Hey everyone, here it is, the second chapter of this story. I won't spoil or anything, but with the change in the timeline, you may have seen it coming.

I'll thank thunder18 for his review, and Samatha Carter Potter for both his review and help as a beta.

OMAC001 : Thanks for the comment, I have looked a lot into Lilith and her myth, and yes, I have seen the owl here and there. As for making it the helmet of her Jaffa, I don't think I will do so. Those helmets are worn by the elite Jaffa of the Systems Lords to intimidate the local populations. She will have no need of that, and they will wear far more practical helmets. As for the timeline, I hope this chapter will reassure you, I intend to make it mine and change many things (of course some of the others will stay the same, but that's expected).

Disclaimer: Stargate belongs to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and the Empress in the Shadows' original idea belongs to Voider.

2995 BC, Babylon, Eath

I had learnt a lot in the years that I spent inside Marduk's palace. Apparently very few Goa'ulds had the honor to have residences or even cities on the Tau'ri. Bastet, with her defense of Ra during the attack of Anubis millennia ago had earned her very own city, and Marduk, being first among her Lieutenants, was also given a city to rule in her name, but further away from Ra's Heliopolis.

At that very moment though, Bastet was on her personal planet, the very center of her power, Bubastis. That was why I hadn't seen her at all since my getting a body. Marduk though, was using the workers of Babylon to improve his flagship. That was why I had spent so long on this planet, working on it myself. It was soon to be completed though, so I wouldn't be staying here very much longer. In my occasional conversations with Marduk, I could nearly feel his restlessness. He seemed to be eager to leave too. Perhaps he too had sensed that something was wrong? He hadn't taken any action though, so this may not have been the case.

I sighed in delight as I felt the cool water run across my skin. It had been an unusually hot day and it was nice to finally relax a little. Closing my eyes, I remembered the last few years and a small smile appeared on my lips. These had been harsh years, and I had spent many a day completing missions for my Lord Marduk, and even occasionally for Lady Bastet herself, even though I hadn't met her in person yet. I had proved myself to be reliable, and that was already a huge positive step toward the completion of my ambitions.

I smiled toward the servant girl bathing me and gestured for her to leave, staying alone in the room. That was one of the big differences between myself and the other Goa'ulds, I was more inclined to share my contentment with the servants. It may seem like nothing, but we as a kind do not often smile, especially toward servants. Well, except when they have performed beyond what was expected of them. I was different in that I was a bit more open with my feelings. And why wouldn't I be? I had had a relatively good life until then, my plans were progressing nicely and neither Marduk nor Bastet had any idea that I was smarter that I lead them to believe. To them, I was simply a very competent subordinate.

On the downside though, I had started to hear about some strange rumors running around, much to Maya's amusement and my slight embarrassment. Apparently, my nice disposition and the beauty of my body had led the people of Babylon to believe me a temptress, a seductress. Usually such a thing would simply amuse me and nothing more, but I kept an ear on the ground and there were more rumors, darker in nature. There, I was called a demon, a child killer. The very idea of such a rumor about me was ludicrous. The worst I did to children was a slap across the face, and that was just once. The little bastard deserved it though, to try and lift my purse.

I wasn't the only one to suffer such rumors though. Nobody knew where they came from, but each and every Goa'uld that I knew had seemed to gleam the discontentment of the people as a whole, more often than not for a good reason.

Something was going on. I did not know what, but it was obvious that things were changing fast.

The first real sign of the troubles that would follow was the discovery of the body of a Jaffa.

It had been a couple of months after the beginning of those rumors, when one of my personal servants told me that some people had found a man with an empty stomach naked and dead in an alley. I automatically decided to personally check it out and dressed myself in a rush, not forgetting my wrist device in case I was attacked. The death of a Jaffa, and even worse the disappearance of his equipment, alarmed me greatly, and I wanted to check it for myself.

That's why I found myself walking through the alleys of the great city, following one of my servants, a young woman named Iltani. She was uncharacteristically silent, flawlessly navigating the maze that was the Sumerian capital. After a couple minutes of following her in silence, I spoke.

"You seem to know these parts well Iltani, did you live here before?"

There was no falter in her steps or anything, but I felt her hesitation for a moment before she answered.

"Not really my Goddess, I just wander sometimes when you dismiss me from your presence. Me knowing this city well means that I can be of more use to you."

I chuckled softly at that, nodding to myself. While I may not delude myself into thinking I was a Goddess, that loyalty was still pretty nice, even if it was somewhat tedious to get the full truth out of my subordinates.

"You know very well that you can tell me the truth Iltani, I'll not skin you alive or anything. You've been in my service for how long? Six years? How often did I punish you in that time?"

I could nearly feel the smile on her face. She knew I told the truth, I had been pretty lenient with her, even though there had been times where I had no choice but to reign her in. It never necessitated outright torture, but I had to strike her once or twice when Marduk was there. I couldn't appear to be weak.

"That's true… Let's just say then that there is a really handsome blacksmith in this quarter… Reaaaally handsome."

I outright laughed at that, amused by that comment of hers.

"Well if that's… the…"

I stopped myself as we entered a small square. Immediately, I moved past Iltani and cursed under my breath. When she told me that it was a naked body that was found by the people, I expected it lying on the floor or something. It was not the case. The body itself was impaled upon a sharp piece of wood, the pal itself going out of his mouth. It was gruesome, but what disturbed me was that the larval symbiote had been removed from the Jaffa and impaled above him. That was not a simple crime, a common murderer shouldn't have killed a Jaffa so easily, and he couldn't have been alive while he was being impaled. Too little blood, and there was no sign of resistance. But the worst part was the symbiote. The ones who did that knew very well what they were doing.

I turned toward Iltani and told her to approach me.

"Stay close Iltani, I'm not sure we are safe here. Do not leave me, for even a second, you understand?"

She seemed troubled and even a little scared by my serious side. I did not show it often to her, the only times I did were when I had to punish her. She never was around in the other cases.

"Yes… Yes my Goddess. But what…"

I held my hand up to interrupt her, and shook my head to order her to stay silent. She had been with me long enough to nod and close her mouth.

"Look around, if you see anything strange, tell me."

She nodded once more and I smiled toward her, before turning my attention back to the body. I looked at it, examining the possible causes of the death. It took me several minutes before I spotted it, a small burnt impact point on his back. Too small for a staff wound, but it was a Goa'uld weapon. Zat'nik'tel. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. My first thought was that it was a rival Goa'uld, but they wouldn't kill the symbiote like that. No, this was a declaration of war, an attack from the shadows. Tok'ra.

My eyes widened and I turned toward Iltani.

"We leave, now!"

Her own eyes showed her surprise at the flicker of fear visible on my face before she nodded and half-walked, half-ran out of the square, knowing I would follow her. And I did.

I knew this was not simply an attack, there was a Tok'ra in the city, and they would be expecting that either Jaffa, or a minor Goa'uld, would investigate. This was an ambush, and I had walked in here unsuspecting. They could be anywhere, but I knew I couldn't approach the palace without being attacked.

I snarled and increased my pace, taking a hold of Iltani's arm to keep her close to me. I knew it would tire her quickly but I had no choice. Or did I? A small smile appeared on my lips as I grabbed Iltani and flung her on my shoulder, keeping a hold of her. I could have let her be, but as my servant, her chances of getting out of there alive were slim. No, she was coming with me. She had been faithful until then, and I would not abandon her at the first sign of trouble.

"My Goddess!"

I hushed her immediately, maybe more harshly that I should. It was of no importance at the moment. I looked at the houses around me, quickly spotting the tallest, before entering it. I knew I was taking a risk and that it could be the one where the ambush would happen, but I had to have a good vantage point. There was a family in there, and they immediately started to protest my entrance. My eyes flashed white and I boomed with my deep Goa'uld voice.

"Be silent."

That cowed them immediately and I rushed toward the first floor, my enhanced speed working fully. The Sumerian homes had very small windows to keep the heat in, but there were also build around a central shaft that let the light enter. That was this shaft that I would use to reach the roof. For a normal human, it may be tedious, but with my Goa'uld enhanced strength it was child's play and I soon found myself on the roof.

I could easily see the palace and the flagship docked above it, a couple hundred meters away, but I also saw the small group of humans, or maybe Tok'ra, on a roof nearby. I crouched immediately to avoid being spotted. They seemed agitated, and talking into a device. I cursed my stupidity in not taking a communicator myself, before shaking my head. There was no point in continuing this train of thought as it would change nothing. I knew where they were, and where they would likely attack me, so I could avoid them. An attack without knowing their equipment or capabilities was suicide. I looked toward Iltani and whispered toward her.

"Iltani, you told me you knew the city well. Can you guide me to the palace while avoiding them by a large margin?"

She looked toward the group of humans and frowned.

"Yes I can my Goddess, but… they are humans and…"

I chuckled bitterly.

"No they are not, or at least not all of them. I know there is at least a God with them. Me simply attacking them could and probably would not end well for me."

She said nothing else, simply nodding. She didn't know that we attacked each other frequently, but she knew better than to continue talking about that.

"Follow me."

And I did. We took the alleys instead of the roofs to stay stealthy, never knowing if our ambushers had moved or abandoned the chase. This was the most danger I had ever been in since my birth. Soon though, we saw the palace and I smiled, knowing that I was safe. I could already see Marduk's Jaffa approaching to intercept us. I flashed my eyes and was about to speak to them when I heard them scream in alarm and felt a searing pain in my back. The horrified scream of Iltani was the last thing I heard before the darkness engulfed me.

Panic was the first thing in my mind when I came to myself. I didn't remember what happened for a second and then everything came back to me. The trap, the ambush that I avoided, and then the pain just as I thought myself safe. That was a grievous mistake on my part, one that I would avoid in the future. I opened my eyes and saw only a white brightness. Immediately, my mind made the connection with some memories and I knew I was inside a sarcophagus. Fascinating piece of healing technology that, but from that genetic memory of mine I also knew there was something wrong with it. I didn't know what, but I just knew.

I opened it from the inside and soon came out of it, looking a bit worse for wear. I looked toward the apparatus for a second before calling one of Marduk's Jaffa. I knew some would be close and I was not mistaken.

"What is your will?"

I flashed my eyes and frowned.

"Lead me to your God, I have to talk to him immediately."

He seemed to hesitate for a second before nodding and leading me to him. I knew that I had to meditate after I warned Marduk about the Tok'ra menace. I hadn't talked with Maya for a while and that first death of ours may have shocked her.

I soon was led to one of Marduk's personal rooms and was announced by the Jaffa before he left. I entered confidently and looked toward Marduk, a frown on my face. He seemed a little agitated himself, looking toward the city through a large window.

"Ah, Lilith, glad to see you are well. I have sent patrols of Jaffa to look for the one who attacked you but they haven't come back yet."

Well, his agitation was a little more comprehensible. I didn't know how many he had sent, but for them to have not come back, that was a problem. Probably a Tok'ra problem.

"There was Tok'ra scum involved, my Lord. I was following a rumor and found one of your Jaffa naked and impaled in a grotesque display. The same with his Larval Goa'uld. He was killed by a Zat'nik'tel."

Marduk turned to look at me and I could see him pale a little before his face twisted into a rictus of rage. I stayed silent, very conscious that I didn't want to incur his wrath.

"How sure are you of that?"

I looked at him in the eye and scowled.

"A hundred percent sure my Lord. I have no doubt about this. If there is no Tok'ra, there is at least their involvement. There is no way the humans would try and rebel without their interference."

He moved to observe the city once again, sighing.

"You think it will come to that, a rebellion?"

I nodded, knowing that he could see me in the reflection of the window.

"Yes my Lord, there have been signs, rumors, and now this? I didn't want to believe it myself, and I'm sure that not all of the population is involved, but there's no mistaking it. I would…"

I seemed to hesitate at that, not knowing if he would accept me giving advice to him or if he would lash out.

Without looking at me, he gestured with his hand to indicate that I continue.

"I would remove your flagship from the dock and put it in orbit my Lord, and then vent atmosphere. There has been countless humans working on it, and they probably know enough for an infiltration and then acts of sabotage to be possible. That's not even taking into account the Tok'ra themselves."

He seemed to struggle a little with my proposition, probably his pride that was certainly taking a beating.

"I will not be running away! I certainly do not want to give those scum that pleasure."

I sighed at that, agreeing with him.

"I know my Lord, neither do I, but right now you are vulnerable. If your flagship is sabotaged, or even worse, fall into enemies hands…"

He growled and punched the window, before looking in my direction.

"Stay here and keep the palace intact Lilith. Do not fail me!"

He snarled those last words before moving toward the transportation rings and teleporting himself to his ship. I looked toward the naquadah rings that were slowly returning to their position in the ground before bursting out of the room, looking toward the Jaffa present.

"Jaffa, kree!"

Their attention was fully on me.

"I need to see the first Prime."

They saluted me before leading me through the palace toward another room. I immediately entered, seeing a Jaffa with a golden emblem on his head. Perfect.

"Your God Marduk left me in charge of defending the palace while he is away. Call back all patrols and establish a defensive perimeter around the building. Nobody enters without my say so."

He seemed to hesitate for a second before agreeing. I had been around long enough for him to recognize me.

"Very well my Goddess. Anything else?"

I thought about it before nodding.

"Yes, when I say let nobody enter, that includes other Gods. No matter what they say. Should they insist, warn me and I'll take care of it myself."

I moved to leave when the first prime talked to me once again.

"The patrols do not answer."

I closed my eyes and then turned to look at him once again.

"Then they have been killed, and their equipment taken. The slaves are rebelling. Do not fail your Gods."

His eyes widened at that and he nodded once again before beginning to bark orders to his subordinates. There was nothing else for me to do then, except move toward my quarters and keeping an eye on my communicator.

I was soon in my quarters inside the palace, kneeling on the ground and meditating. I was used to doing it so I relaxed quickly, taking care of this opportunity to speak with Maya.

'Are you listening Maya?'

I could feel something shift inside my mind, as always when we were talking. I should really try and get used to talking with her without meditating.

'Of course Lilith, how are you?'

It seemed like a banal question, but with everything going on, it was a perfectly valid one. I sighed internally before answering.

'Not that well to be honest. I knew that they would rebel someday. With the way the other Goa'uld treated them it was no wonder. But to see it for myself is shocking. That and they killed me Maya, I had to be resurrected with a sarcophagus. It's…'

I couldn't find my words. Maybe there was some psychological trauma that the other Goa'uld, with their inherent insanity, did not feel. I was definitely not well, that was for sure.

'I know, I know. Well, I can imagine at least. I don't know what to say. Except, there was something happening inside my head when you were in the sarcophagus. It was nearly imperceptible, but well, it's not as if I had something else to do. No, I was… angrier, and I felt very good. Too good considering we were nearly dead.'

That she was not totally unconscious during the healing surprised me a little. But it seemed like she couldn't take control anyways, so it wasn't that much of a deal. What she had to say was very concerning though.

'So you think that I should avoid it too? I felt that there was something wrong with the sarcophagus, but I couldn't put my finger on it.'

I could feel her agreement.

'Indeed, we are of one mind on that. I…'

Immediately I snapped out of my meditation as I heard the communicator. It was a call from Marduk. I opened it and immediately I could hear the voice of my Lord.

"Lilith, do you hear me?"

There was a sense of urgency in his voice, so I did not hesitate.

"Yes my Lord, do you need something?"

I could hear some sounds in the background, as if there were multiple conversations going at the same time.

"Evacuate the palace, and order my Jaffa to do the same! There is…"

I stayed silent, a bit stunned by the order. And then heard the scream of rage of my Lord.

"The rebellion is going on everywhere. Ra has already left the planet. Bastet has ordered me to collect the few Bast guard she left in Per Basta, as the locals call it, and then to move to Bubastis. So move it!"

Snapped out of my shock, I closed the communicator and ran toward the first prime's room. As I entered it, he turned toward me.

"My Lady, there are…"

He was interrupted by the sound of a staff blast striking the wall.

"No time, our Lord has ordered the evacuation. Order a defensive retreat toward the transport rings, we do not have time to talk. Give the order and go in first. I'll supervise the evacuation."

He seemed stunned that I would stay here, but nodded and ordered the retreat. I followed him toward the rings, thinking about my decision. I knew I was taking a risk, but I thought it was a risk I had to take. Not only would it ingratiate me to Marduk's Jaffa, but also to Marduk himself. If I made a good enough impression, it may even lead to me getting my very own Jaffa.

Once I entered the ring room, I took the communicators and organized the retreat. There were losses, I knew there would be, but I did my best to minimize that. There were about a hundred Jaffa in the palace itself, and I knew if everything went well I could be finished in five minutes. But I knew from the communications of the Jaffa that they were constantly fighting the enemy that was following them.

Soon, all of the Jaffa were in the room, and I could see the staff blasts flying everywhere. Knowing that I had no choice left, I snarled and blasted the entrance with a powerful telekinetic blast, giving the Jaffa and me some room to breathe. I ran to the entrance and closed the door, before blasting the locking mechanism to fuse all the parts together and delay the attacker's entrance. I turned toward the last few Jaffa and told them to take the ring, before running toward it myself.

As I saw the ring moving up to teleport me to the ship, I saw the door being opened and the first attackers begin to enter. The last face I saw enter shocked me to my very core, and then I was inside the flagship.

Why Iltani? I trusted you.

Thank you once again for reading and reviewing. Don't hesitate to send me constructive criticism.

Ttfn!