diff --git a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Entity.cs b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Entity.cs
index 90fb6e0b5..87171d80e 100644
--- a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Entity.cs
+++ b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Entity.cs
@@ -1373,6 +1373,10 @@ public abstract class Entity
                     yield return b;
     }
 
+    // The phase between the items' performance update and the power bus: what an entity commands its items to do this
+    // tick, read from the same liveness and stats Execute then acts on. Ship's allocation lives here.
+    protected virtual void UpdateThrottles() { }
+
     public virtual void Update(float delta)
     {
         TurnRate = 0;
@@ -1402,6 +1406,7 @@ public abstract class Entity
         UpdateTemperature(delta);
 
         foreach (var item in _orderedEquipment) item.UpdatePerformance();
+        UpdateThrottles();
 
         if (_active)
         {
diff --git a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Ship.cs b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Ship.cs
index 7daae5c9c..a7339c4e1 100644
--- a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Ship.cs
+++ b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/Ship.cs
@@ -98,19 +98,21 @@ public class Ship : Entity
 
     #endregion
 
+    // Called by Entity.Update once the items' performance is current and before the power bus is stepped and the items
+    // execute: liveness, thrust and the throttles they decide are one phase, the one Execute acts on. The lock is a
+    // bound on the allocator's solve; intent reaches the allocator here and nowhere else.
+    protected override void UpdateThrottles()
+    {
+        if (_exitingWormhole || _enteringWormhole) return;
+        RecalculateEnvelope();
+        for (var i = 0; i < _allThrusters.Length; i++)
+            _columns[i] = _allThrusters[i].Column(_allThrusters[i].NominalThrust);
+        _allocator.Allocate(_columns, MovementDirection, Turn, _throttles, ThrottleLocked);
+        for (var i = 0; i < _allThrusters.Length; i++) _allThrusters[i].Axis = _throttles[i];
+    }
+
     public override void Update(float delta)
     {
-        if (_active && !_exitingWormhole && !_enteringWormhole)
-        {
-            RecalculateEnvelope();
-            // The lock replaces intent here, once; player and agent intent both pass through this one read.
-            var move = ThrottleLocked ? float2(0, 1) : MovementDirection;
-            for (var i = 0; i < _allThrusters.Length; i++)
-                _columns[i] = _allThrusters[i].Column(_allThrusters[i].NominalThrust);
-            _allocator.Allocate(_columns, move, Turn, _throttles);
-            for (var i = 0; i < _allThrusters.Length; i++) _allThrusters[i].Axis = _throttles[i];
-        }
-
         var velocityMagnitude = length(Velocity);
         if(velocityMagnitude > .01f)
             Velocity = normalize(Velocity) * decay(velocityMagnitude, HullData.Drag, delta);
diff --git a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/ThrustAllocator.cs b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/ThrustAllocator.cs
index 828edf993..148b98d29 100644
--- a/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/ThrustAllocator.cs
+++ b/Assets/Scripts/ServerShared/ThrustAllocator.cs
@@ -31,11 +31,18 @@ public sealed class ThrustAllocator
     int _columns = -1;
     float[] _a, _b, _lo, _hi, _x, _workspace;
 
-    public void Allocate(ReadOnlySpan<float3> columns, float2 move, float turn, Span<float> throttle)
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Solves the throttles for the intent. <paramref name="forwardFloor"/> is the throttle lock: every thruster whose
+    /// column pushes forward is bounded below at full, the stick is ignored (forward is the only translation asked, so
+    /// nothing fires against the floored drives), and the turn is served by what remains.
+    /// </summary>
+    public void Allocate(ReadOnlySpan<float3> columns, float2 move, float turn, Span<float> throttle, bool forwardFloor = false)
     {
         var n = columns.Length;
         if (n != _columns) Resize(n);
         for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) throttle[i] = 0;
+        if (forwardFloor) move = new float2(0, 1);
+        for (var i = 0; i < n; i++) _lo[i] = forwardFloor && columns[i].y > 0 ? 1f : 0f;
 
         // Nothing asked, nothing fired: that is a fact about the intent, decided before the solve. The solver's warm
         // start is left as the last solved point, which is where the next non-zero call resumes.