recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Artificial Condition

> *“...as I crossed the transit ring’s mall, a recent newsburst from Station was in the air, bouncing from one public feed to another. I skimmed it but most of my attention was on getting through the crowd while pretending to be an ordinary augmented human, and not a terrifying murderbot. This involved not panicking when anybody accidentally made eye contact with me.”* (**Artificial Condition**)
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**Artificial Condition** is the second novella in The Murderbot Diaries series. It was published on May 8, 2018. It is preceded by All Systems Red, and followed by Rogue Protocol.

## Publisher's Summary

It has a dark past – one in which a number of humans were killed. A past that caused it to christen itself “Murderbot”. But it has only vague memories of the massacre that spawned that title, and it wants to know more.

Teaming up with a Research Transport vessel named ART (you don’t want to know what the “A” stands for), Murderbot heads to the mining facility where it went rogue.

What it discovers will forever change the way it thinks…

## Synopsis

In the second novella, Murderbot investigates its past, while traveling with a bot-piloted ship with a number of secrets of its own.

## Cover Art

EnglishChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)FrenchJapaneseKoreanLatvianPolishRussianSpanishThaiEnglish (ALT for Subterranean)
## Notes

* Perihelion was originally a throwaway character mentioned in passing during Artificial Condition's early writing, and the early segments of the book were rewritten to feature it more heavily.

## References

1. ↑ *Facebook live interview with PBS-Author Talk*, https://www.facebook.com/PBSBooks1/videos/266521178347039/, Timestamp 37:31.
Humans

Humans in the world of The Murderbot Diaries have a wide variety of skin, hair and eye colors, with skin colors tending toward shades of brown. (Usually only characters with particularly light or dark skin are specifically described.) Cosmetic treatments to change skin color are not unknown (Network Effect), but artificial changes to hair color seem more common. Humans can also be of various heights and weights.

Some humans have implanted augments.

Due to the wide availability of advanced medical technology, the human lifespan may be potentially 100 or more years, but little data is presented in the series about how long humans typically live, or at what age they are considered mature.
Lutran

**Lutran** is a smuggler outside the Corporation Rim, part of an operation that helps free corporate slaves from the mining colony BreharWallHan.

## Biography

Not much about him is known before he is found dead on Preservation Station's *Trans Lateral Bypass*. He meets regularly with the Lalow to take the 'cargo' they bring (smuggled descendants of contract labor), and Lutran takes them to the next stage in their journey, potentially directly to homes where they can live.

He is found by Balin, who kills him aboard his ship and moves the body to Preservation Station.

## Personality

He dies before Fugitive Telemetry's narrator ever interacts with him, but one of Lalow's crew (Target Four/Miro) describes him as 'the plan person'.

## Physical Appearance

Lutran was unaugmented, as he was found with an external feed interface. His clothes consisted of a brightly colored and patterned knee-length open coat over wide pants and a knee-length shirt, all made from a recycler.

He was killed by wounds to the back of his skull, and was found cleaned of DNA residue.

## Official Art

Lutran's lower body appears on the cover of the Japanese release of Fugitive Telemetry.
Compulsory

> *My risk-assessment module predicts a 53 percent chance of a human-on-human massacre before the end of the contract.*
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## Compulsory

### Publisher

WIRED

**Compulsory** is a short story released in the January 2019 issue of WIRED as a part of the collection 'The Future of Work'. This collection features short science fiction stories about a "much more nuanced--much more human" take on robots, technology, and labor in the future. The story was originally posted online through Wire magazine on December 17th, 2018.

## Synopsis

"Compulsory" takes place some time after Murderbot hacks its governor module and before All Systems Red, in an unnamed mine run by "cheap, venal bastards." In the short story, Murderbot is watching an episode of Sanctuary Moon in which a character seems likely to be killed off when an accident occurs to a miner named Sekai, who is bumped off a platform by a fellow miner into a shaft. HubSystem orders Murderbot to stay in position, as its job is to prevent worker theft, violence against management, and workers harming each other in productivity-diminishing ways. Murderbot notes that this will result in the SafetyResponder arriving too late to save Sekai from burning to death, and decides to save her on its own initiative. Sekai, despite having expressed being creeped out by SecUnits earlier, thanks it for saving her.

The short story ends with Murderbot returning to its paused serial, hopeful that someone will save the Sanctuary Moon character as well.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.wired.com/story/future-of-work-compulsory-martha-wells/
Systems

Compartmentalized **Systems** manage the computational and functional elements of modern habitats, stations and ships.

## Types

Systems can generally be grouped by their names, which describe their function.

* **HubSystem**: Serving as the central 'hub' of multiple subordinate systems, HubSystems are built into habitats, stations, and other places. It manages other systems and holds libraries where information can be searched.
* **MedSystems**: these systems are able to repair nearly any physical damage to organic tissue short of death or destruction of the patient's brain.
* **MobSys**
* **FacilitySystem**
* **PortAuthSystem**: systems used by Port Authorities on stations
* **SecSystem**: systems that manage security. SecUnits are designed to work with them in tandem.

## Unusual Cases

* **Central System**: An older version of Hubsystem that had broader scopes and no subordinate systems.
* **TargetControlSystem**: a system evolved on the Lost Colony

## References

1. ↑ *"It was more outdated tech, like a HubSystem that did everything, with no subordinate systems. I hadn’t ever encountered one that wasn’t part of a historical drama."* Chapter 9, Network Effect
Scorpepper

Scorpepper is a scorpion-like Bugsnak resembling a red spicy pepper. It is found in Sizzlin' Sands.

## Strategy

Scorpepper lurks on the wall of the large structure that houses the cheese sauce plant, invisible until disturbed. It is constantly ablaze, and will lob fireballs at the player, their traps, and hot sauce. To capture it, its flame must be extinguished. This can be done by luring it to the oasis using cheese, where Sodie D will extinguish it, or by luring Sodie D to Scorpepper using a trail of any sauces. During the daytime, Flapjackarak can be used to stun Scorpepper, as its whirlwind attack can reach it, put out its fire, and knock it to the ground. Scorpepper can then be caught in the Bug Net.

## Trivia

* Scorpepper's invisibility ability, as well as Triffany's comment, reference the ghost pepper. Scorpepper is also referred to as such in the files.
* Scorpepper is based on a real life type of pepper known as the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T pepper.

## Gallery

Fangamer Snax Pak Pins Set 1Fangamer Lunch Bunch shirt design, featuring Scorpepper

FilboWambusBefficaGrambleWiggleTriffanyCromdoChandloSnorpyFlooftySheldaEggabell
Combat Bot

**Combat Bots** are a heavily armored and heavily armed variation of Bot.

They cannot be hacked wirelessly by a SecUnit, and are dangerous enough to discourage SecUnits from wanting to come within arm's reach. Their programming is sophisticated enough to allow communication with words, and sometimes show basic emotions. This said, they need a human controller when accomplishing complicated goals, and they can't hack like SecUnits and Combat SecUnits. They do not link to SecSystems or HubSystems while working like security SecUnits do.

They can self-repair unless their main processing center is destroyed.

The use of combat bots is regulated by joint corporate and other political entity treaties. Despite the complexity of this, many entities seem to find a way around this and will deploy them anyway.

## Physical Appearance

Combat Bots have four limbs with spidery fingers equipped with multiple mods for causing damage. There is a sensor array on the back of their necks that can expand at will, and most of their sensors and cameras are located on their heads.

When standing upright, they can reach up to three meters in height. Their bodies are protected by carapace-like armor.
Maro

**Maro** is a female human and a member of a research collective and group marriage that appears in Artificial Condition. She, alongside her partners Rami and Tapan, hires Murderbot to help them retrieve their stolen data from Tlacey.

## Biography

She is part of a collective of technologists who travel from work contract to work contract, specializing in tech and research. Maro has six partners in her group marriage, plus five children of varying ages.

The group comes to work for Tlacey Excavations at RaviHyral, lured by the company's unusually good terms, which would have included enough free time for the collective to develop their own work in their spare time. Tlacey Excavations springs its trap when it steals their work and fires the group without warning. The technologists are devastated by the theft, and they petition against the measures and file a complaint with Umro (the corporation that primarily manages the moon's affairs). Tlacey eventually sends the group a message, offering an exchange: if the group returns their signing bonus, she will return their stolen work. This sparks one of the group's first major disagreements as they struggle to decide their next move. Maro is part of the trio delegated to act for the group's interests, and is notably suspicious of Tlacey's intentions.

Maro, Rami, and Tapan are sent to hire a security consultant to escort them to Tlacey's meeting. They meet Murderbot, who accepts the job at a particularly low rate.

They travel to the moon, and are immediately almost killed when Tlacey attacks their shuttle with killware. Murderbot and Perihelion protect them, and when they arrive safely they decide to keep their meeting, albeit with a new location. The meeting does not go well, and Tlacey promises to meet them the next day as part of a new deal. The three are suspicious, but it isn't until they're attacked again by hired muscle that they decide to cut their losses. Murderbot brings them to a private shuttle that will deliver them safely away.

When the shuttle reaches the transit ring, only Rami and Maro are aboard, since Tapan had tricked them into going on without her. Rami and Maro are furious, but stay back until the excitement aboard the moon finally resolves, and the three are reunited.

## Appearance

Maro has very dark skin and little silver puffs of hair. She is, according to Murderbot, "almost beautiful enough to be in the entertainment media."

Murderbot describes her as young: old enough not to be a child, but otherwise not far from adolescence.
GoodNightLander Independent

**GoodNightLander Independent** (GI) is a corporation that petitions to reclaim an abandoned GrayCris 'terraforming' facility outside of the Corporation Rim. It sends a team to assess the facility, which is rescued by Murderbot when it comes under attack.

The team travels in a local space exploration/transit vehicle. It has no drive to travel via wormhole, so it had to have been ferried over in the cargo module of a larger transport or towed via a dedicated supply hauler. The vehicle is in good condition--better than the Company would have offered. It is notable for having little to no surveilance capability over the crew, at least when compared to Corporation Rim counterparts.

The differences to the Corporation Rim don't stop here; Miki, although owned by Don Abene, is nonetheless allowed to sit and socialize with the crew, rather than be forced to travel in storage like SecUnits are. The treatment of the bot is similar to that found in the Preservation Alliance, which is also outside the Corporation Rim.

The use of SecUnits is illegal in GI's homesystems, and when GI reaches out later to hire 'Rin' (Murderbot's alias), they address it to the fictional Consultant Rin that was supposedly its handler.

## Members

The group GI sends to Milu is made of long-time employees who've all worked together before, including four researchers, two shuttle crew, and one human-form bot. The group's members are:

* Researchers
	+ Brais (she/her)
	+ Don Abene (she/her)
	+ Ejiro (he/him)
	+ Hirune (she/her)
* Shuttle Crew
	+ Kader (he/him)
	+ Vibol (she/her)
* Miki

GI also hires security consultants, but these are intercepted (and likely killed) en route by Wilken and Gerth, two GrayCris agents sent to sabotage the station and ensure its destruction.
DeltFall

**DeltFall** is a company from the Corporation Rim who sends a survey team to the same planet as PreservationAux. This team is large, with enough members to require three SecUnits as part of their contract. (The Company's standard is to send one SecUnit for every ten people.) There are members from three noncorporate entities on this team. DeltFall's base camp is similarly large, consisting of three linked habitats and surrounding equipment.

## History

They're contacted by PreservationAux after the other team discovers missing sections in their information packets. DeltFall sends them copies of the missing sections before resuming business as usual, unaware that a third party (GrayCris) is preparing to attack them to keep information about the planet's alien remnants hidden. When GrayCris strikes they're caught completely off guard, and everyone in the camp is killed. (Two SecUnits are later revived through cubicle repairs and used in GrayCris' activities.)

When word gets out about GrayCris' actions, DeltFall (and the noncorporate entities associated with their survey) are part of the ensuing investigation. They send in solicitors and representatives to PreservationAux, and this is the start of a messy fight against GrayCris, which almost immediately hits a roadblock when one of their main footage sources (Murderbot) vanishes.

DeltFall continues to meet with PreservationAux, at least until Mensah is kidnapped while leaving one of their meetings. The investigation stalls even harder after this as PreservationAux, GrayCris, the Company, and other entities all become embroiled in a sticky hostage situation, resolved only when Mensah is rescued and GrayCris (through Palisade) tries to attack a Company gunship. GrayCris loses support after this, and their opponents get the upper hand.
Repair cubicle

> *The problem I was going to have is that the way murderbots fight is we throw ourselves at the target and try to kill the shit out of it, knowing that 90 percent of our bodies can be regrown or replaced in a cubicle.* (All Systems Red)
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A **repair cubicle** is a small compartment that SecUnits use to heal and repair damage. It is specialized for SecUnit use, and where they're expected to go instead of a human's Medsystem. It can take care of the vast majority of SecUnit repairs, and (as mentioned in the above quote) can repair up to 90 percent of a SecUnit's body.

Repair cubiles are outfitted with a hard plastic bed, and resupply and repair feeds that connect directly to a SecUnit. They're lit by a white light, and have a sealable door.
Fugitive Telemetry

**Fugitive Telemetry** is the sixth book in The Murderbot Diaries series, and the fifth novella. It is preceded chronologically by Exit Strategy, and in release order by Network Effect. It was released on April 27, 2021.

## Publisher's summary

*No, I didn't kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn't dump the body in the station mall.*

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people―who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!

## Synopsis

Fugitive Telemetry is a novella taking place between the end of Exit Strategy and the flashbacks in Network Effect, released on April 27 2021 from Tor.com. The events occur after the short story Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory.

The novella follows Murderbot as it investigates the murder of a stranger on Preservation Station; but this time, it isn’t working alone, or even begrudgingly accepting the help of its human charges/companions. Instead Murderbot is part of a formal investigation team from Station Security and is forced at times to work within the system and prove its trustworthiness to its disbelieving new coworkers.

## Notes

* This book takes place between Exit Strategy, but was written after Network Effect.
* Fugitive Telemetry was inspired by the scenes in Network Effect's helpme.file that showed Murderbot working with humans back on Preservation Station.

## References

1. ↑ TOR Book Review
2. ↑ *Facebook live interview with PBS-Author Talk*, https://www.facebook.com/PBSBooks1/videos/266521178347039/.
Drone

**Drones** are unmanned aerial vehicles typically used for surveillance and reconnaissance, and at times projectile weapons. Drones can be controlled by HubSystems, SecUnits, augmented humans, humans. Murderbot has, at times, used drones as a communication relay when HubSystems or comms were not available.

Murderbot carries drones on its person, deploying them at almost all times, and becomes more and more anxious and self-critical as their numbers dwindle.
Adamantine Explorations

**Adamantine Explorations** is a corporation that seeded a colony on the Lost Colony's planet years after the original colony failed. The colony's founding occurred forty years before Network Effect.

The corporation channeled extensive resources into the colony, building infrastructure and managing partial terraforming before the corporation underwent a hostile takeover. During the takeover the colony's wormhole location information was destroyed, though not so thoroughly that Barish-Estranza couldn't find physical copies of the information later.

## Logo

Adamantine Explorations is one of the few companies with a described logo, which is a stylized cliff face above an ocean shore, shown in green and grey.

## References

1. ↑ "*No, there was a sign of recent activity. A big version of the Adamantine logo with its stylized depiction of a planetary landscape, a cliff face above an ocean shore, was painted onto the metal of the far wall. Someone from the explorer crew had scratched at it with a sharp tool and drawn a sloppy version of the Barish-Estranza logo on the gray and green cliff."* Chapter 13, Network Effect
Rogue Protocol

> *Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?* (**Rogue Protocol**)
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**Rogue Protocol** is the third novella in The Murderbot Diaries series. It was published on August 7, 2018. It is preceded by Artificial Condition and followed by Exit Strategy.

## Publisher's summary

*Who knew being a heartless killing machine would present so many moral dilemmas?*

Sci-fi’s favorite antisocial A.I. is back on a mission. The case against the too-big-to-fail GrayCris Corporation is floundering, and more importantly, authorities are beginning to ask more questions about where Dr. Mensah's SecUnit is.

And Murderbot would rather those questions went away. For good.

## Synopsis

In the third novella, Murderbot travels to Milu, a station outside the Corporation Rim, in search of data on GrayCris' suspected illegal activities. It plans to use this data to distract the media's attentions from itself, and to help hurry the investigation into GrayCris along, which would encourage Mensah to return to her (safer) home planet that much sooner. Murderbot continues impersonating an augmented human security consultant, with mixed results.

## Cover Art

EnglishChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)FrenchJapaneseKoreanRussiaThaiEnglish (ALT for Subterranean)
## References

1. ↑ *"If Dr. Mensah had proof of that, the investigation against GrayCris would get a lot more interesting. Maybe so interesting that the journalists would forget all about that stray SecUnit. And then Dr. Mensah wouldn’t be needed on Port FreeCommerce and she could go back to Preservation where it was safe and I could stop worrying about her.*" Chapter One, Rogue Protocol.
Volescu

> "*When he wasn’t being attacked by giant fauna, he was a pretty calm guy.*" (All Systems Red)
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**Dr. Volescu** is a scientist on the PreservationAux survey team. His tasks include gathering soil and mineral samples and analyzing their composition. He makes his only appearance in All Systems Red, and retires shortly after.

## Biography

Dr. Volescu first appears as part of a survey team for the Preservation Alliance, a Freehold polity outside the Corporation Rim. He's in a four-way marriage and has seven children, all of whom are back home with his partners.

Volescu is gathering soil samples with Bharadwaj when they are attacked by giant local fauna. He's unscathed by the physical attack but left badly shaken, and needs to be coaxed along by Murderbot during his rescue.

When Mensah plans an away team to investigate the DeltFall survey team's status, Volescu is left behind, along with Arada, Bharadwaj, and Gurathin. Upon their return he helps Gurathin investigate Murderbot's systems, looking for any signs that it may be a potential threat. He defends Murderbot in the ensuing fallout, arguing that what they found is evidence that Murderbot can be trusted.

After their rescue at the end of All Systems Red, Dr. Volescu retired from active survey work. Although he does not make an appearance, he is mentioned in Exit Strategy, "Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory", Network Effect, and Fugitive Telemetry. Throughout these books he returns to Preservation and attends Makeba Central Medical's section for emotional support.

## Personality

Dr. Volescu is a calm academic from a safe polity. He is unused to danger, and tends to stay in the habitat after the initial fauna attack, leaving only when they're forced to evacuate. He spends his time helping Bharadwaj recover and helping his team from the sidelines. When he and Gurathin look over Murderbot's files, he disagrees with Gurathin and argues for a more trusting interpretation.

Murderbot notes that he admires Dr. Mensah, and suspects privately that he may have a crush on her.

## Physical Appearance

Volescu is an unaugmented human. His physical appearances are not detailed in the books.

The standard PreservationAux survey uniform is grey, and often includes a jacket.
Lineages of the Sun

*A long-running historical family drama, set in an early colony world, with one hundred and thirty-six characters and almost as many storylines. (Network Effect)*

In an Instagram AMA, Murderbot states that if its diaries were to be turned into a serial, it would want to be portrayed by "Istarta Sree from Lineages of the Sun, the new one not the old one."

## References

1. ↑ *Feelings REDACTED: What Happens When Murderbot and ART Talk to Instagram*, https://www.tor.com/2020/04/24/feelings-redacted-what-happened-when-murderbot-and-art-talked-to-instagram/
Gunship

*The gunship accelerated. I couldn’t tell if it was communicating with the GrayCris intercept or not. Then Shuttle’s sensors picked up the energy signature that meant the gunship was powering up primary weapons. Oh yeah, they were communicating all right.* (Exit Strategy)

A gunship is a class of spacecraft, along with explorers, transports, and shuttles. Unlike the other types, a gunship is meant primarily for combat. To quote Murderbot, "gunships don’t have any other purpose except to go fast and blow stuff up." (Exit Strategy) The use of gunships is controlled by treaties between corporations and non-corporate entities. It seems that gunships can vary in size; at one point, Murderbot envisions a giant gunship the size of a space station's transit ring, though it seems unlikely that such exist in reality. The company owns multiple gunships, which seem to be reasonably large vessels, with multiple compartments, a fair-sized crew, wormhole capability, shuttles, and sophisticated bot pilot systems.

In the Corporation Rim, large corporations can afford to operate multiple gunships to protect their interests, or to attack competitors. A single gunship is still a significant investment, however; the destruction (or even attempted destruction) of one gunship may be sufficient provocation for a corporation to go to war, even when other instances of sabotage or breaches of contract might instead be handled through solicitors.

In addition to open warfare, corporations use gunships to exercise pressure on each other. A gunship parked near another corporation's space station can indicate that its owner has a significant interest in the territory (although a single gunship is not necessarily a match for a large station's defences). A corporation may also use gunships to recover or transport important clients in risky situations.

In addition to direct combat, gunships may also become involved in information warfare; an opponent that feels it cannot attack a gunship head-on may instead attempt to hack it, or upload killware into its systems.

Armed vessels not specifically described as gunships also exist; for example, explorers may also be armed. Notably, Perihelion (a research transport) has a debris deflection system which is in effect a powerful ship-to-ship weapon; however, it does not like to openly admit that it is armed.
All Systems Red

> *“As a heartless killing machine, I was a terrible failure.“* (**All Systems Red**)
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**All Systems Red** is the first novella in *The Murderbot Diaries* series. It was published on May 2, 2017. It is followed by Artificial Condition.

## Publisher's Summary

*"As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."*

In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.

But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid—a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.

But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

## Synopsis

In the first of four novellas that form one long story arc, Murderbot is working on a contract with a scientific team, PreservationAux, from the Freehold polity Preservation Alliance. The scientists are pitted against GrayCris, a powerful corporation with ruthless motives and methods. Despite Murderbot’s frequent assertions that it doesn’t care about the contract or its clients, it finds itself taking increasingly hazardous actions to protect them, which seriously cuts into the time it would prefer to spend enjoying media it has illicitly downloaded from the entertainment feed.

## Cover Art

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)DanishEstonianFinnishFrenchHebrewJapaneseKoreanLatvianPolishRomanianRussianSpanishThaiEnglish (ALT for Subterranean)English (ALT for Subterranean)
## Notes

* All Systems Red was originally planned as a tragic short story, and the first scene written was the conversation between Mensah and Murderbot in the repair cubicle.

## References

1. ↑ *Introduction to the Subterranean edition of The Murderbot Diaries*, Martha Wells, https://marthawells.dreamwidth.org/564808.html
Balin

> *I said to Balin, “The humans think you’re hacked, but we both know that’s not true.”
> Balin stood up and expanded its limbs, the top of its carapace almost brushing the curve of the high ceiling. It sent into the feed,* query: would it make a difference if I was hacked? *Then it launched a code attack to slam through my wall and hit my feed and comm connections and disrupt my processing. At the same instant it extended a limb at high speed right toward my chest.
> (Fugitive Telemetry)*
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**Balin** is a laconic Port Authority bot working on Preservation Station. Despite a long history of working aboard the station, it is actually a disguised Combat Bot under the control of an entity from the Corporation Rim.

## Biography

Balin is a Combat Bot disguised as a general-purpose bot. Its original mission is unclear, but it was sent 43.7 planetary years before Fugitive Telemetry to Preservation Station, slipping away from a corporate cargo transport and pretending to ask for refuge. This was an unusual request that had never been made before or after Balin, but the humans of this time seem to have accepted it at face value, assigning the Port Authority supervisor of that time as its guardian.

Its original mission was lost when the company that sent it died in a takeover 27.6 years before Fugitive Telemetry. With no other instructions, it remained aboard Preservation Station and worked with Port Authority in cargo management. Its Combat Bot side remained dormant until *BreherWallHan* obtained its command codes and ordered it to help stop and recapture escaped contract laborers being smuggled through Preservation Station.

Balin's new commands draw the attention of Station Security when it kills Lutran, lays false trails to divert suspicion, and delivers the refugees back to their pursuers. When Station Security (and Murderbot by proxy) investigates the crime it subtly interferes, trying and failing to cover its tracks. Murderbot discovers its involvement, and in the confrontation that follows Balin drops its disguise, trying to kill Murderbot first. The cargobots in the port rush to intercept, and when it sees it's surrounded Balin surrenders, shutting down.

## Personality

Balin does not show any inclination to joke or interact with others, and generally stays silent unless addressed.

## Physical Appearance

Balin is a Combat Bot disguised as a general-purpose bot, with an outer carapace concealing military grade armor. It has four limbs with spidery fingers; it usually used the narrow rods in its hands as sealed hatch decoders, but they're actually equipped with multiple mods for causing damage, and when it receives *BreharWallHan's* orders it uses them to murder Lutran. There is a sensor array on the back of its neck that can expand at will.

It spends most of its time folded up in a crouch. When it straightens, it reaches up to three meters (twice Murderbot's height).
Unnamed Survey World 2

The **Unnamed Survey World 2** (for lack of a better name) is the world surveyed by Arada's PreservationAux team at the start of Network Effect. It is four days away from Preservation by wormhole, and is on the edge of Preservation territory.

Murderbot's experiences on this planet take place in a large body of water. There appear to be other humans already living there, as evidenced by the eleven groups of "deeply weird" people seen by Arada's survey team. There was an additional group of raiders that approached the research station and took one of the scientists (Thiago) hostage. All local humans spoke a different language than the PreservationAux team.

## References

1. ↑ *"It was only four standard Preservation day-cycles back to Preservation via wormhole."* Chapter Three, Network Effect.
2. ↑ *"The trip from our survey site back to Preservation had taken four Preservation Standard cycles (which were defined as twenty-eight Preservation Standard hours each) and it was considered a short trip, just to the edge of Preservation territory.”*, Chapter 7, Network Effect.
3. ↑ *"We had seen eleven groups of strange humans in water boats from a distance, and had been contacted by two of them. Both had been what Thiago called “unusually divergent” and some of the others had called deeply weird. Both groups had taken the same elaborate precautions to show they were approaching in a non-hostile manner and had not displayed any weapons." Chapter 1, Network Effect.*
Worldhoppers

ART's favorite media (spelled 'World Hoppers' in Network Effect). About freelance explorers who extend the wormhole and ring network into uninhabited systems. Occasionally they find alien ruins (Network Effect).

First watched with Murderbot in Artificial Condition and they bonded over it. ART has a favorite episode (Network Effect).

**Episode 3** (Artificial Condition)

A minor character was killed.

**Episode 20** (Artificial Condition)

A major character was killed. ART was upset.

**Episode 24** (Artificial Condition)

The major character killed in episode 20 was brought back to life.

Unknown Episode(s) (Network Effect)

A story arc where a secondary main character's mind has been taken over by a sentient brain-virus.

## Notes

* When asked in an Instagram AMA about their favorite episode, Murderbot said, "The one where the ship had a hull breach and they had to repair it while fighting off the alien mind-control device and ART was a big giant baby about it." ART said, "The ones with the ship."

## References

1. ↑ *Feelings REDACTED: What Happens When Murderbot and ART Talk to Instagram*, https://www.tor.com/2020/04/24/feelings-redacted-what-happened-when-murderbot-and-art-talked-to-instagram/
Tordotcom

**Tordotcom** is an imprint of Tor Publishing that primarily focuses on short works such as novellas, short novels, and serializations of science fiction and fantasy titles. It is the publisher of all books in *The Murderbot Diaries* series.

## History

Tordotcom is an American online magazine and publishing imprint dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction. It was launched in July 2008 by Tor Books, and quickly established itself as a leading source of original short fiction, essays, and reviews. Tordotcom has won numerous awards, including six Locus Awards for Best Magazine (2015, 2017–2021), the World Fantasy Award for Professional Work (2014), and the Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction (2014). Tordotcom is known for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, and has published works by a wide range of authors, including N. K. Jemisin and Martha Wells. The magazine has also been praised for its innovative design and user experience. Today, Tordotcom is one of the most popular and respected speculative fiction magazines in the world.
Interview Filbo!

Time to ask the mayor questions.

 **Objectives:**
* Why is Filbo here?
* What caused him to leave?
* Does he know what happened to Lizbert?

## Interview notes

After having conducted the interview, notes are added to the Journal's Grumpedia section regarding the interview and some of the Journalist's own observation.

**Interview notes**

• Followed Lizbert to the island out of blind loyalty.

• Lizbert left him in charge while she was out hunting.

• Wasn't able to stop the others from fighting.

• Believes that I can put Snaxburg together again

## References & Notes

* Filbo's interview takes place right after finishing the main quest Filbo\_Leads\_The\_Way#Gone\_Home! yet is listed as 'Return To Snaxburg' as part of said quest still.
HubSystem

**HubSystems** are machine intelligences that are more advance central system, which do not have subsystems. HubSystems work with DockSystems, SecSystems, MedSystems, etc. HubSystems communicate to SecUnits through the SecSystem and have authority over governor modules and therefore can terminate SecUnits.

Murderbot was able to thwart and manipulate HubSystems after hacking its governor module.
Bunger

**Bunger** is a beetle-like Bugsnak resembling a hamburger. It makes its debut in Filbo Leads The Way/Wambus Goes To Seed where it charges into Filbo. It functions as a tutorial for the Sauce Slinger.

## Strategy

Bungers waddle around in circles around the bottom of Garden Grove. They will not actively chase the player, but if the player or another Bugsnak is in their way, they will launch them into the air and display a teasing expression.

They are not catchable with Snak Traps unless stunned, and will knock them away. To stun them, you need to use ketchup to lure another Bunger into ramming into the Bunger. This will allow the player to pick them up with the Bug Net or Snak Trap. Additionally, it's also possible to use the Trip Shot.

## Related to

* BBQ Bunger
* Bunger Royale

## Design

Bunger is based on a rhinoceros beetle (subfamily Dynastinae) as well as a cheeseburger. Its front half is covered by a white wrapper, and it has six curly fries for legs, as well as two curly fries for "horns".

## Trivia

* The music track that plays in Garden Grove during the day is called "Those Darn Bungers".
* Bunger's two curled horns make it strongly resemble the New Guinea Stag Beetle, *Lamprima adolphinae*, though it is unknown if this was any inspiration.
* Despite having the aggressive attribute, they will not actively attack the player, unlike their desert relative.

## Gallery

Giphy stickerBunger in-gameFangamer Bunger Pin, a pre-order bonus from GAMEFangamer Bouncy Bunger PinFangamer Bunger PlushFangamer Lunch Bunch shirt design, featuring BungerFangamer Island Flavor shirt design, featuring BungerFangamer Snaktooth Safari Hoodie design, featuring BungerPhoto in Liz & Egg's hut, reference to the "Distracted Boyfriend meme"Bull Pen!Pest Control!Burger Time!Help Wambus and Triffany!

FilboWambusBefficaGrambleWiggleTriffanyCromdoChandloSnorpyFlooftySheldaEggabell

## References & Notes

1. ↑ Distracted Boyfriend meme on Wikipedia
Indah

Senior Officer Indah is the head of Preservation Station Security. She is introduced in the novel Fugitive Telemetry.

## Overview

In Fugitive Telemetry, Senior Officer Indah and Murderbot reluctantly (on both sides) work together to solve a homicide aboard Preservation Station.

## Personality

Murderbot notes than Indah always looks annoyed around it.

## Physical Appearance

Murderbot notes that Indah is "short for a Preservation human," and "a little lighter brown than Mensah." It also notes Indah is older than Mensah, and has a "solid squat build that looked like she could punch someone pretty effectively."

## Notes

* Indah and Gamila grew up together.
* Indah worked in criminal reform for 26 years.
Rami

**Rami** is a tercera human, a member of a group marriage/research collective. Te appears in Artificial Condition, when te, alongside ter partners Tapan and Maro, hires Murderbot to help them retrieve their data from Tlacey.

## Biography

Te is part of a collective of technologists who travel from work contract to work contract, specializing in tech and research. Rami has six partners in ter group marriage, plus five children of varying ages.

Eventually the group came to work for Tlacey Excavations at RaviHyral, lured by the company's unusually good terms, which would have included enough free time for the collective to develop their own work in their spare time.

Tlacey Excavations springs its trap when it steals their work and fires the group without warning. The technologists are devastated by the theft, and they petition against the measures and file a complaint with Umro (the corporation that primarily manages the moon's affairs). Tlacey eventually sends the group a message, offering an exchange: if the group returns their signing bonus, she will return their stolen work. This sparks one of the group's first major disagreements as they struggle to decide their next move. Rami ends up delegated as the group's leader in this issue, as te remains undecided (and thus relatively neutral).

Rami, Maro, and Tapan are sent to hire a security consultant to escort them to Tlacey's meeting. They meet Murderbot, who accepts the job at a particularly low rate.

They travel to the moon, and are immediately almost killed when Tlacey attacks their shuttle with killware. Murderbot and Perihelion protect them, and when they arrive safely they decide to keep their meeting, albeit with a new location. The meeting does not go well, and Tlacey promises to meet them the next day as part of a new deal. The three are suspicious, but it isn't until they're attacked again by hired muscle that they decide to cut their losses. Murderbot brings them to a private shuttle that will deliver them safely away.

When the shuttle reaches the transit ring, only Rami and Maro are aboard, since Tapan had tricked them into going on without her. Rami and Maro are furious, but stay back until the excitement aboard the moon finally resolves, and the three are reunited. Still the group's leader, Rami pays Murderbot for its work, and they part ways on good terms.

## Appearance

Rami has purple hair and red eyebrows, which stand out against ter light brown skin. Te is wearing a jacket while on the moon, which is grabbed by Tlacey's hired muscle during the post-meeting attack.

Murderbot describes ter as young: old enough not to be a child, but otherwise not far from adolescence.
Exit Strategy

> *I wanted to put my fist through the nearest corporate logo. Idiotic humans don't understand how to be safe, idiotic humans thought every place was like stupid boring Preservation!* (**Exit Strategy**)
>
>

**Exit Strategy** is the fourth novella in The Murderbot Diaries series. It was released on October 2, 2018. It is preceded by Rogue Protocol, followed chronologically by Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory, and followed in release order by Compulsory.

## Publisher's summary

Murderbot wasn’t programmed to care. So, its decision to help the only human who ever showed it respect must be a system glitch, right?

Having traveled the width of the galaxy to unearth details of its own murderous transgressions, as well as those of the GrayCris Corporation, Murderbot is heading home to help Dr. Mensah—its former owner (protector? friend?)—submit evidence that could prevent GrayCris from destroying more colonists in its never-ending quest for profit.

But who’s going to believe a SecUnit gone rogue?

And what will become of it when it’s caught?

## Synopsis

Events with GrayCris come to a head, as Murderbot learns that Dr. Mensah, its favorite human, is reported missing from Port FreeCommerce after being accused of corporate espionage by GrayCris. Murderbot heads with all speed to TranRollinHyfa, the location of the GrayCris home office, where all of its skills as a construct-- and all of its modifications to appear more human-- will be put to the test.

## Cover Art

EnglishChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)FrenchJapaneseKoreanRussiaEnglish (ALT for Subterranean)
Jaime Jones

**Jaime Jones** is a concept artist who did the artwork for all seven books of *The Murderbot Diaries* series.

Jones studied at the Corcoran College of Art and Design before working for computer game developer ArenaNet.

## Covers

All Systems RedArtificial ConditionRogue ProtocolExit StrategyNetwork EffectHome: Habitat, Range, Niche, TerritoryFugitive TelemetrySystem Collapse
## Other Fandoms

* Legend of the Five Rings
* The Foundling's Tale
* Man of Steel
* Forgotten Realms
Amena

> *“There’s something you’re not telling me and it’s scaring me! I’m not a fucking hero like my second mom or a genius like everybody else in my family, I’m just ordinary, and you’re all I’ve got!”* (Network Effect, Chapter 6)
>
>

**Amena** is Dr. Ayda Mensah’s oldest offspring, and is a young adult at the start of *Network Effect*. She is participating in a PreservationAux survey “because her education requires an internship in almost getting killed,” according to Murderbot.

Amena resents the fact that Mensah (her second mom) asked Murderbot specifically to watch out for her during the survey mission. She also resents Murderbot for interfering in a personal relationship back on the Preservation home world, in part because she incorrectly believes that Murderbot informed Mensah about the relationship.

Despite this rough start to their interactions, Amena rapidly shows that she depends on Murderbot and is dependable in turn. She is especially helpful in mediating between Murderbot and ART when they have a falling out.

## Physical Appearance

Her hair is long enough that is able to be tied back, and she is slightly shorter than Iris.

The standard PreservationAux survey uniform is grey, and occasionally includes a jacket.

## Official Art

Murderbot and Amena's abduction near the start of Network Effect was illustrated in the Subterranean rereleased version.

## References

1. ↑ "Iris was small, shorter and slimmer than Ratthi, not much bigger than Amena." Network Effect Chapter 15.
RaviHyral

The **RaviHyral Mining Facility Q Station** is the third largest moon of a gas giant in the Corporation Rim. It's where Murderbot travels in Artificial Condition to investigate its partially wiped memories of a catastrophic slaughter.

Currently the station is primarily managed by the company *Umro*. In the past the station was held by several companies with mining rights to the moon's resources, but Umro expanded its claim and allowed a few of the others to stay as contractors. One of these contractors is *Tlacey Excavations*.

The moon does not invite tourism, and only people with employment vouchers or passes are allowed to board the shuttles traveling to it. It is common to hire private security before going to RaviHyral, as the only general security on the moon is managed by Umro and has sparse coverage. Also, the moon allows private weapons.

The moon is notable for having large quantities of alien remnant deposits.

## Locations

The station contains a single port, and multiple mining installations and support centers. There is also a transit ring that connects to the port, which Murderbot notes is utilitarian and undecorated.

* Ganaka Pit
* Transit Ring, which has an embarkation zone and a mall.
* Port, which is located in a cavern in the side of a mountain, guarded by a debris deflection towers grid
* Port main living areas and hotel
* Abandoned dig sites, marked on maps but not named
* Passenger tubes, a smallscale transit system connecting the port, service centers, and (on private lines) the mining installations

## Residents

A list of past and present residents:

* Maro
* Rami
* Tapan
* Tlacey
* Tlacey's ComfortUnit

This is where Murderbot was contracted before it hacked its governor module. Most of Artificial Condition takes place here.
Wormholes

> *“The locations to a lot of systems were lost before wormhole stabilizing tech was developed, but researchers find them sometimes in reconstructed data troves.“* (Network Effect)
>
>

**Wormholes** are structures linking far-off points in space, and can be traveled using space transports to cover distances faster than would be possible otherwise.

Wormhole travel can only be done if the ship's engines have a wormhole drive. Each wormhole seems to connect only to specific points, so a long voyage may require travel through multiple wormholes. Colonizing a planet that is not near a wormhole would require long voyages (e.g. hundreds of years) with colonists in 'cold sleep' (cryogenic stasis).

In the Corporation Rim, the coordinates for wormhole travel are proprietary and are sometimes lost if a corporation goes bankrupt or destroys its data archives while resisting a hostile takeover.