Operation Darkness: Destiny, or the next worse thing
by Arrek Lorrdain


It had been some days since the attack happened. 
Arrek had felt the ship moving through space and
reckoned that they hadn't travelled very far, perhaps
just outside the system or behind one of the outer
lying planets.  Time had passed slowly and his pain
had quickened to the point of being unbearable. 
Fortunately the aliens had applied some kind of
organism to stop the bleeding, but he knew that if it
wasn't treated properly soon, the infection could kill
him.

There was suddenly a slurping noise as the alien came
into his prison, but with him was a new one, a
different one.  This one looked female, young, a
little like Medusa with the snake hair she had going
and important.  A little trickle of fear went through
Arrek's stomach and threatened to leak out and
immensely embarrass him.  

As she neared he saw that she had eight fingers and a
lot of scars, which covered her forearms, tattoos as
well.  As she came closer he could see that she had no
visible scars on her face, unlike the other alien
hovering in the background.  He looked like he had had
far too little control when shaving and so had mangled
deep furrows into his cheeks. 

Arrek sat there watching with idle curiosity as she
applied some thick gummy substance that smelled like
the insides of a fish to the stump remaining of his
arm and sat back to observe.  At first, Arrek couldn't
really feel anything happening, but then pain stabbed
through his arm as if the substance was coursing
through his veins and attaching itself to his insides.
 Sitting back, he gulped the strange atmosphere he was
in and tried to cope with the pain.  It rippled
through his spine ending in dull thuds in his brain
that sounded like the beats of bad techno remixes.  It
was bearable, but only just.  

The alien who was hovering exited through the membrane
leaving him alone with the female.  Arrek's fear
picked up just that much more and he was scared he'd
start to shake.  Trying to be brave he asked, "Why are
you doing this to me?"  His answer was a stony
silence.  Maybe she didn't speak basic or maybe she
was too busy concentrating on what she was doing to
his arm.  

After a while she said in a rasping tone that made
Arrek jump, "Your arm will heal now and you will not
have to embrace death just yet."  * Comforting* Arrek
thought.  "I am Yan Tao of the mighty Yuuzhan Vong
Shaper caste.  You are mine and will be until your
destiny is complete."

Now Arrek was really scared.  "What do you think my
destiny will be?"  He knew he was trying to sound
brave and nonchalant, but trying and succeeding were
two entirely different things.  Again she said
nothing.

His questions were answered when the other alien came
back with some sharp looking objects and various
unhygienic looking creatures arrayed upon some table
like creature.