They had maintained their distance fearfully, and still maintained it, and for a week now, Mallow's requests for an audience with the local go government had been unanswered.
Mallow repeated, "Good trading here.
You might call this virgin territory."
Jaim Twer looked up impatiently, and threw his cards aside,
"What the devil do you intend doing, Mallow?
The crew's grumbling, the officers are worried, and I’m wondering-"
"Wondering?
About what?"
"About the situation.
And about you.
What are we doing?"
"Waiting."
The old trader snorted and grew red.
He growled, "You're going it blind, Mallow.
There's a guard around the field and there are ships overhead.
Suppose they're getting ready to blow us into a hole in the ground."
"They've had a week."
"Maybe they're waiting for reinforcements."
Twer's eyes were sharp and hard.
Mallow sat down abruptly,
"Yes, I'd thought of that You see, it poses a pretty problem.
First, we got here without trouble.
That may mean nothing, however, for only three ships out of better than three hundred went a-glimmer last year.
The percentage is low.
But that may mean also that the number of their ships equipped with nuclear power is small, and that they dare not expose them needlessly, until that number grows.
"But it could mean, on the other hand, that they haven't nuclear power after all.
Or maybe they have and are keeping undercover, for fear we know something.
It's one thing, after all, to piratize blundering, light-armed merchant ships.
It's another to fool around with an accredited envoy of the Foundation when the mere fact of his presence may mean the Foundation is growing suspicious.
"Combine this-"
"Hold on, Mallow, hold on." Twer raised his hands.
"You're just about drowning me with talk.
What're you getting at?
Never mind the in-betweens."
"You've got to have the in-betweens, or you won't understand, Twer. We're both waiting.
They don't know what I'm doing here and I don't know what they've got here.
But I'm in the weaker position because I'm one and they're an entire world - maybe with atomic power.
I can't afford to be the one to weaken.
Sure it's dangerous.
Sure there may be a hole in the ground waiting for us. But we knew that from the start.
What else is there to do?"
"I don't- Who's that, now?"
Mallow looked up patiently, and tuned the receiver.
The visiplate glowed into the craggy face of the watch sergeant.
"Speak, sergeant."
The sergeant said, "Pardon, sir.
The men have given entry to a Foundation missionary."
"A what?"
Mallow's face grew livid.
"A missionary, sit.