A/N: The Sushchnost Gryzt'ador was originally called the Soul Eater. The new name sounds Yuuzhan Vong, which sounds a bit Russian. Sushchnost is Russian for spirit, or soul. Gryzt is Russian for chomp, or aggressively eat. Ador is a Spanish suffix equivalent to er. Thus Gryzt'ador sort of means Eater.

Tsentr is Russian for Center.

Helska system

Though the fourth world of the Helska system had been melted and shattered almost three decades ago, the pull of gravity had more or less reassembled the frozen world. The shell of ice surrounding this orb of water was thicker than it had once been, as the reformed planet was even colder than it had once been. Within the frozen outer layer slumbered something horrible. Something that never should have survived.

A single flash of what resembled dull light appeared near the orb, having been pulled from hyperspace by its gravity well. But careful enough observation, with the appropriate equipment, would have revealed there to be something not quite right about this light. A telescope would have seen the stars beyond the flash dim ever so slightly. The flash may have masqueraded as light, but it was, in fact, darkness. A fighter-sized craft quickly replaced this contradictory anomaly.

The craft sent a signal back into hyperspace. And a moment later hundreds of flashes of shadow came to what could not be considered life. Great armored demons replaced them.

Sushchnost Gryzt'ador

The bridge of the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador was like a massive, hollowed out chest cavity. The cavern was cast in a dead orange mockery of light. Attached to the inside of the cavern, following the curvature thereof, were large sheets of skin in the shape of elongated ovals. They had darkened to black, and were studded with small silver-white bumps. A sheet of skin at the front of the bridge depicted, in raised relief, a pale circle of white and blue.

Zombified muscles in Yun Yuuzhan's face twitched, longing to fashion a smile. But with the mouth lacking lips, the expression only reached the corners of his blazing green eyes. Etched into his skull, upon his skinless slightly sloped forehead, was an upside down star within a circle. A symbol of an unholy pact made in foolish desperation.

A pair of large crab claws had long since erupted from his temples, and functioned as horns. The longer parts curved out from his temples, while the shorter parts were a third the length that curved forward. Above each shoulder was was a similar crab claw. And hanging from his back was a cape; it held on to where the claws grew from his shoulders with its own pair of claws. The claws started as a pale orange at the base, and darkened to black at the ends. The Vonduun crab armor in which he was permanently encased was a rusty orange and was covered with cactus-like spines.

Yun Yuuzhan stood and walked over to the view-skin depicting the icy planet. "The reason the Aether sent us here must be on that world," came the calm rumbling roar of his voice. He focused his mind on the textured white-blue circle; an inky blackness seeped from his pupils, dimming his green eyes and darkening the whites of his eyes. His mind became one with the appropriate sensory pit on the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador's carapace. Yun Yuuzhan's perception went down to the icy planet, and searched for any whisper of life. After a few minutes, he found... something. The faintest flicker, but a flicker nonetheless.

Yun Yuuzhan's eyes became almost completely black as he pounced upon this sign of life like a ravenous predator, to determine just what it was. The creature had the genetic sequence bestowed by the Aether, which allowed creatures to be easily transformed. It was a creation of the Vong; the lesser Vong must have created this type of creature as Yun Yuuzhan did not recognize it. Though its mind was frozen in unconsciousness he could sense that it was vastly intelligent, but not necessarily sentient. And it was very wicked; that would be helpful. While not his primary quarry, this creature might be able to help him find it. His eyes nearly returned to their normal state as he reached up the large crab claw that served as his right hand, and carefully tapped the tip of the longer segment against the circle. A tiny green dot appeared there in response.

Yun Yuuzhan turned to his second in command, who stood by the view-skin. This man's crab armor helmet was affixed around his head, hiding all but his glowing red eyes. Set into the helmet, near each temple, was a crustacean-like stalk eye. Serving as his lower jaw was a pair of crab-like mandibles. His collar bones had long since grown into crab legs and burst through his armor. A crab leg also protruded from his elbows and knees. His armor was an ashy gray in color, lightening to white in some areas, and darkening to black in others. It had a slightly rough and bumpy texture. "Belek tiu," he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Take the bridge, Mol Ech, and carefully melt the ice from around the creature. I shall meet with it, and sanctify it."

A stalk-eye briefly poked out from its niche, in place of a raised eyebrow. Yun Yuuzhan would do anything but sanctify it. "Yes, Yun." Mol Ech turned toward the spinal column with splayed out ribs that served as the command chair.

Yun Yuuzhan sensed Mol Ech drawing upon the Aether, and becoming one with the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador, as he jogged over to the left wall of the bridge. Dozens of spikes on the Leviathan's carapace oriented themselves toward the area indicated by the green dot. Tongues of sickly looking purple energy, that created darkness, plunged into the ice. Water vapor rose up into the thin air.

Yun Yuuzhan pressed his left index finger against a small nodule, prompting a vertical slit to appear in the side of the cavern, and open into an oval doorway. He walked out into a curved corridor. Waiting for him was a pair of warriors, a male and a female. Their armor was less elaborate, and a dark green-brown reminiscent of rotting vegetation. They crossed their arms over their chests. "Belek tiu," they said in unison.

"I need transport planetside." The two warriors led him through a curved corridor where another doorway opened in the wall. The three entered a small circular room. The woman pushed one of multiple nodes; Yun Yuuzhan felt lighter as what was, in fact, a lift pod accelerated downward. It came to an abrupt halt seconds later, and released the trio.

The Sushchnost Gryzt'ador's purplish energy beams had edged closer to the creature. To avoid harming the creature, the weapons fire powered down considerably and became very pale. The ice now merely melted to warm water.

A few corridors later Yun Yuuzhan and the two warriors came to one of the hangars. Waiting for them were several barrel-shaped transport craft. They were a glossy black, and tipped by a roughly conical mess of serrated fangs. Each transport rested upon sat on the deck, each upon three crustacean-like landing legs. The group came to the front of one of these craft. Its fangs parted, leaving an eight foot diameter hole. Beyond the hole was another, smaller, cone of fangs. This opened into a six foot diameter hole, leading to the passenger compartment. The three climbed in; Yun Yuuzhan and the woman sat down on the left and right benches, respectively, to balance the weight, while the man went to the pilot's station in the rear. The pilot's hands deftly worked the various nodules.

The dovin basals set into the underside of the transport came to life, lifting it into the air. The legs bent up into the underside, and the more powerful dovin basals on the rear launched the craft out into space. The craft rocketed through the frozen planet's nearly nonexistent atmosphere, and landed on a small island of ice left by the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador's weapons.

Yun Yuuzhan walked to the front of the passenger compartment. Just behind him was a brief shimmer of air, as that same purple energy formed a barrier. This energy bulged slightly toward him, as the air surrounding him was pulled into the rest of the passenger compartment. Yun Yuuzhan did not suffocate, as the dead have no need to breath. Nor did a corpse with no internal pressures explode in a vacuum.

Both sets of fangs opened, allowing in a frigid burst of air. It would have been painful to many living beings, but Yun Yuuzhan found it refreshing. Barely a sound was made as his crustacean-like feet contacted the ice. He peered through the still warm water to see a round reddish mass that must have been nearly fifty feet across within the basin of ice carved out by the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador's weapons. He jumped down into the water. It seeped beneath his armor. And then into his mouth, but it did not enter his throat as it was permanently closed off by a flap of mummified flesh. Water also went into his nose and sinuses.

Reaching out to the Aether, Yun Yuuzhan pulled himself over to the creature. It resembled a disembodied head. The face was covered in intricate ridges, and had an extra eye set within the forehead. Between the other two eyes was a large blue vein. Tentacles served as a lower face, and hundreds of tentacles hung from where a neck would have been like entrails. The ends of some of these appendages were still trapped by the ice. Yun Yuuzhan's eyes darkened as he focused the power of the Aether on the ice, causing it to crack.

He placed his hand on the creature's vein, pushing his mind into its mind. The creature's brain came to life in a flurry of neural activity. A large, slightly curved tooth, most likely to break through hard materials, pushed its way out from the creature's lower face. It must have been reflexive. The creature then reached into his mind, before quickly pulling back. It was telepathic. Excellent! What are you?

Yammosk. Made in likeness of Yun Yammka.

Yun Yuuzhan resisted the urge to laugh. Yun Yammka had been a Vong man, not... this!

God of war, the yammosk went on, oblivious to Yun Yuuzhan's inner monologue. This creature believed Yun Yammka was a deity. Had 'Yun' somehow been mistranslated by the Vong to 'god'?

Coordinate war fleet. It was the organic equivalent of a battle analysis computer, then. Yun Yuuzhan could certainly use that!

What are you? The yammosk inquired.

Yun Yuuzhan.

The yammosk responded with a mixture of awe and fear. Greatest of the gods. Creator of the universe. Yun Yuuzhan saw a Vong man cutting out pieces of his own flesh and casting them into a great empty void. The bits of flesh began to spin, and turned into galaxies. He could scarcely believe what he'd become to the lesser Vong. They worshiped him.

I have much work for you to do, yammosk. And I shall give you the means to do it. You shall be changed.

Still touching the yammosk, Yun Yuuzhan gathered the power of the Aether about him. Again his eyes turned pitched black. A telepathic shriek of horror exploded into Yun Yuuzhan's mind, as the creature was poisoned. Your agony will make you better. It will make you great. Agony is good. It is divine.

Fractures began to form along the length of the yammosk's tooth. These fissures widened as a slightly curved inner tooth pushed its way out. The same happened to this second tooth as a third pushed its way out. What was once a tooth had now grown into a horn. Some of its tentacles wrapped around each other to become thicker, stronger tentacles. Razor sharp barbs and hooks grew from these tentacles.

The unseen change within, however, was far more profound. The yammosk's heart stopped pumping blood through its body, and its lungs ceased exchanging old stale air for new fresh air. Neural activity gradually faded away as it suffocated and died. Yet, through the power of the Aether, it retained its awareness and intellect.

I shall soon take you to your new home. Yun Yuuzhan brought his attention to the small villip (communication device) implanted in his chest. It shuddered softly as it came awake. Mol Ech, prepare the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador to retrieve myself and our new friend through the beak. It would translate to audible speech through Mol Ech's implanted villip.

"And into the core chamber, Yun?" Mol Ech assumed.

"Yes. Proceed." Yun Yuuzhan turned his thoughts to the transport and its onboard villip. Return to the Sushchnost Gryzt'ador.

"Yes, Yun," responded the pilot. The barrel-shaped vessel's legs folded up into its body as it lifted into the air. It disappeared into the sky moments later.

The great Leviathan corpse came into view, and loomed ever larger as it approached. Its enormous beak opened, revealing a secondary beak beyond, which also opened. Night seemed to dawn as both beaks dipped beneath the water, around Yun Yuuzhan and the yammosk.

Yun Yuuzhan telekinetically floated the yammosk into a tunnel that had once served as throat. Behind him, the water drained out from the beaks before they closed. The throat was lined with ever smaller onyx-colored plates for crushing increasingly fine bits of space rock and alloys. Crew members politely moved out of Yun Yuuzhan's way as he transported the yammosk. One of his underlings, a man named Naz Ca, scrambled ahead of him to the end of the tunnel and fingered a small nodule. A slit opened into a large circular hole, allowing Yun Yuuzhan and his cargo into a slightly bulbous compartment that had once been the main stomach. With the push of yet another nodule Naz Ca opened a passage at the rear of the stomach.

This passage had been grown into place by the power of the Aether, and was not part of the Leviathan's original anatomy. It was similar to the throat, but lacked the grinding plates. The group passed many intersections before reaching the end of the tunnel, where Naz Ca opened a third and final doorway. Beyond a was an enormous, spherical chamber. Thousands of years ago, before this Leviathan had been remade, a radiant orb of light green had floated within this space. This tsentr had been the Leviathan's power source, and had pumped its incredible Force energy throughout the creature's starship-sized body. Hundreds of thousands of pores, of varying sizes, lined the inside of this chamber in order to drink up this energy. The tsentr had also contained the Leviathan's long departed soul.

Yun Yuuzhan thought back to the first tsentr he'd ever seen. He'd come across a Leviathan that had apparently been blasted apart during a vicious battle. A horrific wound had been burned through the creature, through which the glow of the tsentr could be seen.

Naz Ca glanced at Yun Yuuzhan and crossed his arms, "Belek tiu, Yun Yuuzhan?"

"You may observe, if you have no pressing duties, Naz Ca," Yun Yuuzhan said pleasantly.

"Thank you, Yun Yuuzhan."

"This creature is a yammosk," Yun Yuuzhan floated it to the center of the spherical chamber. He would have to be careful how he spoke around the yammosk. It could not learn that he was something other than a god, lest it try to expose him as a fraud to the lesser Vong. "The Yuuzhan Vong who came to this Promised Galaxy before us used yammosks to coordinate their fleets."

"Your divine army uses the Aether, which is the power of your presence, to coordinate your fleets, Highest of the Yun'o (means gods, 'o-denotes the plural)," Naz Ca stated, smartly playing along with Yun Yuuzhan.

"Indeed, my son. Those who came before us have gone astray from my presence, and have thus been forced to rely on other means to coordinate their fleets. I shall combine these coordination methods." The yammosk turned upside down. Its tentacles began making contact with the pores, and wriggling partway into them.

"Behold as the Holy Yun Yuuzhan repurposes that which has been wrought," Naz Ca intoned theatrically. This fool was quite amusing at times. He practically worshiped Yun Yuuzhan.

"The yammosk must be secured a bit better," Yun Yuuzhan explained. "I shall work 'that which had been wrought', rather than create from nothing." He turned to Naz Ca. "How would you approach this, Naz Ca?"

"More tentacles are needed. One could create ridges on the head. And then... those ridges could detach, but remain connected to the head by one end."

"Perhaps you would like to try that?" Yun Yuuzhan suggested.

"You would do as I would?"

"What else would make more sense?"

"Nothing, I suppose," Naz Ca agreed. He turned his attention to the yammosk. He began to gesture carefully with his hands, and his green eyes turned black. Ridges of reddish flesh began to slowly erupt like mountain ranges. The ridges began to part from the yammosk. "Don't fall off," he murmured to himself. The new tentacles flopped downward, but remained attached.

"Very good, my son. Now what?"

"The tentacles go in the pores."

"And?"

Naz Ca seemed to mull it over. "The tentacles must be anchored," he reasoned. As he spoke mismatched hooks and teeth grew from the ends of the tentacles. They plunged into the pores, and were held fast by the makeshift barbs. He was breathing heavily, now. "How did I do, Yun Yuuzhan?"

"Excellently. You are growing powerful. Perhaps some day soon you will be ready for the Enlightenment. To transcend your current state," Yun Yuuzhan said.

"I would be so honored," Naz Ca said, a slight tremble to his voice. The jester would be about as honored as Mol Ech had been when he had received Enlightenment.

"I must stay here with the yammosk awhile, to bond with it. Then, perhaps, I can find my ancient foe who through apathy refused to act when action was needed."

"Cursed be Sekot, the Founder of Lies!" Naz Ca exclaimed.

A/N: Yun Yuuzhan doesn't consider the NJO Vong to be his children or followers, hence the term 'lesser Vong'.