Droma

Droma, a male Ryn, resided in the Corporate Sector where he worked as both a pilot and scout, contributing to his extended family's welfare, a common practice among his nomadic species. In 25 ABY, shortly after the Yuuzhan Vong, an extra-galactic race driven by religious zeal, launched their invasion of the galaxy, Droma was traveling with a Ryn caravan from the Corporate Sector towards the Lesser Plooriod Cluster. When the Yuuzhan Vong entered the Ottega system and attacked Ithor, the caravan scattered, and Droma, along with other Ryn, sought refuge on the Jubilee Wheel, a space station orbiting Ord Mantell.

While Droma was on the Jubilee Wheel, a Yuuzhan Vong dread weapon launched an attack on the station. The creature began to tear away exterior bulkheads and consume passengers. Droma resisted the pull by holding onto the knees of another passenger, who turned out to be Han Solo, a celebrated pilot and hero of the Rebellion, who was accompanied by his friend Roa. Droma suggested closing the corridor's blast shield to prevent the creature from pulling more people into the station. Solo agreed, but was caught in the creature's pull during the process. Droma used his tail to grab Solo, holding him in place as the shield closed. Knowing the location of the station's launching bays, Droma led Solo and a group of passengers there. He used his flute-like beak to summon an R2 unit to open a locked hatch. Leading the passengers into a civilian shuttle, Solo and Droma took control and departed the station, finding themselves in a battle above Ord Mantell filled with X-wing fighters, TIE Interceptors, and Yuuzhan Vong coralskippers.

Enraged, Solo attempted to attack the dread weapon, which had consumed Roa, but Droma reminded him that they were piloting an unarmed shuttle. At the co-pilot's station, Droma used the auxiliary controls to free the ship from a Yuuzhan Vong warship's dovin basals and helped Solo evade four coralskippers that pursued them through the battle. As the Star Destroyer Erinnic of the New Republic Defense Force and its fleet drove off the Yuuzhan Vong fleet, Solo set a course for Ord Mantell. After landing at the planet's primary spaceport, they parted ways. Annoyed with Droma, Solo expressed his hope not to see the Ryn again anytime soon.

Droma, along with numerous other refugees, boarded the luxury liner Queen of Empire as a stowaway, having only enough credits to secure passage to Vortex. Onboard, he encountered Solo again, who was tracking Reck Desh, a Peace Brigade pilot collaborating with the Yuuzhan Vong, to Bilbringi. Introductions were made, with Solo falsely identifying himself as Roaky Laamu. They shared a steak at a cafeteria, but, due to Solo's dislike for the taste, they moved to a restaurant. Solo was angered to find that the restaurant did not serve Ryn and ordered two meals to go. Eating with Droma in the observation bay, Solo inquired about the Ryn species, which he had never encountered before the Jubilee Wheel incident. Droma later observed a game of sabacc involving Solo, deeming it a foolish endeavor, and encouraged Solo to play against the randomizer, which Droma considered the only worthy opponent. Solo won, taking his initial stakes and giving the rest to Droma. Droma distributed most of it to needy passengers on the lower decks, keeping enough to secure passage to Bilbringi, hoping to find a ride to Ralltiir. Since Ralltiir was accepting refugees from the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, Droma considered it a good starting point to search for his family. At the empty sabacc table, he used the cards to tell Solo's fortune.

After sharing Solo's cabin overnight and irritating him with his tail, Droma was abandoned by the frustrated pilot, but caught up to him in a corridor where Solo was speaking with Major [Showolter], an agent of New Republic Intelligence. Injured from a Yuuzhan Vong warriors attack, Showolter asked Solo to hide two Yuuzhan Vong defectors, Elan and Vergere. Droma was surprised by Solo's real name, but later claimed he hadn't heard it before. Solo, after sending Showolter to sick bay, tried to prevent Droma from getting involved, but the Ryn reminded Solo that he knew the ship better and could suggest hiding places. After Solo reluctantly agreed, the Queen was interdicted from hyperspace, and announcements were made that the bridge was under attack. The group of four headed to the ship's docking bay, but Solo briefly left to confront Reck Desh. All four were captured by Desh's Peace Brigade companions, and Desh realized that Elan and Vergere were Yuuzhan Vong defectors. He took them into custody and forced Solo into a deactivated drop shaft, hoping to eliminate him. Solo survived by grabbing Droma's tail, causing Droma pain, but Solo vowed to remember that the Ryn had saved his life.

Pursuing Desh, they arrived at the docking bay as New Republic Elite Forces boarded the Queen, which had reached Bilbringi. Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon, had also landed, and Solo's wife, Leia Organa Solo, exited down the boarding ramp with her brother, Luke Skywalker; his wife, Mara Jade Skywalker; and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2. Solo quickly asked his wife about Desh's ship's destination and introduced her to Droma as he rushed up the ramp. A confused Droma followed, and they left the others to pursue Desh and the defectors in the Falcon.

Unfamiliar with the Falcon, Droma doubted its ability to catch Desh. However, the Yuuzhan Vong attacked Bilbringi, and in the ensuing space battle, Droma and Solo found Desh's shuttle drifting in space. Droma took over piloting as Solo boarded and found the entire crew, including Desh, dead. The two defectors survived, and Solo brought them aboard the Falcon. Droma recognized Vergere as a Fosh, a species he had encountered before, warning Solo that she could not be extra-galactic. Suspicious, Solo realized that the Yuuzhan Vong warship firing at them was deliberately missing, suspecting a trap. Leaving the cockpit to confront the defectors, Droma took the controls again, but abandoned his post on a hunch and entered the rear hold. As the door opened, Solo emerged, gasping for air after inhaling Elan's bo'tous poison. Droma was shocked to learn that Elan was a Yuuzhan Vong agent tasked with poisoning Luke Skywalker's Jedi Order and had committed suicide by swallowing her own poison. Droma killed the insect-like creatures produced by the bo'tous spore and raced back to the cockpit while Solo searched for Vergere. She escaped in an escape pod, and Droma and Solo steered the Falcon away from the Yuuzhan Vong warship, which was then repelled by the Quasar Fire-class bulk cruiser Thurse of the New Republic Defense Fleet. Droma and Solo returned to the galactic capital of Coruscant, where Solo reported to New Republic Intelligence and, grateful for having his life saved twice, vowed to help Droma find his clanmates.

In the newly-painted matte-black Millennium Falcon, Solo and Droma began their search for Droma's clanmates, also hoping to find information on Roa's whereabouts. Their travels led them to Vortex and a lush world with green and purple forests. As they prepared to leave for Sriluur, Droma expressed his reluctance to travel near Hutt Space, as Hutts had historically enslaved the Ryn. En route to Sriluur, Solo learned from his wife that five of Droma's six clanmates had been evacuated from Gyndine, but his sister had been left behind.

Above Sriluur, the Falcon was attacked by coralskippers. Droma tried to plot a hyperspace jump to Nar Shaddaa, but Solo insisted on fighting the ships in the atmosphere. Droma readily agreed and proved to be a capable co-pilot, destroying several enemy craft. After defeating their attackers, the Falcon entered hyperspace, and Solo complimented Droma's shooting. However, a damaged power converter left the ship without enough power to reach Nar Shaddaa. Droma suggested Kashyyyk as a source for a new converter, but Solo insisted on Tholatin.

With a damaged hyperdrive, the Falcon slowly traveled to Tholatin. They landed in Esau's Ridge, a rift often used by smugglers on the otherwise uninhabited planet. Droma posed as the ship's captain, and Solo as Miek, his first mate, presenting passcodes from Solo's smuggling days to Plaan, the Weequay security chief. Droma claimed they received the codes from Shug Ninx, a mechanic on Nar Shaddaa. Plaan informed them of a contractor paying freelancers to transport refugees to planets targeted by the Yuuzhan Vong and that a group of refugees was soon to be transported from Ruan. Following this lead, Solo and Droma went to Ruan.

After passing through Ruan customs, Droma was eager to begin the search, but Solo wondered if his clanmates had joined the mercenaries transporting refugees. Droma insisted that his clanmates were too clever. With over 100 refugee camps to search, they checked the central databank based on a tip from Baffle, a BFL-series droid, and hitched a ride on the droid's landspeeder to a camp said to house five of Droma's clanmates. Upon arrival, Droma was mistaken for another Ryn and arrested for forgery of official documents, a crime committed by his clanmates. Solo was advised to leave or face charges as an accessory. Droma was forced to work at a product enhancement facility, but Solo soon rescued him. After convincing Bow, a sentry, to take Droma for a medical evaluation, Solo drew a blaster on Bow in the turbolift and told Droma to hide him. Droma placed the sentry in a room full of deactivated droids and met Solo, who had reactivated hundreds of droids as a favor to Baffle. Bow escaped and chased them out of the facility; Droma and Solo commandeered Bow's landspeeder and fled.

To avoid surface scans, Solo dropped their landspeeder into an irrigation channel. However, Bow closed a gate, causing their speeder to crash in a muddy ditch. Bow then used weather control to create a tidal wave. After nearly drowning, Solo boarded the floating speeder and pulled Droma, a poor swimmer, aboard before the vehicle went over a waterfall. They were swept through white-water rapids before being caught in a net and picked up by a Scout Collector. Believing they were about to be flash-frozen, they were surprised to be rescued by Baffle and taken directly beneath the spaceport where the Falcon was docked. Thanking Solo for reactivating the droids, Baffle revealed that the refugee ship Trevee was headed for Fondor. Droma was surprised that his clanmates were aboard and no longer on Ruan. Baffle suggested using the Gandeal-Fondor Hyperlane to save three hyperspace jumps.

Remembering Plaan's information, Solo and Droma knew the Yuuzhan Vong would soon attack Fondor, but headed there anyway. Upon arrival, they gave New Republic First Fleet Command and Control a legitimate transponder signal and identified themselves as the Falcon. Despite this, a New Republic controller stated that the Trevee had dropped its cargo in a restricted area and would not let them proceed. Thinking quickly, Solo and Droma reasoned that the mercenaries would flee as far as possible from the Yuuzhan Vong's next targets, deciding on Tholatin. While preparing to jump to Tholatin, they located the Trevee at the edge of Fondorian space and decided to attack. As Fondorian Flight Operations protested, Solo and Droma warned them that the Yuuzhan Vong were coming. As if on cue, the Yuuzhan Vong arrived, leading to a large space battle. Solo and Droma helped a group of X-wings destroy a Yuuzhan Vong vessel, and the X-wing pilots turned out to be Kyp's Dozen. Squadron leader Kyp Durron, a Jedi Master and old friend of Solo's, assigned two of his craft to aid the Falcon in pursuing the Trevee.

The outgunned crew of the Trevee agreed to help Droma and Solo recover the refugees from the empty shipyards where they had been deposited. Solo dropped Droma off at the shipyards, and, with the pirates and one of the Dozen's pilots, he began rescuing the refugees. Droma reunited with five of his clanmates and stayed behind to locate fifty unaccounted-for refugees before departing in the Trevee. Meanwhile, Durron rescued prisoners from the nearby Yuuzhan Vong clustership Crèche and brought them aboard the Falcon; among the rescued were Roa and Sapha, Droma's sister and final missing clanmate.

In 26 ABY, as more worlds closed their borders to refugees, Droma joined Solo and his son Jacen on Duro, where the government had allowed refugees to live in camps. Solo had registered with SELCORE, a New Republic organization for settling refugees, as a sponsor for the Ryn, and Droma decided to assist the Solos. The trio managed Settlement 32, which housed two Ryn clans and other refugees. Droma, along with the Ryn Mezza and Romany, handled most of the administration, despite Solo's official role. Droma and Solo often worked on the Falcon when not performing administrative duties.

When the Yuuzhan Vong infiltrator, Nom Anor, brought Naotebe winglings to Duro, Settlement 32 became infested. Droma played a crucial role in helping the refugees evacuate, staying at the camp until the last person boarded a land crawler. The refugees were transported to Gateway, Duro's main SELCORE complex. There, Droma resisted having his fur shaved during decontamination until the quarantine on Settlement 32's refugees was lifted. Donning chemical suits, he and Jacen led a group of refugees back to the settlement to find any surviving spaceworthy ships, only to discover it was overrun with Fefze beetles. The team was forced to retreat from the beetle swarm, but Droma and Jacen remained, with Droma using a vibroblade to eliminate several insects. Realizing the beetles were drawn to light, Droma instructed Jacen to throw his lightsaber at the swarm. With the insects diverted, they escaped the settlement and returned to Gateway.

Upon discovering the Yuuzhan Vong's infiltration, the Solo family prioritized evacuating the refugees from Duro as swiftly as possible. Han Solo and Droma stealthily navigated Gateway, searching for a cargo hauler to transport the refugees. Instead, they encountered and fled from the Yuuzhan Vong beasts Sgauru and Tu-Scart. Yuuzhan Vong warriors soon located Droma and Solo, forcing them to hide in a pile of cut grass. While concealed, they stumbled upon a cavern containing an old WQ 445 transport. After filling the transport with as many refugees as possible, Droma and Solo faced a poignant farewell, regretting the separation. Droma also lamented never having properly met Luke Skywalker. Discovering the comm unit on the hauler was inoperable, Solo gave his comlink to Droma. Before parting, Solo jokingly suggested that Droma was finally in his debt. Droma piloted the hauler through a raging space battle above Duro and to a jump point beyond its orbit, escorted by Solo in the Falcon. The Ryn then directed the hauler toward the Senex-Juvex region, believing it was still accepting refugees.

Droma's association with Solo elevated his status among his people. Traditionally, the Ryn were leaderless nomads, but Droma began to leverage what the galaxy perceived as weaknesses into strengths. He capitalized on their extensive travels, observations, gossip-based communication, and security evasion skills to establish the Ryn Network, an intelligence organization that aimed to mitigate the Yuuzhan Vong's damage to the galaxy. Around the start of 28 ABY, he began operating the network from the Thorny Toe, a cantina on Onadax, intending to stay only three months, fearing that prolonged presence would compromise the network's secrecy. However, it took six months to ensure the network's smooth operation before he could depart.

After these six months, Droma received intelligence from Ryn Network operatives on Galantos and Bakura indicating that Han Solo had embarked on a diplomatic mission aboard the Millennium Falcon to connect with regions of the galaxy isolated from the Galactic Alliance, the successor to the New Republic. His agents also reported a Yuuzhan Vong plan to assault Esfandia. Droma instructed his agent Goure Conor on Bakura to guide Solo to Onadax. Solo arrived in the Falcon, escorted by the Galactic Alliance Defense Force vessel Pride of Selonia. Droma summoned Solo from a sabacc game at the Thorny Toe and subjected him to an interrogation, remaining hidden and communicating through speakers to conceal his identity. Following the interrogation, Droma approached the Falcon and banged on its hull, demanding entry. His surprised friend opened the hatch, and with Droma aboard, the Falcon left the planet.

A confused Han Solo greeted Droma, alongside Leia and their daughter, the Jedi Knight Jaina Solo. Droma falsely claimed he had applied to join the Ryn Network but was rejected. Hoping to steer the Solos toward Esfandia, he mentioned the impending Yuuzhan Vong attack and requested to be dropped off at Juvex, conveniently en route. The Solos realized that Esfandia housed one of only two relay bases serving the Unknown Regions, where Luke Skywalker had recently led an expedition. Consequently, the Falcon and the Selonia proceeded to Esfandia, discovering a Yuuzhan Vong armada led by Commander B'shith Vorrik and an Imperial fleet, commanded by Grand Admiral Gilad Pellaeon, pursuing Vorrik across the galaxy. Solo committed the Falcon to Pellaeon's fight and landed planetside to locate the relay base. Upon landing, Droma was the first to detect a strange sound, identified as the language of Esfandia's inhabitants, the Brrbrlpp, speaking in trinary code. After Solo's protocol droid, C-3PO, conversed with the Brrbrlpp, a plan was devised to protect the bystanders under the Falcon's shields while presenting the ship as a cold target to the Yuuzhan Vong, drawing them into an easy target for Pellaeon's Star Destroyers. Despite Droma's unease, the plan was implemented.

As the Yuuzhan Vong bombarded the area around the Falcon, the crew realized they were trapped. Droma suggested feigning surrender and, believing death was imminent, prepared to reveal his role as the head of the Ryn Network. However, the Brrbrlpp insisted the Falcon hide in their nesting plains. Following them inside, the crew discovered the hidden relay base, overseen by Commander Ashpidar. Ashpidar gave Droma and Leia a tour, hinting at a possible traitor within their ranks. Droma was suspicious of Eniknar, Ashpidar's Noghri security chief, but joined Solo in taking Eniknar and two other team members on speeder bikes to reprogram the base's relay transponder. Arriving at the transponder, they met Jaina Solo and her comrades Jagged Fel and Tahiri Veila. Droma assisted in placing mines around the base during the reprogramming, before Yuuzhan Vong forces appeared on armed vehicles, leading to a skirmish.

Droma's speeder took a hit to its steering vane, rendering it unusable. Since Jaina was unconscious, Droma took her to safety on Fel's speeder, while Fel and Veila provided cover. After waking up, Jaina used a thermal detonator to eliminate one of their Yuuzhan Vong pursuers, but another managed to cover Droma and her in sticky netting beetles threads, forcing them to stop the speeder. Droma told Jaina about Veila's earlier demonstration of using the Force to close the throats of the Tsik-Seru's plasma launchers. Jaina replicated the move, causing the vehicle to explode, but the Yuuzhan Vong pilot survived and continued the pursuit on foot. The warrior knocked Droma aside before a distraction by the Brrbrlpp allowed Jaina to kill him. Pellaeon's fleet then defeated Vorrik's. In the aftermath, Droma offered Veila a position in the Ryn Network, based on positive reports from his agents on Galantos and Bakura. After Veila declined, he quietly departed on the Ryn ship Fortune Seeker, believing that minimizing evidence of the network and his leadership was crucial.

Shortly after, Droma contacted Solo, who was with the Galactic Alliance on Mon Calamari, warning him about small, unpiloted drones developed by the Yuuzhan Vong. Although he didn't know their purpose, he sensed their danger due to the Yuuzhan Vong's excitement about them. After conveying this information, he quickly ended the call. Droma remained on the run for the rest of the war. Eventually, the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated at Coruscant, concluding the long and bloody conflict, which ironically benefited the Ryn Network. The network remained active twelve years later.

Like many Ryn, Droma possessed keen perception and shrewdness, enabling him to perform sleight-of-hand tricks characteristic of his species and often anticipate others' statements. He viewed possessions as easily lost and adhered to many Ryn superstitions, such as avoiding sleeping in the same place twice or eating from the same bowl three times. However, he would consume almost anything if properly spiced. Droma considered himself a professional pilot, scout, and all-around spacer. Leia Organa Solo noted that despite his deep concern for his family, he was fundamentally a rogue and drifter, addicted to adventure.

Droma demonstrated a talent for de-escalating tense situations, including instances where he dissuaded Han Solo from reacting in anger. He was often sarcastic and bitter, sometimes challenging Solo, accusing him of trying to outrun tragedy and using anger to mask heartache. Although his sarcasm often annoyed Solo, his companionship provided a sobering influence, and Solo's wife viewed their relationship as imperfectly amicable yet natural. Droma's partnership and empathy helped Solo realize he couldn't escape his loved ones or his grief. Droma believed love was the driving force behind everyone's actions.

Droma was not a strong swimmer but, thanks to his tail, excelled at acrobatics. He was a skilled co-pilot and showed mechanical aptitude, though he was better at intuitive problem solving than at using hydrospanners or macrofusers. He was also proficient in several languages, including Basic, his native Ryn dialect, Huttese, and Binary.

Like most male Ryn, Droma had short, smoke-colored fur covering most of his body, complemented by snow-white hair and a drooping white mustache. His nose was a chitinous beak curving over a thin-lipped mouth, perforated like a musical instrument. He favored a brimless cap of bright red and blue squares worn at a rakish angle, along with a brightly colored vest, culottes, and ankle boots.

Author James Luceno created Droma as a significant character in the Agents of Chaos Duology, two paperback books published in 2000 as part of The New Jedi Order series. In both Hero's Trial and Jedi Eclipse, Droma served as a partner and co-pilot to a grieving Han Solo, helping him cope with the death of his longtime friend and partner, Chewbacca. Luceno found it challenging to create a character who could complement Solo without merely replacing Chewbacca, which he felt would diminish Chewbacca's death. Therefore, he wrote Droma as guiding Solo through his grief and displacement.

Although The New Jedi Order's planning team had reservations about how readers would receive Droma, Luceno hoped he would remain Solo's partner and co-pilot for much of the series. However, when reader feedback indicated a preference for Leia Organa Solo to assume Chewbacca's role, he adjusted his plans. Luceno was actively involved in planning much of the series and ensured that Droma faded into the background after The New Jedi Order: Balance Point, the subsequent book.

When Kathy Tyers wrote Balance Point, no image of Droma or his species existed. As such, Luceno provided Tyers with a sketch. Tyers praised the character and felt Luceno's writing style for him was unique. Following Balance Point's publication, Droma later appeared in 2003's The New Jedi Order: Force Heretic III: Reunion and The New Jedi Order: The Final Prophecy. His significant role in The New Jedi Order earned him entries in 2002's The New Jedi Order Sourcebook and The New Essential Guide to Characters, as well as 2008's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

James Luceno drew inspiration for the Ryn species from Earth's Romany people, and "drom" is a Romany word meaning "road" or "way." The plural of "drom" is "droma," meaning "roads."