Criminals were not intelligent as an individual. That was a thing that Kaiden found early on in his work deciphering and hunting down the coalition. They all had habits and nuances about themselves that made an individual easy to expose, easy to manipulate and hunt down, eliminate or turn. Or a combination of a lot of things that ultimately resulted in their downfall. But together- together criminals and ne'er-do-wells had a common goal, of survival in a world that threats were a constant. Threats from law enforcement. From each other. Threats of financial ruin, assassins, turncoats, cheats, liars- they were so paranoid about failing that they eventually got around to working together in this group. They were feeding off each other, observing each other. Kel Ronda, for example, as Kaiden had been observing him, had learned. He was watching him, always through a scope. But Kaiden could've shot him, but Kaiden would fail to acquire any useful information about him or near him. It also sent a more clear and direct message, to exploit a weakness and kill them up close. But Kaiden couldn't kill Kel yet- Kel bought himself time with finances.
Finances. The ultimate end game of any criminal. Most criminals could care less about being criminals. Most of them just wanted a rush and money. Kel wanted security, and power. However, Kel wasn't exactly a strong or threatening individual physically, so he relied on intelligence. What Kaiden could gather from some of the people he knew in the intelligence (and the envelope he paid much for), Kel graduated top of his class at the Old Sith Academy. He had a degree from several universities in accounting, financing, investment, and business. Kel was a very smart, savvy businessman. And he either attracted or became attracted to the underworld. From what Kaiden knew, he was in charge of money laundering, and keeping tabs on the finances. Betrayal was hard when the banker controlled everyone's funds, and it also kept other people in line. Naturally, Kel was under extremely tight security at all times. Kel was also not a creature of habit, he was unpredictable. But there was one constant- a notebook.
Pen and paper. Graphite on trees, jotting down all the foulness of the others. And payments to officials, most likely- among equally delicate matters that the ledger, if it fell into someone who wasn't Kel's hands, meant either total disaster and financial ruin of the coalition, or at least- a monumental exposure of the high-ranking members. Kaiden first observed it on his third night of observation. Kel had failed to secure just a small section of his apartment's blinds, and Kaiden saw the ledger for the first time. He was too far away to make out any names, or specifics, but Kaiden didn't take it anymore than a journal or a hobby on his first observation. However, Kel began to pile reports next to the ledger, and he saw several of his assistants and guards bring in what appeared to be receipts and reports, based on the amount of time Kel spent on them. It was practically all Kel did during the day. He hardly went out, and if he did, it wasn't particularly
The coalition could probably run just as well as a legitimate business. They had their pockets in a lot of things, but just what things, Kaiden didn't know exactly. And it made him angry. But what he knew, it bothered him enough to wage a war. The coalition, as he called them, ran guns, ran organs, girls, counterfeit credits, medicine, black market deals, drugs- and that was just the tip of the iceberg, from what Kaiden knew. He could go after warehouse and shoot all the henchman in the face that he wanted, but they were replaceable. The coalition was a snake, and cutting off tails and scratching it wasn't going to kill it- this particular entity couldn't survive without a head. Kaiden was determined to find the head, and slice it off.
Alone.
Kaiden had determined that the best way to attack Kel was head on, although it wasn't particularly enjoyable or a desirable option, at that. Only one entrance, and Kaiden was simply one man. A well skilled, well trained and well practiced man who had done this sort of thing many times- but it never excited him. Kel's apartment alone, was a fort in itself. One entrance, one exit. A platform outside for a speeder pickup in case of an attack- so Kaiden would have less than two minutes to incapacitate the guards. But that was the easier of the part, he had to get inside the apartment building itself. High-rise, armed security at the front. Kaiden made any noise down there, the building would shut down, Kel would flee, and be in a safe house somewhere on the planet and it would take weeks or even months for Kaiden to get back on track, if he ever could. Kaiden took his eye off the scope, tired of watching Kel scribble down words with a mustard-colored pencil.
Kaiden had rented out a dirty apartment, from a dirty man, in a dirty city, full of dirty people, doing dirty things for dirty money. Prostitutes and addicts bothered him little, Kaiden might as well have shot himself in the head to save himself the trouble of trying to fight the nature of this planet. But he was in too deep to even think about going off of the coalition's radar. They were searching for a man who attacked their nightclub and got away with it, and a mysterious stranger who could disappear who helped him. Kaiden hoped that the Mandalorian that was there wouldn't show- Mandalorians were tough to fight, tougher to kill. Kaiden closed up the telescope stand, and pushed it away from the window. He pressed a button near the window, watching it close and the room fade to it's eerie dull-orange hue, from the lightbar above the bed and the computer he set up. No network connection- it was a personal data storage deal. Kaiden was savvy enough with technology, but not enough that he wanted to risk being found out a few buildings away from his target.
That and being killed wasn't exactly on his radar either. Kaiden sat down on the bed, running a hand through his hair. He needed to figure out a plan. A plan on how to not only get into the building, but up to Kel's apartment, and take out his hard-ass guards and assistants in less time than they could call for backup. And so far, he had only come up with a rough plan- but it wasn't looking good for himself. He needed more time, and help- but no one was coming. This was his war. His fight. He didn't expect any help.
But that didn't mean he wouldn't appreciate it, either.
