Coruscant was pretty neat, kind of scary, but neat!

Thats what Luke was thinking to himself as he followed Ben down the street.

His stomach rumbled loudly, but he paid no attention to it. He was too transfixed on everything happening around him.

People and species of all kinds slunk through the streets, some wearing outlandish clothing or long cloaks that concealed their features.

As he continued, Luke began to realize that staring at someone for prolonged periods of time got their attention, to which he would respond to with a wave.

The confused passerby would usually just glare at him and walk away, but he didn't mind.

Suddenly, Luke knocked into someone, sending a box of fruit clattering to the ground.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed, kneeling to gather the items in his arms.

"Its no trouble." the man replied.

He was a middle-aged human with dark hair and a gray-ish complexion that suggested he hadn't left the lower levels of Coruscant in a while.

"My name's Luke."

The man finished gathering the fruit and straightened up, offering him a smile.

"I'm Olfin, nice to meet you."

Olfin studied Luke for a moment before saying, "Your not from around here are you?"

"No." he admitted, ducking his head sheepishly.

"I figured, seeing as you were wandering around all by yourself."

"But I'm not alone."

Olfin raised an eyebrow. "Imaginary friends don't count."

Luke felt his face grow hot with indignation. "But Mister Ben is right over..." he trailed off, realizing they were gone.

Olfin chuckled. "A little lost, aren't ya? Well don't worry, I'll help you find your friends."

Luke shrugged and followed him, copying his movements as he weaved through crowds and slipped down alleyways.

"Um, are you sure you know where we're going?" he asked after a while. "I think we were supposed to go that way."

"Don't worry about it, kid." Olfin said, waving it off. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Okay..." Luke stuffed his hands in his pockets.

He was beginning to doubt his decision to follow Olfin--he didn't really seem like he knew where to go and his smile was beginning to unsettle him.

"Actually, I think I know where they were headed. I'll just find them myself, I'm sure they're waiting for me." Luke turned and began walking away, but a hand gripped his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, and leave you unattended? I don't think so. Its very dangerous down here, especially for someone like you."

Luke swallowed nervously. The warmth had vanished from Olfin's gaze and was replaced with a steely glint, his grip tightening painfully around his wrist.

"I can take care of myself." he gritted out, trying to force down his fear.

"I know." the man leered. "Your very strong, I can sense it."

Unsure of what else to do, Luke did what Aunt Beru told him to do in an emergency---he screamed.

The next few seconds were a blur.

Olfin's eyes widened and he grabbed Luke, throwing him into the alleyway. Luke's head collided painfully with the wall of a building and he crashed into a pile of trash, something jabbing him in the side.

A soft groaned escaped his lips, dark spots dancing across his vision.

"Wha-" a hand covered his mouth and he found Olfin glaring down at him.

For a second, Luke was scared the man would kill him. He'd heard stories about people on Tattooine getting dragged off by Tusken-Raiders--their bodies found mangled in the dessert, that is, if they were found at all.

What if Olfin's like the Tusken-Raiders? he thought, his heart pounding.

Surprisingly, he didn't kill him.

Instead, he burst out laughing. "Jeez kid, you almost gave me a heart attack. Do you have any kriffing idea what you could have caused?"

Olfin shook his head, grinning like a madman. His hand slipped away.

Luke took this as his opportunity and opened his mouth to scream again, but strangely he couldn't.

It was as if a fog had clouded his mind. Everything was hazy and slow, like when you first wake up and nothing makes sense.

"Heh, its been a while since I've done this. Don't make a sound, got it?"

As if on command, Luke's jaw closed shut.

He was vaguely aware of Olfin grabbing his face, his nails digging into his skin.

Suddenly Olfin was gone and so was the fog.

Luke blinked and gazed around in confusion.

What just happened?

"Luke!"

Looking up, he found Ben standing there, Leia gripping his hand.

Both of them were breathing hard, their faces damp with perspiration.

"Are you okay?" Ben asked, kneeling in front of him.

"I guess...where's Olfin?"

"Who?" Ben wrinkled his brow in confusion before realization lit up his eyes. "Oh, him."

Luke followed his gaze and found the man lying in a heap at the other end of the alley.

"Mister Ben, what just happened?"

"I'll explain later, let's go."

Before he could respond, Ben was hauling him out of the garbage and carrying him away.

"I can walk!"

"Oh, I know you can, but I don't trust you not to wander off again."

Leia giggled, making Luke's cheeks burn.

Finally, they reached the apartment.

"So what exactly happened?" Ben asked, sitting the twins down.

"I accidentally ran into this guy, then I helped him pick up his fruit-"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Leia interrupted.

"I'm getting there!" Luke exclaimed. "So anyway, thats how I met Olfin. I couldn't find you guys so he said he would help me out. Then he got all creepy and tried to stop me from running away."

"I see." Ben nodded, looking deep in thought. "Well, I'm glad your alright. Get to bed, we'll work everything out tomorrow."

The twins nodded and headed for their room, Luke pausing in the doorway.

"Um, Mister Ben?"

"Yes, Luke?"

He hesitated, the memory of Olfin making him shiver. There was just so much that was wrong about it all.

It seemed like Olfin had singled him out
Then there was the fog and Luke hadn't been able to control his own body...

Luke gripped the doorframe. "Olfin is dangerous...I don't know how or why, I can't explain it."

Ben's gaze softened. "Dont worry, as long as you don't go running off again, your safe. I promise."

Luke nodded and followed Leia into the spare room, the door shutting behind him.

Ben stared after him, waiting a moment before picking up his datapad.

He quickly opened the holonet and began skimming through articles, stopping on one labeled Anzati.