AN: Sorry for the long wait! I was a little stuck on the direction this chapter would go. Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Chapter 7
The Jedi trainees, now joined by Jacen and Anakin, stood in front of the Praxeum entrance, watching the scene before them, perplexed. Guilty Spark hovered before a large group of floating war droids, floating back and forth as if he were a general inspecting his troops.
There were a hundred of them, give or take a dozen. They were about twice the size of the Monitor, angular and steely gray. Each one of them was a head and two arms connected to a main body, twin blasters on the ends of each arm.
Jaina looked at her friends and brothers, curious to see what their reactions were.
Lowbacca seemed to be studying the design of these new droids.
Tahiri and Tenel Ka both seemed a little intimidated by the sight of them. Jaina saw that Anakin was holding Tahiri's hand, trying to reassure his friend. A slight, mischievous smile appeared on her face as an idea came to mind. But any teasing would have to be saved for later.
Zekk and Jacen both had wary looks. Jaina understood their caution, but like Lowie she was curious about the war droids' design and capabilities.
"Guilty Spark," she called out to the floating sphere, "what exactly are these?" She gestured to the war droids.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked, Reclaimer!" the Monitor chirped. "These constructs are Sentinels: autonomous drones designed to construct, maintain and defend various Forerunner installations. Unfortunately, these models are not on par with the original design. However, I believe that they will make adequate substitutes."
"So they're like security droids?" Jaina asked.
"In your terminology, I suppose that is technically correct," the Monitor answered. "As I said, defense is only one of their functions."
"Why would we need security droids, though?" Anakin asked. "The Praxeum is full of Jedi."
"That did not save the original installation from destruction, did it, Reclaimer Anakin?"
Anakin opened his mouth, then closed it. The droid was right, after all.
"Still," Jacen said, "how would droids improve the Praxeum's defenses? Especially if another group like the Shadow Academy were to attack?" Zekk winced at this. Jaina sent a wave of reassurance towards him.
"Even for a being with your abilities, multiple small, flying targets with heavy energy weapons and personal shields attacking them from a distance should prove to be a challenge. Of course, with the… less-developed programming techniques in this galaxy, they are more susceptible to hacking than the original models. But, given their autonomous nature, any attempted takeover of these sentinels cannot be accomplished in one cyberattack."
After a moment's silence spent digesting this information, Tenel Ka remarked, "They sound like something my grandmother might have been interested in procuring during her reign. Actually, she, along with many of my relations, would probably still have an interest in these sentinels."
Jaina's eyes widened in horror. She had heard stories about Ta'a Chume, and if Spark decided to take this offhand remark literally…
Don't go giving him ideas! she screamed at Tenel Ka through the Force. The Hapan princess looked at her in concern, feeling the alarm radiating from Jaina.
But, of course, it was too late.
"Oh?" Guilty Spark hummed. "Perhaps I could arrange for Reclaimer Calrissian to manufacture more sentinels for your relations, Reclaimer Tenel Ka."
Tenel Ka realized why Jaina had been horrified by her comment. She now shared her friend's expression. "No!" she yelled. She caught herself and lowered her voice. "No, that would not be wise. I was merely making an observation, Guilty Spark."
"I see. My apologies, Reclaimer," he said.
Tenel Ka waved her hand. "It's fine. You simply misunderstood me."
There was an awkward silence for a few moments, soon broken by the Monitor.
"Now, if you will excuse me Reclaimers, I must see to the deployment of these sentinels. I also believe that it is time for your midday meal."
As if on cue, a rumbling sound could be heard. Tahiri looked down at her traitorous stomach in embarrassment.
"That sounds like a good idea," Jaina said. As the young Jedi turned back towards the Praxeum entrance, they could all hear Guilty Spark humming the same tune he always did.
In the next chapter, we shall see what Leia, Han and Lando think of Guilty Spark.
Guest: I do not plan on introducing any UNSC vessels and personnel in this fanfic, or Covenant for that matter. I do have a couple of ideas for future crossovers, though!