Barr, a former provincial senator and a leading citizen, had served in the Imperial government on Siwenna during a fairly stable time several decades earlier, before a series of corrupt and ambitious viceroys who each harbored dreams of becoming Emperor. After the previous viceroy rebelled against the Emperor, Barr participated in a revolution that overthrew the viceroy. However, the Imperial fleet also sent to remove the viceroy wanted to conquer a rebellious province even if it was no longer in rebellion, and began a massacre that claimed the lives of all but one of Barr's children. The new viceroy also plans a rebellion, but keeps a backup plan; fleeing into the Periphery and carving out a sizable realm there. He had secured a political alliance with Korell by marrying his daughter to Asper. Mallow manages to tour a Siwennian power plant. He observes that the technicians can only maintain the plants, but cannot repair them. He also notes the nuclear generators are much bigger than those of Terminus. Both mean that the Empire cannot replace the goods Mallow sells to the Commdor. He also realizes that religion cannot make further conquests for the Foundation, but a commercial empire can. Mallow is tried for murder approximately one year after his return to Terminus, due to turning over the Foundation missionary to the mob. However, he is able to produce a recording revealing to the court that the "missionary" was in fact a Korellian secret policeman. Acquitted, Mallow is received with delight by the population of Terminus, which (along with the wealth obtained by trading with Korell) all but ensures him the Mayor's seat in the elections scheduled to take place in the following year. To prepare for the election, Mallow engineers the arrest of Sutt and Manlio, suspecting them (rightly) of intending to engineer a coup with the aid of the Four Kingdoms' religious elements, and eventually takes office. However, he is soon faced with tensions between the Foundation and Korell, which declares war on the Foundation, using its powerful Imperial flotilla to attack Foundation ships. But instead of counterattacking, Mallow takes no action, effectively imposing an embargo on Korell, and waiting until the lack of Foundation goods forces Korell to surrender, which it does. Due to Mallow's control over industry and trade, The Foundation starts to become a Plutocracy. When one of his allies, horrified, asks why Mallow is not building towards a future empire Mallow replies it was only his job to stop the current crisis and history would take care of the ones to come.