Gear A5: Get to Work!

At the table in the center of the room, Celeste quietly puts a couple of screws in place on a piece of tech she had been working on. Quietly, she grunts as she finishes tightening it, before using her right arm to wipe the sweat off of her forehead. She sets the device on the table. It looked to be a yellow crystal, in the shape of a square, with a metallic finish, no bigger than a playing card. Having been sitting on a chair with wheels, she pushes herself from the table to a nearby laptop and begins typing data in
Celeste: (In a pleading tone) C’mon, this has gotta work…
Moments later, a computer’s voice can be heard.
Voice: Startup Initiated. Running Diagnostic checks.
Celeste quietly watches and listens as she can hear it running its checks quietly.
Voice: Startup finished. Error: There are three components missing. Shutting Down.
Celeste: (sighing dejectedly) C’mon, this has to work, it’s going to be the centerpiece of all this tech…
The door to the room slides open, and in walks Hibiki.
Hibiki: Miss Celeste, are you finding everything to your liking?
Celeste: Yes, it's fine, thank you.
Hibiki: Is there anything I can help you with?
Celeste: Thanks for the offer, but no. If I want this to work, I want to do it on my own.
Hibiki: Do be careful. Tapping into what you’re trying to do is not a simple task, and is very dangerous. Trying to force that power out of yourself could cause irreparable harm.
Celeste: I understand, I know what I’m doing is dangerous. (Slides back to the table, picking up the device, staring blankly at it) I have to do this though. I don’t want to rely on that creep.
Hibiki: (Sighs) Very well, please let me know if there is anything I can assist you with.
With that, Hibiki turns around and leaves the room, the door sliding shut behind him as he does. As he turns around, he is unsurprised to see Kagura there.
Hibiki: Lord Kagura, I do not think Miss Celeste appreciates your hanging around.
Kagura: I am aware, but even then it doesn’t hurt to make sure that grimoire isn’t overreacting… I don’t want a repeat of events and I’m sure you don’t either.
Hibiki: She seems to have found a knack for the mechanics that remain from when Kokonoe occupied this room. I believe she’ll have the next version of her Celeste special ready very soon.
Kagura: That’s good, sure I don’t want that aimed at me when the time comes unless she absolutely needs a practice dummy, but it’s good that things are going smoothly for her…
Hibiki: The best that can be done is that she be left alone to focus, if there is an issue with the grimoire I will send for you immediately. So please, go…(Hibiki hesitates, before saying it anyway)...enjoy yourself.
Kagura: I gladly will but, given I know for a fact the bills are going to be biting at me I’m gonna try and at least do the number crunching to make sure we can pay for it…. Besides it won’t be the end of the world… I only got enough for about.. Two three bottles tops if I did it correctly… Want to join me or do you have more important things to do?
Hibiki: Lord Kagura, I have not, nor will I ever partake in your drunken stupor.
With that, Hibiki begins to walk off.
Kagura: ...smart move, I’m sure you’re a lightweight and..given I get tanked more harder than the most common bar patrons.. I doubt you’d even get a single shot before I down it.. -sigh- I figure you got more important things so I understand.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Celeste had finished tweaking her device yet again. She rolls her chair over to the laptop and again inputs the command to initiate start-up.
Celeste: (off-screen) C’mon…
Voice: Startup Initiated. Running Diagnostic checks.
The sound of silence fills the air as she hears the device running.
Voice: Startup Completed. How may I serve you master?
Celeste cracks a smile. In the corner, Search, who had been lying down under the table, comes out and looks around.
Celeste: Confused, Search? That’s the centerpiece of the new design. Better get used to hearing that voice.
Celeste picks up the device, and it registers her fingerprints.
Voice: Registration complete. This device will only work when in use by this operator. Shall I run diagnostics, Master?
Celeste: Go for it.
Quietly the system can be heard churning along as it tries to determine certain objectives.
Voice: Diagnostics complete. I find no issue with your current well-being Master. There is no immediate threat to your health. I did find an anomaly in your systems, do you wish for me to report on this, Master?
Celeste: No, don’t worry about it. What is your compatibility with that anomaly.
Voice: Determining compatibility with anomaly in Master’s systems...Compatibility is 66.6 percent.
Celeste: (frowning) That’s lower than what I would’ve hoped…
Voice: Master, if you require me to fuse with this anomaly, you’d be undertaking a great risk, are you okay with this threat?
Celeste: Yes, but I’ve still got a lot more work to do. For now, let’s work on step one. Activate defense protocol A.
Voice: Alright. Activating Defense Protocol A Version 1.0
The device puts out a forcefield surrounding her, forcing Search away from her as the sphere forcefield pushes him back. Search quietly growls at the forcefield for doing so.
Celeste: Sorry about that search. Deactivate Defense Protocol A.
Voice: Alright. Deactivating.
The force field vanishes.
Celeste: That’s a good step in the right direction. It made the forcefield without issue.
Celeste stares at the device in her hand and thinks quietly for a second.
Celeste: (Thinking, aloud) If I could integrate this system into my weapon, I could definitely coordinate plenty of things to work.
She sets the device down on the desk as she begins working on a pair of mechanical gloves that would expand into her weapon. Search barks at her for a second, seemingly trying to understand what she was doing.
Celeste: (smiling) Oh you wanna know huh? My last model was too inefficient and clunky. I can’t exactly just walk around with a cannon. The Celeste Special would be nice too as a separate weapon, but maybe I can integrate it somehow.
Voice: Master, may I please ask for a name?
Celeste: (pausing, thinking) A name huh…? (A light bulb appears above her head, signaling an idea) How about Estelle?
Voice: Understood. This device will respond to the name ‘Estelle’, is that alright Master?
Celeste: Yeah, that’s fine.
Celeste quietly returns to work.
Estelle: The name, ‘Estelle’ has been registered Master. Estelle is ready to protect.
Celeste: That’s great, why don’t you run a couple of self-diagnostics, run a few self-tests, and some test runs of your systems until I can get this other stuff running.
Estelle: Understood. Beginning simulations…
Time passed in this way, as Celeste would use Estelle as the mainframe for her weapons, creating two metallic gloves that had large, thick metallic guards around the wrists. The glove itself was black but was fingerless. On the top of the right glove was a scaled back device for simply communicating with the core with the plan for it not to be easily seen or be easily attacked. Celeste had put both gloves on, and despite being a little heavy, she seemed proud of her handiwork. In the middle of the room, with Search safely tucked away in his corner aware of previous test runs, she was ready to run another test.
Celeste: Alright, Estelle, shall we take a test run?
Estelle: Affirmative. Estelle is ready, Master.
Celeste brings both of her gloves in front of her.
Celeste: Defense!
Estelle: Alright. Running Defense System A 3.5
The yellow sphere forcefield seemed to be more reinforced than in the past, seemingly more apt at running this sort of thing.
Celeste: Drop Defense!
Estelle: Terminating.
The forcefield around her vanishes.
Celeste: Offense, Drill!
Estelle: Alright. Commencing Drill Program Beta
The metal around her wrists forms a metallic drill around her hands and begins to spin.
Celeste: That’s a confirmation of a good test Estelle. Terminate the drill program.
Estelle: Terminating.
The drill separates, retreating back into the metal around her wrist collapsing as it does to fit back inside.
Celeste: Offense, Sword!
Estelle: Alright. Commencing Sword Program Theta
Through two slots in the metal, sharpened metallic sword-like weapons jut out from the metal creating a guard for her hands and a way of striking her opponent in close combat.
Celeste swings her arms around pretending to fight someone, though her lack of experience showed, she was satisfied with the test run.
Celeste: Alright Estelle, you can terminate.
Estelle: Confirmed.
With that, the metallic swords entered back into the metal. Celeste looked at the gloves again content with her work.
Celeste: What do you say Estelle? Was that a good test run?
Estelle: I am satisfied with the results, Master.
Celeste considers other options as she takes off the gloves, placing them on the table with a loud thud.
Estelle: Master, may I suggest an idea?
Celeste: Go for it.
Estelle: Power would be boosted by 202.35 percent if you were to use the anomaly as a source.
Celeste: While that’s entirely possible, I don’t have a way of harnessing it through an outside source yet. I’m still working on that part.
Estelle: Searching...searching...Master, may I recommended another idea?
Celeste: Go for it.
Estelle: Many old weapons used to have a cartridge system in place for storing energy and the like. It would be possible to source this power into small bursts for more focused power and other possibilities.
Celeste: (places her left hand on her chin, all the while scratching it as she thinks) It’s possible, but that would certainly take time to do. It could also prove to be very costly. If I were to do something of the sort, It’d need to be something renewable so I could charge it up again using my own power only having to buy the initial group that I would use.
Estelle: Correct, Master.
Celeste: A renewable charge...like a cell or something. But, so many questions, how big? how small? Would I even be able to do such a thing?
Estelle: I believe, Master.
Celeste lets her arm fall to her side.
Celeste: (Determined, smiling) Well, won’t know until I try right? Its just settling on a way to transfer this energy…
Another week passed in this regard as Celeste set to work creating a device, and then another week in order to figure out how to utilize her azure to force it out. As she looked at it all, she saw the metal spherical discs. They looked like a bunch of half-sized hockey pucks stacked together, and on the front was a display to determine how much power it contained. She held one close to her, hoping this process would work, as she began to glow with a yellow aura. The display on the front became a glow with a number as it began to count up as a percentage. A few seconds later, the small device buzzed to confirm it was full. Celeste placed the device on the table and then used it to hold herself up as she felt dizzy, even though she was sitting.
Celeste: Wow...that really drained me…
Estelle: Master, please be careful.
Celeste: (Smiling weakly) Yeah...I get it. I’m not used to doing this so I should space it out. How long before you think I’m back at full power, Estelle?
Estelle: Checking...Checking...My systems place the hypothesis as thirty minutes until return to full power.
Celeste: That long huh?
Estelle: Master, do not be discouraged. Repeated use of this method will lead to stabilization and not becoming tired as a side-effect of use.
Celeste: You’re right. It's something I need to get used to.
A couple of hours pass in all before she finally finishes. Despite feeling drained, she sets to work on creating the cartridge system. She combines it with the arm guard for the weapon, creating a metallic armor around both her arms, which housed the devices, evenly split on each side so that it was evenly split between the two. Now it felt like she was closer to getting some work done. She felt like she had accomplished plenty in these last few weeks, despite being bugged by Kagura every so often.
Celeste: What do you think Estelle? How have we done?
Estelle: I have full connectivity with all the devices, Master. All devices have completed diagnostic checks with no errors found.
Celeste picks up Estelle from the desk, and placed the device inside her right arm guard and connected her physically to the device.
Celeste: Run one last diagnostic, make sure you’re compatible with everything.
Estelle: Alright...checking...there were no errors reported, Master.
Celeste: Great. The Alpha Prototype, Estelle is ready for a field test.
Estelle: Confirmed.
----
On the next episode:
There's a commotion outside? Who is that? Kagura and Hibiki are out there, but who's the cloaked person? Regardless, it's never been a smart idea to fight Kagura. Wait! That's-! Next Episode: Gear A6: I've Come to Rescue You! We gotta stop the battle before someone really gets hurt! 
Category:Turning Gears
Category:Anime Episode