Nuru Kungurama

"But...now I don't understand. You travelled days to track me down, just to warn me that someone might try to take over the galaxy, and then you leave?''" "''It seems you understand perfectly."

- Nuru Kungurama to Sev'eere'nuruodo

Kung'urama'nuruodo, with the core name Nuru Kungurama, was a male Chiss Jedi Padawan in the waning years of the Galactic Republic. He was found in the Outer Rim Territories in an escape pod and was brought to Coruscant to train as a Jedi. His first master, Lanchu Skaa, was lost at the first battle of the Clone Wars in 21 BBY. In 21 BBY, Kungurama participated in the mission to Kynachi, in which he stowed away on a transport and pursued the mission without the consent of his Master Ring-Sol Ambase. Upon its arrival on Kynachi, the transport was fired upon by Separatist starfighters; Kungurama and Master Ambase stowed aboard separate escape pods. During the search for his master, who had become missing, Kungurama became the Jedi Commander of Breakout Squad, a group of clone troopers on the mission. Kungurama and Breakout Squad joined with a mysterious bounty hunter who said he knew how to find Ambase. Breakout Squad and Kugnurama battled with the Separatist forces on the planet and liberated the prisoners from the KynachTech factory prison. Kungurama and the bounty hunter then parted ways after the mission, and Kungurama did not succeed in finding Ambase. Breakout Squad received a lift off the planet from Captain Lalo Gunn and her navigation droid Cleaver on her starship Hasty Harpy.

After the mission, Kungurama and Breakout Squad was assigned by Jedi Grand Master Yoda to meet a Chiss ambassador. They received coordinates to arrive at Defence Force Station Ifpe'a and there met the Chiss representative, Aristocra Veeren. The negotiations were cut short because of Veeren's distrust of outsiders, even a fellow Chiss, and Kungurama's inexperience. As the Hasty Harpy prepared to leave, the station was attacked by the forces of Overseer Umbrag. Veeren was knoced unconscious and Kungurama ordered that she be brought on board. When she later woke up, she thought she had been kidnapped, though Kungurama tried to tell her the station had been destroyed. Later the Hasty Harpy was brought out of hyperspace by a black hole. There they met a gang of pirates. When they found out Kungurama was a Jedi, they asked him to help them escape using an ancient Infinity Gate artifact. Kungurama was successful, and Breakout Squad continued on its voyage to Coruscant.

Back in hyperspace, Kungurama was contacted via hypercomm by the Republic's Supreme Chancellor, Palpatine, who asked him to escort Kynachi's Commissioner, Langu Sommilor to Coruscant. Kungurama agreed to meet him on Vaced. The Hasty Harpy arrived first, and Kungurama went to greet the Commissioner when he landed. Suddenly Commissioner Sommilor was hit by a sniper. Kungurama stole a swoop, and joined by a giant alien, chased after the sniper, a Mandalorian, into Shattered Rock canyon. After a protacted duel, Kungurama was rescued by Breakout Squad, but the Mandalorian damaged the Hasty Harpy with a missile before he appeared to perish when the Hasty Harpy destroyed his vessel. The Hasty Harpy crashed, and Kungurama and Breakout Squad parted ways with Captain Gunn. Breakout Squad, along with Gizz and Cleaver, took Sommilor's TL-1800 freighter to search down clues for Kungurama's missing master.

Breakout Squad arrived at Bilbringi Depot and liberated it from Overseer Umbrag, capturing the Techno Union offical. Then Veeren suddenly arrived to inform them that her analysis of recent events indicated someone was manipulating Kungurama. After ordering him to keep this information secret, she left. Her ship was then accidentally destroyed by another vessel, one piloted by Master Ambase. Ambase's ship fled the area while a battle droid distracted Kungurama.

After returning from Bilbringi Depot, Breakout Squad was assigned to go to Affa to escort supply ships belonging to Noggox the Hutt. When Breakout Squad arrived, they found that Noggox had been assassinated. Kungurama said they would stay until they found out what had happened.

Early life as a Jedi
Kung'urama'nuruodo was found by the Jedi Order as an infant in an escape pod floating somewhere in the Outer Rim. The Jedi that found him were Ring-Sol Ambase and Dooku, prior to the latter's fall to the dark side of the Force. The Jedi misheard the capsule saying his name, and he was called Nuru Kungurama. He was then taken to the Jedi Temple on the galactic capital of Coruscant where he was raised and trained in the Jedi arts.

Kungurama was originally trained under the guidance of Jedi Master Lanchu Skaa until his master's disappearance at the start of the Clone Wars. Master Skaa was part of the Jedi task force sent to Geonosis to rescue Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala from the Separatist leaders just prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Nuru was too young to accompany his master and was forced to remain at the Temple on Coruscant. Master Skaa fought in the Battle of Geonosis, but did not return. Kungurama was then apprenticed to Jedi Master Ring-Sol Ambase.

Mission to Kynachi
Eleven years after Kungurama's discovery, a squad of clone trooper "shinies" under the charge of Clone Captain Lock were dispatched from the Republic Star Destroyer Demolisher to sort through the wreckage of the Separatist heavy cruiser Malevolence, which had previously been sabotaged and crashed into a moon by Anakin Skywalker. Republic intelligence reports indicated that the Malevolence had been constructed at the Pammant Docks by the Free Dac Volunteers Engineering Corps, part of the Quarren Isolation League. The clone reconnaissance and recovery mission confirmed this report. Exotic circuitry was also discovered, however, among the debris. This on-board circuitry was delivered to Jedi General Ring-Sol Ambase, who brought it directly to Supreme Chancellor Palpatine on Coruscant. It was the Jedi Master's very firm conclusion that the circuitry was manufactured by KynachTech Industries on the planet Kynachi, which was previously believed to manufacture it's unique brand of technology solely for peaceful purposes. Though Kynachi had isolated itself and severed all ties with the Republic ten years earlier, the existence of their circuitry aboard the Malevolence came as a grave surprise. Given that Ambase was born Kynachi and had studied his home planet and people extensively, Palpatine asked Ambase to undertake a secret mission to Kynachi to discover the true nature of what was going on there.

Returning to the Jedi Temple, Ambase informed his newly-appointed Padawan Nuru Kungurama of his imminent departure and that the apprentice would not be joining him. As Ambase left for the hangar, Kungurama experienced a strong sensation in the Force that this new Master, like his previous Master Skaa, would also not return from his mission. In the hopes of preventing such events from transpiring, Nuru used the Force to influence a clone trooper and stow away on the freighter the task force was using to infiltrate Kynachi. Upon its arrival, the freighter was fired upon by Separatist forces. Ambase and Kungurama went into different escape pods.

The two groups became scattered and crash-landed their escape pods and were almost immediately beset on the cold and rainy planet by native crustacean creatures and more Vulture droids. Kungurama's group attempted to continue the mission while also trying to discover what happened to General Ambase and his group. Along the way, they were assisted by grounded smuggler-turned-diner-owner Lalo Gunn and beguiled by an unusually helpful ally in the bounty hunter Cad Bane, who was under unknown orders from Darth Sidious. Gunn's navigator droid Teejay was destroyed by droid commandos, who, unknown to the Republic forces, were tipped off by Bane. After taking out the droids and based upon information of Ambase's whereabouts from the bounty hunter, Kungurama, Gunn, and the clones plotted a prison break that involved combining a droid commando body with Teejay's brain. The droid was renamed Cleaver.

By holocomm, Yoda was displeased with Nuru's unauthorized absence from the Temple and his stowing away with the task force, but asked him to leave immediately to meet a Chiss ambassador. Lalo Gunn and Cleaver volunteered take the squad in their freighter, the Hasty Harpy.

Black Hole Gang
Shortly afterward, the Hasty Harpy arrived in Chiss space and received coordinates to go to Defence Force Station Ifpe'a. Once there, Breakout Squad was met by the ambassador, Aristocra Sev'eere'nuruodo, with the core name Veeren. It became apparent to her that Kungurama was completely different from a "normal" Chiss and that he didn't have any experience as an ambassador. Veeren decided to cut their conservation short and explained that the Chiss would stay neutral in the Clone Wars. Afterwards, she dismissed Kungurama and Breakout Squad, but not before telling him that the Jedi had misheard the recording which provided his name; his real name was Kung'urama'nuruodo. As the Hasty Harpy prepared to depart, the space station was attacked by forces of Confederacy of Independent Systems. Kungurama ordered the squad to return to the Hasty Harpy. Veeren was knocked unconscious and brought onboard. When she awoke, Veeren ignored the efforts of Kungurama and Gunn to explain the "kidnapping," as Veeren saw it, and would not believe that the station had been destroyed.

After some time in hyperspace an unexpected anomaly caused the Hasty Harpy to withdraw from hyperspace. After checking the notifications the crew discovered a black hole holding them, and a few minutes later they also spotted a group of pirates. Kungurama and Gunn succeeded in persuading Veeren to cooperate. But the pirates didn't want to rob them; on the contrary the pirate's leader Hethra Mcgrrrr asked them to join the Black Hole Pirates, because no one could leave the system through the pull of a nearby black hole. Gunn accepted the offer. When the pirates learned that Kungurama was a Jedi, they hoped to free their ships from the pull of the black hole which prevented the jump to hyperspace. Now the pirates wanted to use an Infinity Gate, which two marooned Sullustan archeologists had discovered to leave the system. On Plundermoon Kungurama activated the Gate and the Hasty Harpy jumped back to Defence Force Station Ifpe'a, where the fleet of pirate ships defeated Overseer Umbrag and his Techno Union armada. Veeren then left Kungurama and Breakout Squad.

Mission to Vaced
"That guy I saw taking off on a speeder bike. He a friend of yours?''" "He's a sniper. He just shot some people. I took the swoop to go after him." "''I got a bone to pick with him, too, so shove over!"

- Gizz and Nuru Kungurama

After leaving the Black Hole Pirates, the Hasty Harpy set a course through hyperspace to return to Coruscant. En route Kungurama was meditating while the rest of the crew did other tasks; during the voyage they were contacted via hypercomm by Republic Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and Jedi Grand Master Yoda and asked them to divert to Vaced to rendezvous and escort Kynachi's Commissioner, Langu Sommilor. The Hasty Harpy was five hours from Vaced, while Sommilor's ship was six hours away. Breaker noticed an intermittent broadcast signal and thought the ship had a tracking device on it. Kungurama ordered the rest of the crew to search for it.

Once they landed on Vaced, the clone troopers and Kungurama disembarked the Hasty Harpy at Vaced Spaceport. They were confronted by a swoop gang led by Frutchoo looking to collect insurance payments, but Kungurama used a mind trick to force them to dispense. Sharp then offered to be a lookout, but Kungurama asked him to search the ship for a transmitter and sent Breaker instead. Cleaver found the tracking device but it was forgotten in the following events. When Breaker checked in later, it was to report seeing just animals and the Padawan ordered to be kept posted. Soon the others picked up Commissioner Sommilor's ship. Kungurama alerted Breaker, who responded with static. The Padawan was unaware that Breaker had been incapacitated and someone was using his comlink. The Kynachi leader and his pilots landed nearby and Sommilor greeted Kungurama; a flock of reptavians rose from the forest, momentarily distracting the Padawan. In that moment, Sommilor and his pilots were hit by a sniper as they were disembarking the TL-1800 freighter. The Commissioner fell into Kungurama's arms as the scene delved into chaos. Kungurama placed him under the boarding ramp and ignited his lightsaber. His next step was to order Chatterbox and the others on the Hasty Harpy to take cover. Suddenly unsure of what to do, Kungurama relaxed his mind and shut off his lightsaber. He ordered Sharp to secure the perimeter as he went after the sniper using Force speed. Running into the trading post, he jumped onto a parked swoop, which had belonged to a giant alien from the swoop gang. The yelled at Kungurama to get off, so the Padawan jumped onto a smaller swoop.

Kungurama zigzagged on the swoop so as not to present an easy target, but rolled upside down, and quickly regained control. Sensing movement, he looked back and saw four more swoops from the gang following him. Then he saw a white clone trooper helmet fly through the air, and spotted a grenade inside. Kungurama swung around and tried to stop the swoop bikers, but was too slow and the grenade exploded, tossing him aside and scattering the gang. The Padawan then spotteda shadowy figure on a speeder bike, so he drove his swoop toward the other figure. Kungurama then spotted Breaker tied to a tree trunk. Jumping off, he ran off to assist the clone and used his lightsaber to shear through the plastifiber bonds. The clone briefly awoke then fell back unconscious. Kungurama activated his comlink and ordered Sharp to retrieve Breaker, and informed Sharp that he was going to pursue the sniper into the forest. Suddenly the giant alien grabbed the back of the swoop and inquired if the figure on the speeder bike was a friend of Kungurama's. Shocked, the Chiss Padawan replied that he was a sniper. The giant declared he had a bone to pick with him, and swung on the swoop behind Kungurama, and then seized the controls. Kungurama tried to apologize for the loss of the swoop gang, but the other alien replied that they weren't his friends, and he was chasing after the sniper because he had ruined his swoop. As they raced through the forest, Kungurama asked if the giant had seen the speeder; he replied he was trailing him based on the bike's exhaust trail. They then introduced themselves, and the alien identified himself as Gizz. They then spotted the speeder bike, and Gizz realized he was heading toward Shattered Rock canyon, a hazardous place.

As they closed to within thirty meters of the speeder bike, the sniper released a dozen concussion grenades. Gizz sent the swoop into a climb as the grenades exploded and maintained control as they followed the sniper into the mouth of the ravine. Gizz pulled out his blaster pistol to fire as the speeder bike appeared in front of them. The sniper pulled his blaster rifle with one hand and fired at Gizz. Kungurama ignited his lightsaber and deflected the bold, and told Gizz not to kill the sniper, and then switched off his blade and pushed Gizz's wrist to keep them from hitting a tree. Gizz panicked and started babbling about Treylon II, but Kungurama reminded him they were chasing after the sniper. They had lost sight of him, but Gizz picked up the scent again and declared the sniper was trapped in a chasm. Suddenly the speeder bike drove out in front of them and shot Gizz in the chest. Kungurama recognized the sniper as a Mandalorian Death Watch member. The damaged swoop dived toward the ravine's floor, but Gizz grabbed the Padawan and fell off the swoop before it hit and exploded; the two slid into a boulder and blacked out. When Kungurama woke up, he was trapped under the giant alien. Kungurama was able to roll off Gizz and ignite his lightsaber as the sniper circled back. The bike came into view, but it was unoccupied and slowed to a stop. Sensing movement, Kungurama turned and spotted the sniper behind him with his rifle aimed at the Padawan. Kungurama leaped, and flipped off the boulder and noticed the sniper had fired a dart at him, and landed behind the sniper. The Mandalorian reached out and hit Kungurama with the rifle's butt, who responded by damaging the rifle's trigger. The Mandalorian then threw the rifle at the Padawan and used the moment to activate his gauntlet flamethrower. Kungurama somersaulted again and slapped the gauntlet away. The Mandalorian then grabbed Kungurama's right wrist; a twist caused the lightsaber to fall from his hands, then kneed Kungurama's stomach. Kungurama then grabbed Ambase's lightsaber but was shoved away, allowing the sniper to draw two blaster pistols. The Hasty Harpy then arrived overhead. Kungurama was then able to telekinetically grab his own ligtsaber and ordered the sniper to surrender. His response was to fire at the ground in front of the Padawan's feet, temporarily blinding him. The Mandalorian then ran to his speeder bike; Kungurama used his senses to chase after him. Somersaulting again, he used his blades to cripple the bike. The sniper then disappeared around the boulder.

The Hasty Harpy landed nearby and Knuckles reported that they had recovered Breaker. Kungurama asked if they had seen the Mandalorian, but they had not. The Padawan then asked about Sommilor. Kunckles sadly reported that the Commissioner had died by a toxic dart. The sniper then activated his flamethrower at the dead weeds, and flames were heading toward Gizz's unconscious body. Kungurama ordered the clones to rescue the giant alien, and then told them to put him on the ship. The Mandalorian then emerged from the other side of the boulder; Kungurama Force pushed him, but the Mandalorian activated a jetpack. Kungurama was about to succumb to the smoke, but the clones dragged him onboard the Hasty Harpy. Cleaver had secured Gizz to the deck. Captain Gunn offered to shoot the Mandalorian, but Kungurama wanted the sniper alive. They then spotted the Mandalorian's transport. The Mandalorian launched a jetpack missile and damaged the transport, blowing the landing jets, the shields, and the port thruster. Kungurama tried to assure Gunn, before a fire broke out in the hold. Then the Mandalorian's ship fired on the Hasty Harpy. Gunn launched two homing missiles at it, and annihilated the other ship. Then Gunn was forced to crash near Vaced's spaceport. Kungurama then went to check on the others.

Breaker was waking up, and Kungurama said he will fill him in later; Cleaver then gave him a leather belt they had found. They then carried Gizz outside, who woke up, and asked about the guy they were chasing. Kungurama said he had been killed. Gizz then complained about a headache and went back to sleep. The spaceport official arrived, and told Kungurama that Gizz was trouble; Kungurama denied taht Gizz had caused the crash. The spaceport official complained about all the other things Gizz had done and threatened to send him to Kessel, then left to get chains. When the man was gone, Kungurama told the others theye were to leave. The utility belt, Kungurama had discovered, had belong to his Master, Ambase, and had an imagecaster with coordinates leading to Bilbringi Depot. Kungurama wanted to go there to try to find his master. Sharp suggested they contact Coruscant, but the Padawan said no transmissions, because someone had been tracking them. Gunn then suggested Bilbringi Depot was a trap, but Kungurama thought since the sniper was trying to kill them, that it ruled out a trap. Gunn then said she wanted to part ways, as her agreement was to get them off Kynachi, not get stuck near black holes, and not to lose the Hasty Harpy. Kungurama said he will have the Republic reimburse her when they returned to Coruscant. Gunn then interrupted and said his promise meant nothing if he got himself killed. Chatterbox interrupted her to say that was enough. Gunn quietly apologized and turned away; Chatterbox then kissed the captain. When they were done, Gunn said goodbye and that she might call an old friend for a lift. The Republic troopers, along with Gizz and Cleaver, took the deceased Kynachi ambassador's ship off Vaced.

Bilbringi Depot
"We'll be exiting hyperspace soon.''" "Thanks for not leaving me on Vaced. I overheard the clones talking. They said that I might have woken up in chains or in prison. You didn't have to bring me with you." "You didn't have to pull me off that swoop before it crashed at Shattered Rock." "Don't give me too much credit. I was probably just saving myself at the same time and took you with me. I've never been to Bilbringi Depot, but I've heard about it. It's on an asteroid owned by a Hutt named Drixo. Tell me again, why are we going there?" "''I'm searching for my Jedi Master. I have reason to believe he may have been taking to Bilbringi, and&mdash;"

- Kungurama and Gizz before they were interrupted

On the way, Kungurama and Gizz were in the cargo bay, where they had stored the bodies of the Sommilor and his pilots in an airtight storage container; the swoop biker took the opportunity to thank Kungurama for not leaving him on Vaced. Breaker then interrupted them to show the Padawan something on the nav console. Kungurama saw a green circle flash on the display and realized that Sommilor's ship carried a hidden transmitter. Breaker suggested someone on Bilbringi Depot knew they were coming. Gizz replied they would not know of him, and promised nothing was going to mess with Kungurama with him around.

Upon reversion from hyperspace, Breakout Squad found Umbrag's Metalorn yacht and several drone barges. The Republic troopers then stormed the facility and secured it, blasting apart the battle droids. Kungurama and Gizz captured Umbrag, who fainted at the sight of the large alien. After the fighting was over, the clones commented on how easy it was, even though they had not found Master Ambase. Gizz carried Umbrag over his shoulder onto their freighter at Kungurama's suggestion. The Padawan himself had sent a message to the Jedi Council to describe the situation and was told a Republic cruiser will arrive shortly. Kungurama then told the assembled troopers that he would never forget his failure on Vaced, and upon his return to Coruscant, he probably would be reassigned. He told them he would miss them. Kungurama was interrupted by the arrival of another ship. The Padawan ordered Breakout Squad to conceal themselves. Aristocra Veeren stepped out from the ship. Kungurama was surprised to see her. Veeren responded by saying that his allies could reveal themselves. She divulged that it was she who had planted the tracking device which Cleaver had attached to himself on Vaced; Veeren went on to say that it appeared someone was manipulating Breakout Squad, and she wanted to inform him of this. Kungurama was confused, but Veeren left just as quickly as she arrived. As her ship was preparing to jump to hyperspace, a Kuat Drive Yards Corona-class transport arrived. Veeren's ship fired on the Corona; return fire from the Kuat transport destroyed her ship. Kungurama Force sensed that his missing Master, Ambase, was onboard the Corona. Breakout Squad could only watch while Ambase's ship fled.

A hidden battle droid then surprised them by shooting Chatterbox in the back. Kungurama bisected the droid with his lightsaber, then ordered the clones to search the depot for more droids.

Meeting a Hutt
"Does this mean our mission is over?''" "''No, Cleaver. Not until we find out what happened here!"

- Cleaver to Kungurama on Affa.

After the events on Bilbringi Depot, Breakout Squad, along with Gizz, was assigned by the Supreme Chancellor to meet Noggox, a Hutt who had requested escort for his supply convoys to Fondor. Breakout Squad arrived at Noggox's factory on Affa in a Nu-class shuttle. They disembarked and walked into the factory, noting the lack of a greeting party. Proceeding into the factory, Gizz noticed the smell of raw meat. When they reached the Hutt's control room, they found the remains of a massacre. Unbeknownst to Breakout Squad, the Nightbrother Savage Opress had recently "visited" the Hutt to kill him. Cleaver then asked Kungurama if their mission was over, but Kungurama commented that they had to find out what had happened there.

Personality and traits
"Something just occurred to me. When we return to Coruscant, I doubt the Council will encourage me to continue serving with Breakout Squad. I'm sure they'll assign you to a more experienced leader. I just want you all to know I've learned a great deal from you, and...and I'll miss you all very much."

- Nuru Kungurama to Breakout Squad on Bilbringi Depot

Nuru Kungurama wielded a blue lightsaber. He grew more confident with leadership as he spent more time with Breakout Squad. He was excited to meet another Chiss during his meeting with Veeren, but eventually became disillusioned by her dismissal of him. He also was easily confused by her behavior and secretive nature after she tracked him down on Bilbringi Depot.

On Vaced, he regretted the demise of the biker gang even though they had been hostile.

Kungurama was an effective lightsaber combatant and could fight a Mandalorian to a standstill. In addition, he could use Mind tricks, telekinesis , and force speed.

Behind the scenes
Kung'urama'nuuruodo appears in Ryder Windham's Secret Missions book series as well as the Free Comic Book Day special Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Opress Unleashed.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret Missions 1: Breakout Squad
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret Missions 2: Curse of the Black Hole Pirates
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret Missions 3: Duel at Shattered Rock
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Opress Unleashed
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Strange Allies
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret Missions 4: Guardians of the Chiss Key