Artificial Condition

Murderbot wakes up after the surgery in intense pain and angry at itself for letting ART operate. As Murderbot recovers, ART shares what it learned about Murderbot from records of RaviHyral mining accidents. Murderbot’s incident took place at a small installation called Ganaka Pit, and there were 57 fatalities. The cause of death was listed as “equipment failure,” which makes sense because SecUnits are often listed as “equipment” (55). ART’s research confirms that the incident happened, though it doesn’t answer the question of whether Murderbot hacked its governor module before or after the killings.

The surgery was successful, with hair now growing on Murderbot’s body and its legs and arms a bit shorter. Murderbot examines itself in a mirror and realizes that its initial hesitation to undergo surgery stemmed from the fact that now it will be harder “to pretend to not be a person” (57). As the ship exits a wormhole, Murderbot and ART download a map of the RaviHyral facility. Ganaka Pit is nowhere on the map, and Murderbot suspects that someone is trying to cover up the incident that took place there.

Getting to the RaviHyral facility will be tricky since it requires an employment voucher or a pass from one of the mining companies. ART convinces Murderbot to follow up on a job listing from a group with access to RaviHyral. Murderbot is wary of this plan, since it will require extensive socializing with humans, but sees no alternative and agrees.

The ship docks close to the facility and Murderbot disembarks with ART remaining in contact through a two-way radio. Murderbot meets its potential employers, two females—Tapan and Maro—and one non-binary person named Rami. (Rami uses a gender signifier called “tercera,” which has pronouns beginning with the letter t, such as “te” and “ter.”) Murderbot introduces itself as Eden, a name taken from a character in Sanctuary Moon. The three professionals are impressed when Murderbot cuts the video feed in their location so that they can’t be recorded, and they are fooled by the human disguise.

The three humans nervously explain that they want to hire Murderbot as a security consultant during their negotiations with their former employer, Tlacey Excavations. Rami, Tapan, and Maro represent a team of researchers working on identifying the difference between “strange synthetics” (66)—compounds left behind by alien civilizations—and naturally occurring elements. Recently, Tlacey Excavations unexpectedly terminated the research team’s contract and seized their data. Tlacey herself, the namesake of the company, offered to return the data if the team comes to RaviHyral to retrieve it. Suspecting treachery, the team wants Murderbot to act as their backup.

Even though Murderbot thinks that the research team’s plan to return to RaviHyral is a “great idea…if you wanted to be murdered” (68), it accepts the job, figuring it will provide access to RaviHyral. Exhausted by so much socializing, Murderbot returns to ART and watches hours of television. Murderbot begins to plan how to keep its new clients alive.

Rami, Tapan, Maro, and Murderbot board a computer-controlled shuttle to RaviHyral. ART and Murderbot continually scan the shuttle to see if it has been boobytrapped by Tlacey. Murderbot learns that ART has a weapons system, but it won’t be much use if somebody starts shooting at their shuttle mid-flight. As the ship approaches RaviHyral, a virus attacks its navigation computer. From a distance, ART seizes control and steers the vessel to safety. Most of the passengers, including Murderbot’s clients, are unaware of what happened as they land on RaviHyral.

Murderbot informs its clients that Tlacey just tried to kill them. When he advises them to leave RaviHyral, Rami volunteers to stay behind and let Tapan and Maro go to safety, but the other two won’t leave Rami behind. Tapan believes there is a chance to get their research back from Tlacey. Murderbot considers leaving them to their own devices, since it has its own agenda, but it can’t bear to abandon them.

At Murderbot’s suggestion, the researchers pick a new spot to meet Tlacey. As Murderbot scans a map looking for Ganaka Pit, it suddenly feels a ping that suggests somebody close is looking for SecUnits. Just then, Tlacey approaches the researchers with two bodyguards. Murderbot notices that the strange ping came from a ComfortUnit—what Murderbot calls a sexbot—standing near the edge of the seating area. Like SecUnits, ComfortUnits aren’t allowed to wander without orders, so someone told it to be there. The ComfortUnit departs and Murderbot begins scanning information about Ganaka Pit. His clients try to make Tlacey stick to her deal to give them back their research.

Murderbot and ART locate a tunnel that could lead to Ganaka Pit. The human negotiations conclude with Tlacey promising to deliver the research in person the next day. Rami now believes Murderbot that Tlacey will try to murder them again. As Murderbot and its clients depart, Murderbot observes three threatening pursuers. He tells his clients to go ahead while he hides. When the pursuers cut the security camera feed, Murderbot knows they are making their move. It rushes to defend his clients just as the pursuers attack with knives and batons. The attackers are no match for Murderbot’s combat training, and he dispatches them with ease, leaving them unconscious.

Rami, Tapan, and Maro are unharmed but shaken by the attack and Murderbot’s martial display. Rami already believed Murderbot about the murder attempt on the shuttle, but, Murderbot notes, “there was a huge difference between knowing something happened and seeing the reality of it” (99). They agree to let Murderbot get them off RaviHyral.