The layered plates of the abdominal armor are locked onto these parts. They also serve to deflect rear impacts around the keel. The hollows at the base leave clearance for damper liquid.
Data transmission cable from the fatima and knight. Two cables left and right provide redundancy. All internal MH transmissions and communications are hardwired through these cables. Wireless communications are avoided as they might allow an enemy fatima to remote control a MH or engage in other electronic warfare. The inside of the keel is in sealed layers for this reason. Commands from the fatima to the MH are locked down entirely to one-way traffic. This is also to guard against hacking by other fatimas. While not intended for console control, the registered knight and fatima of a MH can make use of console or voice commands. Sopp’s "Hey, it’s time to wake up!" command to start up the Knight of Gold in part 1 worked due to the Knight of Gold recognizing Sopp.
Energy captured by dynamos in the moving sections of the MH is returned to the ezlaser engine along this bypass.
Backup power, transmission, and other non-energy linkages are all collected here. The multiple openings connect the various sections to the base terminal.
Ezlaser energy travels through the center. The interior is loaded with a protective gel.
The outermost layer of the keel interior accommodates an elastic tendon system to provide for the flexible movement of the keel.