Chapter 15: Upgrades 3
"...And with Infinite's new Utsuri KnightCrawlers, we're really going to need you two to pull out all the stop's here." Zero told Lloyd and Rakshata. "We're really counting on you two."
"Got it, Zero." Rakshata replied.
"We'll make sure to give the Knightmares some really fun gadgets, so just leave everything to us!" Lloyd exclaimed joyfully.
"Right, please get to it then." Zero said as he left the Knightmare Hanger.
"So then, let's get started." Rakshata told Lloyd.
"Right," Lloyd replied and the two started looking at the Knightmare diagrams. "So where should we start?" He wondered.
"You said before that you had an idea of something to do with the Guren's second arm, what did you plan to do?" Rakshata noted.
"Ah yes, well the problem with that is that I'm still waiting for some of the materials I need for it to come in, so I can't actually do anything about it just yet." Lloyd explained.
"I see, but you could still tell me what your idea is couldn't you?" Rakshata asked
"No, I want it to be a surprise." Lloyd said.
"Huh, come on, tell me!" Rakshata begged.
"I won't." Lloyd declined.
"Pudding Earl," Rakshata muttered.
"Anyways," Lloyd began, ignoring Rakshata's comment. "For right now I think the best thing to do is give the Guren a little more offensive capability. other than the Hydron Cannon and it's pulsar arm, it doesn't have much to go on."
"Yes, I suppose that's true, so what are you thinking?"
"I think what would work best is giving it something to give it some more head-on advantage."
"Maybe a Master Vibration Sword?" Rakshata suggested.
"No, I'm thinking of giving it something different." Lloyd said. "Something our enemy wouldn't be expecting."
Just as Lloyd said this, Rakshata snapped her fingers. "I might have an idea." She said and zoomed the diagram in on the Guren's pulsar arm. "Maybe we could add a miniature weapon embedded in the Guren's fingertips. if we do something like that, while an opponent is trying avoid the arm because of the Energy Pulsar, it won't be expecting a second weapon ready to attack it when it does so."
"Brilliant, that would work splendidly!" Lloyd agreed with the proposal immediately. "So what kind of weapon should we hide?"
"I'm thinking along the lines of a thin cutting laser beam." Rakshata answered.
"Wonderful, let's move along then." Lloyd said, moving to the Lancelot's diagram. "Once again I have an idea to improve the Lancelot's Master Vibration Sword. In this case I have an idea to make it much stronger. I call it the Vibration Broadsword.
"What I'm thinking is to max out the energy input on the sword so that the energy itself turns into a large blade shaped mesh of energy, making it much larger and stronger, but virtually adding no weight to it so it's not any more difficult to use."
"That's pretty smart, well then let's go on to the next one." Rakshata said and they started looking at the Shen Hu. "Any idea's here Pudding Earl?" Rakshata asked.
"Hm, actually yes." Lloyd replied. "It has to do with the Electric Slash Harken. We gave it a Hydron Charge, so what I'm thinking is a way to maximize that charge's use."
"Oh?"
"I'm thinking of attaching small blades to the ends of the Harkens, allowing them to slice through the KnightCrawlers easily, then changing their function a bit so they work more like whips, giving the Shen Hu more control over their overall accuracy." Lloyd explained.
"That's a great idea." Rakshata couldn't help but be impressed by Lloyd's idea.
"Thank you, on to the Corneli MK." Lloyd said, bringing up it's diagram.
"If you ask me, the Corneli MK has the same problem as the Guren; not enough offensive capabilities." Rakshata said.
"So what do you suggest?" Lloyd asked.
"I'm thinking along the same lines as the Guren, give the Slash Harken on it a secondary attack option in case the opponent dodges the first; in fact, I think I have the perfect idea. Since we gave the Corneli's Slash Harken the bend-fire function, we could put in a sort of electric fence function, where once the 8 Harken surround an opponent, she could trap them in the electric fence, and destroy them."
"I like it, I like it!" Lloyd agreed "That just leaves the Guinevere!" Lloyd sang as he brought up it's diagram.
"I still think we should give it more than the one wrist blade, at least some defensive tech like a Hydron shield." Rakshata argued.
"Yes, I suppose that would be safest, although I'm still against putting too much additional weight on the Guinevere, the more tech you stuff it with, the heavier it will get, and the slower it will be able to travel." Lloyd explained. "And speed truely is one of our greatest weapon overall."
"If you're afraid of putting on weight, then why not do something similar to what we're doing with the Lancelot." Rakshata suggested, and Lloyd gave an expression like a light bulb going off in his head. "You said yourself that the Vibration Broadsword would put on virtually no weight, and it would still become stronger."
"Of course!" Lloyd leaped for joy at Rakshata's proposal. "That's a brilliant suggestion, I can't believe I didn't think of that before. Leeeeeeeeet's do it!" Lloyd yelled with over-exaggeration, almost making Rakshata regret she thought of the idea.
"I must say Bai, the Utsuri's turned out wonderfully." Infinite told Bai while they were conversing alone.
"Thank you Infinite, it's always a pleasure to serve. Now if I may ask, what is it you wanted to see me privately for?" Bai asked, as Infinite had asked to see Bai with no one else around.
"Yes, let's get right to that then." Infinite said. "I need you to work on a secret project for my KnightCrawler." Infinite said, and Bai seemed to get quite interested. "At this point in the war, our enemy is starting to get stronger and stronger. I need a last resort weapon to ensure victory if things get too hard."
"No one else knows about this?" Bai asked.
"No, it is essential no one else finds out about this." Infinite replied.
"Even C.C. and Jeremiah?" Bai questioned, sounding almost hesitant.
"Yes, even they know nothing about this plan, a radical measure perhaps, but it is necessary."
"I see, so what is it you want me to do?"
"What I need you to make is a mechanism capable of collapsing and desolating anything around it, basically a bomb stronger than anything ever made." Infinite described his weapon.
After a moment, Bai shook his head. "I must apologize Infinite, but I cannot make the weapon you are asking of me."
"What, why can't you?" Infinite asked.
"It's a limit on my Geass, I am not capable of making the weapon you described because it exceeds the human capability limits." Bai replied.
"You haven't said anything about this limit of your Geass before?" Infinite inquired.
"Yes, well I just never thought it necessary to inform you, anything you've asked me thus far has been within the limit of my Geass."
Infinite sighed. "Well, it is a bit of a set back, but I suppose there is no reason pressing on what isn't even possible. That is all, let's get back to the others." Infinite said and lead Bai out of the room so he could continue work on the KnightCrawlers, and C.C. and Jeremiah were waiting outside the room.
"Well?" C.C. asked as soon as Bai was out of earshot.
"It is just as you suspected C.C., he has not been telling us the truth about his Geass' ability." Lelouch answered.
"Then what is his ability?" Jeremiah wondered.
"How I can't be certain, and I do think he told the truth about not being able to exceed human limits; I can tell you it does actually affect people just like any other Geass has." Lelouch answered.
"Well then what makes you think perhaps the weapon you described was not actually in the human limits?"
"That is not possible Jeremiah. Because the weapon I described to him was F.L.E.I.J.A." Lelouch replied, surprising Jeremiah. "Bai has no knowledge of that weapon, so he assumed that truely no one else had any knowledge of it."
"With that in mind, we can only conclude that his Geass does not work as he has told us, if it did, then he would have been able to make the weapon described to him." C.C. finished.
"We will have to keep an eye on him from now on. Who knows what's going through his head."