Editing CASTLE Base

{{Era|HCW|Post}}
[[File:Reach map.png|thumb|300px|The location of CASTLE Base on Reach (identified here as "CAS").]]
'''CASTLE Base''' was an [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] underground facility located within the [[Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex|FLEETCOM Military Complex]]<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 229'' (Chapter 25 heading)</ref> in [[Csongrád]]<ref name="haba">[[Data Drop/HABA|'''Data Drop''': ''HEMLEY & AUBOURN BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS'']]</ref> on the [[human colonies|human colony]] of [[Reach]].

==Description==
It was hidden two kilometers directly underneath [[Menachite Mountain]], part of the [[Highland Mountains]] in the [[Viery Territory]].{{Ref/Note|The planetary map of Reach that comes with the [[Halo: Reach Limited Edition]] has "CAS" marked in the central mountain range of the Viery Territory. Judging by how SWORD Base's location is marked a similar callout "SWO" and Visegrad as "VIS", this places CASTLE Base in the Viery Territory.}} Protected by massive amounts of granite, reinforced concrete, plates of [[Titanium-A armor]], and [[EMP]]-hardened metal,<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 100'', (''"Although he barely felt the descent, Wagner knew he had dropped three kilometers into the planet, through solid layers of granite, reinforced concrete, plates of Titanium-A, and EMP-hardened metal. None of this made him feel any safer, though; ONI's research facility on Reach had the same setup, and it had not done those poor bastards any good."'')</ref> it was virtually bombproof, well defended, and nigh-impenetrable.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 229'' (''"CASTLE was a massive complex, two thousand meters below the granite protection of the Highland Mountains — bombproof, well defended, and impenetrable."'')</ref> 

[[Catherine Halsey|Dr. Catherine Halsey]] had an office in CASTLE Base's Omega Wing, as did [[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]. The [[SPARTAN-II program|SPARTAN-IIs]] were familiar with CASTLE Base, some of [[SPARTAN-II training|their training]] having taken place in the base<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 132''</ref> as well as the abandoned mine tunnels around it.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', Chapter 8</ref>

==History==
===Origins===
The complex that would later become CASTLE base was originally a [[titanium]] mine, but was closed down in the [[2520]]s or [[2530]]s{{Ref/Note|''Halo: First Strike'' describes the mine as having shut down two decades before the Fall of Reach, placing it in the 2520s-2530s.}} after the mine breached the [[Forerunner]] [[Menachite portal complex|complex]] below. The mine would be used for storage for several years before being put into action by the Office of Naval Intelligence.<ref>''[[Halo: First Strike]]'', Chapter 11</ref>

===Fall of Reach===
{{Main|Fall of Reach|Raid on Reach}}
During the [[Fall of Reach]], the base was [[Team Delta]]'s fallback position. [[William-043]], [[Vinh-030]], and [[Isaac-039]] arrived there. They were soon joined by [[Frederic-104]] and [[Kelly-087]]. There, they discovered Dr. Halsey, who had remained behind to initiate [[Operation: WHITE GLOVE]], destroying the base to prevent the [[Covenant]] from acquiring advanced UNSC technologies.

When the Covenant forces breached the base, Dr. Halsey was forced to put [[Operation: WHITE GLOVE]] into action, destroying the base and deleting her [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] assistant [[Kalmiya]]. This prevented the Covenant from gaining any intelligence from the base. Halsey and the Spartans then retreated into the dangerous titanium mines below, and later to the Forerunner complex, where they discovered a powerful [[Forerunner crystal]].

===Return to CASTLE base===
{{Main|Operation: WOLFE}}
In [[2559#October|October 2559]], Blue Team once again returned to CASTLE base seven years following the base's destruction. Following the emergence of the [[Created]] led by [[Cortana]] and the subsequent [[Created conflict|conflict]], Blue Team were ordered to breach the rubble of CASTLE and recover assets from Halsey's abandoned laboratory, believed to be key to defeating Cortana's forces. Despite the destruction of the base itself, the lab survived, guarded by a subroutine that [[Kalmiya]] had left behind to protect the cryo-vault. With some difficulty, Blue Team succeeded in extracting the assets back to the {{UNSCShip|Infinity}}.{{Ref/Novel|SoR}} Using what Blue Team had recovered, her surviving cloned brains from the creation of Cortana, Halsey was able to create [[the Weapon]], a copy of Cortana capable of locking her down for deletion.{{Ref/Game|Hi}}

==Known sections==
*'''Level Aqua'''
**Section Lambda
***Armory
*'''Level Scarlet'''
**Omega Wing
***Dr. Halsey's office<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 229'' (''"The private office was located deep underground, inside the "Omega Wing" of the super-secure ONI facility, code-named simply CASTLE."'')</ref>
**Medical wing
***Cold storage facilities
***Surgical bays
*'''Level Lavender'''
**Section Sigma
***Elevator shaft<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page 134'' (''"Down the elevator shaft in Section Sigma,"'')</ref>

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo Wars]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Reach]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]]'' {{Mo}}
*''[[Halo: Mortal Dictata]]'' {{mo}}
*''[[Halo: Shadows of Reach]]''
*''[[Halo: The Television Series]]''
**''[[Solace (TV Series)|Solace]]'' {{C|Map-only}}
==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:UNSC military bases]]
[[Category:Reach locations]]