The elves called the neighborhood Tarislar, which meant "remembrance" in their language. According to Jackie Ozone, Tarislar gained its name after February 7, 2039, the Night of Rage, when violence against metahumans exploded across the metroplex. The survivors found shelter in the lawless parts of the Barrens. Many elves established themselves among the abandoned strip malls and decaying condoplexes of the southern Puyallup Barrens, vowing never to deal with such small-minded, hateful creatures as humans ever again. Even some twenty years later, they did their best to keep that promise. Tarislar meant the elves remembered, and humans weren't welcome on their turf.

Jackie advised Kellan against going there, but when Kellan contacted Orion and told him she wanted to meet him, the elf insisted on the meet taking place on the outskirts of Ancients turf in the Barrens. So Kellan made her way to the place Orion described, an abandoned parking garage on the northern edge of Tarislar. It occurred to her for about the hundredth time as she walked up to the crumbling concrete structure that loomed over her head that she could be walking into a trap. She probably should have waited, tried to set up a meet in the daylight. As it was, there were few working streetlights in this part of the Barrens, and the darkening sky was overcast, reflecting some of the bright glow coming from the north. It was barely enough to see by, but Kellan made do.

The inside of the building had long since been stripped of any useful materials, leaving only some stained and battered countertops, and a large, dark concrete-floored garage. There were old signs of fire damage in places, and Kellan briefly wondered if it was the riots, or even the eruption of Mount Rainier during the Ghost Dance that caused it. The lava flats were well to the south and east, but she'd heard the fires had raged through the southern parts of Seattle for weeks.

There was no sign of anyone in the small booth at the entrance to the garage, so Kellan stepped into the dark, cavernous building.

"Orion?" she called out softly. Then she felt the press of something cold and sharp along the side of her neck, and froze.

"All right," the elf ganger's voice was menacing, and close enough that Kellan could feel the heat of his breath on her neck. "You called me. I'm here. What do you want?"

"I want to talk," Kellan said, forcing her voice to remain calm, and keeping her hands clearly visible to show that she wasn't holding a weapon.

"I don't hang with your kind," Orion replied coldly.

"Look," Kellan said evenly, "I didn't come here to fight. If you're going to use that sword, then do it. Otherwise, put it away and I'll talk." She knew that she was taking a dangerous chance. There was a long pause. Then she felt the edge of the blade lift from her neck and heard the hiss of it sliding into its sheath.

"So talk," Orion said, and Kellan turned slowly to face him.

"Thanks," she replied, fighting the urge to run her hand across her neck to feel for blood. She kept her hands at her sides, maintaining the short distance between her and Orion.

"I didn't like the feel of the situation at the end of the run," she began cautiously. "So I've been doing some digging. I know about Brickman and Knight Errant."

The elf's eyes narrowed, and Kellan hurried to continue.

"I'm not trying to frag up your deal," she said, "but I think it's already fragged. Brickman is up to something."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Orion snapped, and he walked past Kellan to leave.

"I think Brickman is setting you up!" Kellan called after him, but the elf didn't stop. "He's selling weapons to the Spikes, too!"

That stopped Orion in his tracks. The elf warrior turned on his heel to look directly at Kellan.

"What did you say?"

"I said that Brickman is supplying weapons to the Spikes," she repeated. "He's playing both sides of the field and I think he's setting us all up."

Orion took a couple steps closer. "And how do you know this?" He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"Like I said, I did some digging," she replied. "Brickman works for Knight Errant. He was able to get information on those Ares shipments because Knight Errant is an Ares subsidiary."

"Of course Brickman works for Knight Errant," Orion interrupted. "That's how we knew his offer was for real."

"His offer to set you up with weapons?" Kellan asked, looking for confirmation, but Orion just waited.

"Look, I heard enough to know that the Ancients and Brickman had an agreement," she persisted.

"He was supposed to supply us with weapons," the ganger said grudgingly. "I assumed that was the run he hired you for, but that shipment turned out to be something else."

"That's why you were so surprised," Kellan said, "and why you were hacked off with Brickman."

"He claimed it was just a test run, that he had information on the real shipment and he would set it up so we could take it ourselves and keep the entire haul."

"Did that make sense to you?"

The elf shrugged gracefully. "No, but who the frag knows why corporate Johnsons like Brickman do things? I figured as long as we got what we needed:" Then he paused. "So what's this about Brickman supplying weapons to the Spikes? Do you have any proof?"

Kellan nodded and reached slowly into the pocket of her jacket to produce a data chip.

"This has info on a previous Ares weapons shipment that got hijacked before Brickman hired us, and probably before he contacted you. Ares supposedly doesn't know what happened to it, and neither does Lone Star, but from everything I've heard, it fits right in with the time the Spikes suddenly got some new toys and started fragging with the Ancients. The report has been classified-by Brickman."

She held the chip out to Orion, who took it from her, turning it over in his fingers, as if he was absorbing the data along with its implications.

"Even if that's all true," he said slowly, "you can't prove that the weapons ended up with the Spikes."

"I know," Kellan replied, "but it makes sense. The timing is right and those guns haven't shown up anywhere else. Doesn't seem like that kind of firepower would stay off the streets for very long."

Orion closed his fist on the data chip and tapped it against his lips as he thought things through.

"It makes sense," Kellan continued. "Ares 'loses' some weapons to a hijacking. They make sure to report it to Lone Star so it's officially recorded that the weapons are 'stolen.' Then Brickman puts the guns into the hands of one of the biggest gangs in the plex, knowing they'll use them as soon as they can. Then, when the Spikes cause trouble for you, Brickman makes you the same offer: he'll arrange for a shipment of guns to disappear, then hand them over to the Ancients so you can fight back against the Spikes. In the meantime, he hires some shadowrunners to do a test run and help establish a pattern of hijackings, maybe even set up someone else to take the blame when it all goes down."

Orion cocked his head, listening intently as Kellan raced ahead, the words spilling out of her.

"So then you and the Spikes go to war and pretty much wipe each other out with all the new guns. Gang violence in the plex goes through the roof, and then: and then Ares can step in and show how Lone Star isn't doing its job policing the metroplex! After all, they've let all these hijackings happen, and now there are gang wars galore. Knight Errant can make a real case for the metroplex police contract to be awarded to them when it comes up for renewal. And policing the Barrens will be that much easier once the Ancients and the Spikes and a few other gangs have wiped each other out in a big war."

"You're crazy," Orion said, shaking his head.