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- "Sullust control…this is the Chubby Gundark."
"Copy, Gundark. You have permission to land." - ―The Chubby Gundark is cleared for landing upon its return to Sullust
The Chubby Gundark was a SoroSuub Transport Systems Nyubba-class cargo barge driver owned and operated by SoroSuub Corporation during the Galactic Civil War. Assigned to the corporation's Transport and Supply Division, the vessel was captained by the Sullustan Bungo Bung, who crewed the ship alongside his droid co-pilot 42-RST. Capable of holding cargo barges to the fore and aft of its central section, the Chubby Gundark held the record for carrying thirteen barges in formation with an uncontrolled landing over a distance of thirty-five parsecs.
Sometime during the Galactic Civil War, the Chubby Gundark became the only vessel to make the Great Bantha Breakfast Biscuit Run between the planets Sullust and Gastrula in the Outer Rim Territories, transporting Bantha Breakfast Biscuits manufactured by the restaurant chain Biscuit Baron. During what would prove to be the final trip on the Run, the Chubby Gundark was almost destroyed by a mutant lifeform known as a Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit. The creature, hatched from the preservatives contained in the foodstuffs mixed with the stale air in the Chubby Gundark's hold, attempted to eat the ship. The quick reaction of Bung, who figured out that the lifeform's weakness was the blue sauce that accompanied the Bantha Breakfast Biscuits, saved the ship. With one crate of biscuits left, Bung allowed his vessel to be detained by the Imperial-class Star Destroyer commanded by Captain Wankle, an Imperial official of whom Bung had run afoul before. Wankle confiscated the last crate of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits, but Bung regretted to inform the Captain that there was no blue sauce to accompany it.
Description
- "Hull breach!!"
"What would cause that?!!"
"Whatever it is, it's moving to Barge Two!!"
"It's moving this way?!! Jettison the barge!!"
"But… that's company property!"
"We'll buy them a new one!!" - ―Bung and RST-42 take emergency action to prevent the destruction of their ship
The Chubby Gundark with three cargo barges mounted forward of the central section
The Chubby Gundark was a Nyubba-class cargo barge driver manufactured by SoroSuub Transport Systems and operated by the SoroSuub Corporation's Transport and Supply Division. The vessel was slow and lightly-armed with only two double laser cannons, and it required a crew of two beings, usually a Sullustan and a droid, since most of the ship's systems were automatic. The Chubby Gundark was fitted with a Class 2 hyperdrive unit, with a Class 16 installed as a back-up in case the main drive failed. The ship could attain a top speed of 750 kmh in atmosphere, carried at least one escape pod, and could store consumables aboard to last for two months.[1]
Measuring twenty-two meters in length, the vessel was of an asymmetrical design, with the freighter's main engines offset to the starboard side on a lateral strut. The cockpit was located on the port side, connected to the main body of the ship via a spar. The bulk of the vessel was its central section, which had a cargo carrying capacity of 200 metric tons. The main features of the Nyubba-class, however, were the fore and aft docking connectors located on the central section. These connectors allowed extra cargo barges to be added to the vessel, increasing its cargo capacity. Each barge could be loaded with 400 metric tons of cargo at a time. A typical configuration for the Nyubba-class was to have three barges located forward of the vessel, and three located aft. However, it was not uncommon for more to be connected so the vessel could haul more cargo.[1]
History
- "Stang, Bungo! Why don't you just hit that Star Destroyer!"
"Are you flying?" - ―42-RST and Captain Bungo Bung
The Chubby Gundark
During the Galactic Civil War, the Chubby Gundark was under the command of the Sullustan Captain Bungo Bung, who crewed the vessel alongside his droid co-pilot and translator, 42-RST. At some point, the Chubby Gundark set the record for hauling the most barges over thirty-five parsecs with an uncontrolled landing at the end, with a total of thirteen barges. Due to Bung's strict adherence to SoroSuub regulations, the vessel was only used to transport authorized cargo and products. Following one such run, the Chubby Gundark returned to the planet Sullust, emerging from hyperspace close to an Imperial-class Star Destroyer.[1]
Following a discussion between Bung and 42-RST concerning the taste of a Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, and the fact that many Imperial citizens had never tasted one, the duo decided to try their luck by selling the food item to planets without access to a Biscuit Baron, the restaurant chain that sold the biscuits. To achieve that goal, Bung spent a month's wages on forty cases of biscuits and intended to use the Chubby Gundark to transport them, despite the fact that it was against standing SoroSuub regulations. Launching from Sullust, the vessel was intercepted by an Imperial-class Star Destroyer and subjected to a cargo inspection. Upon learning that the ship was carrying a cargo of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits along with the standard accompanying condiment, blue sauce, the Imperial officer in charge, Captain Wankle, ordered thirty-nine of the cases confiscated so that he could treat the crew of his ship to a special meal. After the freighter was released, Bung set course for the Outer Rim Territories to sell the remaining case.[1]
Arriving at the planet Gastrula,[1] in the Rayter sector of the Outer Rim Territories,[2] 42-RST negotiated with the native Gastrulans to buy the remaining case of Bantha Breakfast Biscuits. The sale created a market for the food item, and the Chubby Gundark became the only vessel to make the Great Bantha Breakfast Biscuit Run. The Run only lasted for two weeks, since Bantha Breakfast Biscuits had a tendency to mutate when the preservatives in them were exposed to certain outside elements found in the Gastrulan atmosphere. One such resulting lifeform, the Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, was a ravenous creature that ate anything it came across.[1]
A Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit
During the return leg of what would prove to be the final run, a crate of the biscuits mutated when they were exposed to the stale air inside the hold of the Chubby Gundark. The resulting creature ate through much of barge one, forcing Bung to jettison it before the hull breach threatened to destroy the entire ship. As the creature moved into barge two, Bung took his blaster, left the cockpit, and descended into the cargo area to stop the lifeform from destroying the ship. While searching for the creature, Bung was surprised by the Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, causing the Sullustan to drop his blaster. The creature then chased him through the hold of the ship, during which Bung took a wrong turn and was cornered. He believed that he was about to be eaten when the creature panicked and ran away. Initially confused, Bung noticed that he was standing near a crate of blue sauce. Reasoning that the blue sauce was the creature's weakness, he squeezed a tube of the substance over the Giant Amorphous Bantha Breakfast Biscuit, causing it to explode.[1]
With the ship out of danger, Bung tasked 42-RST—who had used an escape pod to flee the ship and thus forced Bung to retrieve it after dealing with the crisis—with cleaning up the mess left by the lifeform, and noted that he would have to get the ship professionally cleaned. However, the duo still had one crate of biscuits aboard, and 42-RST asked Bung what he planned to do with them. Bung had a scheme, so he allowed the ship to be intercepted by Captain Wankle's Star Destroyer upon their return to Sullust. He handed the single crate over without argument, but regretted he had no blue sauce to go with it.[1]
Commanders and crew
- "One crate? Out of forty?!! That's all they left? Those Bantha Breakfast Biscuits cost a month's wages!"
"Well, let's count ourselves lucky and get out of here." - ―Bung and RST-42 lament the loss of their cargo
Captain Bungo Bung
The Chubby Gundark was captained by Bungo Bung, a Sullustan employed by the SoroSuub Corporation and a stickler for rules and regulations. His co-pilot was 42-RST, an RST Model Translator Droid who had been given to Bung by the Mephout species after he had worked for them.[1]
Behind the scenes
The Chubby Gundark was created by Jim Anderson for the story Bungo n' Rusti Get Carry-Out, which appeared in the Star Wars Adventure Journal 11 in 1998. The story was both written and illustrated by Anderson. Originally, Anderson had planned to write a series of comic adventures starring Bungo and Rusti, which would have also featured the Chubby Gundark, but since Dark Horse Comics was the sole Lucasfilm Ltd. comic licensee, the idea had to be abandoned. Dark Horse overlooked the publication of Bungo n' Rusti Get Carry-Out since they believed it to be a one-shot story.[3] However, the ship has made many appearances in the unofficial and non-canon Bungo n' Rusti stories by Anderson that can be found on TheForce.Net, which include Bungo n' Rusti Get the Record!, Bungo n' Rusti 101 Neks, Bungo n' Rusti On Strike!, Castaways, and Bungo n' Rusti Join the Rebellion?!! Part I. The story on how the Chubby Gundark set the record for the most barges hauled over a set distance was related in the appropriately titled story, Bungo n' Rusti Get The Record![4]
Appearances
"Bungo n' Rusti Get Carry-Out" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 11 (First appearance)
Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25
"Bungo n' Rusti Get Carry-Out" — Star Wars Adventure Journal 11
- ↑
Star Wars: The Essential Atlas Online Companion on StarWars.com (article) (backup link)
- ↑ Jim Anderson's Bungo n' Rusti FAQ on www.theforce.net (backup link not verified!)
- ↑ Bungo n' Rusti homepage in theforce.net's fan comics sections on www.theforce.net (backup link not verified!)