Wikia

Saints and Martyrs
	"Saints and Martyrs" loading screen in Saints Row, displaying the title of the cutscene, "Salting the Earth".
Story arc	3rd Street Saints (epilogue)
Cutscene(s)	• "Salting the Earth"
Hail to the Chief	None

"Saints and Martyrs" is the final mission in Saints Row.^[1] It consists of only a cutscene, named "Salting the Earth", which is incorrectly believed to be the name of the mission because the title appears on the loading screen after starting it.

"Yo, can you speed this shit up? I wanna go to Freckle Bitch's..."

— The Protagonist, in reply to Alderman Richard Hughes' exposition.

Description Edit

The Protagonist receives a phone call from Alderman Richard Hughes after the events of the previous mission. With Marshall Winslow and Chief Monroe dead, Hughes would like to meet The Protagonist aboard his yacht during a fundraiser later that day to set things straight; Hughes says he believes they can have a healthy relationship, and even promises that Julius Little will be there.^[2]

That night, The Protagonist finally meets the Alderman - Monroe's associate - but everything isn't quite what it seems. Hughes begins by thanking The Protagonist for handing him the election; Hughes knew that there was no way he could beat Marshall Winslow, which is why he asked Chief Monroe to strongarm the 3rd Street Saints into killing Winslow. Hughes further thanks The Protagonist for killing Monroe shortly afterwards, thereby casting any negative attention off of Hughes and onto the 3rd Street Saints.

Hughes plans to use the events of Saints Row to his advantage: his Saint's Row urban renewal plan was originally criticized as displacing poor people, but is now being lauded as destroying a hotbed of gang activity. He describes the public as "fickle". Hughes believes there are only two types of people in the world: winners and losers. To be a winner, he believes he must level Saint's Row and "salt the earth", thus removing the last gang in Stilwater and gaining the support of the public as mayor of the city.

During his speech, a final montage is given on some of the residents of Stilwater: Johnny Gat is seen sleeping, with Aisha sitting on the side of the bed, Luz Avalos is seen standing on a bridge, musing, Benjamin King is seen lost in thought standing next to a car, and Donnie is seen once more sitting on Lin's Voxel.

Hughes then threatens The Protagonist; he knows they can't be reasoned with or paid off, so Hughes decides to have The Protagonist killed. As he says this, Julius Little, who was looking at the yacht from across the river, walks away, staring at his watch. Troy, alone, turns over a badge, revealing himself to be an undercover police officer in the gang. Finally, Hughes jokes about thanking The Protagonist in his acceptance speech, but as he is about to leave for his party and leave The Protagonist at the mercy of his bodyguards, the yacht suddenly explodes.^[3]

As the credits roll, Jack Armstrong and Jane Valderamma give one final newscast as the game ends, leaving the events to be continued in Saints Row 2, starting from "Jailbreak".

Story Edit

The following text has been transcribed verbatim from the game files. Usually, these can be read in-game upon completion of a mission or Stronghold by pausing the game at any time during gameplay, going to the 'INFO' tab, and selecting 'Story'. However, as the player cannot continue the game after completing the mission (they have to load the save before the mission), this can only be seen via the game files.^[4]

The call from Alderman Hughes regarding the recent death of Police Chief Monroe isn't sitting well. Being the only gang left in town, perhaps Hughes thinks he can buy your loyalty. Or perhaps he just wants to threaten the Saints into leaving. Regardless of his motives, you've fought hard to run this city and nobody will stand in your way...

Gameplay Edit

The final mission in Saints Row has no gameplay; however, the player will receive a phone call from Alderman Richard Hughes before being allowed to start the mission, and they will be prompted to save the game on the way down the stairs to the yacht.

The player cannot fail this mission.

Newscast Edit

Main article: Newscasts

This newscast plays during the credits.

Jack Armstrong: This just in to the newsroom, a deadly explosion has rocked the waterfront. Our Jane Valderamma is already at the scene.

Jane Valderamma: Jack, waterfront residents and the press, who were setting up their cameras and microphones to cover the gala fund-raiser scheduled for mayoral candidate's Hughes' campaign, were treated to an amazing site a few moments ago as the yacht registered to the alderman exploded in a shower of brass and mahogany. We were a safe distance away so no one here was injured, as far as we can tell, but we have no word as to who - if anyone - was actually aboard. We don't know how this happened, why this happened, or even who was on the boat - if anyone - as no survivors have been located. I was inside the press tent when it happened, but witnesses outside say that the peaceful, serene evening was suddenly punctured by a viscous explosion that not only reduced the alderman's yacht to a pile of floating debris, but knocked out windows and swamped smaller boats throughout the marina. Jack.

Jack Armstrong: Jane, while you were giving that report we attempted to contact Alderman Hughes' press secretary, and there was no answer. Do we know where the alderman is?

Jane Valderamma: No we do not, Jack. I've asked around and no one from the press cord noticed any official movement on the boat, as it's early in the evening and the event was not scheduled to begin for another couple of hours.

Jack Armstrong: Do we know if this was an accident, or yet another attempt on the life of a public official?

Jane Valderamma: Jack, we don't have any definitive answers on that, and with almost no details emerging yet, we still do not know if this was something as silly as a galley or a fuel tank explosion... but in the light of recent events, we cannot rule out the possibility that this was more than just an accident. Reporting live from the waterfront, this is Jane Valderamma. Back to you, Jack.

Jack Armstrong: Thank you, Jane, and stay dry. Stay tuned as we get more details on this unfolding event, we will bring them to you immediately. In the newsroom, I'm Jack Armstrong.

Transcript Edit

Gameplay Edit

Richard Hughes: "[In a phone call after completing the previous mission] Hello young man, this is Alderman Hughes. That was quite a message you sent at Winslow's funeral... and trust me, I heard it loud and clear. Now I'd like to set one thing straight: it was Monroe's plan to strongarm the Saints; personally I've always thought you and I could have a much healthier relationship. Now, we've had a rocky start, yes, but why don't we fix that? Come over to my fundraiser tonight, Julius will be there and between the three of us I'm sure we can work something out."

"Salting the Earth" cutscene Edit

Bodyguard: "Your guest is here, Mr. Hughes."
Richard Hughes: "Thanks Steven, if you don't mind could you wait outside?"
Richard Hughes: "I'm Richard Hughes. It is a pleasure to meet the man who handed me the election."
Richard Hughes: "No need to be modest, I'm serious. There's no way I could have beaten Marshall Winslow, God rest his soul, but you made the impossible happen, and for that I can't thank you enough."
Richard Hughes: "I mean, had Winslow been the only person killed, attention would have definitely been cast on me, but after that fireworks display you pulled at his funeral, it's become abundantly clear that these horrible crimes were perpetrated by the 3rd Street Saints."
Richard Hughes: "While before, people criticized my Saint's Row urban renewal plan, it is now being lauded. See, until you came along, I was displacing poor people. Now I'm destroying a hotbed of gang activity. What can I say, the public is fickle... champagne?"
Richard Hughes: "As you get older you quickly learn that there are only two types of people in this world... race, money, gender, none of this matters. At the end of the day you're either a winner or a loser. Now, the sad truth about our situation is that in order for me to be a winner I have to level your neighborhood and salt the earth."
Richard Hughes: "Hold on for a moment. Steven, could you come in here?"
Richard Hughes: "Where was I? Oh yes, salting the earth."
Richard Hughes: "Now I suppose I could try to pay you off, but really what's the point? You'd just say no, or in your case, stand there looking intimidating, and we'd be right back to where we started. So I figured I'd cut the middle man and get right to the point."
The Protagonist: "Yo, could you speed this shit up? I wanna go to Freckle Bitch's..."
Richard Hughes: "You're going to die here son, make no mistake about that... but if it makes it any easier on you, I'll be sure to thank you in my acceptance speech. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a party to attend. [Looks around as a bomb beeps before detonating]"

Trivia Edit

Salting the earth is an old ritual of spreading salt on conquered or destroyed cities to symbolize a curse on anyone who dared to rebuild it.
This mission's name is erroneously thought to be called "Salting the Earth" - in fact, the mission is called "Saints and Martyrs"; titles that are shown during the loading screens for missions are always the names of the cutscenes, not the missions. The mission's name itself is not referenced at all in-game, and can only be discovered through game files.^[1]
It is poetic justice that Alderman Hughes dies on the yacht immediately after telling The Protagonist that the latter would die on there.
During the cutscene, Donnie is seen for the final time in the game. He is sitting in Lin's Voxel rather than his own Quasar - the same Voxel that was pushed into the sea by William Sharp whilst The Protagonist and Lin were still inside, and thus the same Voxel that Lin died in.^[5] In Saints Row 2, Donnie has a unique Voxel himself, meaning it may be Lin's Voxel, simply resprayed.
The loading screen after starting a new game in Saints Row 2 (before the "Jailbreak" mission starts) shows The Protagonist diving from the yacht explosion.^[6]
This mission is particularly referenced in the penultimate mission of Saints Row 2, "Salting the Earth...Again", in which The Protagonist decides to raid a yacht carrying Ultor executives. Pierce sarcastically quips about how his boss' "history with boats is pretty solid".
In Saints Row: The Third, The Protagonist will often say while destroying something, "Just salting the earth".^{[Which voice?]}
This mission, along with "Stuffing the Ballot" and "Hail to the Chief", does not require Respect to play.

Gallery Edit

Alderman Richard Hughes.
Julius Little.
Troy Bradshaw.
The yacht explodes.
The destroyed yacht.
The credits begin to roll and the story of Saints Row comes to an end.
The loading screen after starting a new game in Saints Row 2 shows The Protagonist diving from the yacht explosion.