A.N: Oh gosh, I am so sorry that I haven't updated this story for like, months! It's just, I started, (and finished) another story that I had promised myself I would write. Anyway, here, finally, is the next chapter.

Chapter Nine: A New Day's Adventure Begins

It was an uneventful trip to the planet that Obi-Wan had in mind. The planet they were going to, Riveria, was about as far away from the rest of the galaxy that you could get. It was far beyond the outer rim, and the planet was mostly uninhabited.

Obi-Wan had found it a long time ago back before the Clone Wars. He had just been around twenty years old when his ship had malfunctioned and ended up on that planet. Obi-Wan had discovered it, and it was him who had named it 'Riveria.'

The origin of the name came from all the rivers that Obi-Wan had seen. He had even established a little house for himself. Yes, he would have to make it much bigger to accommodate everyone, but it would do.

Riveria was a nice planet to raise Luke on. There was lots of clean, fresh air, and fields to run and play on. Hopefully, they would be able to live there in peace for a very long time…

Eight Years Later…

Imperial Center had not changed one bit ever since the beginning of the Empire. And now, and Lord Vader stood on his balcony, gazing at the never ending city, he couldn't help but think how different life could have been for him if he had found his son.

It had been eight years. Eight years since the time he'd been so close to finding him. So close to being able to raise the little one, and keep him from being raised by his mortal enemy, and by now, Vader was sure that was exactly what had happened.

Ever since that chase from Kashyyyk to Alderaan, Vader hadn't heard from his son, or heard about him either. It was hard for Vader to think of Luke, wondering if he was safe and happy. Had he succeeded in catching him, he would be able to be sure that Luke was happy, and most importantly, safe. But he knew none of those things.

Vader had alerted every bounty hunter in the galaxy that if they ever came across a boy called Luke Skywalker, they were to let him know immediately. But how was that going to help? Luke should be thirteen now, and he had no idea how his own son looked. Would he ever have his child?

"Happy Birthday, kid!" Han said, running into Luke's room and pouncing on him.

"Ahh! Han! I thought I told you not to do that!" Luke said, laughing.

Han swung Luke around in the air, then ruffled his hair in a brotherly manner. Ever since they moved to Riveria, Luke and Han had grown closer then brothers.

"You did," Han said. "But I wanted to do it anyway. By the way, Obi-Wan wanted me to tell you that breakfast is ready."

Luke smiled. "Why didn't you say so earlier? Let's go!"

Han was now eighteen, and he was getting tired of staying on the same old planet, not going anywhere. Yeah, he had left a few times, but only to get some supplies that they needed. Some day, he was planning to leave for good. But he didn't like the thought of leaving the kid. He had grown very fond of him, and he felt like it was his job to make sure that nothing ever happened to him.

"Good morning, boys," Obi-Wan said, when he saw the two enter the kitchen.

"Morning," they said, simultaneously.

Suddenly, Luke spied breakfast. "Do my eyes deceive me, or do I see pancakes?"

Obi-Wan grinned. "Happy Birthday. I made then especially for the occasion."

Luke and Han lost no time in claiming the most pancakes they could get their hands on. By the time Obi-Wan was seated, there was only one left.

"Well," Obi-Wan said, sighing. "I guess I'll need to make more of those."

Suddenly, Han noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Chewie?"

Obi-Wan seemed to pause before answering. "He's fixing up the ship."

"Why!?" Han and Luke asked simultaneously. They always seemed to say things at the same time.

Obi-Wan hesitated for a second, and this only made Han and Luke more anxious to know what this was all about. Finally, Obi-Wan decided to speak.

"I'm going away."

"What!?" Han and Luke yelled, forgetting their pancakes.

"Just for a short while!" Obi-Wan said, defending his decision.

"But why?" Luke asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Luke, I have an old friend that I have to talk to."

"Why don't you try the com?" Han asked sarcastically. "I hear they're workable."

"Boys, it isn't like that. My friend doesn't have any technology of any sort, and also, I need some time to… relax."

Luke gave Obi-Wan a disapproving look. "Excuse me? Are you meaning to say that you're taking a vacation?"

"No," Obi-Wan said, raising his hand in protest. "Nothing like that. I need time to meditate."

There was a moment of silence when no one spoke. Han and Luke were surprised at Obi-Wan's sudden move, and Obi-Wan didn't want the two teenagers to overload.

"But what about us?" Luke finally asked.

"You two are more then capable of taking care of yourselves for a while. I'll only be gone for two weeks at the worst… I mean most."

Luke and Han nodded their consent, but neither of them was happy about it.

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Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel a little guilty as he lifted off in his personal ship. They had two ships; the Millennium Falcon, the ship that they had first come to this planet in, and the Time Spinner, a ship that Obi-Wan had gotten a few years ago.

To tell the truth, Obi-Wan felt a little uneasy, leaving the boys alone. But then, they weren't really alone. They had Chewie with them, and Obi-Wan had to see Yoda.

Yes, Obi-Wan was going to Degobah to see the elderly Jedi Master. There were two reasons for this. First, he needed to speak to Yoda about Luke's training, and also, he needed to brush up on his own skills, and in truth, he did want a little break from constantly watching Han and Luke, and keeping them out of trouble. He needed some time to meditate, and become calm, and Yoda could help him with that.

Obi-Wan wasn't planning to be gone long. Just two weeks. Surely nothing drastic could happen in two weeks…

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"Well, I guess that's that," Han commented, still looking at the sky.

"Yeah. How long did he say he'd be gone?"

"Two weeks," Han said, sighing. How come Obi-Wan could get a vacation off planet, and he couldn't? It wasn't fair, and by the looks of it, Luke was thinking the same thing. "Well, what do you wanna do? It's your birthday."

Luke grinned deviously. "Uh-oh," Han said. "That's the face I see every time before we get grounded."

"But Obi-Wan's not here to ground us this time," Luke said.

Han nodded. "True. What did you have in mind?"

"You know that old trunk up in the attic? The one Obi-Wan never lets us look in?"

"Yeah," Han said. Suddenly he knew what Luke wanted to do, and in truth, it didn't seem like such a bad idea. "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

Once again, Luke grinned. "Positive."

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"Wow, look at all the stuff in here!" Luke said after they had opened up the trunk.

Han kept pulling stuff out until he came across a familiar object. "Hey, look! It's the old lightsaber Obi-Wan let me practice with!"

Luke's face was blank. "Huh?"

Han decided not to say anything. If Obi-Wan hadn't told Luke about the saber yet, it was probably best that he didn't say anything either. "It's a long story. Look at all these books," Han said, changing the subject. "They look so old."

"Yeah." Suddenly, Luke caught sight of a book that stood out dramatically from the others. The cover was red, with gold trimming. "Look at this one!" Luke said, pulling it out.

"Hey, kid, that's real gold you're looking at!" Han said in awe. "How did he get something like that?"

Luke opened it. "Gosh, it's a photo album."

Han stared at the pictures. They were the expensive paper-like kind. "Kid, do you know how expensive it is to get pictures like this?" Han asked.

"Yeah," Luke said absently. His focus was on the pictures themselves.

There was one with a younger version of Obi-Wan standing next to a young man in a black leather outfit, styled a lot like Obi-Wan's.

The next picture had the same young man, only this time, he was with a beautiful lady in a yellow flower dress. The place where the picture had been taken was a field of some sort, and the two people seemed to be having a picnic.

"Hey, kid, look at the wording under this one," Han said, pointing to a picture taken of the lady.

Her hair was falling all around her face, and she had a calm look about her. Under the picture, there was a single word, 'Padme.'

"Padme," Han said aloud. "I wonder who Padme is."

"Look at the wording under this picture!" Luke said excitedly

There were two names this time; 'Anakin and Padme.'

"What about it?" Han asked.

"Han, Anakin was my father's name! This is a picture of my father!"

Han gasped. Obi-Wan had never talked much about Luke's old man, and to this day, Han still wondered why, and apparently, Luke had always wondered the same thing.

"Then who's the lady?" Han asked.

Luke shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe she's my mother!"

Han whistled. "Then kid, you had one hottie of a mom!" Luke threw Han an angry look. "Sorry."

There was silence as Han and Luke kept looking through the album. When they had finished, no one spoke. Each was lost in his own thoughts.

"I wonder why Obi-Wan never showed me this," Luke said. "If these are really pictures of my parents, then he had no reason to hide this from me."

"Or did he?" Han said. Luke looked up. "Kid, he always has reasons for doing things. Mostly."

Luke was at a loss for words. All he could think about was the album. Why did Obi-Wan hide this? What secrets did it hold that he had yet to discover? Was there something about his parent's past that Obi-Wan was trying to keep a secret?

Luke had always wanted to know about his parents. Until he knew about his mother and father, he wouldn't truly know who he was. If he could unlock the secrets to his parent's past, then he would be able to discover who he was. Suddenly, that was the only thing Luke wanted to do. He had to find out what Obi-Wan was hiding.

"Han, we've got work to do."

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To Be Continued…

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A.N: Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Boba and Bella. I have plans for them. (wink)

Oh! You can see a picture of Riveria on the Story Art page on my homepage!

Please review!