Compulsory (The Murderbot Diaries, #0.5)

by Martha Wells

(Apparently suddenly getting free will after having 93% of your behavior controlled for your entire existence will do weird things to your impulse control.)

Sekai made an “eep” noise. I wanted to make an “eep” noise too but I was busy.

Vena and Elane tried to pull Sekai away, but she turned back and stumbled toward me. “Thank you,” she said. For .75 seconds it was like she could see through my opaque visor which was such a terrifying thought it made my performance reliability drop by 3%. Asa took her arm, gently. “They can’t talk,” he told her. She shook her head as her friends steered her back toward the access bridge. “No, it talked. I heard it.” Note to self: shut up.