Editing Lyrenne Castilla

{{Status|Canon}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Lyrenne Castilla
|image=
|homeworld=
|birth=''c.'' 2480{{Ref/Note|Id=PetoraHSS6|According to [[Petora Zoyas]], Castilla looked to be in her late forties in [[2526]].}}
|death=
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=
|gender=Female
|height=
|mass=
|hair=Black{{Ref/Reuse|HSS6}}
|eyes=
|affiliation=[[Insurrectionist]]
|rank=Captain
|sn=
|notable=Second wife of [[Preston Cole]]
}}

'''Lyrenne "Lyra" Castilla''' was a high-ranking [[Insurrectionist]] who captained the ''[[Bellicose]]''. She took an interest in her enemy Preston Cole to the point of marrying him while disguised as a civilian, but she left when her true identity was discovered.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 455''</ref> 

==Background==
===Insurrection===
During the late-25th and early-26th centuries Lyrenne Castilla was a high-ranking member of the insurgency in the [[Outer Colonies]]. She was given command of the captured [[UNSC frigate]] [[Bellicose|UNSC ''Bellerophon'']], renamed to ''Bellicose'', which on three occasions engaged the {{UNSCShip|Gorgon}}, captained by [[Preston Cole]]. Twice she was able to escape and on their [[Skirmish at Theta Ursae Majoris|third encounter]] they fought to a draw. As the two ships coasted in space having fired off all their ordnance, Cole and Castilla engaged in a text-only conversation; she knew his identity, but he did not know hers.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 451-452''</ref>

===Marriage===
Three months later, in September [[2501]], Cole was on leave on the colony [[Roost]] in the [[Lambda Aurigae system]] when he met Lyra tending bar on a beach. She told him she got her PhD in nuclear engineering before moving to Roost to fish and pour drinks. The two hit it off immediately. Cole would return to Roost the next three times he was granted leave. Preston Cole and Lyra Castilla were married November [[2502]] during Cole's fourth trip to Roost. When he wrote home to tell his brother of his wedding, Cole reported that Lyra was pregnant. He also said that he was truly happy for the first time he could remember.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 454''</ref>

===Faked death===
On June 13, [[2503]] [[Admiral]] [[Harold Stanforth]] sent Cole [[UNSC Transmission 08871D-00]], informing him that the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] had determined that Lyrenne Castilla was a member of the insurgency. Cole was given the opportunity to try to convince her to turn herself in, but when he got to the bar on Roost he found only a transcript of his conversation with the captain of the ''Bellicose'', who he now realized was Castilla. Castilla likely gave birth to their child shortly after, while she was in hiding.<ref group="note">Cole's letter to his brother mentions she was pregnant in November 2502. When Cole wrote of her fleeing in June 2503 he made no mention of her taking their child with her, suggesting she had not yet given birth, though she would have been at least 7 months pregnant.</ref>

On January 2, [[2504]] UNSC [[Battle Group Tango]], consisting of four heavy destroyers, [[Battle of Theta Ursae Majoris System|cornered]] the ''Bellicose'' in the [[Theta Ursae Majoris System]]. The ''Bellicose'' delivered heavy damage to two of the destroyers before apparently losing control and becoming caught in the [[Gravity well (physics)|gravity well]] of a gas giant. The UNSC reported the ''Bellicose'' was lost with all hands.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 457''</ref>

===A new war===
Castilla was believed dead by both the UNSC and general public for the next four decades, but she and the ''Bellicose'' remained active in the Insurrection. She would take great care to conceal her and her vessel's identities whenever she decided to reappear, often to attack cargo pods containing valuable resources to be used in the Insurrection.{{Ref/Novel|Id=HSS6|HSS|Chapter=6}}

On [[2526#March|March 12, 2526]], Castilla and the ''Bellicose'' hosted a conference between the representatives of various Insurrectionist groups that were prominent at the time: the [[Biko Independence Army]], the [[Freedom League]] of [[Jericho VII]], the [[Gao Liberation Force]], the [[Venezian Militia]], the [[Secessionist Union]], and the [[People's Occupation]] of [[Reach]]. [[General]] [[Harper Garvin]] of the [[United Rebel Front]] led the meeting, which focused on the [[Covenant]]'s attack on the [[Outer Colonies]] and the appearance of the mysterious [[SPARTAN-II program]]. It was decided that the rebels would attempt to bargain with the aliens, supplying them with information on the UNSC in exchange for the promise that their own worlds would go un-[[glassing|glassed]].{{Ref/Reuse|HSS6}} 

===Reappearance===
Then on March 6, [[2543]], during the [[Battle of 18 Scorpii]], UNSC [[Battle Group Sierra-3]] found itself in trouble against a single Covenant ship. Just as things seemed most desperate, reinforcements arrived when unknown friendly ships jumped in system. The additional firepower penetrated the enemy's shields, winning the battle and saving the UNSC ships. The lead reinforcement ship's outline and the registry number gleaned from a passive transponder identified it as the UNSC ''Bellerophon'' aka the ''Bellicose''.<ref name="cole472">'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 472-474''</ref>

The Insurrectionists' motives for helping the UNSC are unclear. In all likelihood Castilla orchestrated the apparent destruction of the ''Bellicose'' and escaped by executing the first ever in-atmosphere slipspace jump.{{Ref/Reuse|cole472}}

On April 18, 2543, UNSC Battle Group India engaged a [[Covenant fleet]] in the largest single battle of the [[Human-Covenant War]], the [[Battle of Psi Serpentis]]. In the heat of the battle coordinated reinforcements - consisting of fifty-five highly modified older UNSC warships, merchant vessels bristling with missile pods and entirely new designs that neither human nor Covenant had seen before - led by the ''Bellicose'' appeared and engaged the Covenant fleet. The insurgent-led forces decimated the Covenant while losing nearly one quarter of their own ships. They then transitioned back to slipspace. Their presence greatly influenced the outcome of the battle.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 479-480''</ref>

[[Codename: SURGEON]] determined that Admiral Cole almost certainly faked his death at the Battle of Psi Serpentis and survived by executing the second ever in-atmosphere slipspace transition. Evidence suggests that Cole somehow contacted or was contacted by Lyra Castilla before the battle and orchestrated the insurgent participation in the battle. In all likelihood, after faking his death, he rejoined Lyra and settled somewhere outside of both UNSC and Covenant-controlled space.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''', ''"The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole"'',  ''page 485-486''</ref>

==Physical description==
Castilla had almond-shaped eyes above a thin nose and high cheeks. Her hair was a silky black and she spoke with a sure voice that instantly commanded respect.{{Ref/Reuse|HSS6}} 

==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Evolutions]]''
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: Silent Storm]]''

==Notes==
{{Ref/Notes}}

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

[[Category:Human characters|Castilla, Lyrenne]]
[[Category:Insurrectionists|Castilla, Lyrenne]]