Hi there! This was a plot bunny that wouldn't get out of my head after rewatching "I, Claudius." This is a majorly AU story featuring our favorite characters in a different environment: a blend of Ancient Rome and Star Wars. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

Prologue: Call to Worship

The guttering flames scattered shadows across the small chamber, shadows that danced along the faces of over two dozen Naboo standing shoulder to shoulder. Their faces reflected the light in thick layers of white paint, the symbolic coverings of the Moon Goddess. And then the faces began to move, swaying forward as one and falling away, soft words dripping from the painted lips. One figure stood out from the rest, her lithe body wreathed in the purest of white garments, her eyes fixed on the image above the altar. The others in the room followed her movements as if entranced.

In the far back of the chamber, three figures stood shrouded in black and dark purple robes, their hoods pulled far up over their heads. The central figure turned to the one on his right and whispered, "She is far more passionate about the rituals than the last one, Consul. Are you certain she can be swayed?"

The shorter man lifted his chin and sighed. "Not certain, no. Nothing is certain in the face of religious fanaticism."

"Be careful!" the third man hissed. "If they heard you say that…"

His warning trailed off as the worshippers raised their voices in a new chant, and the three men watched in silence. The chant begged the Moon Goddess for her favor in the coming tensions with Skor II, the military campaign that would determine if Naboo's southern borders could be easily expanded. The supplicants offered a multitude of gifts, everything from their possessions to their prized slaves, if only victory would be granted.

The first man, narrow of face and flinty-eyed, leaned close to the second's ear. "It's barbaric and outdated."

"It's our culture, Wilhuff," the Consul said, eyes never leaving the woman at the front of the chambers. "You'd best get used to it. Anything can be useful in some way. This too, has its place."

"You don't believe - "

He interrupted him sharply. "I believe we will have victory if the gods will it, Wilhuff. There is no other consideration."

The taller man looked askance at him but closed his mouth when he sensed the presence of another at his back. He turned, fully revealing the woman in white, who had glided silently to their sides in the middle of the chanting. She was young, breathtakingly beautiful, and fever-bright around the eyes. Her semi-transparent robes partially concealed a perfectly youthful, nubile body, which all three men took great care not to notice.

When she spoke, her voice ensnared them with its breathy quality. "It is my pleasure to welcome you to the War Rites, Consul. You've not attended our gatherings before, I think."

The second man bowed his head and shoulders deferentially. "A mistake I came to rectify tonight, Your Majesty. I understand you are seeking Her favor in the coming battle."

Her eyes glazed over as she pondered him and his quiet companions. "Our forces are strong, Consul, in no small part thanks to your military brilliance, and that of your fellow Consuls. But Her might is greater still, and Her wisdom beyond our fathoming. It would be folly to begin war without Her blessing."

"I do not doubt your words," he said.

"And yet…" she stepped closer and reached out her ethereal hands to his face, curving her fingers down over his jawline. "Yet you do not join in with the supplications yourself."

"I have made my own private entreaties," he ignored the irritating ticking of her nails. "Your Majesty, you know I depart soon to oversee the central front."

"There is little time," the first man said, staring over her head as if determined not to look any lower. She noticed his hesitance and laughed, sultry and low.

"There is always time to bask in the light of the Moon, barbarian," she smiled and transferred her hands to his high cheekbones. He flinched, and she looked from the corner of her eyes at the shorter man. "When the chants are done, we shall join in the Ancient Rites and seal our combined strength for the victory. Won't you join us, Consul?"

The seductive invitation hung in the smoky air for a long moment, and then the Consul shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. The spiritual realm is yours to enjoy and command. My place lies elsewhere."

"The Senate? The battlefield?" she smirked. Below them, the worshippers began to draw close to each other, pulling at the milky white robes and mingling limbs. Low moans drifted up from the chamber as they abandoned themselves to the wild passions of the Ancient Rites. The Queen fixed her gaze on the Consul. "You fear the physical, my lord. You fear the manifold pleasures that could be yours. They say you always have, and I wonder why."

He said nothing.

Her eyes flashed with a faint fire. "Keep your peace, then, and bring victory to Naboo once more."

"I go with your blessing?" he asked, daring a thin-lipped smile.

She returned it and lifted her chin, exposing the white of her jewel-adorned throat to him. "You do. You always do, Consul."