Hober Mallow is the central protagonist of "The Merchant Princes", the final short story of "Foundation". Mallow is a Master Trader in the Foundation and captain of the "Far Star". Originally from Smyrno, one of the Four Kingdoms which borders Terminus, Mallow is a freelance trader and considered among the best of his class. He is sent to Korell on a mission to discover the fates of three Foundation ships lost in that sector, as well as to investigate the possibility that Korell has developed nuclear technology.