The Return of the Queen

Author's Note: Part of the Anat!verse and the Consort of Baal series. For the correct and up-to-date order in which to read them, please see my profile page.

Disclaimer: I do not own Baal or any of Stargate. However, I do own Anat and Astarte.

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Baal paced inside his private chambers. Outside, his lo'tar waited anxiously for his master's next orders.

How dare they? How dare the army rebel and demand the return of their queen? How dare they reject his substitute? The decision was not theirs to make! But it was, he realised. Ever since the troublesome Tau'ri had arrived he had had to work harder to keep the loyalty of his subjects.

Frustrated, he stopped pacing. He wanted a harem girl right now. Anat would have known that. Anat would already have one being prepared for him. She would have eschewed Tiamat, his current favourite, and selected one he could act his rougher fantasies on. Anat knew him like no other. And Astarte would never be able to replace that.

With a sigh he barked an order at Ashtet to fetch him a harem girl, specifying it not be Tiamat, then sat down and continued planning. He would put his plan concerning his clones and the co-ordinates of Merlin's weapon into action first, then he would start looking for a suitable host.

The door slid open and Ashtet returned with a girl he vaguely remembered as a harem girl. At least Anat's pathetic little sidekick knew her job and place there. She had gauged Ashtet's instructions and supplied an appropriate person for his mood.

Thinking about Astarte made him angry again. How dare his army refuse Astarte? And how dare that bitch refuse him? If it wasn't for the fact that Anat would rip him and every clone limb from symbiote when she found out, Astarte would be dead right now.

He thrust out his frustration on the harem girl, forgoing any words. When at last he was satisfied, he rolled off her and threw on a robe before telling her to leave. He watched dispassionately as she crawled to the door, bruises already forming on her face, neck and wrists, with cuts on her lips and traces of bite marks on her shoulders. She'd put up no resistance to him and was consequently nothing more than a vessel to vent his anger.

Anat would have resisted. Anat would have been fierce. She was his Warrior Goddess and she would have inflicted as much damage to him as he did her. This thought was immediately followed by the realisation that Astarte could never occupy his Queen's place.

It was strange how he could ignore her existence for fifteen years while she slept in stasis, but now she invaded all of his thoughts. If he had a heart, he would say he loved Anat. At a practical level, he needed her. Together they were formidable. And right now, he needed formidable.

BABABA

Astarte had always maintained a more realistic assessment of herself than many of her kin. Many of her brothers and sisters perished in wars for dominance but she, despite being of the second great mass spawning, survived.

Unlike the others, Astarte was fully aware of her limits. She was not a spawning queen, so it was foolish to aspire to System Lord status with no ready supply in place. The male she took as her consort was ranked in a very low position among the Goa'uld hierarchy and she could not progress on his merits. Finally, she preferred to spend her days on other pleasures as opposed to warfare. Any territory she had would disappear.

But it was dangerous to wander the galaxy alone. So Astarte and her consort sought out a System Lord who would give them the banner of protection in return for service. To this day, Astarte was grateful she came upon Anat, who offered her all of it; at first with severe distrust, eventually becoming a deep respect on both sides. Even Anat's treaty of alliance with Baal did not lessen it.

But one day her consort was accused by Baal of betrayal and sentenced to death. Astarte, feelings emotions she'd never encountered before, begged on her knees before Anat to help her. And Anat, who trusted her, who did not trust the charges against the consort, spirited him away and faked his death to Baal. But it came at a cost to Astarte; Anat would hide the consort away and keep him safe but in return Astarte was bound to her for life, like a common lo'tar. She could never leave her service, or take her place or betray her for if she did, her consort would die. Swallowing her pride, Astarte agreed. She was effectively downgraded in status, although to Anat's credit, she never treated Astarte any differently. Astarte remained Anat's second in command over domestic affairs and managed many tasks.

When Baal and Anat allied, Astarte took control over the harem girls. She travelled all over the territories collecting girls for Baal and the occasional man for Anat, so much so that in many places she gained her own following. Temples to Astarte, goddess of love, were built on many worlds. Anat found it amusing, Baal found it curious. Astarte was simply content. She was alive and protected, her consort, although in hiding, was also alive and they met when Anat allowed. Astarte had worshippers, a modicum of power, personal assets and slaves and the respect of a System Lord.

Then, fifteen years ago Anat had been forcibly pushed into stasis after being poisoned. Astarte had long suspected that Anat was ready to emerge but was not given a suitable – or any – host. Certainly, parts of her army believed that. They had rebelled and demanded their Queen. In these uncertain times of the Jaffa Free Nation, Baal had had to listen. His compromise had been to come to Astarte and offer her the throne.

Secretly, although she would never admit it to anyone, the offer had awakened her primal thirst for power and she'd considered immediately accepting, regardless of the consequences. However, as Baal continued his speech, she was glad she hadn't.

He was offering her the throne, it was true, but it was literally that, a seat. She would be a vapid figurehead with no control. At this, she'd felt her eyes glow angrily. At least, even in the lesser role of harem and household mistress, she was all-powerful. The other thought that lurked in the background was her consort. If she accepted, there was no doubt that Anat's loyal assassin (and he would receive orders, whoever and wherever he was) would eliminate him. He would die and she would most likely forfeit her life as well. Anat's personal assassins were better trained than the Ashrak.

Pretending flattery, which even after all their years of knowing each other Baal still fell for, she had asked for time to consider. As soon as Baal had gone, Astarte checked to see when the next member of the personal guard would walk through the door. A few well-chosen words with the excitable but indiscreet harem girl assigned to him and Astarte had ensured the entire army would know by the following morning.

The next day, she had sat contemplating her options when the news reached the harem that the army was demanding Queen Anat "and no other substitute" from Baal. Astarte had exited the harem and made straight for the throne room. On her way there, she had realised she was relieved. It seemed that the decision had been made for her and it was one she was comfortable with.

Entering the throne room, she had made a bow behind the kneeling rows of Jaffa and the standing First Prime. Baal had looked up and opened his mouth but Astarte was quicker.

'My Lord,' she had said, her voice carrying across the room. 'I have considered your kind and generous offer. However I fear I cannot accept. Queen Anat is your rightful queen and I acknowledge her as my superior.'

BABABA

He was still furious with Astarte for embarrassing him in front of Anat's army. She had clearly been allowed too much freedom under Anat's control and he should take steps to curb her before Anat's return. If she returned.

With a smirk, he wondered what would happen if he called the army's bluff, refused to bring back Anat and allowed them to rebel. The smile faded from his face when he realised what he would lose with even half of her army leaving. The majority of their territories were nominally hers, while their conquered ones would decide on a world-to-world basis. In addition, he only held the rank of System Lord by virtue of Anat and the few survivors of the Replicator massacre would not hesitate to humble him and strip of the title. He would become was he was at the beginning of their partnership, perhaps even less.

Damn Anat! Damn her and her power, her warrior mind, her seductive smile she reserved only for him and damn her ridiculously loyal army. And most of all, damn Astarte, damn her all the way to Netu!

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Reviews please!

So, in case any of you have forgotten, the Ashrak is a trained assassin who killed Jolinar. They were supposed to be the best of the best.

Next chapter: Baal's revenge on Astarte.