EDS-14-28 Centurion

The **EDS-14-28 Centurion** was the primary mecha-like extension of the CAST.

## Technical and Development History

An Extension is a
piece of vehicle-like equipment designed for use with a Caseal. They
come in many shapes and sizes, from the size of cars to starships. All
Extensions require but a single ‘pilot’ regardless of size. Additional
processors and helper programs allow the Caseal utilizing it to multi-task
 and manipulate the device as if it were its own body.

The EDS-14-28 is
actually a Precursor design seed that has been recovered and replicated
by the Caseal as their main line multi-role mechanized combat forces. It
 boats many common CAST technologies such as its dark matter reactor,
and hardlight weapons. As an extension it also features an Object
Control grid to allow rapid movement of itself and allied forces.

As a design seed
template construct, it is built out of effectively a large hunk of
transmuted titanium, utilizing nanites, fields, and hardlight projects
to assemble itself when needed. Should it be damaged, the design seed
can scavenge available materials to make repairs. When not in use, the
EDS-14-28 can be stored as a compact block to eliminate the need for
maintenance or repair and make it able to be stored in large numbers.

## Equipment and Design Features

* **Wave Force Armor:** A defensive shield system that manipulates dark matter containment fields to deflect and distort hostile attacks. The ones mounted on mecha-sized extensions are utilized to mostly deflect.
* **Object Control Grid:** A short-range teleportation grid extending about 50 meters. Specially equipped devices, like extensions, can teleport within or in between the local grids. This allows other extensions in the same system to rapidly redeploy to help one another, or deploy payloads near-instantaneously. Caseal can also deploy nanites to objects they touch, allowing them to freely manipulate said objects and even teleport them. Thus a Caseal can use pieces of terrain or downed units against their foes. Shields and other countermeasures can block the application of these nanites to enemy units.

## Fixed Armaments

* **2x Hardlight Blade:** Stored within the wrist guards are a pair of projectable hardlight blades. Converting photons into a solid state produces a near-indestructible blade against conventional matter. Hardlight however is low on mass, thus the projectors also store dark matter which it sheathes in the hard light as it is projected.
* **1x Light Higgs Particle Gun:** A short-range low-power mass manipulator weapon. While higgs weapons can cause high strain, this weapon has improved durability due to its low-grade performance. Mounted a head-vulcan weapon, it is used primarily to cause enemy missiles to collapse on themselves. Enemy fighters and mecha are more resistant, requiring careful aiming at vulnerable areas.

## Optional Armaments

* **Hardlight Multi-Purpose Rifle:** The typical armament. An advanced form of laser rifle that uses a delayed reaction to convert laser to hardlight while it is being fired. Thus, while the projectiles are low on mass, even when sheathing dark matter, the shots have high durability and possess near-lightspeed velocity, giving them high striking power. The barrel is configurable into shotgun, precision rifle, and gatling modes. Stored as design seed on hip when not in use. Can be combined with multiple of the same design seed to create more powerful versions.
* **“Incinerator” High-Explosive Munitions Rifle:** An anti-ship weapon, this weapon is able to convert matter into miniscule amounts of anti-matter, wrap it in  containing ionized particles, and launch it enemy targets. Upon contact the particle sheathes destabilize, creating a devastating antimatter reaction. Stored as design seed on hip when not in use. Can be combined with multiple of the same design seed to create more powerful versions.
* **Higgs Particle Launcher:** While not as powerful as the Incineration Cannon, the HPL is more of a precision weapon. It fires a stream of chaotically phased Higgs-Bosons that disrupt the mass of what they pass through, weakening and twisting the area they come in contact with. Stored as design seed on hip when not in use. Can be combined with multiple of the same design seed to create more powerful versions.

* **“Twilight” Multi-Function Missile Launcher:** A rack of 3 large missiles that docks in one of the extension’s shoulder. Their main payload is a spray of hard light to soften up a target, before collapsing in a dark matter reaction that tries to drag the target with it. The missiles are highly maneuverable and able to be remotely controlled by the pilot. Their hard light projectors can also be used to make hardlight barriers to protect the extension or others.