Bayta Darell

Bayta Darell
species: Human
Democrat
from foundation series
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Bayta Darell is a character in Isaac Asimov’s foundation series. She appears in Foundation and Empire. Bayta is a descendent of Hober Mallow, and is married to Toran Darell. Later, the two have a son, Toran II, who’s daughter is Arkady. Bayta holds a degree in history and is a member of the Democratic Underground that opposes the hereditary mayors of the Foundation.

Bayta is both protagonist and hero of Foundation and Empire. Initially, she and her husband are sent by Toran’s uncle Randu to Kalgan in order to persuade or provoke a conquer called the Mule into attacking the Foundation as a way of distracting the Foundation from the Independent Tradition Worlds, which are plotting a rebellion against the Foundation. While on Kalgan, Toran and Bayta rescue the Mule’s court fool, a man named Magnifico Giganticus.

After the Mule conquers the Foundation, Bayta works as an assembly girl on the Independent Trading World of Haven, where Toran is from. Randu then sends Bayta, Toran, Magnifico, and a psychologist named Ebling Mis to Trantor with the goals of discovering the Mule’s weakness and finding the Second Foundation.

On Trantor, Bayta, having realized that Magnifico is none other than the Mule himself, shoots Ebling Mis to prevent him from revealing the location of the Second Foundation to the Mule/Magnifico, thus saving the galaxy and future of humanity by allowing the Second Foundation time to plan a counterattack against the Mule and later to fix the damage the Mule has done.