They are considered to be a threat in many parts of the galaxy because their diet - combined with their ability to sense electricity and metal - has caused them to begin preying on large technological devices (including starships and other vehicles) which they easily destroy, consuming stored energy, weakening metal components, severing power and data cables, and discharging computer processors.

The sovra are weak and unintelligent, but they respond to danger quickly, and have at their disposal a powerful weapon - electricity. When a sovra is disturbed, it lashes out and entangles the creature that has disturbed it, producing a strong electrical shock that quite often electrocutes its target.

The sovra were discovered by Dr. Safford Raen during his initial, ill-fated expedition to the Mis-Tenek system. Dr. Raen had originally intended to study the development of the vinna trees, hoping to discover the process through which they acquired the thick layer of metal that completely covered their trunks. It was not until a number of researchers were electrocuted while studying the root system of the trees that Dr. Raen turned his attentions to the sovra.

The metallic bark of the vinna trees is an extremely effective conductor of the electrical energy that fills the skies of Tenek. When the trees are struck by lightning, the electricity is discharged through the roots of the tree, filling the damp ground with an electrical charge that is consumed by the sovra. Millions of sovra burrow through the ground among the roots of the vinna trees, constantly tilling the soil and facilitating the transfer of water and minerals to the roots of the plants of the Tenek forests.

Many other species serve this same function on other planets, but the system developed on Tenek is more efficient than most others. The fact that the sovra gain most of their nourishment from the transferred electricity (and not from the soil in which they burrow), means that more organic nutrients are available for the plants and trees.

The spread of the sovra through the galaxy has been likened to that of a disease. They are attracted to any starships that land on the planet and often enter these ships, looking for energy on which to feed. In many cases, sovra remain undetected on these ships when they leave the planet. Although some ships are destroyed in hyperspace when the sovra consume more energy than the ship can spare, many of the ships are able to reach their destinations. The sovra then, feeding on the massive amounts of electricity generated in a starport, breed, multiply and infect other ships. As a result of this process, the sovra are now found in many places in the galaxy, living in starships, space stations and in the electrical conduits of many modern buildings.

Because of the danger that the sovra pose to technology, the entire Mis-Tenek system is currently under quarantine. However, the spread of sovra has not ended. Smugglers still land on Tenek, and the sovra are still attracted to the electrical energy generated by their starships. When these smugglers leave, it is not uncommon for sovra to leave with them.

Most descriptions of the sovra - extremely primitive segmented worms that are covered by metal exoskeletons - make them appear to be much less than they actually are. On closer inspection, it is found that the exoskeleton is not rigid (as is the case in the exoskeletons of insects and arachnids), but is, instead, extremely flexible, and the metal itself is capable of moving in response to instructions from the nervous system of the sovra. This aspect of the physiology of the sovra has been the source of much discussion among zoological researchers, many of whom violently oppose the current quarantine.

It is not generally known, but the Empire has collected a number of sovra for research, hoping to discover knowledge that would allow them to make living armor. Current research has led to the creation of a line of highly effective and easily concealable vibroblades that are often used by Imperial assassins.

In addition, interest in the private sector is high, and many researchers are willing to pay any number of credits for a living sovra.