Saadoon-Kauldi

"When does a smuggler know he's good? The day you have a face-to-face meeting with Saadoon-Kauldi and leave with your mind and limbs intact."

- Karl Mathieu Ancher, friend of Saadoon-Kauldi.

Saadoon-Kauldi was a dragon-like Kadri'Ra slave who was freed by members of the Twi'lek Badawzi family. Out of gratitude, Saadoon-Kauldi became an indentured servant to the Badawzis, and he eventually parted from them on good terms. Saadoon-Kauldi then became a crime lord dealing with spice and formed his own criminal empire. During his career as a criminal, Saadoon-Kauldi used his resources to free as many slaves as he could. Due to this, many former slaves became willing followers of Saadoon-Kauldi, increasing his power and influence. However, many slaver guilds opposed him and lobbied to put a bounty on his head. After several assassination attempts, Saadoon-Kauldi grew increasingly paranoid. Using the Caelli-Merced Syndicate as a front, Abdi-Badawzi, a Twi'lek crime lord operating in the Socorro system, offered Saadoon-Kauldi the bulk cruiser Merkel in hopes of convincing him the Kadri'Ra to move to Socorro and become his business partner. Saadoon-Kauldi accepted and moved into the Merkel in orbit over Neftali. He rarely left the ship, even though he was surrounded by allies such as the Black Bha'lir and the Socorran Navy.

Settled over Neftali, Saadoon-Kauldi made money through front companies and deals with local criminals. He helped his associates in moments of need and always showed respect for them; Saadoon-Kauldi was in turn widely respected both inside and outside the Socorro system. Saadoon-Kauldi also began providing weapons to the Alliance to Restore the Republic when the Galactic Empire actively promoted the decimation of the Kadri'Ra in Arapia. As the Empire was also trying destroy the Kadri'Ra culture, Saadoon-Kauldi refused to use any language but the Kadri'Ra language. Saadoon-Kauldi also tried to recruit the young pirate Drake Paulsen, but Paulsen decided to join the Bha'lir instead. Later, Paulsen and his allies, including the smugglers Thaddeus Ross and Tait Ransom, became wanted by the Empire for the murder of the Twi'lek Izzat. As they were members of one of Saadoon-Kauldi's allies, the Black Bha'lir, the Kadri'Ra offered to lodge and protect Ross and Ransom.

Origins
Saadoon-Kauldi, a Kadri'Ra, was born on the planet Arapia, homeworld of the immigrated, dragon-like Kadri'Ra species. At some point, Saadoon-Kauldi was enslaved, although he was later freed by the Badawzi family, a powerful and influential clan of Twi'lek merchants from the planet Ryloth.

Having nothing of value to offer his saviours, Saadoon-Kauldi considered himself indentured to the Badawzis. The Kadri'Ra served the Badawzis for years; and the Twi'leks showed him a respect he had not known as a slave. Eventually, Saadoon-Kauldi left the Badawzis on good terms and began his own business&mdash;a criminal empire.

Creating his own business
Saadoon-Kauldi managed to grasp control over certain pre-existing spice runs. He then hired smugglers and commandeered spice processing facilities and shadowports. Through drug dealing, he became a respected and promising crime lord. He based his power in forming alliances with other criminals rather than using fear to motivate his subjects like most crime lords did. He continued increasing his empire and obtained assets in the Arapia system. Saadon-Kauldi had at least five thousand direct agents working in gambling, laundering, smuggling&mdash;including drug trade and gunrunning&mdash;and usury.

At some point before 10 BBY, while Saadoon-Kauldi was working with some smugglers, he boarded a slaver galleon. When he saw the state of the slaves, he lost his temper and butchered the slavers, setting all the slaves free. Most of the freed slaves swore loyalty and service to Saadoon-Kauldi, increasing the influence of his empire and the area it covered. Saadoon-Kauldi decided to respect his newly-indentured serfs the same way he had been respected by the Badawzis.

Understanding that he could further expand his power by liberating more slaves, he decided to temporarily stop his smuggling operations and initiate an anti-slaver campaign, dedicating all of his resources to the abduction of slaver starships. This maneuver allowed him to emancipate a great number of slaves, many of whom turned into followers of his empire. During one of these operations, he attacked an Imperial garbage pontoon, unshackling hundreds of slaves. One of those slaves, an elderly Devaronian named Guzald, decided to serve and follow Saadoon-Kauldi very closely.

One certain slaver guild, unhappy with Saadoon-Kauldi's campaign, coerced its contacts, including Imperial officers, to take measures against the Kadri'Ra's recent moves against slavery. They offered an official, substantial bounty on Saadoon-Kauldi's head, but he gave no attention to it. Once Saadoon-Kauldi believed he had released enough slaves&mdash;and once those slaves had become his most powerful ally in sheer numbers&mdash;the crime lord returned to drug smuggling.

Looking for safer headquarters
Saadoon-Kauldi became a prominent crime lord, and from that point on, he avoided being seen in public. After several assassination attempts against him, including at least one on Arapia, he grew increasingly paranoid. The Empire also began to actively attempt to capture Saadoon-Kauldi and enslave him. In the meantime, as a Kadri'Ra, Saadoon-Kauldi continued to grow larger for as long as he lived&mdash;he had already reached seventy-five meters of length&mdash;making it increasingly more difficult for him to remain hidden.

A Twi'lek crime lord by the name of Abdi-Badawzi, whose great-grandfather was rumored to have been released at the same time as Saadoon-Kauldi and whose family had been been served by Saadoon-Kauldi previously, began asking the Kadri'Ra for advice in the Twi'lek's venture to expand criminal influence outside Socorro. Abdi-Badawzi added Saadoon-Kauldi to his contact network, although they did not officially became partners or full-fledged allies.

The Twi'lek then discovered that Saadoon-Kauldi was worried about the Empire's attempts against the Kadri'Ra's freedom and decided to take measures to protect Saadoon-Kauldi, hoping to gain him as a friend. Abdi-Badawzi wanted an important, nearby ally supporting him, because it would allow him to obtain greater influence and expand the borders of his criminal empire to areas where Saadoon-Kauldi could protect him. Hoping to get Saadoon-Kauldi to move nearby his headquarters, Badawzi sent Pret Swain, manager of the Socorro-based Caelli-Merced Syndicate, to Saadoon-Kauldi to sell the Kadri'Ra a very cheap bulk cruiser to use as a mobile, secure habitat. The ship, Merkel, was a customized Action V transport from Corellian Engineering Corporation&mdash;it had a black helm for stealth and hidden weaponry. As soon as Saadoon-Kauldi bought it, the ship was adapted to the Kadri'Ra's specific needs. Saadoon-Kauldi then allied with Abdi-Badawzi, allowing the Kadri'Ra to settle in the orbit of the planet Neftali, in the Socorro system.

Life in Socorro
As soon as he settled down over Neftali, Saadoon-Kauldi contacted with another local criminal group, the Black Bha'lir, a syndicate offering "coverage" to members in trouble. As the Bha'lir was opposed to slavery, Saadoon-Kauldi soon allied with them. The Socorran pirates, famous for their integrity, also allied with Saadoon-Kauldi. The Kadri'Ra developed many other contacts, including the Socorran government, whose Navy was prepared to attack any unauthorized ships approaching the Merkel. Saadoon-Kauldi, increasingly worried by the frequent assassination attempts on him, rarely left the orbit of Neftali, preferring to stay within the protection of the Socorran Navy.

As Saadoon-Kauldi became a public figure in the Socorran system, several rumors concerning him appeared&mdash;which was usual with well-known citizens of the system. Locals said that Saadoon-Kauldi had been kidnapped from Arapia and transported as a slave, something that made him sympathetic to Socorran eyes. Abdi-Badawzi then offered Saadoon-Kauldi an interest of one-third of Ethra Brewery&mdash;a lucrative business that distributed Socorran raava&mdash;because the Twi'lek wanted a business partner from outside Socorro to improve the extra-system contacts of Ethra.

Meanwhile, Saadoon-Kauldi continued his efforts to expand his organization. Caelli-Merced Syndicate agreed to pay him money for each of their exports. Other criminal activities of his empire included credit laundering; gambling; illegal drug dealing; loansharking; and smuggling, including arms trafficking. However, Saadoon-Kauldi earned more money by acting as a mediator among criminal groups, stopping gang wars and other similar situations of unrest.

Circa 10 BBY, smuggler Saylor "Marji" Marjan owed money to Saadoon-Kauldi, so the Kadri'Ra sent two agents, Toob Ancher and Fahs Oxsor, to Arapia to collect the money. As Ancher and Marjan had been friends, Marjan convinced Ancher to smuggle a sizeable consignment of spice to the Elrood sector, a run that would allow Marjan to earn enough money to pay the debt and get a profit. Ancher did so, but the supposed profit was not enough to cover Ancher's expenses, as his ship was damaged during the run. Saadoon-Kauldi did not kill Marjan for this, but Ancher did not forgive Marjan either.

Frictions with the Galactic Empire
Around this time, Saadoon-Kauldi discovered that the Galactic Empire was directly responsible of several activities against the Kadri'Ra species, including discreting the Kadri'Ra language and culture, and sponsoring a holocaust that dwindled the number of Kadri'Ra in Arapia. Understanding the burden of his people, Saadoon-Kauldi became a supporter of the Alliance to Restore the Republic at some point after the creation of the Alliance in 2 BBY. He regularly sent weapons to the Alliance, using Caelli-Merced as his middleman.

Growing larger and more restless, Saadoon-Kauldi decided around 0 ABY that he wanted a more permanent residence. As he would continue to grow, he would eventually become to large to fit in the Merkel. Around 1 ABY, Kaine Paulsen, father and mentor to the pirate Drake Paulsen, was murdered. Saadoon-Kauldi offered young Paulsen a job, but several other underworld factions did the same, including Abdi-Badawzi's organization, Jabba Desilijic Tiure's criminal empire, and Black Sun. Paulsen initially rejected all of them, but finally joined the Black Bha'lir.

Paulsen and his allies&mdash;including the Wookiee Nikaede Celso and the smugglers Thaddeus Ross and Tait Ransom&mdash;then assassinated Izzat, a Twi'lek who had been involved in the murder of Paulsen's father. Izzat had been working for the Empire at that time, and the Empire posted very big bounties for the four criminals. The Black Bha'lir hurried to help these beings, as they were members of the organization. As an ally of the Black Bha'lir, Saadoon-Kauldi offered to lodge Ross and Ransom for a time.

Personality and traits
Saadoon-Kauldi was intelligent, shrewd and cultured, and he used all of these traits when creating his criminal empire. He had low technical abilities and was a sub-par pilot. He was also an untrained Force-sensitive. Many Corellian smugglers living in Socorro wanted to work for him, because they had heard that Saadoon-Kauldi rewarded efficient employees with money and favors, and forgave employees who failed him once.

Saadoon-Kauldi made several alliances that sustained his power and influence. Unlike other crimelords, Saadoon-Kauldi showed respect for the people he dealt with, even when he had no need to do so. Saadoon-Kauldi was respected among criminals, and sometimes admired as if he were a King. The Hutts, who were as long-lived as the Kadri'Ra, were known to have good opinion of Saadoon-Kauldi. Saadoon-Kauldi had no enemies among the criminals, except for the slavers, and was well regarded even by certain law enforcement agencies.

Although Saadoon-Kauldi could speak many languages, he refused to speak Galactic Basic Standard. The Galactic Empire was trying to eradicate the Kadri'Ra culture, including the Kadri'Ra language and, as a protest, Saadoon-Kauldi used only that tongue. As this was a difficult, rarely learnt tongue, Saadoon-Kauldi commonly resorted to a translator, his servant Guzald. Any person wanting an audience with Saadoon-Kauldi was free to bring his or her own translator of Kadri'Ra.

Behind the scenes
Although Saadoon-Kauldi was described in great detail in RPG supplement The Black Sands of Socorro, he has yet to appear in any narrative source. He was only mentioned in passing by a character of the tale A Bitter Winter.