For everyone in the Treecuu delegation it was their first time abroad. Actually practically everyone with a say in the affairs of the government, real or for show, had agreed that it was a good idea, nay imperative, to accept the invitation to the Imperial Ball. First contact had been a real success, and the Treecuu now had official recognition as the sovereign of its claimed borders. The Imperial Ball was a great chance to further improve relations between the to Empires, and of course for the Treecuu to assert itself as a major player abroad, essential for the secret plan drawn by the Committee for the Expansion of the Empire.

The voyage to Ryccia had been utter hell for President Caal. The once proud presidency of the Star Empire had been reduced to but a figurehead function, a "positive front" for the Committee to maintain the well-kept illusion that the Star Empire still was a democracy. Back on Ecteen, the capital planet, Caal at least had his figurehead friends, but now he was basically alone among Committee members and loyalists. He had had no retreat to so to hide from their passive-aggressiveness and mocking politeness. Still he would do his job well, as instructed by the Committee, but he try to make real friends. Maybe, in the future, he could need them.

The large Treecuu delegation, headed by President Caal, flanked by two Committee members on each side, made its way down the enormous hall and approached the Ryccian emperor. Caal stretched his arms to his sides in a formal greeting. He then smiled warmly.