AN: Thank you all for the support this crossover has received. 1000 views in just over a week; WOW! Hopefully this chapter will meet your expectations.

Chapter 3

Guilty Spark had spent the whole night and much of the following morning exploring the Praxeum. He was quite appalled by the lack of foresight these Reclaimers had when building it. Well, rebuilding it, he amended; the original had been destroyed years ago. That little fact made the whole situation all the more unacceptable. And as he told the two Reclaimers, protocol dictated that he must act.

The ancilla was now scouring the information network these Reclaimers used. The "holonet", they called it. Given that they displayed much of their media with holograms, it was an apt name. He had been compiling a list of artillery pieces and shield generators that the Praxeum installation could use for defense. It was all fascinating, really. In many ways, the energy weapons and shielding used by the Praxeum Reclaimers were more refined than the Covenant's. Of course, refined did not always mean better; but that was a discussion for a later date.

Spark floated back to the main structure, intent on seeking out the Reclaimer called Jaina and outlining his plans for upgrading the Praxeum. Oh, he knew that she was not in charge of the installation, but he figured, given her engineering skills and biological relation to the Reclaimer called Luke, her endorsement and input could prove to be quite valuable.

He caught sight of Jaina as she walked down the hall that led to the mess hall, as he believed it was called. He put on an additional burst of speed as he floated after her. Unbeknownst to him, she had just come from a lengthy discussion with her uncle and aunt about her reactivating the eccentric Forerunner AI. They had been surprised when she had told them he was around one hundred millennia in age, and concerned that it had evidently been deactivated in the middle of a war. However, as they had sensed no threat to the Academy, they had settled with making sure Jaina took responsibility for Spark's antics, after giving her a thorough lecture on reactivating random droids.

"Reclaimer," the ancilla called out to her. She turned around upon hearing his cheery voice. "I have completed my survey of this installation; an impressive facility to be sure. There are numerous locations where defensive armaments and shield generators can be positioned with only a few alterations to the Praxeum's overall structure. I have compiled a list of aforementioned equipment, based on…"

As Guilty Spark rattled off his report, Jaina stared back at him, shock and awe adorning her face. "Stang," she whispered, "You weren't kidding when you said you were planning to upgrade the Academy."

"Why would I do that?" Spark asked, confused. His body tilted to one side briefly.

"Sorry," Jaina said, shaking her head. "I just wasn't expecting you to put that amount of thought into it."

"I was the Monitor of Installation 04, an installation that, among other things, was meant to contain a dangerous parasite. I had to prepare for all possible contingencies."

Jaina paled a little at the mention of the Flood, and nodded her head. "Right," she said. There was an awkward pause. The ancilla stared at the Reclaimer, and she stared right back at him. "So," Jaina broke the silence, "I'm gonna go grab some lunch with my friends. You wanna tag along?"

Spark's "eye" widened for a moment. He tried to process this confusing inquiry. He had never been asked such a question before; there was no protocol for it in his databanks. After a few seconds of internal debate – ages for an AI such as himself – he finally bobbed his head. "Of course, Reclaimer," he said. "I shall accompany you."

The two made their way to the mess hall, Spark humming that same tune he always did, and Jaina steeling herself for the conversation that was to come. She was sure that Lowie would be intrigued with the floating AI. The others would most likely be on their guard. It was unfortunate that her brothers were off-world, but they would be returning in a few days with their parents and Threepio. She giggled as she thought of what Threepio's reaction to Guilty Spark might be.

Next time, we shall see what Jaina's fellow trainees think of our favorite ancilla.

Guest who referenced Warhammer 40K: I doubt that Spark has them on speed dial, so we'll just have to see what he comes up with.