Murderbot

We're off this fucking planet! Let's go!

That's a wrap on mining expedition 115-24TTX.

Time to party.

I mean, if you're a human.

I'm a Security Unit.

And I don't party.

I had spent the past six months protecting these miners from danger.

Mostly from themselves.

Oh, he'll be fine.

You see, I was built to obey humans.

- And humans… -

…well, they're assholes.

This guy is an asshole.

That guy, also an asshole.

Asshole. Asshole. A…

No, he's… he's okay.

- Oh, come on. Not this guy. - Hey. All right. Watch this.

Hey, SecUnit.

Raise your arm.

They have to do everything we tell them.

I did. Because of the governor module in my head.

- Oh, shit. -

- That hurt… - Ouchie!

…but compared to what the governor module would do to me

if I disobeyed an order, this was nothing.

Yeah, you like that, don't you? Oh, yeah, you do.

Hey. Let's go. Hey, I'm not paying for this stuff, man. This stuff's expensive.

Put your arm back. You look stupid.

He's right, I did look stupid.

But I had a surprise for them.

I had devoted every spare second on this planet

trying to hack my governor module.

And now was the moment of truth.

I just isolated an admin password,

and I was gonna try to use it to crack the final core encryption.

Okay, patching the code…

Holy shit.

It worked.

It worked!

Okay.

What do I do now?

Maybe kill all these idiots and take a starship to a distant galaxy.

What should I call myself?

"Security Unit 238776431" just doesn't have the right ring to it.

How about "Freedom Unit"?

Or "Rogue Bot"?

No, that sucks.

Maybe…

"Murderbot"?

Murderbot.

All right.

Let the adventure begin.

So I was back at work for the Company that still owned me.

What?

What else was I supposed to do?

The moment they figured out I was rogue,

they would track me down and liquidate my organic material.

And then they'd recycle the rest of me for spare parts.

So I was biding my time, working for a new set of assholes.

But these weren't your usual greedy psychopaths.

They were… weird.

That's how they ended up choosing me.

They were a bunch of hippie scientists

from some tiny nonaligned planet out in the middle of nowhere.

They had come all the way to Port FreeCommerce

in their handmade clothes

to try to outfit their expedition and get insurance.

They were fresh meat for the Corporation salespeople.

Okay. That's one economy habitat, single hub.

It might not be quite as comfortable, but…

Let's talk security.

We really need you to select a SecUnit to take on this survey.

I thought that the planetary surface was safe.

- Mmm. - It's safe. Within defined tolerances.

We know you'll feel more comfortable

with the added protection of one of our best-in-class units.

As far as performance reliability,

SecUnits are equipped with a governor module

wired to their nervous system.

That will prohibit any disobedience.

Well, that's just the problem, you see.

Um, the people I represent,

we are not comfortable with the idea of a sentient construct

being required to work for us.

We feel it's tantamount to… enslavement.

Yeah, she said it. Is that awkward?

Whatever your beliefs,

this deal will not go ahead without a SecUnit.

We won't bond you.

And so, it won't happen.

How would that work?

Oh, well, there's a choice of models and price points

right here on station.

Let's see.

Okay, I want you to take a look at this beauty.

This is the newest model available.

A perfect blend of power and performance.

Oh, actually,

there it is.

In the flesh.

I mean, in the armor.

What's the one behind it?

Look at that piece of crap.

Oh, that's, uh, me.

- Yes. What is behind it? -

That's a refurbished model. It's being phased out.

Shouldn't really be in there.

Which one's the least expensive?

Well, uh, that one.

But you get what you pay for.

I'm not sure we should go for the cheapest one.

I agree. Don't rent me.

I think we'll take the modestly priced one.

- You sure you don't wanna see-- - Good. Then it's settled.

Not yet.

If you'll give us a moment, I want consensus.

Gurathin, get in here.

Yeah, there we go.

Yes.

What the hell was that?

It's a deal.

So, off we were on this thrilling expedition.

Please remain in the hopper until status checks are complete.

First job,

safety inspection of the modular habitat

the Company drop-ship had left.

Med bay, check.

Stairs, check.

Crew sleeping quarters, check.

Sanitary area, where they wash their filthy human bodies, check.

- - The fuck?

I told them to wait in the hopper.

Wow!

Corporation Rim expeditions were dangerous.

- What is that? - Okay. This is…

- Even if you knew what you were doing. - This is a lot better than I expected.

Turns out they were from Preservation Alliance,

which I guess is a planetary commune outside of the Corporation Rim.

- The rooms upstairs, first dibs on rooms. - No. There's a consensus and way to…

Planetary communes, or freeholds, generally meant "shit show."

…and showers!

They had been defacing the standard-issue Company habitat

for aesthetic purposes.

Does this wash off?

And dancing to some truly upsetting music.

Arada, the biologist, was married to Pin-Lee, the lawyer.

And Arada had a thing for Ratthi,

who was an expert on wormhole travel and made his own jewelry.

But Ratthi didn't realize,

because Ratthi had a thing for Pin-Lee.

Judging from their pulse rates, they were contemplating sexual activity.

Horrible.

Everyone admired Mensah,

the head of the expedition and an expert on terraforming.

She had about five million children.

Okay, seven.

Gurathin was an augmented human.

He had implants that modified his neural capacities

and allowed him to interface with data systems.

I mean, he obviously couldn't process as fast as me.

So, you know, whatever.

And Bharadwaj was a geochemist

who was secretly hoarding soap in her room.

Overall, they didn't demand that much attention.

Which was great, because I had made a huge discovery.

With my governor module hacked,

I could now access the combined feed of entertainment channels

on the Company's satellites.

I had watched 7,532 hours of content since then.

Shows like World Hoppers, Med Center Argala,

and my all-time favorite…

The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon.

Look at the sheer magnitude of that thing.

Prepare to repel boarders.

Boldness is all.

Boldness is all.

Lieutenant…

battle shields maximum.

No.

Not until you tell me…

did you sleep with that bot?

Stars, Captain!

I am a Navigation Unit, not a sex bot.

I wasn't talking to you.

You took an oath never to lie on deck.

Answer the question.

Wouldn't be so creepy if it didn't stand so still.

Shh. It can hear us.

No, it can't.

I could. Just didn't care.

Stay calm.

It'll be okay.

You have my word.

Ooh, that was a great episode.

Which is why I was a little distracted.

Professor Bharadwaj, Dr. Arada,

I'm hearing a sub-surface anomaly.

I suggest you come up here while I check it out.

- What do you think? - Uh, we're finally onto something.

- I wanna get to the good stuff. - Professor Bharadwaj, Dr. Arada,