History Literature / TheMurderbotDiaries

* KillerRobot: Most people would initially assume that [=SecUnits=] are this, but Muderbot explains that [=CombatUnits/Bots=] are a more accurate approximation. As opposed to [=SecUnits=], whose main function is to protect clients form any and all sources of harm, [=CombatUnits'=] main goal is to plow through anything and/or anyone that gets in its way. They are even quite feared by [[TheDreaded [=SecUnits=]]] themselves.

* MeaningfulName: At least two exmaples:

* KillerRobot: Most people would initially assume that [=SecUnits=] are this, but Muderbot explains that [=CombatUnits/Bots=] are a more accurate approximation. As opposed to [=SecUnits=], whose main function is to protect clients form any and all sources of harm, [=CombatUnits'=] main goal is to plow through anything and/or anyone that gets in its way. They are even quite feared by [[TheDreaded [=SecUnits=]]]themselves.

* KillerRobot: Most people would initially assume that [=SecUnits=] are this, but Muderbot explains that [=CombatUnits/Bots=] are a more accurate approximation. As opposed to [=SecUnits=], whose main function is to protect clients form any and all sources of harm, [=CombatUnits'=] main goal is to plow through anything and/or anyone that gets in its way. They are even quite feared by [[TheDreaded [=SecUnits=] ]]themselves.

** ART in ''Network Effect'', when it [[spoiler:lost it's crew to the Hive-Minders, it resorts to [[KidnappedByAnAlly kidnapping Murderbot]] in hopes it might help it get them back. Completely disregarding Murderbot's own human crew. Not to mention, this is the first time we see ART's bombing capabilities in action.]]

-->It sounds all [[HeroicSacrifice self-sacrificing]] and dramatic, telling it this way. And I guess it was, maybe. What I was mostly thinking was that [[spoiler:there wasn't going to be one dead [=SecUnits=] on this embarkation floor, [[TakingYouWithMe there were going to be four]].]] Sending [=SecUnits=] after me was one thing. But they sent [=SecUnits=] after my client. No one gets to walk away from that.\\

** Murderbot goes to great lengths to protect the [[=PreservationAux=]] Survey Team, but most especially Dr. Mensah. Murderbot being designed to have [[TheBerserker excellent offensive capabilities]] makes this even more scary. A very apparent example in ''Exit Strategy'', [[spoiler:when it managed to get Dr. Mensah to the other side of the port, and got cornered by three other [=SecUnits=].]]

** Murderbot goes to great lengths to protect the [[=PreservationAux=]] Survey Team, but most especially Dr. Mensah. Murderbot being designed to have [[TheBerserker excellent offensive capabilities]] makes this even more scary. A very apparent example in ''Exit Strategy'', when it managed to get Dr. Mensah to the other side of the port, and got cornered by three other [=SecUnits=].

* BeserkButton: It's generally not a good idea to mess with a bot or construct's favorite human/group of humans.
** Murderbot goes to great lengths to protect the PreservationAux Survey Team, but most especially Dr. Mensah. Murderbot being designed to have [[TheBerserker excellent offensive capabilities]] makes this even more scary. A very apparent example in ''Exit Strategy'', when it managed to get Dr. Mensah to the other side of the port, and got cornered by three other SecUnits.
-->It sounds all [[HeroicSacrifice self-sacrificing]] and dramatic, telling it this way. And I guess it was, maybe. What I was mostly thinking was that [[spoiler:there wasn't going to be one dead SecUnit on this embarkation floor, [[TakingYouWithMe there were going to be four]].]] Sending SecUnits after me was one thing. But they sent SecUnits after my client. No one gets to walk away from that.\\
-Murderbot

** Miki in ''Rogue Protocol'', who, despite not being designed to engage in any form of combat whatsoever, [[spoiler:charges at a [[KillerRobot Combat Bot]] to save its friends. Even ignoring direct orders from Don Abene, its owner, to protect itself. It decided that protecting her was more important, knowing it would most likely get killed by the Combat Bot.]]

* BadassInDistress: In "Network Effect", Murderbot, [[spoiler:after accidentally dropping a massive Agricultural Bot on itself, gets captured by the alien remnant contaminated targets. ART, its crew, Murderbot 2.0, and Three have to come up with a plan to rescue it.]]

* MeaningfulName: Dr. '''Mensa'''h, who is, of course, very smart.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Thoroughly averted. The series opens with Murderbot musing that it ''could'' go on a murderous rampage, but it would rather just watch its serials. Instead, [=AI=]s seem shaped by how they're treated. ART finds depictions of a human crew dying very distressing. Miki is treated well and [[spoiler:sacrifices itself to save its human friends, defying an order to protect itself first]]. Tlacey's [=ComfortUnit=] is the only [=AI=] to suggest killing humans, but it mostly just wants to escape its abusive, murderous owner. The trope does exist in InUniverse fiction, though, much to Murderbot's annoyance.

* BrickJoke: In ''System Collapse'', Murderbot listens to ART's favorite human Iris be sarcastic and reflects that there's a kind of StrongFamilyResemblance, as she and ART had been interacting closely as something like siblings since she was a human baby and it was a new whatever-it-is and sometimes the way they speak is very similar. Later, on recieving unwelcome news, Murderbot says "You have to be kidding me" and forwards it to Dr. Mensah - who says "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
* BullyingTheDragon: In ''All Systems Red,'' Gurathin deliberately provokes Murderbot, knowing that it's an "angry, heavily armed" rogue [=SecUnit=], to test if Murderbot is under any outside compulsions or if Murderbot will resort to violence if Gurathin annoys it enough. This doesn't endear Gurathin to Murderbot.

* ButNowIMustGo: The first book ends with Murderbot deciding it can't have a place among the Preservation humans and quietly slipping away. [[spoiler:It ends up coming back a few books later, and chooses to stay, albeit it has many issues adapting to life in Preservation, its new social and familiar relationships and its place in Preservation society]]