Raen sovra
The Raen sovra, also known as an electrocution worm and sometimes just called a sovra, represents an unusual worm species. Dr. Safford Raen initially discovered this worm on Tenek within the Mis-Tenek system. These worms are segmented, possess a flexible metallic exoskeleton, and sustain themselves by consuming electricity and metal. Although they play a crucial role in their home planet's ecosystem, they posed a significant threat to technological devices throughout the galaxy.
The Raen sovra had the capability to detect electrical current flow, which aided them in their search for sustenance. Furthermore, they could store electrical energy, enabling them to unleash a lethal electric shock when disturbed. Their physiology also allowed them to exist without air and withstand extreme temperatures, ensuring their survival indefinitely in the vacuum of space. This made them a grave danger on spacecraft or space station, where they were capable of depleting energy, devouring wiring and metallic components, and disrupting computer processors.
Dr. Raen's interest in the sovra began during his expedition, where he was studying the vinna trees and their dense, metallic bark. Following the electrocution of several researchers, he learned that the sovra residing in the vinna roots consumed electrical energies transmitted by Tenek's frequent lightning strikes from the trees into the damp soil. These soil-dwelling sovra thrived on this electricity, with millions of these burrowing worms aerating the soil and distributing nutrients to the planet's flora. This symbiotic relationship, excluding the high levels of electrical energy and metallic elements, resembled those found on numerous other planets.
Due to the worms' inherent dangers, the Imperial Period saw the Mis-Tenek system placed under blockade. Despite this, some smugglers persisted in landing on Tenek, inadvertently spreading the sovra. Certain sovra-infested vessels were lost in hyperspace due to damage and energy loss, while others successfully reached their destinations, disseminating the worms from one spaceport to another.
The Mis-Tenek system's quarantine faced opposition from zoologists eager to investigate the sovra, particularly their exoskeleton formation mechanism. Certain private entities were willing to offer significant compensation for a living sovra. The Galactic Empire also gathered sovra with the intent of developing a "living armor" technology. One outcome of this research was a potent vibrodagger employed by Imperial Intelligence assassins.
A sovra was among the creatures that the Jedi Callista Ming suspected had been smuggled onto the planet of Gamorr and utilized in the assassination of the Gamorrean Vrokk.