CSF-S3b Castel Ground Type

- Castel Test Type (Unit 03)

- Bluemoon

- Castel Armor Type

- Castel Heavy Ground Type

- Castel Artillery Type

- Cecelia Palmer

- Amy Konstantin

- Disruptor Grenade

- Nanolaminate Riot Shield

- 80mm Autocannon

- 100mm HAMG

- 300mm HPNC

- 200mm Artillery Gun

- CW-06 Rocket Launcher

- CS-06 Combat Shotgun

The CSF-S3b Castel Ground Type is a Garrisai from the *Harbinger* Universe. One unit is piloted by Dominic Ramirez.

## Technology and Combat Characteristics

The Castel Ground Type was the first Garrisai developed by the DTRO to ever see mass-production. Based off of the Castel Test Type (Unit 03), they simplified much of the Garrisai's complex operating systems to present a general-purpose, pilot-accessible control scheme. Complete with a full set of Nanolaminate Armor, an AEGIS-inspired Assistive Targeting System, and a complement of industry-standard weapons, the Castel Ground Type was meant to mark a new age in military development. However, both their development and their service record would become stained with conflict and debate, leaving it in the eyes of many as a failed innovation.

## Armaments

- Nanolaminate Standard Shield: A basic handheld Shield that blocks most physical projectiles. Its simple design and ease of storage means it’s reliable in most situations, and it can even store melee weapons or missile launchers on its underside.

- 40mm Assault Rifle: A staple of the Kestrel Line, the 40mm Assault Rifle (or ASU) has been adopted by almost every faction due to its versatility and reliability in combat. Almost always seen being used by Mass-Production Units, the Rifle can be modified to fit any situation. Attachments such as underbarrel Grenade launchers, extended magazines, bayonets and flashlights are only some of the things the weapon can equip. They have also been seen in use by the UNI in the form of a compact Submachine Gun.

- Anti-Armor Blade: The Standard melee armament for most mass-production units. It is made entirely of steelpoint Alloy from Blade to grip, thus its durability is incredibly strong. Most times it can be stored on the rear skirt armor, though it can also be stored under a Nanolaminate shield for quick access in a pinch.

- Disruptor Grenade: Serving as the standard explosives weapon for most Garrisai units, this capsule-like grenade releases a large blast after being activated. It contains sensors that react with Nanolaminate Armor, allowing for them to roll and bounce normally on surfaces, yet explode when coming into contact with an enemy (similar to glass grenades). Smoke, Stunlock, and Flare variants are available to pilots depending on the mission.

- 80mm Autocannon:

- 100mm Heavy Antimateriel Gun: Being Kestrel’s first attempt at portable heavy weapons, the 100mm HAMG is a twin-barreled, alternating Cannon that contains a ten-round internal magazine. Being versatile in almost every range due to an advanced rifling barrel, it requires little skill to use the weapon and the payoff when using it is very rewarding. Its alternating fire means that the barrels remain cool when firing consistently, and extended magazines or belt feeds can prolong the amount of rounds it can fire. When not in use, some forms of the HAMG can fold horizontally between the two barrels, up onto the top of the receiver. This reduces the chance of a misfire when operating the other functions of the Garrisai. A single-barrel variant is also common, which is placed on a 180° rotating base that features a sliding rail. This serves as a recoil compensator, and stores the gun reverse of the forearm when not in use. Can also be mounted on the side of the shoulders (Megahammer) and even chest mounted (Hammerhead), though these variants are less common.

- 300mm High Powered Naval Cannon: Also known as the Smoothbore Gun, the 300mm HPNC is a toned-down version of the 500mm MPNC that fires ballistic shells. Due to its smoothbore style barrel and sheer stopping power, it is only effective at medium range. However, its shells are AoE and don’t require a whole lot of accuracy, thus a user can fire it into the general vicinity of enemies at a distance and still have a good chance of hitting something. Originally used as a battleship-mounted cannon, it was eventually broken down into a single, shoulder mounted weapon for Garrisai. Contains a three-round internal magazine.

- 60mm Carbine: Being a less common alternative to the 40mm ASU, the 60mm Carbine is a weapon more tailored towards infantry marksmen instead of general soldiers. Featuring an adjustable scope, semi-automatic receiver and recoil compensator, the weapon is perfect for accurate and powerful shots. The only problem with the Carbine compared to the ASU is its staggering capabilities. Since it relies more on precision instead of fire rate to attack enemies, the pilot cannot attack the body of the Garrisai, and instead aim for its joints or head camera. This makes it difficult to use, but in practice, invaluable in battles. A three-round burst fire receiver is also available should the pilot using the weapon choose one.

## Special Equipment and Features

- Searchlight: Most Castel GTs are equipped with spotlights on various parts of their armor to adapt to nighttime conditions. Night Vision optics are also an option for more advanced units, though these are seldom used from their cost alone.

## History

The Castel Ground Types would first see action in the First Armeli Invasion of 2566, where they absolutely decimated the likes of the Mercury Legion's infantry-grade tanks, aircraft, and naval vessels. Labeled as a "Service Machine" in its initial designations, the first few of these machines were constructed under the guise of Construction Vehicles. By placing restrictive locks on the combat systems of the Castel Ground Type, the DTRO and LCDM were able to actively test these machines without attracting suspicion, allowing the Castel Ground Types to blend in with the rest of DOCS' Utility Workers. However, the restrictive locks of the Ground Types (along with their disguises) would fall away upon the First Armeli Invasion, where the supposed construction vehicles would fight head-to-head with the Mercury Legion. The public, unaware that the Castel Ground Types were meant for combat since the start, raved for further development of these machines into proper military weapons. Thus, the DTRO took no time in "converting" the disguised Castel Ground Types into proper machines of war.

The introduction of the Castel Ground Type came with much controversy. Many argued that their deployment was in violation of the Garrisai Ban established back during the Interstellar War in 2431, where the Castel's resemblance of Garrisai-type weapons was too similar to not count. Even with these criticisms being objectively true, this did nothing to stop public support for the re-introduction of Garrisai into the military world, with the Limited-Production program being one of the DTRO's first responses to public uproar, which was approved with great interest by the rest of Metugars (excluding Armeli though with majority rules).

The Castel Ground Type would undergo a second round of criticism upon the reveal of Project Resurga in 2568, but for entirely different reasons. Marie Winhart--one of the veterans of the First Armeli Invasion--argued that Decholon desperately needed an improvement for the supposedly civilian-built Castel Ground Types, in an attempt to bolster the general infantry of Decholon. However, the DTRO--in an effort to continue hiding the true nature of the Castel Ground Types--claimed that Project Resurga would be enough to compensate for the lagging development of the mass and limited-production machines. Even with the Castel Ground Types providing excellent performance as they were, the placebo of their inferior performance was what caused many of Decholon's best veterans and aces to break away from the military, starting up their own separatist factions. Even with this slight setback, this apparent fault for the DTRO actually became the thing they needed to set the stage for showing off Project Resurga. In a twisted act of presentation, the DTRO would use their former aces as the targets of the Project Resurga machines to boost their popularity, never telling them the pilots' separatist causes were all in vain.

When the Second Armeli Invasion rolled around, the Castel Ground Types were only slightly weaker than the Mercury Legion's Revolta Ground Types in practice. However, by that time the DTRO had killed off the last of their veteran and experienced pilots, who had all left due to the mistreatment they received. As a result, many of the pilots still enlisted at that point were all recruits, who had only weeks to months of training. The lack of experience meant that the Castel Ground Types would become labeled as "walking coffins" by their users, even when the machines themselves were powerful on their own. After the invasion, the few Castel Ground Types that remained were either salvaged by the Mercury Legion, UNI, and LCR, or dismantled for use in the construction of other Garrisai.

The lift on the Garrisai ban also technically qualified the Mercury Legion's use of the Revolta Ground Types created over the course of the Era of Peace. Though, these would create enough controversy on their own, as the ban restricted not only the operation of Garrisai-type weapons, but the development and construction of them as well. Thus, the debate on who did what first remained an active discussion as the NDRC fell.

## Trivia

- The Castel GT, alongside the Revolta GT and Insurgency GT, are the three main "grunt" units in the Post-Interstellar War Era. The CGT in particular shares a resemblance to the role of the GM in Gundam.