Author's Note

The Ronin mission here contains a bit of Japanese that the wiki has yet to translate. Yeah, I've been using the wiki up until now to make sense of what people are saying in different languages, since the subtitles in the game just say (speaking Spanish) or (speaking Japanese). Well, since I don't know the translation, I'll just make my own dialogue. I more or less know what the gist of their speech is anyway.

SR2: We Won't Back Down

After all that happened, the Saints decided to take some time to relax over the next few days, lock down their turf, and make sure the other gangs knew to stay away from it. It was a few days later. Johnny was moved out of intensive care, Carlos had managed to recover thanks to facial reconstruction surgery, Starlight's healing spells, and a quick touch-up at Image As Designed to get his face back to normal.

Shaundi didn't seem affected by the kidnapping attempt, but Boss could somehow tell how traumatic the incident was and suggested she hang with some of her friends from outside the gang. She was outside the Savings and Loan with them playing hacky sack when a bright red car nearly ran her over. "Christ," came a woman's voice, "Are you trying to get killed?" "Sorry...," Shaundi said, trying to place where she'd seen the woman before.

Said woman was on the phone as she got a briefcase out of her car. Double-checking the contents, it looked like it was full of cash. "Sorry baby, I almost dented my car on a hippie chick. Maero, I'm fine... Look, I gotta go, I'm about to make the deposit. Once we do that, we'll have enough to cover the shipment. Then the Saints won't stand a chance in hell." Shaundi realized she was looking at Jessica, Maero's girlfriend from the Brotherhood. She tossed the hacky to her friends and called Boss.

A few moments later, Jessica was making the deposit when a gun was held to the back of her head. "'Sup, bitch," came Carlos' voice. "You're still alive?," Jessica asked, shocked. "No thanks to you," Starlight said, walking in front of her, "Guess your boyfriend forgot to tell you. I know a thing or two about telekinesis. I'm strong enough to lift tanks off the ground with just my mind. Pulling a chain off a truck? Easy as snapping a toothpick."

"We heard you were visiting this bank," Carlos noted, "And we know the Brotherhood is expecting a shipment to come in." "Don't expect me to know anymore than that," Jessica taunted, "Maero made sure to keep a tight lid on the facts just in case of something like this. I'm just handling the money." "Just as well," Starlight said, pulling out her own gun, "Now, I don't mind a little bit of revenge. And since you decided to try sending me a message by killing my boyfriend, I think we'll let Maero know the time of day."

Jessica chuckled. "You think you're getting out of here? My family owns this bank, and by now the silent alarms been tripped." "Then I guess you'll just have to shut it off," Carlos noted, herding her to the security office. "And how am I supposed to do that?," Jessica demanded. "Bad time to play dumb," Carlos noted, "You just got through telling us your family owns the bank, so I'm guessing you have the security codes. And the sooner you turn off the alarm, the fewer pieces we deliver you to Maero in."

Boss smirked as Jessica was led out to her car, Carlos tossing him the keys. "Bad luck for you," Boss said, "That 'hippie chick' was a member of our gang." Starlight and Carlos stuffed Jessica into the trunk, then got in the back as Boss took the wheel. "Now where to?," Carlos asked. "The Culex Stadium," Boss replied, "Maero's participating in a monster truck rally there. I've arranged for the Saints to donate an additional car to the lineup."

The trio looked on as the rally got started. Jessica was no doubt screaming for help and banging against the trunk, a futile attempt given the roar of both the crowd and the engines. Maero pumped his fist in triumph as he revved up his truck, then hit the gas when the signal indicated. Before long, he reached the end of his run before his opponent, not realizing that his last jump caused the full weight of his trunk to land on his girlfriend's car, crushing it.

Not realizing what he just did, Maero got out of his truck to revel in the applause, then he heard three more distinctively slow claps, and turned to see Boss, Starlight, and Carlos. Maero growled when he saw them. "I'm gonna kill you here and now..." Boss smirked. "No, you're not." He threw Jessica's keys to him, making Maero's eyes go wide when he realized what he was handed. "By the way," Boss said, "When you check the trunk, just remember... You could've offered better than twenty percent."

Maero's torment over having been tricked into killing his girlfriend left the Brotherhood wide open as the Saints moved against them and took Ezpata, where they grabbed another contact. Afterward, Boss met with Richie, an ex-boyfriend of Shaundi's and also a cousin of Tobias. "What's up?," Richie said when he met with Boss, "I heard from my cousin you're the man to see about personal security."

"I have dabbled in the business in between gang actions," Boss admitted. Richie nodded. "I hear ya. I also know about your friend Starlight. I have a spell capsule she was planning on leaving with Toby, but he was busy with his honeymoon, so she left it with me. Check it out, she crafted an XS-2 Ultimax shotgun... That never runs out of ammo." Boss whistled in appreciation. "That'll be really useful. So, what sort of security do you need?"

"Here's the thing," Richie said, "These suitcases over here are filled with the sort of things that would never get past customs, if you catch my meaning. The ones behind you are filled with clothes and appliances. We don't worry about the second group." Boss nodded. "So, you basically want me to do the same thing I did with Tobias. No problem, any excuse to put the hurt on more Brotherhood is a good one."

After the deals were finished, Boss met Carlos and Starlight at the hangars. "Seems Richie had a little more to offer," Carlos explained, "He and Shaundi had been meeting earlier to reminisce about old times. Seems she's had a lot of exes, and Veteran Child was the only one still sore about the break-up. Anyway, Richie said that he spotted Maero talking with some out-of-towners about some deal involving some serious cash. Maero must still need money for the shipment, so he's getting it however he can. Shaundi's coming with us to wire that money to the Saints' account, then we'll seal the deal by taking out a few Brotherhood vehicles just to say hi."

The trio had to protect Shaundi while she wired the money, but it didn't take long to complete. After that they blew up a few Brotherhood trucks just sitting around. Finally, they spotted some planes carrying Brotherhood members and the dealers they were talking with. Boss got out their RPG and used it to take out the planes. Now the Saints had control of Wardill Airport. The territory was marked with two more tags, and two more contacts were picked up.

Out in Quinbecca, Boss met with Katie, one of the producers for the popular show Fuzz. "Thanks for coming," Katie said, "Starlight said you'd be willing to perform the actions we need for this feature." "I'm a little surprised you need me to pretend to be a cop for national television," Boss admitted. "Well, our usual for the series wound up in hospital," Katie explained, "It left the slot open for this favor."

"So what sort of work do I need to do?," Boss asked. "Well if you've seen the show you know Fuzz isn't about making the Stilwater PD look good," Katie explained, "You'll still need to stop minor crimes, but you'll get to do so in any way you see fit, though the cameraman may ask you to use a specific weapon for more exciting footage. You'll get paid good money for each completed episode, and I'll throw in a warding charm from Starlight that'll help you shake the police easier."

Getting to see the front end of the police cruiser was certainly fun, as was the fact that the police apparently had procedures for a chainsaw massacre, called a "Code Texas", or a fight between pirates and ninjas, referred to as "The Battle of the Century". Once the studio had enough footage, Boss returned to the hideout. Pierce came in as the Boss got comfy, handing him a passenger manifest. "Wasn't easy," Pierce noted, "But I was able to find out when Kazuo's arriving. He booked every first-class seat on this flight, which means he's traveling with friends."

Boss nodded. "We only need Kazuo." "One small catch," Pierce said, "The Ronin are crawling all over the airport in anticipation of his arrival." "Are you serious?," Starlight said, "The fact that we own the airport aside, Wardill used to be a Brotherhood territory." Pierce shrugged. "They are named after the concept of the masterless samurai. And despite their Yakuza roots, they seem more in line with the bosozoku biker gangs. Clearly honor is in short supply among these guys. But we can worry about that later. Kazuo's plane is due to arrive soon, so we need to hurry if the Saints are gonna welcome him to America."

In spite of the Saints efforts, it was all for naught. They were able to take out a lot of Ronin, clearing the way to take Quinbecca, picking up another contact in the process, but Jyunichi had spotted the trio as they came in through the loading bay to bypass security. He was now sitting in his car, Kazuo in the back, looking sour. As Jyunichi watched the Saints leave, no doubt dejected by not finding Kazuo, the phone rang. "It's your son," Jyunichi said to Kazuo. Kazuo scoffed. "I do not wish to speak with him."

Jyunichi nodded, but answered the phone nonetheless. 'What happened Jyunichi?,' Shogo said, clearly having heard about the attack at the airport. "What happened is that you left your father to die," Jyunichi replied. "I didn't ask for your opinion, Jyunichi" Shogo snapped, "What happened?" "I went to the airport to safeguard Akuji-san's arrival," Jyunichi explained, "Once I saw the leader of the Saints making a move towards the terminal I made my way to the plane so I could evacuate your father. His entourage willingly gave their lives to ensure his safety."

Shogo sighed. 'Let me speak to him.' "No," Jyunichi said simply. 'What?,' came Shogo's irate reply. "Your father made it quite clear that he doesn't wish to speak to you," Jyunichi explained, "Anything you have to say to him will go through me." Shogo didn't sound please. 'You ungrateful little--' "Sayonara," Jyunichi said, cutting him off before hanging up the phone. He was certain the Saints' days were numbered now that Kazuo had arrived.

Starlight wanted Boss to check up on one of her contacts in New Hennequet, a real estate broker named Javier. "Thanks for meeting me," Javier said, "I'd like to get right to the chase. Stefan is having another one of his soirees today, and I'm not missing his poolboy this time. Anyway, I've been trying to sell real estate in this area for a month, but the property value is too high." "I'm not exactly the type for aggressive negotiation," Boss noted.

"Oh, don't worry about that. I had a better idea in mind," Javier assured him, "See, my cousin runs a septic company. I asked him if you could borrow one of his trucks, drive around the neighborhood, and I think you can connect the dots from there." Boss looked disgusted. "Are people really gonna buy from you when I'm done with this?" "It's really hard to find cheap housing in Stilwater," Javier noted, "Starlight left me a spell that will improve your weapon accuracy. I'll toss it in with the payout once you're done."

After covering most of the area in septic sludge, Boss and Starlight outside the Marshall Winslow Rec Center. "Still can't believe what happened to Winslow after I tried to save his ass," Boss said. "And now the Ronin are dragging his name through the mud," Pierce replied, "In the most subtle way possible. Kazuo decided to reopen the Ronin's gambling operations, but in a more discreet matter under the rec center."

"How'd you figure that out?," Starlight asked. "One of my boys has been staking out Ronin territory," Pierce explained, "Making sure they don't try anymore invasions. He saw a group of Ronin going into the rec center and discreetly followed them. That's when he discovered the gambling ring. With the whole thing underground we can move in and trash the place without the cops on our backs."

The trio met with the contact and were led into the gambling hall, which they promptly tore up while cutting down a number of Ronin. After trashing a number of slot machines, gambling tables, and other such items, they entered the counting rooms and broke open the cash boxes, grabbing some more dough for the Saints. After clearing out the Ronin from the first floor, the Saints now had New Hennequet. They marked their victory by spraying over two more tags, while Starlight met with another contact.

Out in Shivington, Boss was pleased to meet with Lee once again. "Good to see you again," Boss said. "Always a pleasure," Lee agreed, "The last time we met like this I offered you advice on insurance fraud." "Assuming you don't count the debacle in the courthouse when I was springing Johnny," Boss noted. "Well we really didn't meet per se, did we?," Lee countered, "But this is neither here nor there. I was hoping you could help me with a little favor." "Well I do owe you for helping my gang out back in the day," Boss said, "What's the deal?"

"I got a couple of ongoing cases against the Stilwater PD," Lee explained, "I could use some leverage. I heard you did a bit on the hit TV show Fuzz, and I was hoping you could do something similar to show the viewing audience a side of the police they aren't used to." Boss smirked. "And naturally you won't object to how I do my job." Lee smiled in exchange. "Oh, of course not. I have nothing but respect for our men and women in uniform. Oh, and Starlight wanted me to give you a special Kobra pistol she crafted, which holds unlimited ammunition."

Later, after Boss was finished filming for the show, he and Starlight met Shaundi at the local frat, where she was doing a beer bong. "What are we doing here?," Boss asked. "Hey, if I can drink for free, I'll meet anywhere," Shaundi explained, "My ex Blake had some information for us." "The frat president?," Boss asked, "How many exes you got?" Shaundi shrugged. "I lost count." She led them down to where Blake and his frat brothers were enjoying some pipes.

"Hey," Blake said when he saw the trio, "Good to see you again." Starlight just shook her head. "When you said you knew Shaundi well, I didn't think you meant this well." "So Blake," Shaundi said, "You said you had some info?" Blake nodded. "Earlier today I was in Shivington getting party favors for tonight. During my buys I spotted the Samedi loading chemicals into the nearby building."

"Chemicals?," Starlight asked, "As in for their dust?" "Definitely," Blake replied, "I know a drug lab when I see one." The trio went out to destroy the drug labs. The first two went smoothly, but at the third the Samedi hid inside a locked room, so Boss shut down the ventilation. After the fourth, the explosions were enough to set Shivington ablaze. Once the Saints took out a final Samedi lieutenant, the Saints were able to take Shivington, where they met with another contact.

On a nearby rooftop, Sunshine watched the blaze. "What are you thinking my friend?," The General asked as he walked up next to him. "It's beautiful," Sunshine replied with a smile. The General frowned at the destruction. "And expensive." "More money will come...," Sunshine assured him. "You had best be right," The General said, "Between the farm and this fire, we can not afford to have anything go wrong with our next shipment."

"Don't worry General," Sunshine said, "The shipment will be safe..." The General took a drag from his cigar as he looked at the burning neighborhood. "These Saints are proving themselves to be quite the nuisance..." Sunshine nodded in agreement. "Then perhaps it's time we speak to their leader..." He had heard the news about how the Ronin and Brotherhood had made things personal with the Saints. The General wanted to keep their turf war professional, and this seemed the best way.

Shaundi brought Staright and Boss out to Sunnyvale Gardens. "This is where Ben and Julius grew up," Boss noted, "I've been reading up on Ben's autobiography, Regicide." "I have some good memories of this place too," Shaundi admitted, "Back when me and Veteran Child were still dating, we'd come out here to Spackle Fishing Industries just to stuff the frozen fish full of loa dust. And the Samedi are still doing that."

"I was wondering how they could still be moving product," Starlight noted. Shaundi nodded. "We can cut a big hole in their operations if we take out all the fish, then destroy the fishing boats they're using to move the product." A good number of Samedi were around, making things difficult, plus the chemical fumes made it difficult to see. But after all was said and done, a small bomb tossed down the fuel chute of a giant freighter used by the Samedi gave the Saints Sunnyvale Gardens. The Saints were taking back a lot of territory, and reclaiming their glory days.