Wasatch to Star Wars - Obi-Wan Kenobi Traditional Cache
Wasatch to Star Wars - Obi-Wan Kenobi
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You're looking for a plastic jar about 1 1/2 quarts in size.
The cache name comes from a signature card I left in the cache,
though I don't expect that will last long.
A
dedicated and legendary Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi had a long and
tumultuous career that has helped shape the fate of an entire
galaxy. When he was 25 standard years old, he was caught up in the
important events of the Battle of Naboo. At the time he was a
Padawan learner, apprenticed to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
At the behest of Supreme Chancellor Valorum, Obi-Wan and his Master
secretly voyaged to Naboo to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the
tense Trade Federation blockade of the planet. Aboard a Trade
Federation vessel, the scheming Neimoidians sprung a trap on the
Jedi, and attempted to kill them. Kenobi and his Master escaped and
stowed away on Trade Federation invasion craft landing on Naboo's
surface.
Following his Master, Obi-Wan voyaged from Naboo to Coruscant and
back during the intrigue that surrounded the Battle of Naboo. When
Qui-Gon Jinn brought a freed young slave boy, Anakin Skywalker,
before the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan was taken aback. Qui-Gon claimed
that Anakin was the Chosen One of an ancient Jedi prophecy, and
that he was to be Jinn's new Padawan learner, replacing Obi-Wan.
The council refused Jinn's proposal to train the boy.
This was just one of many disagreements that Obi-Wan Kenobi and
Qui-Gon Jinn had during their time together. Jinn, a proponent of
the living Force over the more serene unifying Force, had long been
a maverick in the eyes of the Jedi Council. Obi-Wan implored his
Master not to go against the Council, but Qui-Gon always responded
by saying that he must do as the will of the Force advises.
During the liberation of Naboo, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were challenged
by a deadly Sith Lord. A forgotten menace, the Sith had returned
after centuries of seeming extinction. For the first time in ages,
Jedi and Sith dueled. The dark warrior, Darth Maul, used his
incredible speed, rage and his double-ended lightsaber to fend off
both Jedi. As the duel progressed, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon became
separated. Kenobi watched helplessly as Maul killed Qui-Gon, and he
rushed to kill the Sith Lord in turn.
Qui-Gon's dying words were a request for Obi-Wan to train Anakin,
despite the Council's objections. The Council ultimately agreed
with Obi-Wan taking Anakin as a Padawan -- though Jedi Master Yoda
had strong reservations about it. The Council also bestowed upon
Obi-Wan the title and rank of Jedi Knight.
For over a decade Obi-Wan guided young Anakin on the path to Jedi
Knighthood. Having to rein in an adventure-seeking youth made
Obi-Wan wise -- and cynical -- beyond his years. True to his role,
Obi-Wan recognized both Anakin's strengths and weaknesses, and he
tried to impart his lessons with the patience and understanding
that his mentor, Qui-Gon, did.
As Anakin progressed, Obi-Wan grew increasingly concerned that the
young Padawan's raw power had fostered a dangerous arrogance. He
frequently expressed these reservations to the senior members of
the Jedi Council, but they continued to trust in Kenobi's
mentorship.
After returning from a border dispute on the world of Ansion,
Obi-Wan and Anakin were called by the Supreme Chancellor to protect
the life of Senator Padmé Amidala. Though Obi-Wan carried a
less-than-favorable impression of politics, he nonetheless took the
assignment very seriously. A failed assassination attempt left
Obi-Wan with a valuable clue -- an exotic weapon not recognized by
the analysis droids of the Jedi Temple.
As Anakin voyaged offworld on his first mission, escorting and
protecting Padmé Amidala on her home planet of Naboo, Obi-Wan
continued the investigation. He journeyed to Coruscant's Coco Town,
a shabby stretch of city where an old friend, Dexter Jettster,
lived and worked. Dex, the proprietor of a simple diner, was a
wealth of knowledge, and was able to identify the weapon as a
Kamino saberdart.
In searching out Kamino, Obi-Wan discovered a dangerous and
disturbing mystery. The vaunted Jedi Archives, perhaps the largest
repository of lore in the galaxy, had no record of the planet that
Dex described. Conferring with Yoda, Obi-Wan learned that Kamino
had been erased from the archives.
Aboard a Jedi starfighter, Kenobi journeyed to the storm-shrouded
world of Kamino. There, he made contact with the Prime Minister,
Lama Su, and the mystery surrounding the planet became even more
tangled. As explained by the Kaminoans, Obi-Wan was expected. A
decade prior, the Kaminoans had begun crafting an immense clone
army on the behalf of the Jedi for use by the Republic. Jedi Master
Sifo-Dyas, believed dead at the time, had apparently commissioned
the army.
The courteous Kaminoans gave Kenobi a tour of their cloning
facility in Tipoca City. Obi-Wan saw hundreds of identical clone
troopers, training and preparing, encased in modern, white armor.
This seemed to have nothing to do with the assassination attempt on
Amidala, until Kenobi met with the original genetic template for
the clones.
Jango Fett, notorious bounty hunter, had called Kamino home for a
decade. Obi-Wan, never breaking his cover story of inspecting the
clones, had a brief yet tense conversation with the hunter. Kenobi
recognized the man's armor from the assassination attempts on
Coruscant, and was tasked by the Jedi Council to take Fett into
custody for questioning.
This resulted in a fierce brawl between Kenobi and Fett. Jango
Fett's weapon-covered suit aided him in landing blows on the Jedi,
and the bounty hunter also benefited from cover fire from his young
son, Boba. Ultimately, Jango escaped aboard his starship, Slave I,
but not before Kenobi was able to secure a homing device to his
ship.
Kenobi shadowed Jango to the ringed world of Geonosis before he was
discovered pursuing Slave I. A dangerous chase ensued through the
rocky rings of the red planet, and Kenobi's starfighter sustained
light damage from a blistering hail of laser fire. Fett again
thought he lost his pursuer and proceeded to land, but Kenobi
continued his chase.
Obi-Wan secretly landed on Geonosis, and snuck into one of its
massive spire-complexes. Inside, he found a gathering of Separatist
minds, including the leader of the movement, Count Dooku. He
learned that Dooku was gathering the heads of the commerce guilds
and pooling their military resources, making one huge army to
challenge the Republic. Kenobi returned to his ship to make contact
with the Jedi Council. He warned of the impending Separatist
action, but his communication was cut short when he was taken
captive.
Held in a Geonosian dungeon, Kenobi was approached by Dooku. The
charismatic renegade Jedi spoke fondly of Kenobi's old mentor,
Qui-Gon Jinn, who had once been Dooku's apprentice. Dooku seemed to
genuinely regret that events had escalated to their current level.
His disillusionment with the Republic seemed sincere. Dooku even
revealed to Kenobi that the Senate was under the control of the
Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious. Kenobi refused to believe the
words of the elder Jedi, and refused, too, an invitation to join
Dooku in battle against the Sith.
As per Geonosian custom, Kenobi was sentenced to be executed.
Joining him were Anakin and Padmé, who had journeyed to Geonosis in
a vain rescue effort. The trio was chained to pillars in a massive
Geonosian execution arena, and three horrible beasts were unleashed
upon them. The Jedi and Padmé, however, proved difficult to kill.
Unarmed and shackled, they were resourceful enough to escape
certain death. Kenobi avoided the deadly cutting swipes of a
vicious acklay creature long enough for Jedi reinforcements to
arrive.
A hundred Jedi Knights infiltrated the arena, and the Separatists
countered by unleashing many more battle droids into combat. Jedi
fell by the dozens, but Obi-Wan fought valiantly and survived. This
was but a prelude to the start of the Clone Wars, as the newly
formed Republic military stormed Geonosis.
Dooku attempted to escape the battle, but Obi-Wan and Anakin gave
chase. They caught up with the old Jedi in a hidden hangar. Though
Obi-Wan instructed Anakin to join him in a coordinated attack
against Dooku, the headstrong Padawan rushed in only to be
incapacitated by Dooku's surprising dark side attack.
Kenobi moved in for the attack, but Dooku proved far too powerful.
The rogue Jedi's lightsaber skills outpaced Kenobi's parries, and
Obi-Wan fell to the ground, wounded in the arm and leg from
glancing saber strikes. As Dooku was about to administer the
deathblow, Anakin leaped forward and saved his master. Skywalker
and Dooku dueled, but again the Count proved his superiority.
Anakin was maimed and collapsed in an exhausted heap, joining his
helpless master.
Finally, Jedi Master Yoda arrived and attempted to stop Dooku.
Though Yoda's withering lightsaber attack nearly stopped the evil
Jedi, Dooku was able to distract the diminutive master by
endangering Obi-Wan and Anakin with a fallen pillar torn free by
the Force. Yoda used his telekinetic abilities to stop the pillar
before it crushed the two younger Jedi, and Dooku was able to
escape.
Kenobi healed, and had brief moments to reflect upon the immense
changes in the galaxy that had occurred. He conceded that the Jedi
had needed the clone army, otherwise the Separatists clearly would
have won at Geonosis. Yoda sadly noted that the victory on Geonosis
was in fact no victory at all. It was only the start of the darkest
times ever to be faced by the galaxy.
As a General in the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi served the Senate
and the Republic heroically, on numerous historic battlefronts.
Despite his misgivings, he became a seasoned starfighter pilot,
learning several tricks from his unorthodox Padawan as the duo
blazed a trail of victory through Separatists lines.
The exploits of Skywalker and Kenobi became legendary throughout
the Republic. While Anakin was elevated as the "Hero With No Fear"
for his daring heroics, Obi-Wan's more measured tactics earned him
the reputation as "the Negotiator." Many times Kenobi was able to
cease hostilities without the raising of a single blaster. When
diplomacy failed and it did come to violence, the General was
ready. Kenobi had the control of a complete army of clone troopers
and the latest military hardware. His most trusted clone soldier,
Commander 2224 -- also known as Cody -- served him well during
close calls on Cato Neimoidia and elsewhere.
During the Clone Wars, Kenobi ascended to the rank of Jedi Master,
and he occupied a ly loyal to the Republic, Cody believed that the
Jedi were conspiring against the Republic. The clones opened fire
on Kenobi. He barely escaped Utapau.
Fleeing the sinkhole planet aboard General Grievous' starfighter,
Kenobi made contact with Bail Organa and Jedi Master Yoda. The
loyalist Senator reported that the Jedi Temple had been attacked by
clone forces, while Yoda also confirmed that the clones had turned
against the Jedi all over the Republic. The emergency beacon
contained within the Jedi Temple was calling all the Jedi home.
This signal was luring the scattered Jedi into a trap. Yoda and
Obi-Wan realized that they needed to shut off that signal if the
Jedi order was to be preserved.
Returning to Coruscant, Kenobi and Yoda found the ruins of the
temple. Dead Jedi littered the once polished corridors. The corpses
were burned by blaster fire, but several exhibited slashes from a
lightsaber. Kenobi realized the terrible truth, a suspicion
verified by holographic records of the attack. Anakin Skywalker had
caused this destruction. He had succumbed to the dark side. The
Chancellor was Darth Sidious, and Skywalker was his new apprentice,
Darth Vader.
Kenobi rushed to Padmé, to tell her this horrific news and
determine Anakin's whereabouts. Padmé was shocked, and though she
knew where Skywalker was headed next, she did not divulge this to
Kenobi. She knew that Kenobi's next mission would be to stop Anakin
-- perhaps even kill him. Protecting the man she loved and the
father of her unborn children, Padmé secretly departed Coruscant to
confront Anakin. Kenobi stowed away aboard her vessel.
Arriving on Mustafar, Kenobi emerged from Padmé's ship as the two
lovers reunited. Padmé was distraught by Anakin's transformation.
She pleaded for him to return from the dark side. When Anakin saw
Kenobi aboard her ship, he snapped. Anakin accused Padmé of
betraying him, and used the Force the strangle her. Kenobi
witnessed the evil in Anakin, and attacked his former
apprentice.
The lightsaber duel that followed was the stuff of legends. The two
incredible warriors crossed blades throughout the barren industrial
facility on Mustafar, oblivious to the volcanic danger surrounding
them. The duel spilled over onto Mustafar's fiery surface, with
Kenobi and Vader clashing atop automated platforms floating on the
molten rivers of lava. The duel returned to solid ground as Kenobi
leapt to the black-sand shores of one of the lava flows. He had the
high ground, the tactical advantage. He urged Vader not to press on
in a fight he could not win, but the Sith Lord's arrogance got the
better of him.
Anakin leapt towards Kenobi, and Obi-Wan sheered off his legs and
one of his arms in a single swipe. Anakin's maimed body rolled down
the embankment, towards the river's edge. Obi-Wan was crushed. The
supposed Chosen One was no more, but only after wreaking so much
destruction on the galaxy. The Jedi were gone. The Chancellor now
ruled the galaxy, and the young hero he had come to regard as his
beloved brother lay dying on the charred gravel of a hellish world.
The heat from the river washed over Anakin, and he burst into
flames. His last words professed his utter hatred for Kenobi.
Kenobi picked up Skywalker's dropped lightsaber and returned to
Padmé's starship. She was dying, but the life of the babies she
carried within her still glowed brightly through the Force. They
flew to the nearest refuge, the asteroid mining colony of Polis
Massa. The alien medics tried to save her life, but it was no use.
She died as she gave birth to twins: Luke and Leia.
Yoda, Bail and Obi-Wan were the only ones who knew of the
children's fate. They recognized that should the Emperor ever
discover that Anakin had offspring, they would be in danger.
Obi-Wan was instrumental in hiding the children, so that the Dark
Lords would not know of their whereabouts. He took the young boy,
Luke, to live with Owen and Beru Lars, moisture farmers on
Tatooine. The young girl, Leia, was taken to Viceroy Bail Organa of
Alderaan.
As the Jedi's ranks were wiped out by the machinations of the
emergent Empire, Obi-Wan went into hiding on Tatooine. He would
stay there for decades, adopting the name of Ben. The locals would
refer to him as a "crazy old hermit," and gave the eccentric old
man a wide berth. During this time, Kenobi spent years communing
with the Force. Through meditation, he made contact with the spirit
of Qui-Gon Jinn. His former Master had discovered the secret of
immortality, a way of preserving his identity in the netherworld of
the Force. Obi-Wan studied from him, learning this ability.
During the height of the Galactic Civil War, Leia Organa secured
plans to the Empire's most diabolical weapon -- the Death Star. Her
mission was to contact Obi-Wan Kenobi, and bring both Kenobi and
the plans to her adoptive father on Alderaan. Captured by the
Imperial agents, Leia was unable to complete either goal. She
instead placed the plans into the memory systems of an R2 unit, and
dispatched the droid to Tatooine.
The droid R2-D2 and his companion C-3PO came into the ownership of
Owen Lars. R2-D2 was adamant in continuing his mission of getting
the plans to Kenobi, and fled the Lars Homestead. When Luke
Skywalker pursued the little droid, he came face to face with
Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan explained to Luke about his father, though the Jedi didn't
reveal the whole truth to the lad. Uncertain that Luke would be
ready for the burden, Kenobi explained to him that Anakin Skywalker
was an amazing pilot, a great warrior and a good friend. Obi-Wan
attributed Anakin's death to a rogue pupil of his, Darth Vader, who
betrayed and murdered Anakin. Since, Kenobi reasoned, Anakin ceased
to be upon the emergence of Vader, what he told Luke was true, from
a certain point of view. Obi-Wan even gave Luke a gift from his
father: Anakin Skywalker's blue-bladed lightsaber. Thus began
Luke's journey into the world of the Jedi.
Obi-Wan tried to train Luke as much as he could in their short time
together. As testament to the desperation of these dark times,
Kenobi knew full well that Skywalker would never have been trained
in the old days of the Jedi. He was far too old to begin training.
Nonetheless, Kenobi saw a chance to redeem his fallen pupil through
Luke.
Having taken the mission to rescue Princess Leia from the Empire,
Obi-Wan and Luke hired Han Solo's Millennium Falcon as
transportation to Alderaan. During the trip, Kenobi began Luke's
lightsaber training. The brief session was cut short as the Falcon
emerged from hyperspace to find Alderaan destroyed by the Death
Star.
The tramp freighter was captured by the Empire and taken aboard the
Death Star. Once aboard, it was Kenobi's mission to disable the
tractor beam terminal responsible for holding the ship. Kenobi did
so, carefully sneaking through the labyrinthine corridors of the
battle station. Though his skill in the Force kept his presence a
secret from stormtroopers and Imperial officers, it only served to
draw the attention of Darth Vader.
The Dark Lord confronted Kenobi as the Jedi was returning to the
Falcon. After decades of delay, Vader finally squared off against
his former master. As a diversionary tactic to help the others
escape, Kenobi sacrificed himself to Vader. The Dark Lord struck
the Jedi down, and Kenobi became one with the Force. He left behind
no body, just empty robes and his own Jedi weapon.
Kenobi's death strengthened Skywalker's resolve to serve both the
Rebellion and the Force. At times of great trial, Kenobi's voice
would reach out to Luke, offering counsel. Later, the spectral form
of Kenobi would appear to Luke. The ghost-like image advised young
Skywalker to venture to Dagobah, where he could complete his
training under the guidance of Yoda.
Later, Kenobi appeared to Luke and revealed the truth of his
lineage. Though Kenobi felt that the dark side could only be
defeated by bringing about the deaths of Anakin and the Emperor,
Luke strongly believed that his father still had good in him. Luke
set out to turn Anakin away from the dark side and succeeded,
though at a great price. Anakin suffered grievous wounds in his
final battle, and died having returned to the light. His spectral
form joined that of Kenobi and Yoda during the Rebel's celebration
of the Empire's defeat.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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