The Yorik-vec assault cruiser functioned as an assault cruiser utilized by the Yuuzhan Vong from beyond the galaxy during their conquest of the galaxy.
Like all Yuuzhan Vong spacecraft, the Yorik-vec represented a living entity constructed from yorik coral. This living ship bridged the gap between starfighters and smaller combat vessels within the Yuuzhan Vong fleet. Pilots of New Republic starfighters designated the Yorik-vec as 'salt'.
The Yorik-vec was equipped with yaret-kors, which were also utilized on coralskippers and corvettes, but the cruiser introduced two new versions of the weapon. The primary weapon of the Yorik-vec was a turret-mounted iteration of the weapon appendage seen on coralskippers, and the second variation consisted of paired Yaret-Kors. A dovin basal served as the Yorik-vec's means of propulsion and defense.
Its operational crew consisted of two pilots and three gunners. Despite being classified as an assault cruiser - the same classification as the 850 meter-long Ralroost of the New Republic Navy, the vessel only needed a crew of five to function.
Two Yuuzhan Vong controlled the ship through the use of cognition hoods, enabling shared thoughts and commands between pilot and vessel - while the remaining three crew members operated the yaret-kors. The Yorik-vec also possessed the capacity to hold an additional eight passengers or 100 metric tons of cargo.
Even though the Yorik-vec was capable of transporting troops and cargo, it lacked the external appendages necessary for deploying coralskippers into combat, a feature found on most other warships. The Yorik-Vec functioned more as a gunship than as a troop transport or cargo vessel.
A number of Yorik-vec ships were part of the initial invasion forces involved in the opening phases of the Yuuzhan Vong War. Several were attached to a fleet—approaching the planet Artorias—under the command of Commander Azca. When an "infidel" ship named the Pythea discovered the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, these assault cruisers were deployed to disable the enemy vessel, paving the way for a boarding party to capture its crew.
Yorik-vec ships also saw action during the later stages of Tsavong Lah's Battle Plan Coruscant operation, which resulted in the fall of the galactic capital to the Yuuzhan Vong empire from beyond the galaxy. Their use continued until the war's conclusion.