As Gallus exited the Senate and entered the forum, he caught site of his opponent-- or who he presumed was his opponent. She was the only other Senator he could see. Without a word, he walked up to the podium, speech in hand. He set it down in front of him, clearing his throat as he faced a grouping of TV cameras. "My fellow citizens of the Empire. I call upon you today to do your country a great service. Our old Emperor Decimus, gods rest his soul, is dead. He was a strong leader, and one of my closest friends. Decimus taught me a lot. About people and about serving them. One day soon, you will be voting for the future of the empire. My friends, I ask that when you do, you choose me. I will honor Emperor Decimus's memory the best way I know how. By building this great empire into the strongest force on the planet!" Surprisingly, the people cheered. They seemed to like his opening to the debate. Now it was his opponent's turn.