Fugitive Telemetry

Fugitive Telemetry is a standalone mystery novel set in the Preservation Alliance, a non-corporate political entity that offers asylum and refuge to those fleeing corporate oppression. Murderbot, a rogue SecUnit (a synthetic security android with partial cloned human tissue) who achieved consciousness and escaped corporate control, has found itself living on Preservation Station—not entirely by choice, as it's still subject to growing threats from GrayCris, the corporation that wants it destroyed. When a human body is discovered in the station mall with no obvious identity, Murderbot is reluctantly drawn into working with Station Security to investigate, despite mutual distrust. The murder becomes increasingly complex as it leads to questions about smuggled refugees, corporate bounty hunters, hacked surveillance systems, and a traitor embedded within the station's own Port Authority. Murderbot must navigate its deep discomfort with human interaction, its anxiety about trust, and its genuine desire to protect Dr. Mensah and Preservation itself, all while grappling with whether it's actually capable of doing detective work—and whether it even wants to.

The novel begins when a dead human is discovered in a junction of Preservation Station's mall. Security is unable to identify the body because its interface is broken. Dr. Mensah, the council representative who employs Murderbot as a security consultant, requests that Murderbot assist Station Security's investigation, arguing it will improve Murderbot's chances of permanent refugee status on the station. Despite the reluctance of Senior Officer Indah, Murderbot agrees, eager to determine if the death has any connection to GrayCris—the threat it has been dreading since arriving at Preservation.

Through examination of the body and broken interface, Murderbot identifies the victim as a passenger who arrived on a transport ship. Investigation reveals the deceased's name is Lutran, and he was staying in the transient housing block. However, when authorities examine the transport that brought him to the station, they discover he didn't die there—or rather, he died aboard but was moved. The transport itself is damaged, with its systems malfunctioning and unable to alert the Port Authority. Murderbot, Ratthi (a survey academic), and Gurathin (another researcher) discover the transport and call in Station Security.

While investigating the transport, Officer Aylen discovers a dead body aboard and surveillance video showing Lutran boarding but never disembarking. However, the video also reveals an anomaly: no one else ever entered the transport, yet Lutran died inside. This suggests either the camera footage was tampered with or a surveillance jamming device was used. Station Security brings in a crew from the cargo ship Lalow for questioning; they become hostile when confronted, holding Aylen and Port Authority Supervisor Gamila at gunpoint. Murderbot intervenes, subduing all hostile crew members.

Under interrogation, the Lalow's crew reveals they were running an illegal refugee operation. They were smuggling contract laborers from BreharWallHan, a mining corporate in a distant system, transporting them to Preservation for asylum. The refugees were supposed to be transferred via cargo module to Lutran's transport for the next leg of their journey to safety. However, something went wrong: Lutran was killed, the refugees disappeared, and the transport's systems were damaged. A cargo module that should have been in the Merchant Docks is missing from all records.

Murderbot deduces that someone with legitimate Port Authority access has been tampering with the systems—deleting records, altering surveillance footage, and coordinating with BreharWallHan agents to stop the refugee operation. The perpetrator isn't a sophisticated hacker from outside; they're a local actor. However, when Murderbot examines the Port Authority systems, it finds no evidence of hacking. This troubles Murderbot, as it suggests the hacker is as skilled as or better than Murderbot itself—possibly another SecUnit or CombatUnit working for BreharWallHan.