Josef Grunger

Josef Grunger was a Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy. Possibly a native of Alderaan, he was one of the original twelve Grand Admirals, elevated by Emperor Palpatine two years before the Battle of Yavin.

Biography
Grunger was neither a loyal nor a subtle man. While Grand Admiral Miltin Takel was making preparations aboard the second Death Star, Grunger was aiding Takel's second in command with patrol of the planet Gargon due to reports of "albino-skinned marauders", presumably the Nagai. After learning of the debacle at Endor, Grunger immediately disabled the other officer's vessel. He seized Gargon, an important spice producer, and Grunger's reputation and prowess drew alienated and ambitious ships by the dozens; within a year of setting himself up as a warlord, Grunger had a fleet of 30 Star Destroyers, 60 Strike-class cruisers, 100 Carrack-class cruisers, various other vessels, and Admiral Roek's Super Star Destroyer Aggressor.

After his coup, Ysanne Isard ordered Grand Admiral Takel to recover his lost holdings and punish Grunger for his rebellion; Takel failed, earning himself a sure death sentence, but events intervened, and he met his end rather at the hands of Trioculus, Isard's rival for the Imperial throne. After Trioculus and the Central Committee of Grand Moffs came tumbling down, Grunger re-proclaimed himself the new Emperor (he had previously attempted to be seated as Emperor, but Trioculus's initial success forced Grunger to pledge his loyalty to Trioculus, contingent on his receiving the blessing of the pseudo-Kadann; the quest for that blessing eventually undid Trioculus) and began securing systems in the Core, preparing for a move on Imperial Center. But first, he had to capture the strategically placed Corellian system and its shipyards. The system had already been unified and pacified by Grand Admiral Danetta Pitta, who was loathe to surrender the system without a fight. In the Battle of Tralus, named after the Corellian planet nearest the engagement, Pitta's fleet, led by a torpedo sphere that Pitta had acquired, utterly devastated Grunger's armada. In fury and desperation, Grunger ordered Aggressor to ram the torpedo sphere. The ensuing destruction killed both Grand Admirals and both war engines. This, incidentally, marked only the second time ever that two Grand Admirals engaged in battle.

Appearances

 * The Glove of Darth Vader
 * The Lost City of the Jedi