Dex met with Johnny and Playa and a clothing store, Johnny now sporting a movable splint for his leg. "So, what's this plan you got, Dex?," Johnny asked, "And why isn't Starlight getting involved." "I'll get to that second bit," Dex told him, "First things first. I figure the reason the police are working with the Vice Kings is they got some kinda big plan going on. I'll figure out what that is on my own, but in the meantime our best chance of taking out the VKs is breaking up their little alliance."

He tossed the two of them a couple yellow hoodies that could easily pass for Vice King uniforms. "Put these on and go wreck some havoc in plain view of the cops. It'll bring the public eye onto the VKs, and put pressure on the cops to come down on 'em. This is actually why I couldn't include Starlight on this. She's pretty distinct looking and a known Saints member. The plan can't work if people recognize you for who you really are."

Johnny considered it. "It does sound fun, but it'll work better if someone catches it on tape." "Get enough attention from the cops and I'm sure the media'll get involved," Dex assured him. "Sounds perfect," Johnny said, "Come on, Playa, let's go cause some public disturbances." As they walked out, he said, "I'm kinda glad Starlight's not getting involved. You probably already know this, but she gets squeamish about killing civilians. She'll kill gang bangers all day, but she hates killing folks on their daily commute. I'd rather she not break down."

Starlight was listening to the radio at the church when the news reel came on. 'I'm Jack Armstrong in the newsroom. This just in from the news desk: Glenview Hills seems to be the target of gangland warfare today as elements from the hoodlum gang known as Vice Kings are rampaging through the district as we speak. Reports indicate that everything is fair game and nothing is safe; storefronts smashed and firebombed, vehicles being destroyed, pedestrian traffic getting caught up in the violence. Do not, repeat, do not, enter this area until the police have had a chance to quell the uprising.'

"Sounds like Dex is putting his plan into motion," Starlight noted as the report continued. 'Repeating, Glenview Hills is under attack by the Vice Kings gang. If you are there now and are hearing this report, take appropriate safety measures. We will have a live report from Flying Officer Mike McCabe with the Stilwater Police Department in our Eye-in-the-Sky Chopper Two as soon as he can get airborne. And we will keep an eye on this developing story here in the newsroom. I'm Jack Armstrong.' Some time later, she and some other Saints moved to take advantage of the chaos and grab Nob Hill from the Vice Kings.

In his office, Ben was on the phone with Alderman Hughes. "Don't worry about it. Look, if it was one of mine I'll take care of it, but I'm tellin' ya, I don't care what colors they were wearing, it was that crew from Saint's Row I was tellin' you about. No, I'm not makin' any excu-- I will. Tell your wife I said hello. Goodbye, Alderman." Warren didn't look happy. "Great, now we got yo' cracka ass friends trippin'. Like I said, fuckin' with City Hall is a waste of time." "Wrong," Ben retorted, "Workin' with them is what gives us power." "Yo, fuck that," Warren snapped back, pulling out a gun, "This is what gives us power." Ben stood up, glaring. "Get the fuck outta my office."

The next day, Johnny called up Starlight. 'Sorry to leave you out of the last job, but I got something interesting to make up for it. There's been sightings of VKs going in and out of the grocery store in Huntersfield, and something tells me they ain't there buying bread and milk. Head down there and find out what they're up to.' Starlight went in with Playa, shooting their way into the store. Once they cleared it out, it was clear the Vice Kings were using the store to stockpile weapons. With the grocery cleared, the Saints were able to grab Huntersfield for themselves.

Later the duo met with Dex and Johnny in a local cul-de-sac. "Hey Dex," Starlight said, "Did you find out why the cops are on the VKs payroll?" "Sure did," Dex said, "It turns out they're getting in on the Vice Kings' protection rackets." He got out a map with several locations circled in yellow. "If we go public with this--" "No need," Johnny said, "I got something more subtle, and more effective." He brought out a large case, which Dex opened. His eyes widened when he saw the rocket grenades inside. "Johnny were did you get these!?"

"At Tony's condo," Johnny explained, "Guy was loose-lipped while he thought I wasn't a threat. We drive up to where the deals are, and use these to break 'em up. So long as we make sure the only cops that get killed are the ones doing the deals, it'll get the public asking questions, and put pressure on Monroe to crack down on the Vice Kings." "I can't believe I'm saying this," Dex said, "But that's actually a good plan." Johnny smirked. "I have my moments."

He, Starlight, and Playa got in the car and drove to where the protection rackets were being collected, using the RPG to interrupt the meetings. After stopping all of them, Johnny had one last idea. "I got some dynamite in my trunk," he explained, "Let's remind Warren that his fancy recording studio is on our turf." They pulled up to Kingdom Come Records, which was still being reconstructed, and walked away. Once they were a good distance away, Johnny hit the switch and blew the building to kingdom come for a second time. "I just got word," Starlight said, "Our little excursion gave our boys a chance to take Humbolt Park. We're getting close to owning the whole city."

That evening Starlight was talking with Playa in Johnny's office, or rather Playa was listening as Starlight talked, when Julius came storming in. "Where's Gat!?" "He's out on a date with Mom," Starlight replied, "Why, what'd he do now?" "It's not what he did," Julius explained, "It's what I need him to do. I just a call from Benjamin King. Seems one of his boys got a swelled head and tried to take him out."

Starlight looked shocked. "Is he okay?" "For now," Julius assured her, "But he still needs help. I still owe him a favor or two from our younger days, so I need you two to go out and rescue his ass. He's not dying if I can help it." Starlight and Playa nodded, then headed out to Ben's office building, where he was stuck on an overpass. He still looked glad to see the two Saints. "You must be the ones Julius sent. I've been hearing a lot about you two. My car's nearby. Let's take it and lose these suckers."

Once they reached the car, a few Vice Kings drove in to take them out, but they proved no problem. Before the trio could leave, Warren came racing in with his own car. "You're dead, King!" "Looks like Warren needs to learn the ultimate lesson," Ben noted. "Take the wheel, Playa," Starlight said, "I got this." She got out an SMG and started shooting at Warren's car. Eventually it started flaming and finally exploded. "Well," Ben said, "If Warren isn't dead yet he soon will be. Tanya's likely to try taking his place now that he's proven useless." After returning to the church, they learned the Saints had managed to snag Amberbrook while the Vice Kings were preoccupied.

The next day Johnny called the duo. 'I got word from Julius about what happened. Warren's been found shot to death and now Tanya has control of the Vice Kings. I think it's time we show her that without Ben King, there's no way she can hold the gang together. Some VKs are having a party at the waterfront in Rebadeaux. Go and crash it, Saints style.' Once Playa and Starlight reached the roof and cleared it off, they used an RPG to take out some Vice King patrols in the area from a safe vantage point, gaining Rebadeaux for the Saints.

Back at the church, Ben sat down with the rest of the Saints' leaders. "Looking good, Ben," Julius noted, "Sorry about Tony." "That was just business," Ben said dismissively, "An occupational hazard in our world. I appreciate you bailing me out. But I do need to get back to my business." "You don't have much of a business left," Starlight noted. Ben shook his head. "I'm not talking about the Vice Kings. They're all but finished, especially now that Tanya's in charge. She'll wind up running the Vice Kings into the ground. But I still have a legitimate business."

"We still got to take Tanya out if that's your plan," Julius reminded him, "She won't rest until you're dead. And while we're at it, we might as well finish off the VKs." Ben nodded. "If that's how it's gotta be. It certainly was nice while it lasted. So here's what we do. I know where all the Vice Kings hideouts are. We cause a ruckus there, then lead the lieutenants to the cops. Shouldn't have to do much so long I show up. Tanya's bound to have a price on my head by now."

As Ben was being driven around by Playa and Starlight, Starlight talked with Ben. "So, we learned Julius is from Sunnyvale like you. When I first met him, I thought he was from the Row like the rest of us." "Don't mistake his intentions," Ben assured her, "He picked Saints Row because it reminded him of his simpler beginnings. By the way, did he give that 'I don't care what flags they flying' speech?"

Starlight nodded. "Sure did. Made the whole deal about respect and everything." Ben chuckled. "Yeah, I wrote that speech years ago when Julius and I founded the Vice Kings. He knows it by heart, so I'm not surprised he kept using it when he founded the Saints. Ah, we're coming up on the first hideout." From there it was simple enough to lure the Vice Kings to the cops, causing a serious shootout to occur. In the ensuing chaos, the Saints moved in to take Brighton, leaving the VKs with just one territory left.

"Alright," Johnny said as the group met later that day, "Me and King have been talking. Seems Tanya's little coup doesn't sit well with some of the Vice Kings. What with the all the infighting going on, now's the best chance for us to take 'em out." Ben walked in, holding a shotgun. "I'll be going as well. I want to see Tanya dead personally." "You sure you can handle this?," Johnny asked, "This is your crew, after all."

"Not anymore it ain't," Ben reminded him, "That's why I'm here. So how 'bout you put your dick away, pick up your gun, and keep your knee away from the bullets." Johnny snickered. "Okay, that was a good line." He stood up. "Alright, let's finish this." They got in Ben's car and started driving. "If we're gonna get to Tanya," Ben said, "We need the code for the elevator. By now she's probably changed it."

"How are we supposed to get it?," Starlight asked. "Luckily there's one person Tanya trusts unconditionally," Ben explained, "Her fashion consultant. She tells him everything. His name's Stefan, and he's some Eurotrash motherfucker who works at Impressions." Johnny winced. "I hate the guy already." Stefan proved to be a whiny coward, and he cracked after several blocks of high-speed driving, not easy with the cops harassing the group. Once they had the elevator code, they hurried to Adept Way to confront Tanya.

"Alright," Ben said as they got out, "From here it's simple. We clear a path to the elevator, then confront Tanya and kill that bitch once and for all." Johnny chuckled. "My kinda plan." "Of course it is," Starlight said. There were several Vice Kings on between the four of them and the elevator, but it didn't take long to reach it. Using the code, Johnny unlocked the elevator. "Where to?" "Penthouse," Ben replied.

As they went up, Johnny announced, "I'm gonna skull fuck that bitch." Playa looked at him, and said, "Hope you don't mind hepatitis." Johnny whirled around in surprise at hearing Playa speak, while Starlight just giggled. Once at the penthouse, the four of them shot their way to Tanya's office. She seemed dismissive of their presence. "Some guys just can't get enough of me." "I'm a girl," Starlight pointed out. "Congratulations," Tanya replied with a sneer.

"It's over, Tanya," Ben said with confidence, "You won't be able to fuck your way outta this one." Tanya laughed as she pulled out an assault rifle. "That's cute, sweetie. That's just precious." Before she could open fire, her four attackers shot first, sending her out the window. She managed to grab onto the ledge, but it was clear she was slipping. Starlight knelt down to her. "So, at what point did you think even an assault rifle would protect you against four armed gunmen when you had no defensible position?"

Rather than hear Tanya's response, Starlight used her magic to force the former hooker's hand free, sending her screaming down to the bottom, hitting Ben's car when she landed. "Oh, sorry about that King," Starlight said, apologetically. "It's fine," Ben assured her, "I have it insured. And yes, the coverage includes someone falling on top of it from a great height." They headed out before the cops showed up.

"Listen," Ben said to the three of them, "Stilwater now belongs to the Saints, no disputing that fact. But I speak from experience when I say it doesn't end here. The real battle begins now. There will always be those looking to take what's yours, so you need to work hard to fight for it." Johnny nodded. "We'll be sure to keep that in mind." Ben nodded and walked off. Johnny then turned to Starlight. "Can you and Playa make your way back to the Row. I gotta look in on your mom." "Maybe making me a new sibling?," she asked hopefully. Johnny chuckled nervously. "We'll see." He headed off, while Playa and Starlight returned to the Row.

Playa was sitting in the church the next day when Julius called. 'We did it, Playa. Third Street owns this town. Now, that's not to say that shit didn't cost. We crushed a lot of families, and someday they're gonna holla at us. But believe me when I tell you, we did the right thing. With the Rollerz wiped out, Benjamin gone, and the Colombians in our pocket, there ain't gonna be a need for a gang war ever again. And in the end, that's gonna save a lot more lives than we took. So relax, you've earned yourself a break. You've impressed the hell out of me son, and I've told the crew you're gonna be my right hand-- Hold up, some berry just turned on his flashers. Yeah, Playa, I think I'm gonna have to call you back. This may take a while.'

Playa nodded as he looked over the church. He breathed deep as he remembered how far he and Starlight had gotten. He knew a little about her story, but she didn't know anything about his. Not that it mattered in the long run, it was pretty boring. But he was a Saint now, and officially the top lieutenant of the crew. Several Saints approached him, nodding in confirmation. "Just say the word," one of them said. Playa nodded. "We have businesses to run, so let's get to work."

As Starlight walked into the church later, Playa had a worried look on his face. It seemed Julius' run-in with the police was more complicated than expected. "He's wound up essentially kidnapped," Dex noted, "Playa asked for all hands on deck. Only one missing is Troy. I've got my suspicions as to why, but we ain't got time for that." At that moment, a call came in, which Playa answered.

'This is Chief Monroe. If you want Julius back, listen to what I've got to say. Now, that stunt you pulled downtown with the rocket launcher cost my associates and I quite a bit of money. Now, I may not be an honest man, but I'm a fair one. So rather than turn Saint's Row into a parking lot, I'm going to let you work off what you owe me. There's a mayoral campaign going on, and I want one of the candidates taken off the ballot. Marshall Winslow is in his campaign bus right now, and he has an appointment with the northbound. Park that bus on the train tracks tonight, or you'll find Julius' body floating in the river tomorrow. Don't disappoint me. Julius is counting on you.'

After he hung up, Johnny shook his head. "Monroe is also on the ballot. He's basically using us to secure the election." "Well," Starlight said, "When you get down to it, he never told us to kill Winslow, just park his bus on the tracks. Anything past that is our will." "He's right," Lin said, "We might be able to get Julius back without giving Monroe what he wants." Playa nodded. "I'll get the job done. Be back with the marhall."

In spite of Playa managing to get Winslow out of the bus after parking it as instructed, Winslow was found shot dead by an unknown assassin the next day. Playa got the call from Monroe shortly after. 'Clever move, only doing exactly what I told you but rescuing Winslow afterward. Lucky for me I was anticipating that. But I'm a generous man, and you did technically do as I asked, so I'll see to it you aren't implicated in the assassination. That said, it will still be some time before I can release Julius. I'll be in touch.'

The group was understandably miffed at the whole thing. "We keep letting ourselves be Monroe's bitches and it'll hurt our reputation," Johnny noted. "What else can we do?," Lin wondered, "And where the fuck is Troy? We could use another brain in this church." "If we really need an idea, I might have one," Dex offered, "Winslow was a major public figure. It'll raise questions if the chief of police wasn't there for his funeral."

"Dex, don't tease me here," Johnny said with a smile, "Are you really suggesting we take out the chief of police?" Dex smiled and nodded. "It would send whoever he's working with a clear message." Johnny laughed as he high-fived Dex. "What are we waitin' for?" The Saints headed to the rooftops ahead of Monroe's route to the funeral. Johnny and Starlight were stationed on one roof, Dex, Playa, and Lin on another.

When Dex saw the convoy, he frowned. "Shit, there's more than one car. No matter, we can work with this. It'll just take some more effort to find him." Just then, several windows on the police cars started rolling down. Dex squinted to see what was going on, then smiled. "It's Starlight." "She's using her magic to bypass the tinted windows," Lin realized. "This is perfect," Dex said, "Playa, take the shot the moment you see Monroe." As the police stalled to find out what was wrong with their car windows, a single shot rang out and they looked to see Monroe dead from a gunshot wound to his skull.

Starlight thought her little trick had managed to make Monroe's cohorts understand not to mess with the Saints, but as it turned out she was wrong. It seemed Monroe's boss, Alderman Hughes, still knew what happened to Monroe, and was in fact counting on the Saints getting rid of him. He had asked Playa to meet him on his yacht, and while that was going on, Starlight found herself and Johnny arrested.

Johnny agreed to come quietly on the grounds Starlight not be given the same death penalty he would no doubt be saddled with, which was surprisingly accepted. And why not, as it turned out Troy was really an undercover cop. He had been hoping to steer the Saints into removing the warring gangs and bringing some control to the city. Unfortunately his superiors then wanted the Saints removed, and pulled Troy from his assignment, explaining his absence. He still had enough pull to keep Lin and Dex out of prison, and ensure Johnny's plea for his daughter's life was accepted.

As Starlight got into the squad car, she heard a massive explosion coming from the waterfront. In short order she learned something horrific. Alderman Hughes' yacht had inexplicably exploded, and there was no sign of anyone leaving it, meaning Playa had been on board when it blew. Deep inside her head, a thought began to emerge in Starlight. 'Is this punishment...? Is what I tried to do... Coming back to haunt me...?' She didn't realize it at the time, but some of her memories of Equestria were starting to resurface, if only briefly.

Author's Note

So yeah, that's how Starlight avoids getting blown into a coma, unlike Playa. Of course this means I need to cut Hughes from the story, at least as far as an actual appearance is concerned, but that's because that scene is pretty much unchanged. Before we get into Saints Row 2, we'll have an intermission chapter, so look forward to it.