Lehesu

Lehesu was a male individual belonging to the Oswaft species, a relatively unknown group of massive space-faring sentients whose home was the ThonBoka nebula. Being relatively young around 3 BBY, Lehesu—in contrast to the majority of his species—harbored a desire to explore the galaxy beyond the ThonBoka, a sentiment that caused worry among his family and friends, who cautioned him against leaving their protected area. Despite their warnings, Lehesu embarked on a journey beyond the ThonBoka to investigate the neighboring Open Sea, only to discover that this vast, empty region of space lacked the interstellar plankton and various space debris that the Oswaft relied on for sustenance. After enduring a period of starvation, Lehesu realized he had traveled too far to safely return to the ThonBoka. Believing he had only hours left before succumbing to death, Lehesu was saved by the timely arrival of a passing starship, the Millennium Falcon. Although this marked the first instance of contact between an Oswaft and another sentient species, Lehesu successfully communicated his needs to those aboard the ship. The Falcon responded by releasing a variety of discarded materials from its storage, which Lehesu gratefully consumed. During the following days, Lehesu continued to communicate with the Millennium Falcon and its occupants, the Human gambler Lando Calrissian and his droid Vuffi Raa. This interaction further fueled Lehesu's curiosity, prompting him to venture even further in search of knowledge about other civilizations. One of his destinations was the planet Hosrel XI, where Lehesu inadvertently destroyed three starfighters that were intercepting him and belonged to the local defense force. Surprised by the hostile reception, Lehesu simply jumped to hyperspace and continued his journey, only to be met with a similar response at his next stop, resulting in 43 casualties. Puzzled, Lehesu decided to return home, but his excursion had not gone unnoticed by an Imperial fleet, whose sensors detected Lehesu's innate ability to make hyperspace jumps. The Empire immediately recognized the Oswaft as a potential threat. Upon Lehesu's return to the ThonBoka to share his discoveries, Imperial forces followed him and laid siege, intending to starve the Oswaft into submission. Lehesu sent out a distress signal that reached the Millennium Falcon, and Calrissian and Vuffi Raa used their skills to bluff their way past the Imperial blockade, reaching the ThonBoka to offer assistance to their newfound friend.

Lehesu introduced his friends from outside to two Oswaft Elders, Bhoggihalysahonues and Senwannus'gourkahipaff, using his understanding of Basic to facilitate communication between the two groups as they devised a strategy for the Oswaft. They quickly realized that the situation was critical, requiring the normally peaceful Oswaft to engage in the conflict themselves. Under the leadership of the two Elders, approximately a million Oswaft mobilized to confront the Imperial fleet, utilizing their hyperspace jumping abilities in a largely successful effort to confuse the blockading ships and cause them to fire on each other. Although Lehesu did not participate in this large-scale effort, he also became involved in the fighting, destroying several Imperial starfighters that were threatening the Millennium Falcon. Lehesu then intercepted a communication from the fleet's commander, Sorcerer of Tund Rokur Gepta, to a courier, ordering the courier to kill a crewman's family if the crewman disobeyed an order. Lehesu intercepted the message, destroying the ship carrying it. While the larger force of Oswaft was decimated by Gepta, Lehesu and the majority of his people survived due to Calrissian's defeat of Gepta in combat. Lehesu returned to an appreciative Oswaft community that looked to him for guidance—although he declined the title of Elder, he anticipated receiving the honor nonetheless.

In contrast to other Oswaft, Lehesu had a great interest in the galaxy beyond the ThonBoka, which led him to explore areas that Oswaft almost never visited. Lehesu was very smart but often impatient, which was also unusual for an Oswaft. He disliked what he saw as the boring culture and strict rules of his people. Despite warnings from friends and family, he set out to satisfy his need for knowledge. Lehesu rarely felt fear and never panicked, and he didn't think much about the possible negative results of his actions, which was typical of the Oswaft. His near-death experience in the Open Sea didn't stop his curiosity. Instead, his meeting with other sentient beings made him want to travel even farther than any Oswaft had before. However, his protected life had made him too trusting, which was not good in the galaxy at that time.

Lehesu belonged to a peaceful species that found it hard to imagine that a sentient being would intentionally hurt another, even to protect themselves. He was confused by the hostile way he and his species were treated. He lost that hesitation during the fight against the Imperials, when Lehesu killed to save his friends and his people. As of 3 BBY, Lehesu was quite large for his age. Like others of his species, he was good at understanding languages and codes. Lehesu learned Galactic Basic very quickly after first meeting the Millennium Falcon, and he easily figured out important Imperial military messages.

Lehesu was a character in Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka, which was written by L. Neil Smith and came out in 1983.