Hello everyone!

As you will be able to see in this chapter, I made radical changes in Bastet's character. She will not be the blind stereotypical villain she was in Voider's version. She is still a System Lord, and I somewhat followed the RPG description that was given of her in the 'Living Gods Stargate System Lords' rulebook. So her troops are all female and she is somewhat saner and shows more compassion than the typical Goa'uld. That doesn't mean she isn't cunning or ruthless though.

My Marduk, of course, doesn't follow the canon representation that was made of him. It's like that, let's consider it's an alternate universe in which he doesn't get the memories of the Goa'uld he eats or never tried eating one. So no insanity or over the board cruelty.

Now, I thank Incognito, OMAC001, karthik9, Fan01, thunder18 and iitrnr for their review and will answer them :

iitrnr : Thanks, I am a fan myself and couldn't bear to see it stopped where it is. There will be huge changes from Voider's version though, I disagree with some of the choices he made and some of the technologies he pulled out of nowhere.

OMAC001 : There will be some effects indeed. But don't expect something glaringly obvious. It will be subtle and in the long term.

karthik9 : That was the plan. I won't pull things out of nowhere like Voider did. I will try to be as realistic as possible (even if sometimes it'll end as info-dumpy)

Fan01 : Er... lol? Trustworthy is such a big word... How do you know if someone is absolutely trustworthy?

thunder18 : Thanks!

Incognito : I thank you for your review, that's the kind of review I really love getting. So I will answer your points one after the others.

For the helmet, you have a point here. But I think it's only each System Lord's Guard that get an animal helmet. And in the immediate future she won't become a System Lord so the point is moot. But I have planned some helmets in the future, more functional of course (the animals helmets are not even that good at protecting the Jaffa underneath), but I never said it would be blank featureless helmets. I'm not so sure about the owl thing since it would be more Athena's shtick, but I'm thinking about it.

For the Tok'ra conspiracy, you misread a bit. The only thing I said is that Egeria's implication is unknown as of now, not that the Tok'ra aren't active. They are extremely active since with their queen up and spawning numbers, they do not risk extinction like in canon.

For the Ohnes, believe me or not I considered the idea. But seriously, I am reluctant in considering them canon. Of course they appear in an official episode, but they appear only once and never afterward if I remember well. And well, they don't even have that much of an impact on SG1. Plus, this way I can have Marduk as Babylon's ruler and don't have to tangle with Belus...

Now the last point, simply thanks. I did not think about that, but that's an extremely good idea that I will use in the future. I don't know when myself and I'll try to stay coherent with the rest of the story, but it'll come. Thumbs up! Though I will tell you that any knowledge about ascension will be purely theoretical. That'll never happen to Lilith, ever.

(Sorry I forgot some reviews here, all corrected, wanted to go too fast and all...)

I'm sorry if there are mistakes and grammatical errors in this chapter, my beta reader sort of disappeared on me :O so it's the original version.

Disclamier : I own nothing, I do this for fun!

Enjoy!

2995 BC, space above Earth

I exhaled and grinned a little as I felt the acceleration of Marduk's Ha'tak. It was very short, not hyperspace as I was expecting. I was surprised for a moment before shaking my head. Of course, the Bast guard we had to get out of Per Basta. I left without a word and headed toward the pel'tak. I didn't know if Marduk was willing to talk to me or not, but it cost me nothing to try, especially after I saved so many of his Jaffa.

It didn't take me too long to get to the pel'tak, barely a dozen of minutes, and soon I was watching as Marduk was communicating with Lady Bastet. I stayed silent in the background, not wanting to interrupt what seemed to be an extremely important communication. I could immediately see both of their frustration, and in a sense I could understand it. That was part of their empire that was crumbling under their feet after all. I resolved to take what happened in consideration for the day when I get to build my own.

It was Bastet that noticed my presence the first, logical since I was behind Marduk's back. She looked at me directly, which prompted Marduk to turn toward me in curiosity and do the same. I stayed silent, clearly showing my deference. It wouldn't do to lack respect or to speak first, she was a System Lord after all.

"Lilith."

I bowed my head in salutations.

"My Lady, how can I be of service?"

A sly smile crossed her lips for a second and then disappeared.

"Marduk has told me what happened in Babylon, but I would like your input. You were the one to warn him of the Tok'ra interference."

I nodded to that.

"I was my Lady. My servant often kept me aware of the happenings in the city, and she once again did so…" I frowned and turned toward Marduk. "How long did I spend in the sarcophagus my Lord?"

Marduk tilted his head slightly in thought before looking back in my direction.

"Twelve hours, maybe thirteen."

I smiled in thanks and turned back toward Bastet's image.

"So it was yesterday at the end of the afternoon. I was told that a naked man with a slit and empty stomach was found in a square of the city. Immediately I thought it was one of Marduk's Jaffas and decided to investigate personally. I took my servant to guide me and go there."

A look of cold calculation and hatred made itself visible on my face as I thought about Iltani's betrayal. Was it after I was attacked that she was converted or before. If it was before, then she really played me for a fool. I didn't like that.

"Is there a problem Lilith?"

She seemed curious about my pause.

"The servant I'm talking about was a part of the attack force that entered the ring chamber when I left the palace. I was simply thinking about the consequences were she to have been a Tok'ra sympathiser all that time. Fortunately, I didn't reveal any important information to her, but for my personal servant to be an agent of the enemy is distressing."

I said no more, all three of us knew what would happen if we got a hold of her. It wouldn't be pretty, that was for sure, and she would bear the full weight of our discontentment.

"An alarming perspective, but not totally relevant to the situation, resume your report."

Once again, Bastet showed her no-nonsense side to me. She could be a relatively nice Goa'uld at times, but these times were rare.

"I came to the scene of the Jaffa impaled, with the symbiote impaled above it. It was too theatrical, and the symbiote itself showed that the ones who did that had a knowledge of our kind. That alarmed me and I checked the body for injuries, quickly finding a Zat'nik'tel burn on his back. I deduced that this was either an attack from another Lord or Tok'ra interference. The fate of the larva let me to believe exclusively in a Tok'ra attack, and soon after trap. This was too convenient, far enough from the palace, isolated from usual patrols. I do not know why they didn't attack here and then, but I knew it would come. I move to the roofs and checked for the presence of an ambush group. Not confident in my chances of getting out unscathed to bring out the word, I had my servant lead me around the ambush. She may not have been in the Tok'ra pockets at the time, it would have been easy to lead me there to my death… Anyways, I finally reached the palace, felt foolishly confident and was rewarded with a staff blast in the back. You know what happened afterwards."

She nodded and stayed pensive for a moment before frowning.

"And your advising Marduk to get his ship in orbit?"

I tilted my head to the side.

"Basic defensive measures in case of potential infiltrators. Get the ship in hard vacuum, purge it, go back in the atmosphere to resupply the atmosphere and enter your troops through a controlled access point. Minimal chances to get unwanted guesses except if your troops themselves are infiltrated. I… felt the situation was serious enough to not take any risk."

She frowned at that.

"Felt? What do you mean?"

I frowned myself, not really sure of my answer.

"The Jaffa was naked, which meant that they were collecting armors and weapons. Either my servant was a traitor already at the time, or simply a pawn, but I was lead deliberately in an ambush, and after that when they couldn't get to me in a dark alley, they shot me in front of Marduk's Jaffa. That was as close a declaration of war as could be. They were ready and moved to eliminate Marduk's assets. I guess I felt that immediately and instinctively and reacted in consequence."

She smiled a little and I knew that I did well both during the attack and right then.

"I am pleased with your actions and analysis, as much as I can be after such a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Tok'ra. We lost the Tau'ri completely, along with a lot of weapons and even worse Ha'taks from some System Lords and their lieutenants. From the reports I am getting, you are not in security yet." She turned toward Marduk. "After you finish to get my guard, leave toward Bubastis post-haste. The scum may be emboldened by their victory and try to shoot down as many isolated ships as possible."

With that last order, she turned the communication off and Marduk and I looked toward each other, our faces grim. We were still in danger and that wasn't reassuring in the slightest.

I was the first to talk this time.

"I will make sure the upgrades to your ship are fully operational my Lord, I think we may need it."

Marduk nodded, a frown on his face.

"Do it. I'll monitor the transport of the Jaffa and prepare the ship for the jump to Bubastis."

There was nothing else to say, we had jobs to do and our lives to save. Nothing else mattered at the moment.

I was in the generator room monitoring the energy output when I felt it, the first impact of a plasma weapon on our shields. I cursed and was about to contact Marduk when he did it himself. His voice was tight and controlled, but I could hear he was slightly nervous.

"Lilith, we have four Ha'tak incoming, what are our chances with your improvements?"

The curse I let out accidentally probably didn't reassure him at all.

"Not good my Lord, there is little chance we could get even one down. This ship is good, but with four hostiles, if we want to survive more than two minutes I'll have to redirect the majority of the power to the shields, leaving the weapons underpowered and our offensive power pathetic at best. And we can't leave because a salvo from four Ha'tak may damage the hyperdrive in the short time we are left without a shield."

Marduk seemed angered at the idea.

"I won't let those rats kill us without a fight. Lilith, if I get you into one of their Ha'taks, do you think you'll be able to capture it under our control."

I closed my eyes to think before nodding to myself.

"I'm not perfectly sure, but we have better chances than simply staying here and only defending. I'll calibrate the generators to send the energy to the shields in priority. That should give you enough time for me to complete the infiltration. I'll send you a call every ten minutes. If after fifteen I'm not calling, I think it would be best to consider me dead and try to leave either way. If I go down, I'll try to sabotage the ship I infiltrated."

He stayed silent for a few seconds as I could hear the hammering of the plasma cannons on the shields of the Ha'tak.

"Very well, take a second kara'kesh and five Jaffa with you. Do not fail me Lilith."

A small smile appeared on my lips.

"When have I ever failed you my Lord?"

I turned toward the calibration console before I could see the smile on his lips and directed as much energy as I could to the shields, before running toward Marduk's private chambers. That order to take a second kara'kesh was more like an authorisation to take one from his private armory. There was no others in this ship after all.

I was soon in the transport chamber, fully armed and with the Jaffas by my side. I called Marduk to warn him I was ready.

"My Lord, I am ready to go."

The answer was quick.

"Very well, I position us for the transport, activate the rings on my signal."

I wanted to answer but I felt the ship move, the inertial dampeners not quite managing to absorb the full brunt of the ship's acceleration. A few seconds passed, unending, before I heard it.

"Go!"

I didn't hesitate and activated the rings, immediately appearing into what was another Ha'tak. Without thinking, I ran toward the controls of the room and started to work immediately. My goal was to disconnect the room from the command network on the pel'tak without triggering the internal sensors. Then I would seal it close for the purge that was sure to happen. Fortunately the security system was lower than on Marduk's flagship, and my experience in dealing with this technology made me finish my task relatively quickly. It was very good for us because we could hear immediately the sound of the air being sucked out of the rest of the ship. The purge was very short, which was strange since I though they wouldn't take the risk and simply try to asphyxiate us. It seemed that they only intended to use the wind created by the depressurisation to blow us out of the ship, while leaving a depleted but still breathable atmosphere for their use. Their loss, our gain.

Once I was sure it was over, I sent a small message to Marduk indicating I was alive and then signalled for the Jaffa to rush the pel'tak. I knew that the Tok'ra didn't have many groups, being a subversive group and all, but I wanted it over before they could sabotage the ship or reinitiate a purge. That's why, a couple minutes later, we were at the doors of the pel'tak, the Jaffa ready to kill anything that moved.

The attack itself was pretty anticlimactic. We caught the two Tok'ra operating the ship by surprise, killing one before they could even react and a staff blast to the side followed by a telekinetic wave knocked the other down a couple seconds later. All in all, it was a productive attack.

Immediately, I opened a communication channel toward Marduk's ship.

"My Lord, I am in control of the ship."

I could see a victorious smile on his lips at that piece of news.

"Excellent Lilith, I'll await for your distraction before I jump for Bubastis."

I nodded with a smile of my own.

"Of course my Lord."

I concentrated on the commands of the ship's weapon and directed them toward a Tok'ra controlled Ha'tak, the one closer to Marduk's flagship. I then put my shield up at full power and engaged the hyperdrive, ready to jump. I was not mistaken in my analysis of their reaction. Their confusion at another ally attacking them gave us a few precious seconds, enough for Marduk and I to jump away, finally secure after that horrible day.

I sat on the control chair heavily and started to chuckle, my nerves suffering from the long day and the adrenaline rush. I turned toward one of the Jaffa and sent him and the others save one to scout the ship and look for supplies. The last one I ordered to take the prisoner in a secure room and to always keep an eye on him to avoid any escape. The journey to Bubastis would take a little less than three months after all, and that was plenty of time for anything to happen. I wouldn't let the one source of information I have escape. Heh, I would probably put all five Jaffas on guard duty once they found enough food and water to keep all of us alive.

2994 BC, sky above Bubastis

I smiled as I brought the Ha'tak out of hyperspace. It had been three months since the journey started and we finally were arriving toward Bubastis. Well, I say we but Marduk arrived a couple of days before me, his hyperdrive slightly more powerful that the one inside the ship I captured. I did not waste that time though. I thoroughly studied the death gliders inside the Ha'tak. The design was pretty interesting that was for sure, but there was no protection at all, which means that it made for a relatively good but disposable craft. I had no real power nor troops yet, but I knew I didn't want disposable troops. It was a waste of both experience and manpower. The more soldiers fight the better they become, so sending them to their death with a bad battle plan or sub-par equipment was not in my interests.

So I started to experiment with the numerous gliders, taking a couple apart to better comprehend their structure before thinking of ways to improve it. It was a long term job for the moment, but I already knew what improvements were mandatory. I wanted a shield for each of the improved death gliders, I also wanted to add better sensors and finally my final goal was to totally change the design so they could travel through the stargate. It was an aberration that we have to use the needle threaders when an improvement of the original ship would cover both the roles at the same time.

In a way, it was pretty much the philosophy of Goa'uld ships as a whole. They were next to no specialized ships. The Ha'tak was a troop transport and attack ship, the Al'kesh was a bomber and troop transport. Only the Tel'tak was a specialized scout ship, and even then it was often repurposed. I had plans to create specific ships for any future fleet that I would commander, but it was not to be for the moment. Maybe when I am free to act as I wish, unburdened by the System Lords. I had enough room to start making the plans themselves though. It was a work that would span decades or even centuries, so it was better to start as soon as possible.

I had the time to start to make the basic energy consumption for the new death glider I was planning. And there was a big problem with it: the naqahdah generators that were available to us were insufficient or too voluminous for such small crafts. I would have to rethink the technology behind those generators before those improved gliders would be up for production.

Those past three months also gave me plenty of time to meditate and talk with Maya. We talked about my ambitions, freedom and how I would achieve it. Of my future empire and how I would rule it to avoid such rebellions to happen. It was a long road in front of me, and I wasn't ungrateful of Maya and her astute comments. She was a surprisingly intelligent girl despite her initial primitive background, and I felt that the decision to keep her around and be nice to her was one of the best I ever made. Having her was just useful.

I sighed and looked toward Bubastis with a smile. There was no point in trying to think about all the work I still had to do. It was better to concentrate on the present. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an incoming communication. It was probably Bastet or one of her Lieutenants. And indeed it was Marduk's face that greeted me.

"Identify yourself or be destroyed."

An amused smile appeared on my lips.

"Greetings my Lord, I am Lilith."

His face lost his tension immediately and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Ah, Lilith, I wondered when you would arrive. Dock the ship next to the capital city and go to our Lady's palace. She wants to talk to you personally."

I wasn't worried at all about that, I did my job and went beyond what was expected of me.

"It will be done my Lord, I should warn you though, I have one of the Tok'ra as a prisoner. Should I bring him to our Lady?"

He nodded, a predatory smirk on his face and added a last comment before closing the communication.

"Very good initiative. Keep him stunned for the moment and bring him with you, I will wait for you there."

Well, it was time to face the Lady Bastet and finally join the civilization once again after three months of isolation.

Several grenades took care of knocking the Tok'ra out and it was without any problem that I reached Lady Bastet's palace a little less than an hour after. Marduk was indeed at the entrance waiting for me, and I saw him tense and clench his fists as he saw the prisoner hauled over my shoulder. He then relaxed and smiled slightly toward me.

"Let's go Lilith, our Lady is waiting for us."

I nodded and rearranged the man on my shoulder before following Marduk. I didn't know the place at all so it was only logical that he was here to guide me. Soon enough, we reached the throne room and I finally faced Lady Bastet. If I didn't know better, I would actually believe that she was a goddess. There was no doubt that her host had been carefully selected for her outstanding beauty, and the clothes that adorned her were absolutely magnificent. All in all, she was a striking figure, and for a second I even forgot to kneel. Fortunately for my continued survival, my brain soon caught up to me and I kneeled in front of her, carefully laying my prisoner in front of me.

Her eyes went from me to the Tok'ra several times before a positively carnassial smile appeared on her face.

"Why Lilith, I didn't know you would be bringing me such a delightful gift."

I was very much surprised at that comment and threw an inquisitive glance toward Marduk. Not that it wasn't a good thing for me, it was very beneficial to me after all, but I didn't expect someone like him to give me an advantage like that when he could have easily gleamed a little of the recognition for that act. It was him who ordered me to capture the ship after all. Maybe it was a thank you for my help? I didn't know and didn't want to make a mistake. I would tell the truth when asked and hope that I would suffice.

I looked toward Bastet once again and bowed my head.

"I live to serve my Lady."

A soft chuckle followed my answer.

"So submissive, or are you?" Any mirth seemed to leave her face after that. "Do not play me for a fool Lilith, I am not so arrogant so I would fall for such base flattery. I have not become a System Lord by being naive."

I didn't know how to answer that. Did I act too submissive? Did she know that I was hiding my potential? I glanced toward Marduk and saw his impassive face. Did he expect this? I guess I could be a little more honest. I stayed silent for the moment, waiting for her to continue.

"I had Marduk make several reports of your conduct these past few years. Perfect obedience, no resentment, a very good subordinate. But there was something I didn't see, ambition. And let me tell you, in the many millennia that I lived, I've seen no Goa'uld without ambition. So I will know it, you will tell me right here and right now what is your goal, why you do act like that. Or… well, you won't like the consequences."

She glowered at me, waiting for an answer. Did I risk it? I had to expose some of my plans, that was for sure. She was too crafty to be fooled by half truths.

"You are right in that I hid my ambitions my Lady. I guess it is freedom. I'm not one to want to become a System Lord, I would really dislike the power struggle, so I wouldn't betray you like that. But my goal in the future is to become useful enough that I could become somewhat independent. Well, except from the council of the System Lords of course, but no Goa'uld who wants to live would dare to disobey them."

She looked at me with calculative eyes, seemingly judging my trustworthiness. She then smiled coldly.

"You are much more intelligent that you let appear it would seem. I assume that you hid it so that you would not end as one of my researchers for life?"

I actually panicked slightly at that. It would be the worst possible thing that could happen to me. She must have seen my expression because she laughed before continuing.

"You do not even have to answer. Your youth betrays you, you cannot fully control your emotions. It is of no matter. Contrarily as you may think, I am not one to make unnecessary enemies, nor to waste potential resources. You will not be placed with my researchers, but I want to make several things clear. As long as you are under my service, you will not act dumb as you did until now. Anything that you create I will allow you to keep, but I will have a copy for myself. And when the day comes that you think you can escape my control, I will come after you once with all my might. Should you survive, you will have earned your freedom. Should you be captured, you will end as a researcher for as long as you live. There will be no other option for you."

It was actually extremely reasonable from her, and literally the best that I could expect. She knew that I wouldn't go after her life or her power-base so this was a good compromise. And for the going only once after me when I defect was pretty smart too. If I managed to survive after she attacks me with all her might, that meant that to continue to target me wouldn't be worth it, too costly in resources and soldiers. I was better on my own. She knew that I would not betray the Goa'uld as a whole. Crossing Ra was stupid beyond belief.

And even beyond that, she knew that even if I wouldn't share everything I create with her, I would share enough so that she can have an advantage over other System Lords. I had proved that I was competent after all.

"I am most grateful of this offer Lady Bastet, I can assure you that I will not forget your leniency."

She nodded once before relaxing.

"Rise Lilith, no more of that dreary business. Marduk told me of your actions and of the very good job you did with the upgrades on his flagship. It was deemed good enough by my researchers that they decided to apply it to my very own ship. All in all, you deserve a reward for your work so far. You will have access to a hundred Jaffa of your choosing and a ton of naqahdah. You will also have your own house with a workshop in my city."

She then turned toward Marduk.

"Marduk, show her where her new house is and the location of the Jaffa villages on Bubastis, and have one of the death gliders delivered to her. Come back here immediately after, I have to talk to you."

He bowed and looked toward me. I stood up, bowed toward Bastet and followed Marduk out of the room. Once I was outside the palace, I actually started to shake slightly, my nerves being shot by the encounter and the adrenaline coming down. Bastet was terrifying, not by her cruelty but by the sheer perceptiveness and presence that she possessed. Marduk didn't fail to notice that and turned toward me.

"You did well in there Lilith, our Lady does that to every one of her subjects, and has executed more than one on the spot. That she rewarded you afterward despite that little misconduct of yours was actually pretty impressive. Although, freedom? Have I been that bad a Lord that you would be eager to leave me Lilith?"

He seemed actually amused by that, and I was surprised by the fact he would joke about it. I let a smile appear on my own features.

"Had you been a bad Lord my Lord, I would be plotting your death as a part of my freedom. No, it has nothing to do with you, or anyone else for that matter. That's simply as it is, I yearn for freedom, as would others yearn to become a System Lord."

He seemed pensive at that, before nodding.

"I see, I don't fully understand but I can see what you mean. Do not mistake my intentions though. I will be one hundred percent behind Bastet the day she chases you down."

We continued our travel toward my new home in silence, and I thought once again about the meeting with the System Lord. I was extremely lucky that Bastet was considered one of the 'nicer' Goa'uld around. Word of her compassion for women and children was spread around all corners of the galaxy. But what most were forgetting was the uncanny intelligence and the perception that she possessed. Any other Goa'uld would have seen me dead for my answer. But she didn't. She recognized my potential and would probably milk it for all she could until the moment I defect. It was wise of her and I couldn't help but respect her a bit more.

I was at the main Jaffa village, watching two young warriors fighting each other. It had been a couple of weeks since that meeting with Bastet, and I still hadn't found the one that would become my first prime. I had taken steps toward it though, monitoring the villages with small probes hidden inside each and every house and on the village square. I had visited the place several times and it was easy for me to place them. And I had finally enough data for me to make a choice. Unsurprisingly enough, the male Jaffa were too young to be of immediate use, Bastet having recruited the best recently to reinforce her regular troops. Her guard, constituted essentially of females, was of superior quality and training, so their losses had been low enough that she didn't need to recruit more. My only reasonable choice was then to emulate Lady Bastet and choose female Jaffas instead of the too young male.

I had a dilemma though. From my probes, I could tell that the most promising Jaffa in the camp was one named Kyra. The problem though, was the words she spoke in her home about the Goa'uld. It was distressing and I had thought a couple of times to turn her in, but an intervention from Maya gave me pause. I could probably turn that to my advantage and gain her absolute loyalty. I just had to be careful in my approach and what I would tell her.

The elders of the village knew that I was looking for my first Prime, so I was allowed to choose who I wanted to see fighting. Soon I asked for Kyra to fight one of their best male Jaffa, to see if my potential choice was worth it. She was a bit smaller than him, probably around 1m72, but I could see a decently muscled frame, seemingly ridiculous compared to her opponent's bulging muscles. And yet she showed in the fight that despite her disadvantage in terms of reach and sheer strength, she more than compensated with her agility, speed, skill and tenacity.

The fight did not last long and ended with her slightly hurt and her opponent unconscious on the ground. I looked toward the elders and pointed toward Kyra, a small smile on my lips. They understood and left, knowing that I didn't need them anymore.

I approached the dark skinned Jaffa that was about to become my prime and smiled.

"Congratulation on your win young Jaffa, and on your new position as my first prime."

Her eyes widened at that and she was speechless for at least a dozen seconds before she managed to answer, her dark brown eyes avoiding mine.

"G-Goddess, it's an honor."

I chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, something that I saw left her uncomfortable. I probably didn't match her vision of a Goa'uld.

"Why, thank you. Say goodbye to your family and join me to my death glider in ten minutes. Take any possession you need but bear in mind that you will receive a new equipment due to your position."

She nodded before running toward a hut I knew housed her parents. They would be proud of her, I knew that too.

She obeyed my order and was to my glider exactly ten minutes after I let her say her goodbye to her family. It was a good quality, more points in her favor. I let her take the co-pilot seat in the glider and locked the controls before taking off. The journey was short and silent, and soon we found ourselves to my domain. I was surprised when I first saw the 'house' Bastet assigned to me. It was literally a whole village, big enough to house the hundred warriors I was promised comfortably. The workshop was bare, but it would change soon enough, I just didn't have the time yet to work on better tools. In the middle of it lay the naqahdah I was given, a very small pile of ingots. After all, refined naqahdah was extremely dense and thus a simple cube of less than thirty centimeters weighted a ton.

Kyra was judging the compound and apparently it was to her tastes. I ordered her to follow me and soon we found ourselves in my home. It was decently furnished, denoting my wealth without rubbing it in. I took a device and talked to the Jaffa female.

"Disrobe Kyra."

Her eyes widened at the sight of the device and she hesitated a little but obeyed. I could see both the anger and fear in her eyes though, she thought I was going to torture her, and had probably suffered such a torture in the past.

I activated the device and I could see her flinch as it started to act, but she understood quickly that something different from what she expected was happening. Looking upon herself, she could see her bruises disappear one after the other. She moved a little and an expression of wonder appeared on her face.

"You… healed me Goddess?"

I chuckled a little and nodded.

"You are of no use to me wounded."

I then gave her some new clothing, nothing fancy but still good enough to be an improvement over her old outfit.

"Take this and dress yourself. You won't get an armor immediately, I'm still working on it, but you don't need it for the moment. I compiled a listing of all the potential Jaffa in the camps on my computer, and you will choose the ninety nine others that I will recruit. I will of course review your choices, but I trust you enough to do this job correctly. Do you know how to use the computer?"

She finished to dress and shook her head in answer.

"No Goddess, I have never used such a device before."

I nodded.

"I see, then I will teach you. And Kyra?"

She looked at me, a little curious.

"Yes?"

I smiled.

"No need to call me Goddess in private, call me Lady or my Lady or Lady Lilith."

Her eyes widened but she nodded quickly.

"As you wish my Lady."

After teaching her to use the computer, I retired to my private quarters and started my meditation, immediately talking to Maya.

'Hello Maya.'

Immediately I could hear her voice.

'Hello Lilith. Are you sure letting her do this is wise? You even left her own file in the computer, and you know what she's going to find inside it. She may even attempt to assassinate you.'

A chuckled a little and smiled.

'I know what I'm doing Maya, or at least I think I know. One of the Tok'ra main weapon is the arrogance of the Goa'uld and the ignorance of their warriors and slaves that they turn against them. I may have told Bastet I would not turn against the Goa'uld as a whole but I clearly recognize that the way they rule their domains is flawed. I need a personal guard that knows the truth about our kind, and is even more loyal thanks to it. She's to be the first of them, she already has doubts. Should it work, I will be that much stronger. If it doesn't, she'll be killed and I'll find someone less… spirited to take as my prime.'

She was silent for a few minutes before asking me a question, curiosity clearly present in her voice.

'What is your goal, what will your domain look like?'

I smiled wistfully.

'In my Empire, my subject will be happy, they will love me because I will be fair to them, and fear me because the ones who betray me or ignore my laws will be made examples. All will know the truth about the Goa'uld but still accept me as their Empress. There will be no rebellion, no revolt. Fear for fear's sake doesn't work, we saw that on the Tau'ri, and just having them love me may be dangerous for me. So I will endeavor to try to be both feared and loved. We'll see how that goes.'

She was pretty happy with that vision, I could feel it.

'And the Tok'ra?'

Immediately, my mood worsened.

'The scum will find no ground to grow a rebellion in my empire. I will kill any Tok'ra that I find trying to corrupt what is mine!'

I was getting worked out, and I knew it, but Maya simply chuckled.

'Temper Lilith, temper…'

I found myself smiling at that. Despite a few scares here and there, life was good.

So this is it, if you have any comment, constructive criticism or simply want to show your support, don't hesitate to leave a review.

Ttfn!