The Clone Wars: Covetous

"Emir Wat Tambor targets Ryloth in Covetous"

- Tagline

The Clone Wars: Covetous is a six-page web comic in The Clone Wars web comic series leading directly into the The Clone Wars episode "Storm Over Ryloth." The comic was posted on StarWars.com on February 26, 2009, written by Pablo Hidalgo, and both illustrated and lettered by Grant Gould. Covetous depicts the prologue to the Battle of Ryloth. Passel Argente is visiting on the city of Lessu on planet Ryloth. He's bringing spoils to Twi'lek broker Artruk to secure them, however, he is spied by Wat Tambor, who decides to pillage the treasuers and invade Ryloth.

Plot summary
On the planet of Ryloth, Magistrate Passel Argente is welcomed to Lessu, known as the "city of riches," by corpulent Twi'lek Artruk. The impatient Magistrate asks Artruk to secure the items that his droids are carrying, and Artruk complies. Unbeknownst to them, they are being spied by a pair of Twi'leks. The other, a pale-skinned Twi'lek named Voyla says that the items Argente is bringing will make a desirable plus to their war chest. However, his comrade, Twi'lek Cham Syndulla, tells him to speak more quietly and stay hidden. Voyla believes that Artruk will not notice them while he is occupied by the treasures marched before him. He thinks that the Magistrate is yet another greedy outlander who has come to steal the treasures of Ryloth and wants to "teach him a lesson," but the other Twi'Lek notes that Argente is bringing items to Lessu, not taking from it. Suddenly, Syndulla notice that Argente is flanked by two battle droids.

The loading of the Magistrate's items is nearly complete, and Artruk congratulates Argente for a very profitable month. He assumes that the treasures are from the Outer Rim planet of Christophsis. Argente, angrily, orders him not to use the real titles, as he wants the items to remain anonymous. Artruk assures that he's merely displaying respect, but the Magistrate tells that he isn't paying to the Twi'Lek for his respect, but to erase his connections to the items. Meanwhile, Syndulla informs Voyla that the outlander's droids are undoubtedly Confederate battle droids. Voyla asks if the war is arriving on Ryloth, which Syndulla replies that they would best prepare for that, as they can't rely on Coruscant to take notice what happens on Ryloth. Voyla humorously admits it, as it would "interrupt their dear senator's dinner hour." At the same time, Argente and Artruk are revealed to be secretly spied by yet an another side; the Magistrate's protocol droid has been transmitting everything that Magistrate has done on Ryloth to Techno Union Foreman, Emir Wat Tambor, and his tactical droid. Upon noticing Argente's treasures, Tambor asks his droid if Ryloth is one of their targeted worlds, which the droid replies that it is ranked as number seventy-nine. Tambor orders the droid to mobilize their troops, as they're moving Ryloth as number one target.

Behind the scenes
The Clone Wars: Covetous is a six-page web comic and the eighteenth issue in The Clone Wars web comic series, which ties into the television series of the same name. The events of Covetous chronologically occurs before "Storm Over Ryloth", the nineteenth episode in first season of the television series. The comic was posted on StarWars.com on February 26, 2009, writed by Pablo Hidalgo, and both illustrated and lettered by Grant Gould. Special thanks were also given to Sue Rostoni, Leland Chee and Dave Filoni.

Covetous serves as a prologue to The Clone Wars Ryloth trilogy, and shows how Wat Tambor decides to invade Ryloth. It also marked the debuts of Cham Syndulla and TA-175, thought both of them appeared unnamed in the web comic. Covetous has ties to the earlier web comic Discount, for Passel Argente's RA-7 protocol droid was secretly a spy for Wat Tambor.