Pera The Verpine priest known only as " Pera " was a clergyman of the Sacred Way religion who lived on Aduba - 3 . Working from the House of a Higher Power in Tun Aduban , Pera set about trying to convert the local spacers to the Sacred Way , to little avail . Although he was able to sway several individuals to his cause , Pera was largely left to his own devices by the populace of Tun Aduban . His maintenance of Spacer ' s Hill , an informal burial ground for spacers who happened to be killed in Tun Aduban , earned him respect within the township . When confronted , however , Pera proved to be a skilled combatant , wielding a spade as a makeshift weapon . In 0 ABY , Pera ' s way of life was jeopardized . A cyborg spacer had been killed , and although the Verpine felt that the deceased still possessed a soul , his outlook was not shared by the other spacers of Tun Aduban , who were insulted at the prospect of a cyborg being interred within their sacred ground . Pera was attacked by a mob of angry spacers , but was rescued by newcomers Han Solo and Chewbacca . The pair agreed to take the cyborg up the hill themselves for a reward , and were able to do so , but not before fighting off more incensed spacers , with the aid of Pera . Eventually , the cyborg was successfully laid to rest at Spacer ' s Hill . Biography . Bringer of the Sacred Way . The Verpine known only as " Pera " lived on the planet Aduba - 3 and served as a priest of the Sacred Way religion . The Sacred Way had originally brought about the settlement of the planet , establishing it as an agricultural colony . Pera operated from the House of a Higher Power , one of the few untainted structures located within the mostly dilapidated port of Tun Aduban . He was largely left alone by the local spacers , as his presence did not cut into profits made from underworld dealings , and he did not attempt to foist his beliefs upon others . In the event that he was confronted , the Verpine had armed himself with a farmer ' s spade , which he wielded against any who threatened him . In his work as a missionary , Pera sought out converts , hoping to instill his philosophies into a people who did not want them . Although they numbered only a few , he had his converts nonetheless , and valued them in spite of their rarity . The Verpine cemented his place amongst the more hard - bitten spacers in Tun Aduban society with his maintenance of Spacer ' s Hill — an informal cemetery located just outside of Tun Aduban proper . The spacers , being superstitious by nature , were enamored of the idea of being given a proper burial by the Verpine priest , no matter how depraved or shady the life they had lived . The burial of spacers took up much of Pera ' s time while he lived in Tun Aduban . He roamed the township and collected the corpses of those killed in brawls or gunfights , before personally transporting them up to Spacer ' s Hill . To that end , he procured a bantha , with which he towed a travois that carried the deceased . The " borg " . Shortly after the Battle of Yavin , Pera heard that a cyborg spacer had been killed . The next day , he collected the body and prepared to take it up to Spacer ' s Hill , but he was accosted near one of the cantinas by an angry mob of spacers . They were prejudiced against cyborgs , and felt that the deceased did not deserve a place in their hallowed ground . When one of the mob attempted to lay hands on Pera , he sprang into action , taking his spade to the attackers . Eventually , he was overcome and disarmed , until two newcomers — the Human , Han Solo , and the Wookiee , Chewbacca — entered the fray . Solo and Chewbacca fended off the attackers , and the Human made sure that Pera was not injured . The Verpine urged Solo not to harm the spacers , as he felt that they did not mean any harm . When Solo inquired after the dead cyborg , Pera explained the spacer prejudices , as well as his own belief that the spacer should be interred at Spacer ' s Hill as he had indeed once flown as a pilot . The Verpine requested that Solo take the body up to the hill , but the smuggler was reluctant until Pera offered him a sack of coins that had been taken off the dead cyborg ' s person . Convinced to take the job , Solo mounted Pera ' s bantha and took his leave of the Verpine priest , but Pera continued to observe Solo and Chewbacca ' s progress as they headed toward the hill . When the pair came under attack from spacers who threw stones at them and pulled Solo from his mount , Pera emerged once more , spade in hand , and helped defend Solo and the Wookiee . A firefight broke out , and the spacers were eventually driven off , although Solo and Chewbacca had killed several of them . Although the assailants had been scared off and the cyborg ' s right to be buried at Spacer ' s Hill had effectively been won , Pera noted that a stray shot had killed his bantha . The Verpine was querulous as to just how they would be able to carry the cyborg ' s body , but Chewbacca proved strong enough to carry the travois on his back , and Pera led both him and Solo up the hill . The cyborg was buried while , as part of the ceremony , the Verpine held his spade aloft and chirped an eerie chant while burning a substance in a chain censer . When the burial was complete , Pera directed the thirsty Solo towards Locru ' s Central Saloon , assuring him that since he had bested the spacers in a fair fight , he would be respected in the township . Two years later , Pera was interviewed by Voren Na ' al , a historian working for the Alliance to Restore the Republic , who sought to discover just what had transpired when Solo had come to town . After Na ' al made a sizable donation to the Sacred Way , the Verpine confirmed that Solo and Chewbacca had indeed visited Tun Aduban . Personality and traits . Pera lived by the edicts of the Sacred Way and believed in the philosophy of " for every sin there is an equal and positive retribution , " as per his religion ' s Holy - Book . The Verpine likened his task to an equally impossible endeavor — collecting all the pebbles from a beach . Although Pera accepted that he would not be able to convert many , he valued his rare initiates , feeling that they had genuine merit . Pera played upon the sense of desperation rampant throughout Tun Aduban and was occasionally able to find a platform for his teachings , gathering several converts . He gained the respect of the spacers and star - hoppers in Tun Aduban by maintaining Spacer ' s Hill . When addressed as " Pera , " the Verpine responded with " Fi , " the High Galactic for child . Although he would defend himself in combat , Pera did not wish any permanent harm to befall his attackers and was of the opinion that violence only ever spawned more violence . He believed that cyborgs , despite being part droid , still had a soul within their Human part . Behind the scenes . The character of " Pera " made his first , and to date only appearance , in " " ( 1978 ) , one of the first pieces of Expanded Universe fiction published . Similarly , Pera was , along with Crimson Jack and Jolli from the same issue , one of the first Expanded Universe characters created . His species was later retroactively identified as Verpine in the article " The Starhoppers of Aduba - 3 " ( 2001 ) , published in " Star Wars Gamer 4 " . The identification was made in spite of the fact that Verpines have been established as hermaphroditic in " " ( 1989 ) , while " Pera " is identified as a male in " New Planets , New Perils " .