Hyperspace Stories 6

A long time before his famous encounter with Han Solo, Greedo was just a rookie criminal trying to climb the ladder in Jabba the Hutt's crime syndicate. However, his youthful aspirations take a detour when a major deal goes awry, and Jabba's new lover frames Greedo to take the blame. Will Greedo survive this ordeal, or will he end up as the next meal for Jabba's pet Rancor?

Even in a galaxy far, far away, crime has its consequences, as seen in Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #6!

During the Republic era at Jabba's Palace, Greedo, a Rodian bounty hunter with ambitions, tries to enter but the gatekeeper droid denies him access because his name isn't on the list. Greedo asks the droid to double-check, mentioning that Balgog sent him and he just finished the Yurno job, but he bypasses the distracted droid's security, granting himself entry to the palace. Greedo reminds himself that to land the top assignments, he needs to impress the head honcho, so he brought a gift. Inside the throne room, Greedo is struck by how amazed the audience is by Jabba's new treasure, the Sunburst Gem. Wanting Jabba the Hutt to notice him, Greedo approaches Jabba with a present, but Jabba's thugs tackle him, mistaking his intentions and thinking he's after Jabba and the Sunburst Gem. Greedo's offering of Billging Grubs, Jabba's favorite treat, spills everywhere, and Greedo is ridiculed for his poor attempt to impress, with Jabba dismissing him as a harmless fool. Jabba instructs his majordomo Bib Fortuna to spare Greedo's life since he simply wanted to be close to his greatness and admire the gem, and Fortuna advises Greedo to make a name for himself before trying to approach Jabba again, as he's been noticed, but not in a positive light.

Greedo, needing to start from the bottom, loiters around the palace trying to get noticed and attempts to take on random jobs, but his eagerness works against him and he continues to struggle. He was a broke nobody, barely surviving and living day to day at the bottom of the hierarchy. One day, Greedo becomes very interested in a new performer at the palace, a singer named Bennun Glau, and he tries to win her over. Greedo reflects that he should have known she was trouble the moment he saw her, but he was young and naive. She made him feel confident, and even though she didn't know he existed, Greedo was smitten. Greedo would always go to the palace to listen to her sing, but Jabba also valued her, considering her a jewel, just like his Sunburst Gem. One night after one of her performances, Greedo visits Glau in her room and she tells him that she's seen him in the audience. He declares that he'd do anything for her, and Greedo proceeds to carry out various odd jobs for her, never questioning where she got the credits. With the credits, Greedo manages to buy a ship and flowers to show Bennun how much he appreciates everything she's done. However, one night everything falls apart when Greedo returns to her room to find her standing over the unconscious body of one of Jabba's thugs. Bennun lies to Greedo, claiming the thug appeared out of nowhere and that she's scared, but Greedo assures her that he won't let anything happen to her. With his ship ready, they set their plan in motion, with Greedo dealing with the guard while Bennun will meet him in the Mos Eisley Food Court in an hour.

Greedo drags the unconscious guard's body to a cave in the desert and pays a group of arachnid creatures to keep him hidden for a few days, and meanwhile Jabba the Hutt is transported to Mos Eisley on a litter. Later in the Food Court, Greedo waits for his love to arrive when Jabba greets him. Because he's also waiting for someone special, Jabba invites Greedo to have a drink with him and tells the Rodian that he's a new father due to the birth of his son Rotta. The Guild didn't bother getting him a gift, and he's under pressure with the Separatists attacking hyperspace trade routes and other rogue elements cutting into his profits. Greedo brings up his own difficulties finding work and mentions how he wouldn't have made it through without Bennun. Since they're both meeting their special someone in the Food Court, they toast to this, but Jabba is suddenly informed that Bennun Glau has left the planet with the Starburst Gem. He learns that she had help and spies have reported that a Rodian has been hanging around her, so Jabba explodes and declares that Greedo will never work on Tatooine again. Greedo tries to explain that he was unaware and was also tricked, but he can only flee and promise to make things right, to which Jabba responds that he better, or he'll lose his head.

Returning to Jabba's Palace, Greedo discovers his ship is gone and takes the closest functioning ship he can find. Chasing Bennun into space, Bennun tells Greedo that she wants to end their relationship as the Rodian demands that she return the Starburst Gem or Jabba will kill him. Greedo attempts to bluff, saying that he'll hunt her down, but she doesn't believe him and offers her life in exchange for a tip. She'll lead Greedo to a rogue Wookiee causing trouble for Jabba in this area, as being in Jabba's good graces long-term is worth more than the gem. A frustrated Greedo agrees to these terms and she takes him to the Wookiee's ship before Bennun jumps to hyperspace. Boarding the Wookiee's ship, Greedo takes the Wookiee aboard as a prisoner and delivers him to Jabba the Hutt.

Before Greedo can be executed, he tries to present the rogue Wookiee to Jabba, but Bib Fortuna informs them all that the rogue was captured a week earlier. Greedo realizes that Bennun has betrayed him again, but Bib Fortuna translates and tells Jabba that the Wookiee is Brewhada, a toymaker in the sector searching for new materials. Seizing the opportunity, Greedo presents the Wookiee as a gift for the arrival of Rotta so that he has a personal toymaker. Jabba is touched by this gesture and removes the bounty on Greedo's head, but the Rodian will forever be in Jabba's debt. Jabba then sets the terms for Brewhada, which are that the Wookiee will stay in his palace as a personal toymaker for Rotta and a portion of his profits will be shared with Jabba, but Brewhada will still be allowed to create designs for his factory on Kashyyyk. In the future, Greedo finishes telling this story to Rotta, which finally puts the baby to sleep, and Brewhada continues to make toys, including a plush Wookiee doll.

The inside cover of Hyperspace Stories #6 indicates that the story takes place during the Imperial Era, but it actually occurs during the Republic Era.

The issue reveals that Rotta was recently born. A doll with a bow is shown being made by Brewhada, placing the story before Hyperspace Stories 1 where the same doll appears. The events of Hyperspace Stories 1 happen before the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, where Rotta is depicted as noticeably younger and smaller.