Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy (The Murderbot Diaries, #2.5)

by Martha Wells

The first thing Iris always told new mission team members was, “Don’t let it intimidate you. Because it will try.” She honestly didn’t know whether it helped or if it just scared them and encouraged Peri to live up to its reputation.

But Peri had been in a strange mood since it had come back from its last solo cargo run, so there was no telling.

She asked, Peri, how did you get that view behind me? You don’t have a drone following us. I accessed the station’s security camera system. I thought you couldn’t do that, Tarik said. Iris knew he didn’t intend to sound skeptical. I am capable of taking in new information. Before anyone else could ask, it added, I had recent contact with a source who demonstrated a number of useful techniques.

What source was this? Another transport? Are you surprised? It was definitely in avoidance mode, but Iris answered its question. Well, sure, she admitted. I thought you hadn’t found any other machine intelligences outside the university that were, you know, up to your level. I haven’t found any inside the university, either. Iris had to smile. It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s complicated, Iris.

Iris persisted, So you’re in the station security system? Is that code you got from your friend? Peri had always been able to monitor comm and feed transmissions, including transmissions it wasn’t supposed to have access to, due to its ability to decode any kind of encryption. It had never been able to get so far into a security system that it could access cameras or drones in a space it didn’t have control over. I would prefer to discuss this later. I’ll notify you as to how it will affect operational parameters, Peri said.

Ladsen and Sunara looked a little uncomfortable, and must have realized there was a feed conversation going on they weren’t privy to. Iris smiled at them and said, “At least we’re still on schedule.” The smile probably looked as fake as it felt. None of this would help the idea that crews for highlevel transports tended to be insular weirdos.

Impatiently, Tarik set his equipment case aside. “Peri, where did you see corporate intel drones?” “On a station.” Iris wasn’t sure why Tarik was so emphatic about it. “Where else would it see them?” He sounded certain. “Not specialized drones like those. And it just said they weren’t permitted in corporate stations.” Peri said, I accessed the armament databases at the Mihira Extension Hub during my last download. Why do you ask? “Those are the kind of drones associated with SecUnits,” Tarik said.

“I just wanted to know where it saw those drones,” Tarik persisted. “If it was on a station with SecUnits— They’re the only MIs I know of who would have a chance in a fight with Peri.” You are adding insult to injury, Peri said.

She trusted Peri’s judgment, especially concerning anything that might jeopardize their missions or their lives. And it wasn’t like Peri had to tell her everything. She was just used to thinking of it as her precocious sibling, even though Peri had been the equivalent of a human adult for a while now. And if you considered the way that Peri experienced time, it had had a lot longer to be an adult than Iris had.

If it was a human she would expect it to keep secrets as it grew older, probably the same kind of secrets human siblings kept from each other … Oh. Oh. Iris blurted aloud, “Did you meet someone?”

Peri, I am sorry. She gave it a few seconds to get over its irritation. Is there anything you can tell me about them without breaking your word? The confidence I don’t wish to violate is my own. Oh. Oh, Peri. Iris found a seat on a rock. So you really like this person? I had never encountered another machine intelligence that I could experience this kind of rapport with before.

Peri added, It has given me a better understanding of trauma. Trauma? Iris thought, taken aback. A machine intelligence with trauma? I’m not saying I think you’d run off and fall in … have an understanding and rapport with a corporate transport. But … Iris gave in and covered her face. Peri, please, it’s not a corporate transport, is it? It’s a rogue SecUnit. “Oh shit.” Iris sat bolt upright.