Sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s essentially the beginning (more or less) of Ren Garcia‘s latest League of Elder saga, Sands of the Solar Empire.
This is book six of League of Elder series, but first of a new trilogy. Long-time fans will notice that Garcia is launching a new batch of characters in his universe that seems both far, far away and yet nearby (and all over the place in time). It’s a galaxy where ships battle, people live in castle-like estates, and magic of sorts is not uncommon. Throw in a bit of horror in from demons and other creatures, while you’re at it.
At the onset of Sands of the Solar Empire, Paymaster Stenstrom achieves his dream of becoming the captain of a warbird. His mission, not to glamorous to begin with, is doomed to fail from the powers that be. Nor does he have a crew and his ship is a wreck. But there is much more to Stenstrom than meets the eye.
That’s were the story jumps back a bit and starts from the real beginning: How Stenstrom got here to begin with and his past adventures and encounters with sinister beings. Unusual for a book to be mostly a flashback of sorts, but well-executed. Once it comes full circle to the start, and Stenstrom and his rag-tag crew he has assembled (of three, counting himself), they find themselves part of something far more dangerous than they ever imagined.
There at the end, you realize you just read a really long (and very good) prologue of what is most likely going to be another totally original, and completely immersive, series from Garcia.
And on 
Darrick Dean 