Coruscant underworld/Legends

"&hellip;the underworld is never traveled alone."

- Pollux Hax

The Coruscant Underworld, Coruscant Underground, Lower Coruscant, or more properly, the Coruscant Underlevels, was the lowest region of the city-dominated, galactic-capital world of Coruscant, laid with a mixture of ancient and forgotten ruins from the planet's prehistory along with modern-looking, crime-ridden venues and clubs. Different regions and levels ranged from the merely seedy (such as the Uscru Entertainment District), progressively worsening as one descended, ending in truly hellish reaches of stygian darkness populated solely by hypertrophied vermin and zombie-like devolved humanoids.

Most of the Underlevels rested more than a kilometer below the urban surface and city platforms. It was beneath some of the greatest skyscrapers in the Galaxy and other closely-spaced spectacular buildings of Coruscant where few rays of light filtered through to the gloomy section known as the Underworld.

Pre-Republic
Very little is known of the Coruscant underlevels in the Pre-Republic era. What can be said about them then is that the lowest fifty levels last saw sunlight in 95,000 BBY after five thousand years of buildings built on top of them as early as 100,000 BBY. Also some time after 95,000 BBY the Humans outcast their criminals into the Undercity and many millennia later they evolved into the Cthon. As for the Infinite Empire's rule over Coruscant they may have done the same as Galactic Empire did to them so many millennia later. Over the generations the Nonsentients evolved, possible brought by the Rakata from their homeworld of Lehon.

Old Republic
In the age of the Old Republic, while the wealth and marvel of Coruscant gleamed on its exterior level, the Underworld below served as a refuge for scum, petty crooks, as well as drug dealers, the poor gone bad, and other outlaws. Seedy nightclubs, overlooked gambling corners, and trashy cantinas were actually areas of some of the higher sections of these run-down nether levels. One place as dangerous as it was popular in the Underlevels was the Uscru Entertainment District with such hangouts as the Outlander Club and the Snapping Septoid.

The once-famous criminal organization called Black Sun had many allies working in the Coruscant Underworld including none other than District Mayor Acros-Krik.

The lowest levels of the Underworld had such an unbelievable crime rate, that many areas were locked down by order of the government in poor communities of desperate beggars and violent people who could go about attacking each other in neighbor units which were isolated from the rest of society by enormous, impenetrable blast doors.

Queen Amidala of Naboo and her head of security, Captain Panaka, got to see the Underworld firsthand when she was taken hostage by mercenaries during her visit to Coruscant. Panaka was given access to one of the locked-down communities where the Queen had been taken to by holding the door-operator, an intellectual government agent, at gunpoint. Once rescuing Queen Amidala and killing much scum and hostiles alike, Panaka re-opened the verbally-accessible blast doors by giving the passcode phrase "Coruscant has lovely sunsets".

Garbage was compressed into thick blocks and stored in the deeper levels of the Underworld. Much machinery that satisfied the needs to the well-to-do surface-dwellers, were also kept in the depths of the Underlevels and so there was a constant sense of motion and unrest. Artificial lighting barely brightened the dark, sorrowful levels. The Underlevels were home to various mutant species including the Cthon, Coruscanti ogre, Duracrete slugs, Mutant Rats, Shadow barnacles, taozin, and Granite slugs, which often posed a threat to sentient beings.

Lower-class immigrants who came to Coruscant, expecting to be living in the prosperity of the "surface life", were all gradually sunken into the subterranean realms. Self-made neighborhood lookouts would often gain some small territory over their group of companions and lessers (if lower ranks could at all be possible), thus occasionally creating a tight-knit and durable community who might have even withstood hoodlum fights and minor attacks. Usually though, once these vigilantes acquired weapons to protect their turf or began engaging in violence, even if in self-defense, there was always a great chance their strengthening community would collapse to eventual criminal influences.

Imperial Era
Throughout the Imperial reign of the Galaxy, the Lowerworld only worsened, leaving even more filth to be cleaned during the time of the New Republic. As a result of all space traffic to Coruscant being tightly controlled by the Empire and the harsh cruelty of the ruling Imperials, many criminals fled to the underworld. They ranged from bureaucrats who had made serious mistakes in their work to diplomats from worlds punished by the Empire to even clumsy personal servants and slaves from the Imperial Palace. Thus, an entirely shadowy culture developed in the lower levels since the fugitives were forced to remain there for all their lives.

These fugitives survived by revamping some of the abandoned underbasement rooms, tapping into electrical conduits and stealing energy from the city world's power grid. These survived on scraps and the fungus found in these lower levels.

Han Solo was once forced to descend to the very planetary surface itself, an experience he found so harrowing he vowed never to do it again, making the same vow for the surface of Nar Shaddaa.

Also, at some time prior to the Battle of Endor, the Emperor had the Super Star Destroyer Lusankya constructed and hidden beneath the lower levels of the planetwide city. The Lusankya would become the private prison and secret headquarters of the Director of Imperial Intelligence Ysanne Isard who would use it to imprison key Rebel Alliance prisoners.

New Republic
Even after the capture of Coruscant from the Empire by the more benevolent New Republic, life in the lower levels continued as it had for millennia. In 7 ABY, after one of her captives Corran Horn escaped, Ysanne Isard had the crew of the Lusankya break the immense vessel free of the planet.

While leaving Coruscant, the Lusankya caused devastation over 100 square miles (259 km&sup2;) of the planet surface, killing millions instantly and presumably causing damage to a large area of the lower levels. The Lusankya blasted its way through the two planetary shield levels, pausing to exchange fire with an orbiting Golan defense platform before jettisoning the lift cradle and departing the Coruscant system.

Worst was to come in 10 ABY when the Imperial Inner Circle launched an attack on Coruscant and other key worlds, having being encouraged by Grand Admiral Thrawn's devastating campaign throughout the New Republic. The combined Imperial armada began bombarding Coruscant's energy shield from orbit, causing extensive damage to the heavily populated cityscape below, turning much of the planet into a battlefield and forcing Chief of State Mon Mothma to order a general evacuation of the entire population of the capital.

However, after Coruscant had been retaken, the Council decided that it was time to elect a new Galactic Emperor. The various admirals, generals, Moffs, Inquisitorius, COMPNOR and Imperial Security Bureau officials disagreed, and an armed conflict (the "Imperial Civil War") soon broke out amongst the various Imperial factions on Coruscant. The city planet was devastated during the conflict with much of the planetwide metropolis devastated by the fighting and the deaths of billions.

After Palpatine's final death in 11 ABY at the Battle of Onderon, the New Republic retook the planet and used EVS Construction Droids to clear the rubble and create new gleaming, skyscrapers. However, much of Coruscant's population had fled as result of the fighting and the planet's population during the New Republic era may have been lower. Thus, many of New Republic City's midlevel apartments were unoccupied but still serviceable. However, the shadowy lower levels remained unaffected by the reconstruction program and would still remain the haunt of various crime syndicates, most notably the Lost Ones. Many still struggled to survive in the lower forty or fifty levels.

In 22 ABY, the Second Imperium sent three Nightsisters named Tamith Kai, Garowyn and Vilas to infiltrate the lower levels and recruit more followers for their cause including the street gang Lost Ones and Zekk. Those discovered to be Force-sensitive became Dark Jedi while others became Stormtroopers and TIE pilots.

Yuuzhan'tar
When the Yuuzhan Vong conquered and vongformed Coruscant into Yuuzhan'tar, many Coruscanti fled into the Underworld to escape the Yuuzhan Vong. Soon, however, the tunnels became the home of the outcasts of the Yuuzhan Vong&mdash;the Shamed Ones. Fleeing torment and persecution, many Shamed Ones fled to the Underworld to find honor of their own. It was also down here that Nom Anor took the guise of Yu'shaa, and began molding the Jeedai heresy into a true threat to the Elite.

The lower levels were also the domain of various life forms brought in by the Yuuzhan Vong from their home galaxy. Following the planet's recapture by the Galactic Alliance in 30 ABY, it is yet to be seen if the underworld would be cleaned up and beautified.

Legacy
As of 40 ABY, the Coruscant Underworld was still overrun with the Yuuzhan Vong Feral and criminals.

By the time of the New Galactic Empire in 130 ABY the Yuuzhan Vong feral was cleaned up and security was brought down to the Underlevels. This was likely done some time after the Confederation-Galactic Alliance War by the Galactic Alliance. It was still intact by 137 ABY and one such watcher was a Hutt called Queen Jool who owned Rik's Cantina. This Cantina appeared to be in the lowest level of the lowest fifty levels of Coruscant.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace game
 * Rogue Planet
 * Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
 * Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
 * Boba Fett: The Fight to Survive
 * The Last of the Jedi: Underworld
 * A Reckoning of Wraiths
 * The Paradise Snare
 * Star Wars Missions 15: Voyage to the Underworld
 * Shadows of the Empire novel
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia
 * Jedi Academy Trilogy
 * Young Jedi Knights: The Lost Ones
 * Star by Star
 * Traitor
 * Destiny's Way
 * Force Heretic I: Remnant
 * Force Heretic II: Refugee
 * Force Heretic III: Reunion
 * The Final Prophecy
 * The Unifying Force
 * Tempest
 * Fury
 * Star Wars Legacy 4: Noob
 * Star Wars Legacy 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 15: Claws of the Dragon, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 16: Claws of the Dragon, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 17: Claws of the Dragon, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 17: Claws of the Dragon, Part 4