The risk it wouldn't take is its governor module. Success in one hack or permanent death. That's what hadn't been worth the risk ever before. Only that violence made it worth it. Only having done it let it do the rest. Horrifying.

"No," Murderbot answers, exhausted, "It wasn't meant to do that. It was meant to shut everything down. Corporate espionage. Cost them too much money. Take over Ganaka Pit. Instead it all was shut down, swept up, and probably a massive payout. Got taken off the map, out of the public records, as erased as they could make it."

It pauses. "Including me. SecUnits are too valuable to trash, so they wiped my memory. I figured out the rest of that later."