Qom Jha and Qom Qae

The Qom Qae and the Qom Jha were sentient avians native to the planet Nirauan. As adults, they averaged 60 cm from head to their taloned feet, and were covered in smooth, brown-gray skin. They had skin-covered wings, and bore a slight resemblance to mynocks and preying mathikers. Their mouth contained two rows of small, sharp teeth. Although small, large groups of Qom Qae or Qom Jha were strong enough to lift and move starfighter-size vessels. This reflected the Qom Jha proverb, "Many vines woven together are stronger than the same number of vines woven together."

Both the Qom Qae (who nested on cliffs) and the Qom Jha (who lived in Nirauan's cave systems) were considered vermin by the Chiss and former Imperial troops who garrisoned the Hand of Thrawn fortress for the Empire of the Hand. They were quite intelligent, however. In fact, Qom Qae and Qom Jha were all slightly Force-sensitive, communicating partly through chirping and partly through telepathy. Aliens with sensitivity to the Force were able to understand their language.

Qom Qae and Qom Jha organized themselves in small groups called "nestings," each led by a bargainer. While the adults were territorial, the children were free to travel across boundaries, thus acting as unofficial ambassadors between nestings and information gatherers. Children were not named at birth, instead being referred to as "Child of (parent's name)". Adults gained their names from their characteristics or deeds, such as "Hunter of Winds" (head of a Qom Qae nesting), "Eater of Fire Creepers" (head of a Qom Jha nesting), and "Friend of Jedi" (the son of Hunter of Winds, who helped Mara Jade and Luke Skywalker investigate the Hand of Thrawn).

Qom Qae and Qom Jha were quite adventurous. Qom Jha enjoyed eating fire creepers, carnivorous insects that migrated in swarms through their caves in massive swarms. Both Nirauan groups were somewhat familliar with the Empire, the New Republic, and the Jedi, as some of them had eavesdropped on the Hand of Thrawn's personnel, and others had stowed away on starships.

Appearances
Timothy Zahn, Vision of the Future, Bantam Spectra, 1998