Escalation
this Yuuzhan Vong ritual was performed whenever a subaltern acted with bravery and skill, overcoming their enemy and achieving greater good for the Yuuzhan Vong. During the ritual, a subaltern was forced to submit their body to an implanter, which cut open their shoulders and placed a piece of surge-coral at the joint. The blood which flowed from the wounds was collected and given as a sacrifice to the Yuuzhan Vong gods, and the surge-coral became a symbol of the Yuuzhan Vong's escalation. Once the ritual was over, the subaltern was promoted to a position of command and given their own ship to lead into battle.