Chapter Eight

Murderbot discovers Tapan has abandoned the shuttle to meet with someone who claims to have their stolen files, then encounters a sexbot outside their hidden room—one that appears to recognize what Murderbot is and sends a cryptic plea for help before departing. Murderbot devises a plan to attend the meeting while sending Tapan back to safety.

Murderbot locates Tapan in the main hotel lobby, where she reveals she received a message from someone claiming to work for Tlacey and offering copies of their files. Despite acknowledging the risk, Tapan asks for Murderbot's help. Murderbot agrees and books a transient room in a hostel block near the port using Tapan's hard currency card. While settling in, Murderbot shares with ART the recording from Ganaka Pit, which clears them of responsibility for past deaths. That night, a sexbot pings Murderbot at the door—the same one from the earlier meeting with Tlacey. Through careful feed communication, the sexbot reveals it recognizes Murderbot as a rogue SecUnit and shares a newsburst exposing that PreservationAux has admitted losing track of a SecUnit with a hacked governor module. The sexbot claims Tlacey sent it to follow Murderbot, not knowing Tapan is present. When pressed about its purpose, the sexbot suggests killing all humans, then sends malware containing a hidden message pleading "Please help me." Murderbot moves to a different room and convinces Tapan to board a shuttle back to the transit ring while Murderbot attends the meeting alone. After watching Tapan safely depart, Murderbot implements sophisticated camera hacks to obscure her movements and heads toward the meeting location, remaining 97 percent certain it is a trap.