"Labor Pains," a short story penned by John Jackson Miller and visually brought to life by Pablo Hidalgo's illustrations, was initially a perk for members of Hyperspace. The narrative centers around Marn Hierogryph located on Ralltiir, and its events unfold in the period between Knights of the Old Republic 12 and Knights of the Old Republic 13. It was later made available on Suvudu, a website under the Random House publishing umbrella, on October 1, 2012.
This tale, a spinoff from John Jackson Miller's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series, unfolds as a monologue delivered by the Snivvian con artist, Marn Hierogryph.
While operating on Taris, Hierogryph's illicit deeds attracted the attention of Tarisian law enforcement. They sought assistance from the Jedi Order, who maintained a presence within that sprawling ecumenopolis. The local Jedi authorities dispatched the Jedi Padawan Zayne Carrick to capture Hierogryph, but the cunning Snivvian repeatedly managed to evade the young Jedi. Ultimately, Carrick did manage to apprehend the Snivvian con artist. However, Carrick was then falsely accused of murdering his fellow Padawans by the Jedi Covenant, forcing him into hiding. These two former adversaries then allied themselves, journeying across the galaxy while evading both the Jedi and Republic authorities.
Eventually, the journeys of Marn Hierogryph and Zayne Carrick led them to the Core World of Ralltiir. Adopting the self-proclaimed title of "crime lord," Hierogryph schemed to swindle those he called "Stupid People." Gathering heaps of what he dismissed as "junk" from their starship, The Last Resort, Hierogryph and Carrick pieced together various bits of machinery, hoping to sell them off as statuary – mechanical art pieces. They ventured to the Obohn Gallery of the Industrial Aesthetic, where Hierogryph engaged in negotiations with the curators, Dremullar Obohn di Garthos, and a Rodian known as "Father." Claiming that the machinery was the creation of Ineas Tikartine, Hierogryph's initial attempts to deceive his targets failed, but Carrick then employed a Jedi mind trick on them.
Before Hierogryph could collect his payment, Vandrayk stormed into the gallery, demanding that the Snivvian return his machinery. Di Garthos, unwilling to tolerate the noisy argument within his gallery, unleashed his Wookiee guards upon the trio. Fortunately for Hierogryph, di Garthos mistakenly believed that Vandrayk was Tikartine, and that the creator of the artworks was aware that his work was stolen, which made the pieces more valuable. He compensated Hierogryph with twice the Snivvian's original asking price. Carrick expressed his displeasure at having assisted in conning an innocent Muun, but Hierogryph was now in a position to advance his schemes further.