"I am honoured by your faith in me." Meaningless compliments were easy to bestow, and if they fuelled his ego it could only act as a point in her favour.

Nonetheless she needed to act carefully, his displeasure rightly to be feared, so to hedge against it Astarte folds her legs with a deliberate slowness, skirt riding up to reveal ever more slender thigh.

"We are establishing a power base here, admittedly it will take time for it to bare fruit and yet you do not take stronger measures against the Tau'ri now, why?"