Author's Note

Now the Ron Hiler walkthrough I've been using suggests getting two of the Chop Shop targets during the Hijacking mission from the end of the last chapter. Thing is, the way the guide is set up, completing that Hijacking puts you just above the 60% completion threshold, so I had to cut the guide a little short. Luckily the game itself is flexible.

Saints Row: La Muerte en La Familia

Before getting back to Dex with his plan, Starlight took the time to grab a Varsity and a Bulldog for the chop shops. Then she and Playa met with Dex at Sampson's garage. Troy was also there. "So Dex, now that we have some breathing room, and are closer to our own turf, can you tell us what you needed the truck for?" "Well, since you asked so nicely," Dex replied, "You ever read the story of the Trojan Horse?"

Troy nodded. "Yeah, Odysseus decides to have the Greeks build a giant wooden horse, ostensibly to honor Poseidon and get a safe journey home. The Trojans, against wiser words, bring it into their city to honor it, not knowing that in reality Odysseus and several other Greek soldiers are stowed away inside. That night they pop out, get the gates to the city open, and let the main bulk of the army invade."

"Exactly," Dex said, "My plan isn't quite so epic, but it does rely on the same basic principle. We found the main drug production facility of the Carnales in Pilsen. With the truck fixed up good as new, we can have a few of our boys stow away inside it as we drive it over. Once they're let in, we can all pop out and take over the place." Troy shrugged. "It's not the most original plan." "Sometimes old tricks are the best tricks," Starlight noted, "The simpler the plan, the fewer the things that can go wrong." "Just remember not to blow the place to hell," Dex reminded them, "It'll cost us to replace whatever winds up destroyed once we take it over."

As Starlight predicted, the simplicity of the plan made it go as smooth as butter, and soon enough the Saints had successfully taken over Pilsen and the drug lab. This was naturally making things tense between Hector and Manuel back at the Lopez estate. "Manuel, you worry too much, everything is under control," Hector assured him. Manuel didn't look convinced. "I've heard some nasty rumors, Hector."

Hector just shrugged. "Like what?" "That one of your drug labs was shut down," Manuel replied. "What's that? That's not a problem," Hector said dismissively, "One of our couriers thought he could cut the shit out of his deliveries. It looked like we were missing a lot of product, it really was just this pendejo. Angelo took care of him." "And the drugs?," Manuel asked. "Found," Hector replied quickly.

Manuel didn't seem to buy Hector's explanations. "What about this gang from Saint's Row?" Hector scoffed "A bunch of mulas, a nuisance, nothing more." "Your father would have killed them all by now," Manuel noted. "I am not my father," Hector retorted. Manuel narrowed his eyes. "I've noticed." Nearby, Luz could be heard screaming in anger. She stormed into view followed by Angelo, who was looking pretty angry himself. "Hey, don't you walk away from me, puta!"

"Hey Angelo, what's wrong with you?," Luz demanded, "He's so old he could be my father!" Angelo was having none of it. "Woman, you listen to me--" "ENOUGH!," Hector yelled, getting their attention, "I'm trying to work here! Either you behave or you get out of my house already!" Manuel regarded the scene. "You're right. Looks like everything is under control, Hector," he said, the sarcasm evident, "We'll talk about this more when the others arrive." Hector didn't like the sound of that, and kicked over a nearby chair in frustration once Manuel was gone.

Playa and Starlight continued cleaning up what was left of their to-do list by grabbing some more tags and CDs, this time in Union Square and Filmore. Dex then called them up. 'Just got wind of another big shipment the Carnales are moving at the shipyards in Stoughton. It's too much for us to just go in and take, so we're gonna destroy it instead. Head down to the shipyard and dump the whole shipment into the bay.' At the shipyard, Playa grabbed a nearby bulldozer and used to dump all cargo containers, which happened to be near the water. Once it was all gone, the Saints were able to move in and grab Stoughton.

Once that was done, the duo headed to Bavogian Plaza to meet another contact at the local brothel. The woman, Vikki, was berating a man when they walk in. "If you come by here one more time, no, if you even look at this place, I will feed you all three inches of your cock. Now get the fuck outta here, I have people to meet." The man looked and recognized the Saints' colors, then decided to make himself scarce.

"It's tough being a woman in this business," Vikki noted. Starlight looked around. "You seem to be lacking a business. I'm guessing this is what you called about?" Vikki nodded. "Yeah, some out-of-town pimps went and grabbed up all my girls, trying to put me out of business. To add insult to injury, they suggested I go back to ho'n! I need you to go out and get my girls back. I'll be sure to pay you well." Playa and Starlight nodded, then went out to take care of the bad pimps and recover the girls for Vikki.

The afternoon, Playa, Starlight, Troy, and Dex met at a Friendly Fire shop, where the saleswoman was showcasing the McManus sniper rifle Dex had ordered. "As you can see, it's fully collapsible and comes in a stately black attache. The eighteen-inch cryogenically treated stainless steel bull barrel gives this rifle a guaranteed accuracy of point-two minute of angle at six-hundred yards with match grade ammunition. With it's hand reamed chamber and match grade trigger, the McManus is designed for the marksman who wants to reach out and touch someone at a moments notice."

Starlight whistled in appreciation as she handled the rifle. "If Dad didn't have a preference for going up close and personal he'd love this beauty." Dex smiled and nodded. "We'll take it." The saleswoman looked pleased. "Excellent sir. Would you like that gift wrapped?" "That won't be necessary," Dex replied, "We intend to use it immediately after purchase." He handed the woman the money for the gun, then after the sale was finalized he took the group aside.

"Okay, here's the deal," he said, "We found a memo at the drug lab we seized saying Hector is meeting with the Colombians tonight. Now that's a lot of firepower we'll be up against, so going in guns blazin' would be suicide." "Not to mention screaming to all of Stilwater that the Saints are responsible," Troy noted. "Exactly," Dex agreed, "For this plan to work, we need to tear apart the alliance between the Carnales and the Colombians, which can't happen if either side suspects a third party."

"Hence the need for some silent scoping," Starlight realized. Dex nodded. "Take McManus here and introduce him to the people at the meeting down at Poseidon Alley. Make sure you get up high and out of sight." "There's no way you'll prevent anyone from realizing someone's shooting," Troy noted, "But do it right, and the heat's off us and on the Colombians." Dex grinned at him. "Glad to see we're on the same page for once. Anyway, once you're done get the fuck outta there. Plan's a bust if you get killed during the mission."

The job proved tricky due to the number of RPGs at the meeting, but Starlight was able to pull it off regardless. When she and Playa got back to the church, Julius was there to congratulate him. "Great job with the meeting. Police rolled in and arrested the surviving Carnales, not to mention seizing much of their product. If Hector wasn't already dead, they'd have enough to put him away for life." "That just leaves Angelo," Troy noted.

"Angelo's a hothead," Julius assured him, "Yes that makes him dangerous, but it also makes him predictable. He'll likely send Victor after us just in case, but his sights are no doubt centered squarely on the Colombians. And we can turn that to our advantage. The Colombians want a foothold in Stilwater, and the Saints are now in a position to give it to them." "I really don't like dealing in drugs, Julius," Troy said. "Neither do I," Julius admitted, "But the money and connections we can get from that deal will give us the muscle we need to step against the Vice Kings. Between all this and grabbing Poseidon Alley once the cops cleared out, I'd say this was a successful venture."

Since there were three final hit list targets to take out, Playa and Starlight decided to finish those off. There was Don in the Red Light district, he required a .44 Magnum. Hank could be found at the Museum district, and had to be killed with a molotov. Finally there was a barker named Louise at the High End Retail district. This last one had to be killed with an RPG, which Starlight thought was little overkill.

Dex called them up again as they finished up. 'Taking out Hector was a demoralizing blow to the Carnales, and now it's time to drive home the message. Snuff out their tags at the refinery in Black Bottom. That'll remind them not to mess with the Saints.' There were seven such tags, and the Carnales were lurking around the refinery in case it was targeted. It didn't take long to finish the job, however, driving the Carnales out of Black Bottom and letting the Saints move in. The duo continued to snuff out tags, and grab a couple CDs, in Brighton, Adept Way, and Amberbrook.

The duo met with Dex and Troy the next day. "We found the Colombians' mouthpiece in Stilwater," Troy explained, "Manuel Orejuela. He's been meeting with the Carnales regularly up until now." "I know that look Troy," Starlight noted, "We can't just take out Orejuela. Hector was one thing, but there's no way a street gang stands a chance against the world's biggest drug cartel." "She's right," Dex reminded him, "Let's see what Orejuela's up to in Stilwater first. You know where we can find him?" "Not per se, but I can narrow it down," Troy said, "We should start with the strip clubs."

Unfortunately, once the group reached the strip club, they found Victor waiting in ambush. "Shit!," Dex said, "We need to get out of here! Head back for the church!" It took a while to shake Victor and the Carnales with him, but they pulled it off and returned to the Row. "We'll have to find Orejuela another time," Dex noted, "For now, it looks like Angelo is out for blood. I'll talk with Julius about a different strategy, swing by later and we might have something." The duo and Troy nodded.

The next day, Starlight and Playa grabbed a Peterliner, Halberd, and Westbury for the chop shops before returning to check in on Dex. Julius seemed a little miffed about recent events. "If you were really going to talk to the Colombians you should have brought me." "We never even got to meet them," Dex pointed. "It's still going over my head a little," Julius reminded him, "I gave you control over the campaign against the Carnales, but something this major requires a leader's full attention."

Dex nodded. "Okay, got it." Just then, shots rang out outside the chruch. "Shit!," Starlight called out, "These Carnales don't know when to quit!" "Get the boys together!," Julius ordered, "We need to protect the Row!" Several waves of Carnales attacked, followed by Victor himself. Playa aimed an RPG at his car and fired. The car exploded, but then Victor crawled from the wreckage, finally showing signs of injury but still very much alive.

"Shit!," Julius cursed, "What's this motherfucker made of!?" "I'm gonna go with iron!," Starlight replied, "We gotta take him down, NOW!" The four of them opened fire, unloading all the ammo they had. Victor seemed like a juggernaut, but eventually even he took too much lead to his body, finally collapsing as he died. Troy took a cigarette and lit it on Victor's flaming corpse. He saw the others look at him in disgust. "What?"