Note: This is the last chapter that I'll be working on this year as it's coming close to Christmas time. I will be extremely busy after December and I may not be as frequent in uploading new chapters as I have done so in the past three months. So this is just to let you all know that my lack of activity in the upcoming months won't be because I've abandoned the story, they just won't be added as regulary as usual. :)

Chapter Eight.

"Ishtar!"

A voice beckoned from behind the crates that Ishtar had just about finished packing away only moments earlier. It was a clear and distinctive baritone that rang clearly above the bustle of the docking bay.

"Over here!"

Ishtar stopped in her steps then smiled from behind her mask as she recognized the voice and carefully placed the sack of grain back down onto the floor. She turned around to see a tall and burly turian standing in front of the sliding doors of the control room of the spaceport and she waved over to him in acknowledgement before breaking out into a short but brisk jog across the bay to meet up with him. The turian held his arms out open to her and embraced her roughly as she ran into them, resting her arms loosly around his hips. He was chuckling as he petted down her back before setting her back down to take a better look at her.

Ishtar was still smiling beneath her scarf when he raised his hand to cup her chin underneath his open palm; he carefully thumbed down part of the scarf covering her face and gave her cheeks a gentle squeeze from either side.

"You're looking well, Ishtar" He concluded with a sharp smile, releasing his thumb from her scarf and resting his hand down onto her shoulder. "I don't like you hanging around this dock though, you know how dangerous it is to be wandering around out here alone at this time of the evening."

"I'm fine Lindorn" she nodded, "I'm just waiting for someone but I intend to pack up and leave in a few hours."

The turian frowned a little in concern "Is that so? Well… " He raised his gaze from the shorter woman in front of him and scanned his deep sapphire-blue eyes across the cargo bay. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary but he still didn't want to deal with the troubles that a lone woman hanging around the docks could bring. Satisfied that there were no signs of potential danger at the moment, he gave Ishtar a gentle squeeze of her shoulder. "…Come on, you can wait in the office until your friend decides to show up."

Ishtar smiled at the invitation and pulled the scarf further down her face until it sat loosely around her neck. "Thank you Lindorn." She replied as the turian sleekly maneuvered over to her side, placing his hand upon her back as they both walked back to the control room.

Lindorn was a rough but handsome fellow, he stood just shy of being two metres tall and his graceful and fluid movements mismatched his seemingly heavy gait. The plating of his face was a warm tan colour that was fading slightly around his mandibles with age and the markings he bore around his cheeks and brows were a striking royal blue hue that only seemed to emphasize the vivid dark blue of his eyes. He ushered Ishtar carefully through the doors and followed her close behind before he sat himself down at the controls of the docks atmosphere sealants. He swerved around in his swivel chair and grinned, patting at the seat beside his own for Ishtar to take her place and she paused for a few moments to take in the surroundings before sitting herself back into the chair.

"What brings you back to Omega?" He began as he drew up a lever for the pressure barrier as another ship came in to dock just beyond the glass panel in front of them that overlooked the whole port.

"I'm here on business…" Ishtar replied as she stared out through the glass, watching as the ship was clamped into place by giant arms that held it steadily in alignment with the catwalks. Her stoic demeanor only caused the turian to shift his seat up closer to her, his knee gently pressed up against the outside of her thigh and her private comfort zone was instantly compromised.

"I've not seen you for years Ishtar, why would you want to come back to this hellhole?" The smooth baritone of his voice purred with curiousity as he watched her intently for answers. His eyes locked onto her face and she could feel them boring straight through her skull, there was something unsettling yet captivating about those eyes and it proved difficult to shy away from them with secrets.

She turned her head to Lindorn and sighed, there was no wall to hide behind anymore and her face showed signs of burden and regret. Lindorn kept his gaze on her and began swinging his chair slightly to and fro, his knee softly tapping against her thigh in an unspoken gesture to coax her into confessing her thoughts.

"…I attracted the attention of a Spectre, it's who I'm waiting for."

The leg tapping ceased and Lindorn breathed out a long drawn groan. "I… I don't even want to know how you've got yourself into this mess." He paused for a while, his hand to his face as he attempted to absorb the seriousness of the situation. After a minute he raised his head and leaned forward towards Ishtar, bringing his face only inches away from her own and she winced, waiting to be reprimanded for her foolishness. "You must realize that if his identity is revealed, he could risk being taken hostage and used as blackmail against the council of Citadel space." His tone began to steadily grow with anger "This is utterly stupid of you, I thought you knew better than to pull a stupid stunt like this for credits!"

Ishtar remorsefully dropped her gaze to the floor. "I know… which is why I'm helping him, which is why I'm here." Lindorn snorted cynically before pulling his face away, turning his attention to the chime of the console that signaled for him to raise the pressure sealants for the ship in bay. He flipped the switches hastily, releasing his obvious frustration onto them before turning back to Ishtar, folding his arms across his chest and folding his leg across the top of his other, staring back into Ishtars eyes without blinking.

"Do you know what they do to Spectres here? You're in a lawless almost anarchic zone, he won't be granted the privilege of a quick and painless death that's for sure."

Ishtar's face wrinkled slightly with grief as she watched Lindorn rise from his seat. He moved over towards the sliding doors and sealed them shut with a command from his omni-tool. He turned around and stared at her; the crimson hood he wore framed the serious expression across his face.

"I think you better start explaining yourself…" He began with a foreboding tone "…I want all of it and I don't want any bullshit."

Ishtar swallowed hard, suddenly the room felt very cold and isolated and she slowly nodded at the command. Lindorn drew closer to her in bold, eager steps and sat back down in his seat, the light mercenary armour he wore reflected the beams from the overhead light in a dull crimson strobe as he flipped a switch on the console to draw a blind over the glass panel of the viewport.

After an hour of Ishtar's story, Lindorn had a better idea of what it was she was dealing with and why she had returned to Omega. He had decided for himself to give the Spectre the benefit of the doubt about not releasing any sensitive information about himself but he wasn't so sure that he would be returning to the docks any time soon. He reminded Ishtar of how easy it was to become lost on the streets and how easy it was to run into any kind of trouble ranging from random muggings to occasional shootouts and he suggested that she should leave as soon as there was enough indication that the Spectre wasn't going to return.

He picked at the side of one of his talons in thought as he watched over the top of his hands at Ishtar who didn't seem as nervous as she did at the start of the conversation and finally he gave a swift but gentle dig to the side of her leg with his foot to break the silence.

"If things don't go as planned, just make sure you take out Rizok yourself. I can help you to some extent if you should pass through my domain again, but I refuse to get involved with any matters further than that."

Ishtar nodded and relaxed back into the seat, resting her own foot against Lindorns in a gesture of mild affection and comfort. She yawned absent-mindedly before tilting her head to the side, watching both feet as they tapped up together in a slow, muted rhythm.

"This spectre..." He began in a careful, uncertain manner. "Is there anything else going on between you two?"

Ishtar blinked out of her momentary hypnotism and looked at the turian questionably. "No, I don't mix business with pleasure, you of all people should know that."

Lindorn nodded and flipped a switch to raise the blindpanels that covered the viewport and the crimson glow inside the room soon dissipated as the artificial light from the spaceport outside began to fill the room.

"How's our mother?" she asked in a relaxed tone as Lindorn gazed out through the glass. He looked drawn and tired but his work shift did not end until early the next morning. It was both a blessing and a pain to him that the nights were quite slow, traffic awaiting dock procedures around this time of night were uncommon but the lack of anything else to do was quite bothersome at times.

"She's fine Ishtar" He responded with a smile "Her civil duties don't call on her to exhort much effort into her work." He laughed a little "Kind of like my own."

Ishtar chuckled quietly to herself and kept her eyes on his face as he continued, "We worry about you all the time… you just won't settle though and father has pretty much given up on telling you what it is that you should be doing with your life." He took his eyes away from the spaceport and rested them on hers. There was a subtle sadness in his gaze this time around and Ishtar glanced away to the side in an attempt to evade the reason behind that expression.

Lindorn read her aversion clearly, "You know I'm not even gonna go there Ishtar…"

He drew his foot slowly away from hers and sat upright in his seat. "I've tried to convince you too many times on what it is I feel for you, but you just refuse to acknowledge it." He rubbed the top of his head in slight embarrassment before turning his chair around to face the control panels. "I've been trying for 12 years, I honestly gave up when you left again a few years ago"

"It's not that I don't acknowledge it Lindorn, it's just that I accept it without returning the feelings."

Lindorn shook his head wearily "As I said, I gave up all those years ago. You're happy scouring the galaxy alone, I would be foolish to even entertain the idea that you would finally settle down with me on the colony back on Cuuthlok..."

His tone raised slightly in desperation, he was losing his grip on reverse-psychology and Ishtar sensed it immediatly. She sighed and rose from her seat and Lindorn simultaneously rose up alongside her. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders while rubbing the front of them with his thumbs.

"I'm sorry… that's the last time I'll ever mention it."

Ishtar looked up towards him as she began to slowly wrap her scarf around her head. "I know… Call me through the ships' intercom if you need anything else. I'd rather not be seen talking to anyone for too long."

Lindorn nodded, he knew he had crossed the line and he accepted her refusal to argue. They stood in silence for a brief moment before she reached out her hand with a gesture of farewell and he refused to return it. Then suddenly and gruffly, he pulled her close to his chest in a playful embrace, causing her to chuckle which dispelled the once awkward silence. He released her several seconds later and then stepped towards the control room doors and activated the locks with his omni-tool to let her out.

Lindorn stood at the door as she walked by him in silence towards the Cobra MKIII docked in the bay; there was no point in chasing after her again this time he thought to himself as she wavered out from his vision. He got over the initial shock of her leaving the first time it happened and over time, he had learnt to just let her go her own way.