Grutchin

"The grutchins may never come back, but neither do their victims."

- Yuuzhan Vong shaper

The grutchin was a bioengineered weapon used by the Yuuzhan Vong that resembled a half-meter long, black, winged, locust-like insect.

Description and Physiology
It was designed to tear through starships, disabling them and killing their crews. They had acid-secreting mandibles and a pair of grasping legs that extended from their upper bodies. Grutchins also had armored shells which enabled them to survive in both realspace and hyperspace. Grutchins were mindless and did not need to be trained like the majority of the Yuuzhan Vong's war biots. Upon being launched into combat, they cannot be recalled. The Yuuzhan Vong had to destroy them once a battle was completed, since they destroyed anything in their path.

Grutchin were often bred in large breeding pools on Yuuzhan Vong warships. A lack of queens meant grutchins could not reproduce&mdash;a safety measure should one escape from containment. Grutchin larvae underwent metamorphosis to become mature adults in a very short period of time.

Grutchin Symbiote
The grutchin symbiote was a miniature version of the grutchin. It was smaller and unable to operate in space. These were used for assassinations and are often carried by Yuuzhan Vong agents. In order to carry a grutchin symbiote, the Yuuzhan Vong host first had to undergo a ritual modification in the form of four grooves cut from the shoulders to the lower back. The symbiote's back legs slipped into these grooves, hooking onto newly formed bone spurs, while the front legs latched around the host's neck. At the host's telepathic command, the grutchin symbiote would launch itself at a target, attacking it with its acid-edged mandibles.

Turfhopper
The turfhopper was a giant variant of the standard grutchin. It was deployed against capital ships such as corvettes, cruisers, and Star Destroyers. They could eat through heavily armored hulls within seconds.

Grutchinya
The grutchinya (spelled grutchyna) was a larger and more heavily armored variant of the standard grutchin. They were deployed only in planetary atmospheres and were able to dig through rock. During the Battle of Ebaq 9, grutchinya were deployed along with voxyn to capture or kill Jaina Solo and the rest of Twin Suns Squadron.

Appearances

 * Vector Prime
 * Edge of Victory II: Rebirth
 * Star by Star
 * Destiny's Way
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant
 * The Unifying Force