Ozymandias
Coruscant
Level 1851
876 ABY
The lower levels of Coruscant were hell, with little light and less civilization. Many in these regions were so poor and downtrodden they considered the galaxy a myth - forever out of their reach. To even see the stars was to be above these people; but it was no fault of the Republic or the governments that came before it. The massive quantity of people made its management a bureaucratic nightmare. That didn't stop them from trying.
In this instance, enough fear had begun to spread that word reached up the upper echelons of Republic municipal control. Missing people broaching on a hundred in the span of two months was nothing anyone could ignore - especially when they left almost no trace. Doors were locked and the streets emptied in a region already known for being unsafe - but whispers guessing at what the cause was spread wild. From the Maw, to the Sith, SIA agents practicing new weapons on its own population.
Without further investigation however, none of these could be proven or disproven - and rumors are the bane of sane men. When word was spread, a small deployment of Jedi were sent into the depths to investigate - led by the Jedi Master Caru Atol. A relatively young master, he was in his early thirties. His every movement spoke to confidence and zen - even as the light of the sky disappeared and was replaced by the artificial pseudo lights of the lower districts. Even as the smell of Coruscant permeated the ship.
"Can't say I come down here very often.", he said with a subdued smile.
"You guys familiar with these levels? Haven't gone lower than 3940 personally.", he laughed - mostly at his own ignorance of the world he lived on.
Around them, the world grew more dreary - and the ships grew less constant by the second. Trade was minimal in these lower levels, most transport was done by rail. There was a handful of dedicated policing platforms that they headed for now, but they all knew once they landed that would be it. It was all by foot from there.
