Hohass Ekwesh, whose other designation was Runt, was a male Thakwaash. Hailing from the planet Thakwaa, he served the New Republic. He was a founding member of Wraith Squadron, a starfighter/covert operations unit, and fought in the campaign opposing Warlord Zsinj.
"Runt" was a nickname given to Hohass Ekwesh because he was considered small when compared to others of his species. In spite of this, he possessed an imposing physique, exhibiting nearly three times the strength of a Human, in addition to being significantly taller than the average Human. He possessed a fragmented mind, often speaking of himself in the plural, which presented challenges during his pilot training. Ekwesh had a tendency to be overtaken by his "pilot mind," which was aggressive towards potential adversaries and resistant to following instructions.
After his acceptance into candidate training for Wedge Antilles's novel commando/fighter unit, Ekwesh consistently struggled in the simulators due to the dominance of his "pilot mind." During his initial mission, he achieved a score of zero. However, he received the outstanding marks of fellow pilot Kell Tainer because of a scoring anomaly that transferred each wingman's points to the other. In a subsequent exercise, Tainer intentionally targeted Ekwesh's fighter when the "pilot mind" took over, enabling Runt to see through the confusion and behave in a more disciplined manner. As a result of this, along with subsequent exercises aimed at improving the communication between his minds, Ekwesh rapidly demonstrated his capabilities as a skilled and controlled pilot. Upon his integration into the newly formed Wraith Squadron, Ekwesh was assigned the callsign Wraith Six. Tainer became his wingman as Wraith Five, and the two developed a close friendship.
During the squadron's training period, Admiral Apwar Trigit discovered the Wraiths' base on Folor Base, prompting an immediate evacuation by the Republic forces. Ekwesh and Tainer, accompanied by Blue Squadron trainees Dorset Konnair and Tetengo Noor, successfully drew the Admiral's Star Destroyer away from the base. They did this by imitating the Millennium Falcon, a deception achieved by altering their ships' shield energy output and broadcasting in a compromised code. This trick provided crucial time for the remaining transports on Folor (including the Borleias) to escape destruction. When Admiral Trigit recognized the deception and attacked the small starfighters, Ekwesh switched minds again, this time to "the student," a meticulous observer with exceptional memory. He skillfully guided Tainer, Konnair, and Noor out of harm's way through the canyons of Folor's moon.
After capturing the Night Caller, Runt was tasked with reading and responding to the captured Imperial crew's mail. This decision was based on the belief that his unique perspective would be best suited for crafting personalized responses for each recipient.
Over time, Ekwesh observed that Kell Tainer also struggled with a "bad mind" that surfaced during moments of failure, causing his friend to inflict endless self-punishment for perceived errors. Runt attempted to steer Tainer away from this mindset. This reached a critical point during the Battle of Ession when Tainer experienced a panic attack and attempted to flee the battle, mirroring his father, Kissek Doran's actions years prior. Ekwesh pursued Tainer's X-Wing and established a target lock, briefly capturing Tainer's attention (rather than "the bad mind") and helping him regain control. Following the loss of fellow pilot Jesmin Ackbar, Runt underwent training to become the Wraiths' new communications specialist.
During the squadron's leave on Coruscant, Ekwesh was ambushed by a Cyborg and sustained a concussion. This ambush was, in reality, a trap orchestrated by Warlord Zsinj, who was enraged by the loss of the Star Destroyer Implacable. Upon his recovery, Runt was placed in command of a Wraith Squadron analytical group to determine their next course of action in the fight against the Warlord. The combined insights of Runt, Face Loran, and Voort saBinring led to the creation of the Hawk-bat Independent Space Force, a covert operation where Wraith Squadron would masquerade as pirates to secure employment with Warlord Zsinj. While the operation ultimately succeeded, Runt was excluded from the group's meeting with Zsinj. As the sole Thakwaash serving in Starfighter Command, Ekwesh was deemed too recognizable and could jeopardize the Hawk-bats' cover.
When fellow Wraith Castin Donn perished onboard Iron Fist after defying orders and sneaking aboard the team's shuttle, Runt overheard Commander Wedge Antilles expressing concerns that the unit's morale would suffer significantly as a result (Donn being the second Wraith to die in a matter of days). Ekwesh then dedicated the evening to redecorating the team's temporary base to host a formal dance for the squadron, providing his fellow pilots with a much-needed boost in spirits. Consequently, Commander Antilles informally appointed Ekwesh as the unit's Morale Officer.
Ekwesh distinguished himself throughout the Zsinj Campaign, at one point enduring severe burns during a Wraith Squadron mission to Binring Biomedical Product when a booby-trapped incinerator ignited his fur. Despite his serious injuries, Runt aided Shalla Nelprin in her battle against Zsinj's agent, Radaf Netbers, who had discovered the connection between the Wraiths and Hawk-bats. Runt managed to subdue Netbers, breaking his neck and safeguarding the squadron's secret.
After spending several days in a Bacta tank to treat his burns, Ekwesh was able to attend a planning session for the squadron's latest strategy: using a decoy ship, codenamed the Millennium Falsehood, to draw Zsinj out of hiding. When Commander Antilles inquired about any potential flaws in their current plan, Runt sneezed loudly, attributing it to residual bacta in his nose. Squadron newcomer Elassar Targon suggested that the sneeze was a bad omen, his superstitious nature leading him to believe that a hidden flaw existed. Targon's theory was eventually validated; Commander Antilles had overlooked the fact that Chewbacca would be serving as co-pilot for the Falsehood missions, but Antilles himself could not communicate in Wookiee. The issue was quickly resolved by assigning Wraith Squadron quartermaster Squeaky as the translator for the missions.
During the final assault on the Warlord's forces, the Battle of Selaggis, Ekwesh was paired with recently promoted squadron Captain Face Loran, as they were among the few Wraiths with starfighters capable of hyperspace travel. Runt emerged from the battle unscathed and chose to remain with Wraith Squadron when it was reassigned to the New Republic Intelligence Service.
In 13 ABY, Runt participated in a Wraith Squadron mission to the planet Ryvester. Their mission was to rescue gem expert Mulus Cheems, assassinate his captor, Imperial Admiral Kosh Teradoc, and destroy Teradoc's research and development laboratories, where his people were experimenting with plagues and toxins.
Runt guarded the side door of a club, where his fellow Wraiths were rescuing Cheems and tricking Teradoc into accepting disguised explosives in the form of a statuette. When fellow Wraith Kell Tainer exited the club under attack, Runt intervened, removing the attacker and using his strength to subdue him until he became unconscious. He then deployed two Smoke grenades into the club to cover the Wraith's escape.
The mission was a success; the bomb given to Teradoc detonated, destroying the research facility and killing Teradoc. The Wraiths then evacuated the planet with Cheems. During this mission, Runt was shown to have maintained his role as the squadron's communications expert.
In 19 ABY, Runt, Voort "Piggy" saBinring, and Shalla Nelprin participated in a Wraith mission to sabotage the Imperial-controlled Mulvar Sensor Station. Piggy infiltrated the station as a cleaner, allowing Runt and Shalla to sneak inside. They then proceeded to sabotage the station, and Runt planted explosives to destroy some of the buildings while minimizing casualties.
The mission was successful, revealing that Runt had become proficient with explosives after being trained by his friend Kell Tainer. Furthermore, Runt demonstrated his improved ability to control his various personalities, referencing them at will when explaining to Piggy why Shalla might be retiring.
In 29 ABY, near the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War on the world of Chashima, Runt participated in a Wraith Squadron mission to steal a new bioweapon created by the Yuuzhan Vong to prevent its use against the Galactic Alliance. He, along with Estoric Sandskimmer, infiltrated a Shaper compound and escaped with the weapon, but they were pursued by Yuuzhan Vong warriors. When Estoric was struck by a Thud Bug, Runt stopped and confronted the three warriors, defending himself with a Vibroblade. He and Estoric were charged by two of the warriors, but instead of defending himself, Runt blinded the warrior attacking his companion, protecting him. He then took an amphistaff hit to his midsection. Piggy eliminated two warriors from his sniper position, leaving Runt to kill the last warrior, who had just killed Estoric, with his vibroblade.
During the fight, Runt was bitten by an amphistaff, its venom causing him to rapidly lose function. When Piggy reached him, Runt asked his friend to perform a mercy kill on him, as the alternative was a fate worse than death when other warriors found him. Piggy reluctantly agreed and apologized to Runt, who forgave him as he shot him in the throat.
Runt's sacrifice potentially saved thousands of lives that could have been lost if the Yuuzhan Vong had retained the bioweapon. Piggy was haunted by Runt's death for years and resigned from Wraith Squadron, renouncing his nickname because he believed Runt's death was pointless as the war was practically over. Eventually, Piggy resolved these issues and rejoined the Wraiths as an integral member.
Runt, like all Thakwaash, possessed multiple distinct minds. His social mind and pilot mind were the most prominent. He used his social mind for communication, which was polite and respectful. In contrast, his pilot mind was an inarticulate, impulsive force that frequently disobeyed orders. This characteristic was a key factor in his assignment to Wraith Squadron. During his time with the squadron, particularly with Tainer's help, he learned to transition more smoothly between his minds and control the excesses of his pilot mind. Another notable mind was his student mind, "the one who remembers and studies for tests," which accurately recalled how to navigate a narrow trench while evading turbolaser fire from an orbiting Star Destroyer.
His ability to see things from multiple perspectives proved valuable during his tenure with Wraith Squadron. He was tasked with reading and responding to correspondence for captured Imperial pilots. He also attempted to emulate the thought processes of Warlord Zsinj; his Zsinj-mind was highly erudite, but he disliked it because it "[made] our ego puff up." He served as the morale officer for Wraith Squadron.
Runt was the physically strongest member of the squad, possibly rivaled only by Voort "Piggy" saBinring. His strength was first demonstrated when he effortlessly lifted a turbolift door twice, without hydraulic assistance. The second instance occurred when he was forced to confront an unarmed combat specialist who had just defeated Shalla Nelprin and was about to kill her. He lifted the warrior and slammed him into a wall with enough force to break his neck. He also served as the physical trainer for Wraith Squadron.
The illustration of Ekwesh from The New Essential Guide to Characters was adopted as a humorous mascot by the concept artists of Revenge of the Sith, who nicknamed him "Horse Pilot." He often served as a source of inspiration during all-night design sessions. Alex Jaeger even designed a custom X-wing, modeling its design after a horse trailer.
Author Aaron Allston used a fan drawing by Robin Pronovost to help him visualize Ekwesh.
By the time X-Wing: Mercy Kill was released, Allston had retroactively killed off Runt by revealing in the 29 ABY section that, while dying from amphistaff venom, his friend, Piggy, performed a mercy kill by shooting him at close range.