Rogue Protocol

The third in the series of novellas is essentially a continuation of the second story, as Murderbot continues to dig into his past. In that respect, it could have been the second part of a longer novel, but the fact that all the characters, other than the protagonist, are new here means that would have felt rather odd. There is, nonetheless, more of a sense of the ongoing plot arc than before, and this story relies more on having read the previous ones than either of those did.

Here, Murderbot's quest leads him to an abandoned planetary research station with a human investigatory crew and a cheerful robot. The latter serves as another look into the complexities of human/AI interaction in this universe, with its relationship with its owners being quite different from what we've seen before - which also provides a glimpse into a broader cultural background. The bulk of the story consists of Murderbot trying to save the humans from the danger they find on the station, a set of fast-paced action scenes that nonetheless do a good job of exploring the various characters. Which, considering that the narrator doesn't fully understand (let alone like) humans is quite an achievement.