Chapter 3

And at the other end of town, in homelier surroundings, Hober Mallow kept asecond appointment. He had listened long, and now he said cautiously, "Yes,I've heard  of your campaigns to get  trader representation in the council.
But why me, Twer?"Jaim Twer, who would  remind you any time, asked or unasked, that he was inthe first group of Outlanders to receive a lay education at the Foundation,beamed.
"I  know what I'm  doing," he said.  "Remember when  I met you  first, lastyear.""At the Trader's Convention.""Right. You ran the meeting. You had those red-necked oxen planted in theirseats,  then put  them in your  shirtpocket and  walked off with  them. Andyou're all  right with the Foundation masses, too. You've  got glamor ?or,at  any  rate,  solid   adventure-publicity,  which  is  the  same  thing.""Very good," said Mallow, dryly. "But why now?"'Because now's our chance.  Do you know that the Secretary of Education hashanded in  his resignation? It's not out in the open  yet, but it will be.""How do you know?""That ? never mind?  He waved a  disgusted hand. "It's  so. The Actionistparty is splitting wide  open, and we can murder it right now on a straightquestion  of equal  rights  for traders;  or, rather,  democracy,  pro- andanti-."Mallow lounged  back in his chair and stared  at his thick fingers, "Uh-uh.
Sorry, Twer. I'm leaving  next week on business. You'll have to get someoneelse."Twer stared, "Business? What kind of business?""Very super-secret. Triple-A priority.  All that, you know. Had a talk withthe mayor's own secretary.""Snake  Sutt?" Jaim  Twer grew  excited. "A  trick. The  son-of-a-spacer isgetting rid of you. Mallow?
"Hold on!" Mallow's hand  fell on the other's balled fist. "Don't go into ablaze. If  it's a  trick, I'll be  back some day  for the  reckoning. if itisn't,  your snake,  Sutt,  is playing  into our  hands. Listen,  there's aSeldon crisis coming up."Mallow waited for a reaction but it never came. Twer merely stared. "What'sa Seldon crisis?""Galaxy!" Mallow exploded angrily  at the anticlimax, "What the blue blazesdid  you do  when you went  to school? What  do you  mean anyway by  a foolquestion like that?"The elder man frowned, "If you'll explain?
There was  a long  pause, then, "I'll explain."  Mallow's eyebrows lowered,and he  spoke slowly. "When the Galactic Empire began  to die at the edges,and when  the ends  of the Galaxy  reverted to barbarism  and dropped away,Hari Seldon and his band of psychologists planted a colony, the Foundation,out here in the middle of the mess, so that we could incubate art, science,and   technology,   and   form  the   nucleus   of   the  Second   Empire.""Oh, yes, yes?
"I'm  not finished,"  said the  trader, coldly.  "The future course  of theFoundation  was plotted  according  to the  science of  psychohistory, thenhighly developed, and conditions  arranged so as to bring about a series ofcrises that  will force us most  rapidly along the route  to future Empire.
Each  crisis, each  Seldon  crisis, marks  an epoch  in our  history. We'reapproaching one now ?our third."Twer shrugged.  "I suppose this was mentioned in  school, but I've been outof school a long time ?longer than you.""I suppose so. Forget  it. What matters is that I'm being sent out into themiddle of the development of this crisis. There's no telling what I'll havewhen  I   come  back,  and  there  is   a  council  election  every  year."Twer looked up, "Are you on the track of anything?""No.""You have definite plans?""Not the faintest inkling of one.""Well?
"Well,  nothing.   Hardin  once  said:  'To   succeed,  planning  alone  isinsufficient.   One    must   improvise   as    well.'   I'll   improvise."Twer shook  his head  uncertainly, and they  stood, looking at  each other.
Mallow said, quite suddenly,  but quite matter-of-factly, "I tell you what,how about coming with me? Don't stare, man. You've been a trader before youdecided  them  was  more   excitement  in  politics.  Or  so  I've  heard.""Where are you going? Tell me that."Towards the  Whassallian Rift. I can't  be more specific till  we're out inspace. What do you say?"Suppose Sutt decides he wants me where he can see"Not likely.  If he's  anxious to get  rid of me,  why not of  you as well?
Besides which, no trader  would hit space if he couldn't pick his own crew.
I take whom I please."There was  a queer glint in the older man's eyes,  "All right. I'll go." Heheld   out  his   hand,  "It'll   be  my   first  trip  in   three  years."Mallow grasped  and shook the other's hand, "Good!  All fired good! And nowI've got  to round up the  boys. You know where the Far  Star docks, don 'tyou? Then show up tomorrow. Good-by."