AN: Alright, I seem to be fairly back on track. And the story now has nearly 3500 views. Thank you all for your support!
Chapter 5
Three days. That is how long the floating droid called Guilty Spark had been at the Praxeum, and already it had proven itself to be a menace. Constantly poking its head – no pun intended – around in the oddest places, cheerfully recounting the horror stories of its previous life, and giving Luke a constant headache as he tried to put out the proverbial fires the droid caused. He was slowly beginning to understand what Han had gone through when he met Threepio, and he found that he couldn't blame his previously short temper with the golden protocol droid. The Jedi Master found his patience being put to the test by the eccentric monitor.
He was now looking over the "suggestions" that Guilty Spark had made regarding the Praxeum's defense; he used the word loosely because he was certain the droid would go ahead and acquire the weapons and generators anyway. However, there was one item on the list that intrigued him.
Sentinels.
What did the droid mean by sentinels? Could it have meant mercenaries? Hired security? More droids, Force forbid? Luke shuddered at that last idea. One Guilty Spark was more than enough to deal with. He could only imagine what any droids it might come up with would be like.
A tone chimed from his desk's computer terminal, drawing him from his thoughts. He swiveled his head to face the monitor – don't think about it, don't think about it – and tapped the keyboard. A familiar face appeared on the screen.
"Lando," Luke greeted his old friend, a smile on his face. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing just fine, Luke," the entrepreneur replied. "Business is better than ever, especially with a recent order I got."
"Oh?" Luke asked. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"That's actually why I called," Lando went on. "The, uh, delivery location just so happens to be the Praxeum. Did something happen over there?"
Luke closed his eyes, using a Jedi calming technique before answering. "You could say that. It's nothing bad," he added quickly, "we just have a…" he paused, looking for the right word, "… an eccentric guest that's been staying here the past few days."
Lando raised an eyebrow. "Eccentric is one word for it. The specs I was sent are incredible. These things would be like flying, Clone Wars-era destroyer droids."
Luke's eyes widened at this. He and Mara had encountered that exact same droid model a short time ago in the Unknown Regions. It was already a tough opponent, even some fifty years later. Throw in flight capability, and it'd be damn near unstoppable.
"I'm assuming it was your guest that sent them?" Lando continued.
"Probably," Luke admitted. "It's been rambling on about upgrading security and defenses at the Praxeum."
"It?"
Luke explained to Lando about Guilty Spark, how Jaina activated the floating machine and its… curious idiosyncrasies.
Lando gave a low whistle. "Damn."
Luke chuckled at his friend's response. "I was thinking something similar when this all started."
"You think I should go ahead and build them?" Lando asked. "I mean, you technically are the customer, as well."
Luke pondered for a moment. Even if Lando did refuse the order, Guilty Spark would just find someone else to fulfil it. And that someone might be less scrupulous than his old friend. "Go ahead," Luke said. "I admit I'm curious about these droids myself."
"I'll bring the first shipment personally," Lando promised. "I'd like to meet this Guilty Spark for myself."
"I look forward to it," Luke smiled, "Until then."
Lando bade him farewell and the call ended. Luke looked out the window as he reflected on the recent conversation. He then sighed, standing up and striding out of his office. Yes, his patience was being tested quite thoroughly by the Monitor. It was time the floating menace was reigned in.
Not quite sure myself how that particular confrontation will turn out. It will be a surprise for all. In the meantime, my responses to the last chapter's comments:
ThatTallGuy: Fortunately, I currently have no plans to bring any Halo technology into this. Spark will be making do with Star Wars tech.
FORGEMaster: The Halo timeline will largely be irrelevant to the story, but I would say its the gap between Halo 3 and Halo 4. As for Star Wars, the timeline is that of the Expanded Universe/Legends. The events of this crossover take place just before the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.