Lost Treasure

Long ago in the days of the Old Republic, Mustafar was a lush green world. It was a much different place than it is now, free of volcanic activity and a harsh atmosphere. The Jedi were strong in the ways of the Force, and had many temples on Mustafar where they cultivated their abilities and trained their students. The Sith were also very powerful and wanted to exterminate the Jedi. Long ago, this small world set the stage for a climactic battle between the Jedi and the Sith.

The padawan's eyes widened with amazement! Her master had put a few odd pieces of junk into a glowing blue cube and meditated. A short while later he pulled out a hat. "There you go!" he said, smiling as he handed her the small fuzzy hat.

"It's a lucky hat you know." He winked at her as she took it from him and put it on her head.

Laughing, she replied, "Oh Master Chu-Gon, you've taught me that there is no such thing as luck."

Playing coy with his young Padawan, he stood tall and said, "I taught you that? Why would I teach you such a thing? The universe is full of randomness and nothing is connected."

She was on to his playfulness. Rolling her eyes and bobbing her head back and forth, she went along with her wizened teacher's irony, "Oh yes, the universe is a big silly place all random with no meaning..."

They laughed at their own joke, funny to them but maybe not so funny to anyone else, which made it special.

"Master, how did you do that?" Serious again, the young Padawan wanted to know how he had transmogrified the little bits of junk into a fuzzy blue hat. "Please tell me!"

"Alright little one, it's time for your next lesson."

They sat down in the temple. The temple was a carved stone gazebo with ancient writings and glyphs carved into it.

"As we have already discussed, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power...or her power."

"It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Even now it flows through you, through me. The Cube. The Temple. Everywhere!"

"It is our ally." The young Padawan said with a deep knowing of what she had just learned.

"Yes, little one. It is our ally."

Smirking, she looked up at Chu-Gon, "But that doesn't explain how you made the hat!"

Smirking in return, the Master Jedi chuckled, "No, that doesn't explain how I made the hat."

He continued, "The Force is created by all living things, but it flows through everything. It even flows through inanimate objects. The cube is a lens. It helps focus the flow of the Force as it passes through the cube and also the items placed within it."

"By meditating and channeling the Force through the cube, it is possible to manipulate the inanimate objects inside, merging them to create something entirely new. Over the years, I have studied Force and how the things on this planet are amplified by the energy emanating from it's core. Mustafar is a unique world with many secrets."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded and drew their attention away from the lesson. Chu-Gon was visibly upset and almost as the alarm sounded, a disturbance in the Force rippled through them so great, that the young Padawan began to cry.

"Stay here for a moment Padawan. Let me find out what has happened."

Chu-Gon hurried to another part of the temple to make contact with his fellow Jedi. She waited while he investigated the disturbance. She waited some more and inside she knew something was wrong.

"Master? Master, where are you?" She hurried to the main building on the temple grounds where he should have been.

He wasn't there. She searched all over the temple. Surely he wouldn't leave her alone.

Something had happened to Master Chu-Gon. He had...vanished!

To be continued...

Doctor Olok

"Yes, that's right. Doctor Ithes Olok. The foremost researcher whenever Jedi and Force related objects are involved."

"Oh...uh, THE famous Doctor Ithes Olok, right." The young green Twilek quickly agreed to Doctor Olok's exaggerated notoriety.

"Right. Now I'm sure you've heard of the Legend of Chu-Gon Dar, correct?" The good doctor sounded as if it were incredulous that anyone wouldn't have heard of the legend by now.

"Refresh my memory." Attractive young Twilek women are very skilled at inspiring men to ramble on about the things they probably shouldn't be talking about.

"Chu-Gon Dar was a Jedi Master that lived thousands of years ago during the era of the Old Republic. He resided at the Jedi Temple here on Mustafar and his knowledge and understanding of the Physical Force was unmatched by any other."

She subtly writhed and looked at him wistfully. He eagerly continued, "Well, you see, the legend goes on to say that using his vast understanding, he created a device. A device designed to channel and manipulate the Physical Force.

The details are a little fuzzy there, but from what I can tell, it was meant to alter the physical properties of the items placed inside of it. Apparently, this produced some interesting results."

She almost cooed, "Interesting results?" The good Doctor had gone on rambling as he regaled her of Cube's history.

"The device is said to have worked off of the principle that the Force flows through all things, both animate and inanimate. If the proper items are placed in the device, and the Physical Force is altered in a certain way, it is theoretically possible to merge those items into something entirely new!"

"What does any of this have to do with your research?"

"Ah yes, the exciting part. After the fall of the Old Republic, the Jedi Temple was abandoned. Eventually it collapsed due to the violent nature of this planet. The device and its secret were lost."

"Yes, and?" She almost had what she was looking for.

"And...a recent excavation of the Jedi Temple ruins revealed a hidden underground storage chamber. It was filled with hundreds of these small cubes you see here. I believe that these cubes are duplicates of the device Chu-Gon Dar created so many years ago."

"Really? Do they work?" She asked him, hoping for a clue about how to work the little wonders. Visions of treasures danced in her head.

"To be honest, I don't know."

She was crestfallen as he spoke the words.

"These cubes do radiate strongly with the power of the Physical Force, and they do seem hollow inside. I just can't seem to get any of them open. However..."

"However what?"

We did find some ancient scrolls in the temple ruins along with the cubes. I think they may provide the information we need, but there are a couple hundred symbols used that I don't quite understand. I need to know more about these symbols in order to read the scrolls."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually, there is. I've seen symbols like these before while surveying some of the Old Republic ruins to the south of this facility. I didn't think much about it at the time, but I believe if I could get some notes about the symbols there, we might understand more about this scroll."

She volunteered, "What do you need me to do?"

Doctor Olok went on about the scrolls and the ruins, giving her a simple job. He babbled on about this and that, never once noticing her take the scroll and a little notebook of his.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and scampered out of the room. Once she had made it around the corner and down the hall, she met up with her mysterious partner.

"Did he buy it?"

"I think so. He told me where the ruins are. Now all we have to do is get there and get a scan of those symbols. Hopefully we can pay someone to make some sense of them. If we do, we'll be rich. I heard a story about a smuggler that laid his hands on one of these cubes and somehow figured it out how it works...

Also to be continued...

The Chu-Gon Dar Cube

The Chu-Gon Dar Cube is a quest reward that is part of the Trials of Obi-Wan expansion for Star Wars Galaxies. It is a simple quest that you can get from right inside the main mining facility. Just look for Doctor Olok. After speaking with the Doctor, you must seek out the ancient Jedi Ruins to the south of the mining facility.

Once you are there, look for three tablets. They aren't too far from the ruins, so don't go too far. After you research the tablets and bring the information back to the Doctor, he will give you a copy of the cube and three sample objects to start with.

The objects you can use with the cube are various items looted all throughout Mustafar that will be described as Barely, Faintly, Dimly or Warmly Glowing. Simply place a combination of 3 items into the cube by using your mouse to "drag-and-drop" the items from your inventory into the cube.

When you do this properly, you will see a message that says, "The surface of the Chu-Gon Dar Cube shimmers with the power of the Force." Then, you can use the radial menu to open the cube. You will find that the cube has changed the glowing items into a surprise item!

There are hundreds of recipes you can try out. Different recipes, or combinations of items, will create different surprise items inside!

Good luck and May the Force be with you!

This week, we also have a new edition of Astromech Stats!

Let's take a look at how many Chu-Gon Dar Cubes have been found so far!

More Cube Facts

• There are approximately 37,000 possible combinations.

• There are 66 different items that can be put into the cube to make a new item.

• There are 399 combinations that will result in a surprise item.
  
  
• The first Eye of Mesra was unlocked November 19th, 2005 on Corbantis.
  
  
• The Omniglobular Syringe which is required to enter the Sher Kar cave was unlocked December 4th, 2005 on Shadowfire.
  
  
• The first Lava Crystal was unlocked December 30th, 2005 on Bloodfin.

Feature Scramble

Each week, we hide a coded message in the feature. You can decode the message by finding all of the bold letters in the article. Next, take the letters and arrange them to fit into the following blank spaces into a memorable phrase from the Star Wars saga.

Here is this week's scramble:

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