TheCastoffs are a group ofhumans, so-named for their origins, having grown up in isolation outside of theHuman Sphere of space. The group were born as the descendants ofpirates marooned on the planetNetherop in the mid-late 25th century, and grew up isolated until encountering modernUnited Nations Space Command andCovenant forces in the early years of theHuman-Covenant War.^[1] In return for assisting UNSC forces during thebattle on the planet, the group were granted aid to return to human space, ultimately choosing to settle on theInsurrectionist-leaning world ofGao.^[2] In the intervening years of theHuman-Covenant War, the group used their funds to purchase land deep in the jungle of Gao, founding the village ofParaiso with the goal of living their lives free and outside the auspices of theUnified Earth Government.^[3]

History[edit]

Origins[edit]

At some time in the 25th or early 26th centuries, the Castoffs' ancestors had worked as pirates in theOuter Colonies, preying on thefreighters andcolony ships serving the distant network of far-flung worlds. Eventually, these pirates were apprehended and ultimately marooned on the inhospitable greenhouse world Netherop, despite the practice's outlawing in theUniform Code of Military Justice andPlanetary Penal Code underColonial Administration Authority ruling. With such a cruel fate, the Castoffs' ancestors had been expected to die on Netherop stranded in the outermost limits ofhuman space. However, the stranded pirates instead discovered the remnants of along-dead civilization on Netherop, and were able to use the planet's remnant networks of cities and ancient technology to survive on Netherop - if not thrive.John-117 estimated that those who had originally come to Netherop may have been around the mid-2470s - roughly fifty years beforeBlue Team's ownadventure on the planet in2526.^[1]

Human-Covenant War[edit]

Main article:Human-Covenant War

Resettlement[edit]

After extracting from Netherop, the Castoffs (represented by Roselle and Samson) met with Vice AdmiralMichael Stanforth aboardUNSCEverest to discuss the outcome of the engagement on Netherop and the terms of their resettlement, alongside Vice AdmiralPreston Cole, John-117,Catherine Halsey, and two officers (Lieutenant CommanderB. Nett and LieutenantJ. Stone) from theUNSC Judge Advocate General's Corps - deliberately arranged by the admiral in the Castoffs' favour. The focus of the questioning during the interview focused on debriefing the two Castoffs and John with regards to the abandonment of Petrov on Netherop, with Roselle having falsely claimed that Petrov had volunteered to be left behind. The officers then questioned John-117 about his promises to the group, that the UNSC would resettle them on any world of their choosing regardless of its affiliation in theongoing civil war, noting that an enlisted rank such as aMaster Chief Petty Officer did not have the authority to make such a promise.^[2]

When questioned on which world they would want to be resettled on, the Castoffs choseGao, having heard that it was a free world. This initially alarmed the UNSC officers, though Nett argued that it wouldn't be an issue; the defection ofHector Nyeto to the rebellionearlier that year had already leaked the secret of theSPARTAN-II program to his forces, so the Castoffs would not be able to provide any intel to the insurrection that they did not already know. Despite protests by Stanforth, the settlement was agreed upon, with Roselle promising that if the UNSC were able to keep their word, the Castoffs would not leak any secrets about the Spartans to the Insurrection. This promise was backed up by John, thanks to his experience with the Castoffs and their devotion to keeping their word even at great personal expense on Netherop. That the decision had ended in their favour surprised the group, especially once they were given an oldSharpfin-class escort corvette to use to get to the planet.^[2]

Alongside the UNSC doing the work to ensure the group would be allowed to enter Gao without flaring up the Insurrection and their provided corvette, the Castoffs were given resettlement funding, which they used to purchase land on Gao, deep in the jungle, founding the villageParaiso. Although the village would remain under covertOffice of Naval Intelligence surveillance, the Castoffs mostly kept to themselves during their life on Gao - having children and minimal connection to the wider planet. One member of the Castoffs,Oskar, did eventually leave the village to settle with a girl from the more connected parts of the planet. This state largely continued throughout theHuman-Covenant War and into thepost-war years; by2559 the Castoffs were the victims of a prion disease outbreak in the jungle. DoctorKeely Iyuska andSpartanOlympia Vale were deployed to the village in late 2559 disguised as travelling medical staff to deal with the outbreak, though in actuality were there to meet with a now-much older Roselle (going by the name Rosa) to seek her assistance in areturn mission to Netherop.^[3]

Culture[edit]

The Castoffs were all adolescents who had likely never known a life outside of Netherop; as such their culture and attitude toward the greater human civilisation was somewhat unique. The Castoffs only had a limited amount of knowledge, and did not understand the concept of a year.^[1]

Members[edit]

• Arne
• Lena
• Oskar
• Roselle
• Samson

List of appearances[edit]

• Halo: Oblivion(First appearance)
• Halo: Outcasts

Sources[edit]

• Factions
• Castoffs

• Articles with incomplete sections