall. When Jun'Ca was at last bidden to re-enter a few minutes later, Twig was gone! There were not even any remains to clean up.
"She has been called to other duty!” stated the Master enigmatically. "You will be told more when the time comes!” That had been more than an Earth-year ago, and Twi'Na hadn't been seen or heard of since.
"Come to me now, Jun'Ca!” came the Master's voice from the formless dark mist in the huge cavern. "Rejoice Jun'Ca, for this day brings a new beginning! No longer will the Ca' Ra control the weak Na'Ra from the shadows, or slink away from the Galactic League and their new champions, the humans! I have prepared the way to strike the humans on their home world, for I have now sent there the first of my new Dark Knights, the one once known to the humans as Twig, to seek vengeance!”
Jun'Ca was overjoyed to hear that vengeance would soon be carried out against the humans, but confused on many matters. Exactly what was a 'Dark Knight', how had Twi’Na become one, and how had she then gotten to Earth?
"When my other Knights have been put in place and I have at last destroyed my rival Quaxantos, your Galactic League and all the Multiverse will be at my tender mercy. You, Jun'Ca, will now have the honor of being only the second Ra to ever see your Master's true form, and of becoming the second of your Master's Dark Knights! Tell me Jun'Ca, do not the Ra have myths and legends of The One? And about great beings called dragons that descended from The One? And of one black dragon greater than the others called The Destroyer?"
As The Master spoke, the mists began to clear, revealing a gigantic reptilian head, black as pitch, held up above the midst of the cavern on a titanic black neck! Jun'Ca stood in shock as the head came closer and closer to him, staring at him with red eyes, held aloft by what seemed to be an endless neck! Then the huge jaws opened, and from between black teeth shot a dozen meters of black tongue thicker than the Ra's body. In moments, terrified Jun'Ca was grasped by the great tongue and pulled screaming into the dragon's mouth.