Kaikielius/Legends

"The Kaikielii had been a key power at the dawn of the Republic, and its governors accepted homage from numerous colony planets — Ruan, the moons of Jonsior, even Foerost. But over the millennia, these achieved full membership and shifting fate left the hub behind."

- Dr. Gabrel Treon, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji: A Cartel of Genes, Byblos Journal of Historical Science, 104 ABY

Kaikielius was a planet in the Kaikielius system of the Core Worlds. A regional power before the rise of the Republic and a Core Founder, it was situated on the Koros Trunk Line, just outside of the Deep Core. The planet was the homeworld of the influential political dynasty House Praji.

Description
"If Coruscant was the galaxy's urban center, the reimagined Kaikielius was a cookie-cutter suburb."

- Dr. Gabrel Treon, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji: A Cartel of Genes.

Kaikielius was located on the Koros Trunk Line between Foerost and Ruan, linking Coruscant to the carbonite-producing worlds of the Deep Core. The planet occupied a strategically-vital position that throughout history made it a target for fleets seeking to conquer Coruscant, whether from the Deep Core or from the Corellian Run via the Agricultural Circuit.

Historically, Kaikielius was a rural and pastoral world, and was traditionally ruled by an aristocracy of Great Houses. The planet was heavily-urbanised after 5000 BBY in a desperate attempt to compete economically with the Empress Teta system, and became known for poverty, pollution, and urban decay. "Ring-cities" developed as mayors walled-off city centers in an effort to contain crime while construction continued to expand in concentric rings of development.

Following the Kaikieli Reconquista of 4225 BBY and the destruction of most of the planet's criminal elements, Kaikielius was largely restored and became described as the gentrified suburb compared to Coruscant's urban center.

Pre-Republic era
The planet was settled some time between 25,200 BBY and 25,053 BBY by Humans after the fall of the Rakatan Infinite Empire. The locals were known as Kaikielii. An aristocratic world, Kaikielius was ruled by the noble Great Houses, of which the oldest and most prominent were the Triad of House Praji, House Vahali, and House Juoni, with lesser houses vying for patronage. Before the rise of the Galactic Republic, Kaikielius had held suzerainty over Ruan, the moons of Jonsior, and Foerost.

An early ruler of the planet was Governor Tyler Sapius Praji, who was a signatory of the Galactic Constitution, bringing Kaikielius into the Galactic Republic as a Core Founder.

The early Republic
The Triad had a powerful voice on Coruscant in the early years of the Galactic Republic, with the Prajii having the most influence. House Juoni lost virtually all of its power after it sided with Alsakan during the First Alsakan Conflict of 17,000 BBY, resulting in its Expansion Region holdings being destroyed by orbital bombardment. Kaikielius was left to the control of the Prajii and the Vahalii.

Kaikielius slowly faded from galactic political importance in the years after the Corellian Interregnal and its colonies became full Republic members in their own right. From 11,000 BBY it rivalled with Koros for influence in the Core Worlds, but infighting in the Koros system, and between the Great Houses on Kaikielius, prevented either from gaining an advantage. In 5000 BBY, however, the nine planets of the Koros system were unified by Empress Teta, and she subsequently gained much favor with Coruscant for her actions in repelling the Sith Empire during the Great Hyperspace War. Kaikielius' suffered an attack by Naga Sadow's fleet in this war, and within a hundred years of the war's conclusion, Koros had eclipsed it in power and influence.

Decline
In a frantic attempt to compete with Koros, Kaikielius underwent rapid urbanization, which devastated the countryside and left ancient city cores neglected, decayed and abandoned. Wealthy citizens abandoned the city centers in favor of the exurbs or left the planet altogether. Corrupt Neimoidian developers and Hutt criminal cartels moved into the poverty-stricken city centers, while mayors walled off the city cores and cut off utilities in a desperate effort to contain crime and poverty. Kaikielius' ring-cities became infamous as the city cores were abandoned to anarchy while construction continued to expand in concentric rings of development.

Kaikielius suffered devastating groundquakes during the Quake Years around 4800 BBY, after which House Praji decamped to Coruscant, leaving rule of the increasingly-ungovernable planet to House Vahali. The Vahalii soon dominated all aspects of Kaikielius' government, but the system was effectively under the control of Hutt kajidics and became a haven for pirates: the approach to the Kaikielius system on the Koros Trunk Line became known as "Butcher's Alley" for the death toll. The Prajii were content to let their rivals destroy themselves before they moved in to pick up the pieces. Indeed, Emppu Praji-Barck, who served as a Republic Minister of State for sixty years, continually filibustered Senate debates on intervention in the Kaikielius system.

It was not until 4225 BBY that the Jedi Order on Ossus sent a task force to end the Hutt's domination over the planet. They and other criminal elements were ousted through the military might of the joint Republic-Jedi expedition, and the planet was rebuilt with Republic aid. Over the millennia, it was further targeted by Exar Kun, the Sith Emperor, and Skere Kaan.

The Rise of the Empire
The Separatist General Grievous managed to take the world as part of Operation Durge's Lance during the Clone Wars. Decades later, following the formation of the New Republic, the planet surrendered to Gial Ackbar's fleet. However, It was attacked by Imperial forces led by Nahdonnis Praji in 10 ABY, and this battle, along with a strike against Metellos, persuaded the leaders of the New Republic that they could not hold the capital on Coruscant. The clone Emperor appointed Praji Governor-General of the world. Soon after, commanders loyal to the Imperial Ruling Council did indeed recapture the galactic capital world, setting off another bloody battle in their Imperial Civil War.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the planet was invaded by Yuuzhan Vong forces. Following the Yuuzhan Vong's conquest of Coruscant, the House Praji relocated their holdings to Kaikielius.