Editing Rosa Fuertes

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Rosa Fuertes
|image=
|homeworld=[[Netherop]]{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}
|birth=c. [[2504]]{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}
|death=
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=[[Human]]
|gender=Female
|height=
|mass=
|hair=
|eyes=Pale green{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}
|affiliation=[[Castoffs]]{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}
|rank=
|sn=
|notable=
}}

'''Rosa Fuertes''', formerly known as '''Roselle''', is a member of the [[Castoffs]], a group formerly consisting of [[human]] children and young adults who lived on the desolate world of [[Netherop]] prior to being rescued by the [[Spartan-II]]s of [[Blue Team]] in [[2526#June|June 2526]]. After this, Rosa lived in the village of [[Paraiso]], within the jungles of [[Gao]].{{Ref/Novel|Id=Out5|Out|Chapter=5}}

==Biography==
===Castoff===
Roselle was born on the desolate world of [[Netherop]] circa [[2504]]. She and the other members of the [[Castoffs]] were descendants of pirates who had been marooned on the world several generations before. Roselle and [[Samson]], her "mate," jointly led the Castoffs in their efforts to survive on Netherop. During their time on the planet, the Castoffs discovered and utilized technology and structures left behind by [[List of unidentified species#Netherop|an advanced civilization]] which had long ago vanished.{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}

In [[2526#June|June 2526]], the [[Spartan-II]]s of [[Blue Team]] took part in [[Battle of Netherop|a mission]] on Netherop, during which time they encountered the Castoffs. To escape the harsh world, the Castoffs struck a bargain to help the Spartans in their mission in exchange for being rescued. Despite disputes about the terms of the agreement with the [[UNSC]], Roselle and the rest of the Castoffs were extracted with Blue Team and then delivered to the [[Outer Colonies|Outer Colony]] of [[Gao]] to make a new home for themselves.{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}

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===Life on Gao===
After arriving on Gao, the Castoffs used the resettlement funds provided to them to purchase a plot of land in the jungle where they established the village of [[Paraiso]]. In a futile attempt to evade surveillance by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]], the entire band changed their names, with Roselle choosing "Rosa Fuertes" as her new name. Shortly after settling down in their new home, Samson left Rosa for a Gao woman, leading Rosa to hate him. She would continue to live in Paraiso for thirty-three years. By late [[2559]], Rosa had contracted a virulent prion disease and was diagnosed at the [[Hospital de Neiva]].{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}

Near the end of 2559, [[Xenoarchaeology|xenoarchaeologist]] [[Keely Iyuska]] and [[Spartan-IV]] [[Olympia Vale]] visited Paraiso under the guise of medical researchers wanting samples of the disease. In reality, they wished to hire Rosa as a consultant to provide intel on Netherop as they prepared a return expedition. Upon arriving at Paraiso, a man by the name of [[Arnaldo]] refused to allow them to see Rosa and accused them of being ONI agents. At this, Rosa herself appeared in a window above Arnaldo, stating that this was not the deal that they had with the UNSC. They had agreed to not speak of the Spartans if the UNSC left them alone. Vale stated that they were not there to break the deal, and instead wanted to offer a new one. With some financial incentive and violent encouragement from Vale, the two women forced their way into Rosa's home with Arnaldo before the other armed guards watching on could react. As the guards attempted to enter through the door Vale had barred, Rosa came down the stairs and told Arnaldo to call off his men, revealing to him that she could tell Vale was a Spartan. As she dismissed Arnaldo as well, Rosa told Vale that she would be coming with them on their mission to Netherop despite her condition, saying that she would not allow any of the other Castoffs in Paraiso to return to that world. She also stipulated that they must leave the money they brought with them as payment. While Vale and Keely were hesitant to agree to let Rosa come with them, the two relented, with Vale asking if she was sure she wasn't too sick to join. Rosa stated that she would not let the disease kill her before she served her purpose on their mission.{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}

===Return to Netherop===
On Netherop, Rosa serves as a guide, leveraging her intimate knowledge of the planet’s harsh terrain and the remnants of its ancient civilization, which she and the Castoffs had once utilized to survive. Her insights prove critical as Vale, Arbiter Thel ‘Vadam, and their allies navigate the planet’s dangers, including its unforgiving environment and the presence of Commander [[Amalea Petrov]]’s stranded UNSC forces, who have been locked in a decades-long struggle with the [[Defenders of the Sanctum]]. Rosa provides strategic advice based on her prior experiences, such as identifying key locations tied to the artifact, and confronts the physical and emotional toll of returning to a place that shaped her traumatic early life.

Throughout the mission, Rosa exhibits stubbornness and resilience, despite her deteriorating health. Her presence forces Vale and Thel to grapple with the fragility of their post-war peace, as Rosa embodies the lingering scars of conflict. While she doesn’t seek redemption in the same way as Vale or Thel, her participation is a personal reckoning, culminating in her aiding the group in nearly securing [[Divine Hand|the artifact]]—a weapon tied to the Precursors, known as the “Nothing,” which destroyed a Guardian in ancient times, but it eventually instead falls into the hands of [[Atriox]].

Near the end of the expedition to Netherop, while in an altered state of consciousness, Rosa interacts with a mysterious entity of great power who swears her to secrecy regarding its existence in exchange for presumably restoring her to health and returning her to the group. Rosa is reunited with Petrov and ensures that the Lieutenant Commander's children go first in the evacuation. Rosa confesses to having deliberately marooned Petrov on Netherop to ensure the escape of her own children by giving her a [[mountain runner]] without the power to get back to the extraction point in time. Rosa admits that while she would do it again, she regrets it and makes peace with Petrov, offering the other woman advice about how to handle taking her children to a strange world.

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==Personality and traits==
Rosa is stubborn and very protective of the other members of the Castoffs, with the exception of Samson, whom she resents.{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}}

As of late 2559, Rosa has weather-lined face with a square jaw, broad cheeks, and sunken eyes with pale green irises.{{Ref/Reuse|Out5}} Upon being cured of her prion disease by [[Nothing]], Rosa looked to be in her twenties or thirties instead of middle age and her pale complexion was radiant, glowing even.{{Ref/Novel|Id=Out24|Out|Chapter=24}}

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Oblivion]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Outcasts]]''

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuertes, Rosa}}
[[Category:Human characters]]