Meatlump King

"I live my life. I don't apologize for taking care of my Meatlumps. And I refused to be a fool dancing on the strings held by any of those Imperial or Rebel big shots. That's my life and I don't apologize for that."

- The Meatlump King

The Meatlump King was the Human ruler of the Meatlumps, a gang labeled by the Corellian Security Force authorities as "fanatical" and "somewhat stupid" progress haters. The man who would later become the King of the Meatlumps started his career as a scientist building weapons for the Galactic Empire. However, he soon began to despise building these deadly implements, and adopted the view that most electronics and advanced technology were the source of evil in the galaxy. The king-to-be deserted the Empire and rescued three young men from their abusive cyborg father Lucien Bender, and took them as his own. After Imperial assassins attempted to kill him, the three brothers, Draykken, Hraykken, and Louis Bender formed the Meatlump Gang in earnest, naming it after their favorite namesake food. Since that time, the Meatlump King assumed his titular role, and held court in the abandoned maintenance tunnels beneath Corellia's capital city of Coronet. From their hideout, the King served as the figurehead of the terrorist organization, while his three "sons" handled its day to day operations. By the time following the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, the gang numbered in the thousands, and began founding chapters on various other worlds throughout the galaxy; both to promote its message, and to destroy the technology they so desperately despised.

The Bender Brothers
"You ran experiments on your sons? No! Maybe. I needed test subjects. My work was important. And who are you to judge me! You're as bad as that Meatlump King who stole my boys away from me!! I may not be able to get to him, but I can teach you to keep my boys from me!"

- A spacer and Lucien Bender

The Human who would later become known as the King of the Meatlumps began his career as a scientist for the Galactic Empire, the authoritarian government led by Emperor Palpatine. During his service as a scientist, the king-to-be helped the Empire build destructive weapons. However, he soon grew to regret building these deadly implements, and eventually adopted the philosophy that most electronics and advanced technology were the source of evil in the galaxy. Distraught by the work he was doing, the once loyal Imperial scientist deserted the Empire and set his eyes on three young men, the sons of an abusive cyborg known as Lucien Bender. Lucien had used his sons as test subjects for a number of experiments, prompting the three of them to run away. The man who would become the Meatlump King took the three brothers, Draykken, Hraykken, and Louis Bender as his own. Lucien was deeply upset that his sons had abandoned him to be with the ex-Imperial scientist and held a grudge ever since.

Birth of the Meatlumps
"How did you become King of the Meatlumps? I was the first. When I started, I was the only one. Though back then, the name meatlump only referred to a delicious snack. It was Draykken who named us Meatlumps! But even so, it is only right that I am King. For I am the tallest and the most glorious."

- A spacer and the Meatlump King

Since abandoning his post and taking the three Bender brothers as his own sons, the ex-scientist found himself in the crosshairs of the Galactic Empire. Imperial assassins attempted to kill the technology-hating Human, but ultimately failed to do so. After the attempt on his life, the Bender brothers decided to form their gang in earnest&mdash;the Meatlumps. With the gang's founding, the "father" to the three Bender brothers assumed his titular role of Meatlump King. He felt this was just, for he believed himself to be the "tallest" and the "most glorious" one suited for the role. However, it was in fact Draykken Bender who decided to name their gang after their delicious, yet unappetizing namesake. The snack was a favorite of not only the three brothers, but the Meatlump King himself. At one point, the Meatlump King dropped a meatlump into a river. When he tried to grab it, he fell in. He feared he would drown, but the river carried him to shore. Ever since his near death encounter, the King resolved to always eat his snacks away from water. From their base of operations on the Core World of Corellia, the Meatlump King also resolved to never again be a puppet for either the Empire or the Alliance to Restore the Republic, but to be the master of his own destiny.

Meatlump Menace
"Our king says that electronics are the source of evil in the world and must be purged. Only simple machines and combustion engines are acceptable.''" "Your king?" "''King. Leader. Whatever."

- Lieutenant Ubbal Fenn and a spacer

By the time following the Battle of Yavin in 0 BBY, the number of Meatlumps had swelled to the thousands. To accommodate their growing numbers, the gang established their headquarters in the abandoned maintenance tunnels and sewers beneath Corellia's capital city of Coronet. They also conducted operations out of a cave near the city of Tyrena, and in numerous camps surrounding Coronet City. Although the Bender brothers were widely regarded as "dullards" in their own right, they were actually the ones responsible for handling the day to day operations of their up and coming terrorist organization. Meanwhile, their enigmatic King remained more as a figurehead, taking little interest in guiding the destructive tendencies of his followers. From their hideout beneath the streets of Coronet City, the Meatlump King held court with his many followers, surrounding himself with cardboard stand-ups and paintings of himself. His court was a non-stop, though reportedly half-hearted, attempt at self glorification. Chefs Schlump and Schlap would regularly make him Meatlump wine, and the Meatlump surgeon Newin Seedel would knit dolls of the King, of which Seedel speculated he already had thousands. Nevertheless, the Meatlumps as a whole carried on the King's vision of a galaxy without technology. Recruiter Joe disseminated countless books titled the Meatlump Manifesto in order to attract new recruits. The gang also terrorized citizens by planting improvised bombs near machinery. In the absence of explosives, gang members used their own hands to damage or destroy large amounts of private and public property, including speeders, droids, power generators, technical consoles, and communications systems. The Meatlumps had even once attacked a man known as Captain Osto Grissom because he transported electronics into and out of the Corellian system. This wanton destruction attracted the attention of the Corellian Security Force authorities, who regarded the Meatlumps as "fanatical" and "somewhat stupid" progress haters. And Lucien, still angered by the loss of his biological sons, had by now formed the Bofa Treat Gang to oppose the growing Meatlumps.

The Elusive King
"I'm beginning to wonder if the Meatlump King has avoided being found simply due to the buffoonery of his followers. I found a report of another Meatlump smashing a generator here in Coronet, but I'm starting to wonder if it's even worth pursuing."

- Vani Korr

As the Meatlumps expanded their operations to include chapters on other worlds, including Dathomir, Endor, Lok, Naboo, Rori, Talus, and Tatooine, the King remained nestled within his court chamber of the Meatlump Hideout. By now, the gang had even adopted their own currency known as the Meatlump Lump. The Meatlump Lump, or Lump, was little more than a small rock featuring the profile image of the Meatlump King, the symbol of the Galactic Credit Standard, and Aurebesh text reading, "In Meatlump We Trust." In fact, the Meatlump King would on occasion mint Lumps of his own, by painting the appropriate symbols on an unmarked lump of rock. So pervasive was the cult of the Meatlump King, that aside from these Meatlump Lumps, portraits, dolls, and cardboard cutouts of himself, he could also be seen dancing as a hologram on many holo-entertainment tables. Despite all this, the existence of a Meatlump King was unknown to most the galaxy.

That all changed when Vani Korr, a Human journalist of the Corellia Times, sought to learn more about the Meatlumps and their leadership. However, in the process of doing so, she was attacked by several Meatlump Stooges who overturned her speeder while she was driving. She was thrown clear and knocked unconscious. However, she was rescued when two CorSec troopers approached the Stooges, prompting them to scatter. Vani later woke up in the Coronet Hospital, with her speeder destroyed, and her viewscreen missing.

Later on, a spacer got into a deadly altercation with these Stooges, who were vandalizing power generators in Coronet. This prompted Sublieutenant Merkie Howzat to get involved, only to be killed by the spacer. On him was the viewscreen featuring the Corellia Times news logo. Realizing it belonged to an employee, the spacer eventually reunited the viewscreen to its rightful owner, Vani Korr.

Vani was pleased that the viewscreen had been returned, but she was not yet ready to give up her investigations of the Meatlump Gang. Understanding that the criminal organization would now recognize her, she commissioned the help of the spacer to act as her field agent. After an extensive investigation resulting in a number of dead ends, the spacer finally managed learn more about the gang, while gaining the good graces of a Meatlump lieutenant by the name of Kaiya Merel. After gaining Kaiya's trust, the spacer was initiated into the organization in order to replace gang member Alliin Mepou, who was retiring. It was just the lucky break Vani needed. With her agent successfully infiltrating the Meatlumps as a spy, she could finally determine once and for all if the Meatlump King was truly real, or merely a myth.

Meeting the Meatlump King
"So am I a Meatlump? Ya are. Ya always have been, if ya ask me. I'll make sure ya can enter our Hideout. It's here in Coronet in some abandoned maintenance tunnels. If ya do good, ya might even meet our King. Er...if we have one, that is. I shouldn't give away all our secrets to some new Meatie."

- A spacer Lieutenant Kaiya Merel

After Kaiya Merel inducted Vani Korr's field agent into the Meatlumps, the spacer was granted full access to their secret hideout. Merel insinuated that the newly inducted "Meatie" might even have a chance to meet the Meatlump King himself. This was a prospect which excited Vani, as she was eager to complete the second part of her Corellia Times newspaper article, Who are the Meatlumps?. When Vani's undercover agent entered the hideout, she got the confirmation she needed. The Meatlump King was real. The spacer personally spoke to the King who welcomed the being to their organization. The spacer heard the King's philosophies of life, and witnessed the court of adulation he had built around himself. When the spacer returned to Vani to report the news, she completed work on her newspaper article. Finally, the people of the galaxy could learn what had only since been rumors and speculation. The King was real. And not only was he real, the gang he had a hand in founding was thriving. This proved to be a shock to Vani Korr, for the spacer had only used the most rudimentary deceptions to infiltrate their ranks. How the Meatlump King had managed to elude detection and persecution for so long, was nothing short of a mystery to the Corellia Times reporter.

Personality and traits
"Too many Meatlumps think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I've got my own peace of mind. I don't need yours and won't give you mine."

- The Meatlump King

The Meatlump King was a tall, bald, fair skinned Human male. He had gray eyes and black colored eyebrows. During his time as King of the Meatlumps, he painted the front of his face with white makeup, and his lips with black makeup. He also wore black eyeliner.

Correlia Times reporter Vani Korr viewed the Meatlump King as an enigmatic, strikingly charismatic figure. Indeed, the King exhibited a strong vocabulary with moments of philosophical insight. This was in contrast to his followers, who were often simpleminded, easily fooled, and spoke a less sophisticated form of Basic. The King pondered concepts such as peace of mind, love of life, and power. However, the King was also known to display megalomaniac tendencies. He believed himself suited for the role of King of the Meatlumps, simply for being the "tallest" and the "most glorious." If one were to question his rule in place of a democracy, he would swiftly threaten to imprison that individual like a "common droid." The Meatlump Ordnance Technician would break down in tears if threatened with a visit by the Meatlump King. However other Meatlumps, such as Lieutenant Ubbal Fenn, were more flippant about the King. She shared his philosophy of a galaxy purged of technology, but paid little heed to his official title.

The King was also quite vain, and promoted a court of self-glorification. He surrounded himself with self portraits, and cardboard cutouts of himself pointing to his crown. Newin Seedel speculated that he must have kept thousands of knitted dolls of himself. Although he enjoyed his rule, the Meatlump King did not have ambitions for more power. He claimed he did not wish to rule the galaxy, and that he found peace in his own sanctuary beneath the streets of Coronet. He was content to simply rule the Meatlumps, which he viewed as his own "Empire." He vowed to never again be a puppet, either for Palpatine's Galactic Empire, or the opposing Rebel Alliance. He was proud of his Meatlumps, who he believed would never break, lie down, or bend for anyone, other than himself. He thought little of the Corellian Security Force, the law enforcement agency that was the gang's mortal enemy.

Although the King did not take very kindly to those questioning his rule, he did display a somewhat generous demeanor. He took in the Bender brothers as his own sons, after they escaped from their abusive cyborg father, Lucien. He did not believe his "Empire" should be divided, and welcomed all Meatlumps to his hideout. However, the King was also elusive. Few outside the hideout knew that he existed as a real entity. Corellia Times reporter Vani Korr speculated that the Meatlumps' "buffoonery" had the unintended consequence of shielding the King from public persecution. However certain Meatlumps, such as Lieutenant Merel, made an active, if feeble attempt to hide the King's identity from new members.

Equipment
"It's amazing how the colors of the real world only seem truly real when you see them in my coat."

- The Meatlump King

As King, he wore a grotesque, multi-colored coat trimmed with feathers. On the front of his poorly stitched coat was a chest piece which read in Aurebesh, "Meatlump for Life." He also wore a red, black, and gold crown with a black tassel. On the front of his crown was the Aurebesh symbol for mern. He also wore bracers on his left and right arms.

Behind the scenes
"Once the hammer was looted the cave was gone, just as had happened to me. If you want to try your hand at the Meatlump King, it will take hours of dedicated searching unless your [sic] lucky. Good Luck!"

- A player named Bockeroo concocts a story to fool others into finding the then non-existent Meatlump King

The Meatlump King was a non-player character in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its closure on December 15, 2011. With the game's release, the Meatlump King was only vaguely referenced in the once unfinished Vani Korr Meatlump quests, and later in a brief mention by Meatlump Lieutenant Ubbal Fenn in a quest titled CorSec Case Files: Assault and Battery. In the CorSec Database H-Z feature released in July, 2006, the Meatlump King was indirectly referenced as the ex-Imperial scientist who helped found the gang.

These cryptic references led some players to speculate whether or not there actually was a "King of the Meatlumps." It became something of a running joke to trick others into finding the non-existent King. Some would falsely claim that they had found the King, and that killing him would award the player with valuable loot.

The game developers recognized the popularity of the fabled Meatlump King, prompting Community Manager Kelly "Valara" Knox, on December 21, 2007, to put him up for vote as a contender for a new "Heroic Encounter Foe." However, the Meatlump King lost as a close second to Exar Kun. In the end, the developers released Chapter 9: The Fury of Exar Kun as the new heroic encounter.

However, the continued popularity of the Meatlump King was not lost on the developers. On April Fools, 2008 they published a tongue-in-cheek feature titled, Wrath of the Meatlump Queen. The feature pointed out her existence was once only a legend, a story told to newcomers to instill a little fear and awe, and that they would be adding her to Galaxies during Game Update 4.1. The storyline of the feature made a meta-reference to the fact that the Queen did not actually exist, and to instead divert their attention to the Meatlump King.

Months later, the developers added the Meatlump King as an actual character as part of Chapter 10: The Search for the Meatlump King, on June 19, 2008. Finally, players could actually visit the King in his hideout, and participate in a whole manner of quests as part of the new Meatlump theme park targeted towards players level 55 and above. Although the CorSec Database feature indicated that the three Bender brothers were the King's sons, a Chapter 10 quest revealed that they were actually the sons of Lucien Bender, and the King took them as his own. In the Agents of Deception expansion for the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game released on June 29, 2009, the Meatlump King was introduced as a promotional card. The artwork for the Meatlump King illustration was completed by Kevin Shoemaker.