Lt. Rosalind Edlyn Grey


 * Information:
 * Name: Rosalind Edlyn Grey
 * Gender: Female
 * Affiliation: British Army
 * Rank: Lieutenant
 * Debut: #7- ‘Hold Your Attention’
 * Armour: Unnamed Rank 3 Armour

Rosalind Edlyn Grey, also called ‘Rosie’ on one occasion, is one of the protagonists of ‘Operator’, lieutenant of Fairfax Company, and operator of an as-yet-unnamed Rank 3 Armour.

Appearance
Rosalind is a woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, with a single loose strand hanging over her forehead. After the death of Pvt. Roberta Paige, she stops tying her hair back, instead letting it hang loose and messy. Immediately after Roberta’s death, she becomes noticeably thinner, with bags under her eyes. These disappear when she starts recovering.

Personality
Much like the other Captain- Lieutenant pair seen in the series, Rosalind has a more grounded personality to contrast  her Captain’s eccentricities. In contrast to Ash, however, she has far less influence on her Captain, and quickly gives up trying to exert any. She enjoys the company of Pvt. Roberta Paige, and later proves able to engage in banter with her Captain. After Pvt. Paige’s death, Rosalind’s personality switches into a gloomy and melancholy state. Though she professes a wish to be left alone, she leaves the door of her room open so others can see her sulking. Her temper also shortens considerably.

History
Before her first actual appearance in the comic, Lt. Grey presumably takes part in Fairfax company’s attack on the German artillery positions overlooking the unnamed French town.

Synopsis
Rosalind first appears in the same meeting as Captain Harcourt, but her face is not seen clearly until the next strip. She attempts to get Hannah to slow down her drinking- upon failing, she wanders off and, by chance, sits down next to Pvt. Roberta Paige, a new recruit for Fairfax company. They quickly bond and become friends, Rosalind going out of her way to protect Roberta- her Tommy identified by a pink star design on the shoulder- during the subsequent combat with  Jaeger’s bodyguards. She is one of the witnesses to the Raging Griffon’s combination with Jaeger’s Armour. Later, she is woken by Roberta from a ‘weird’ dream in which she spends the day at the beach with someone, but refuses to say who it was. During a patrol to make sure the German artillery they destroyed earlier was not replaced, Fairfax company come under attack by a sudden artillery ambush, and Pvt. Paige is killed by a direct hit just as Rosalind is talking to her. The shock of this temporarily sends Roberta into a near-catatonic state, in which she sits motionless in her Armour as the artillery barrage continues, mumbling ‘…this can’t be happening… she was just there…’. Captain Fairfax uses the extendable claw of her Armour to retrieve Rosalind and her Armour as Fairfax company retreats. Sinking into a state of depression, Rosalind sits in her darkened room, rebuffing Hannah’s first attempt to talk to her. She does not respond to Hannah after this, and sits in stony silence at the subsequent meeting. When she goes to get into her Armour as the British forces deploy to meet the incoming German army, Rosalind is barred by Hannah, who does not want to let her onto the field in her fragile emotional state. Hannah expresses concern that Rosalind’s behaviour may get someone else killed. Rosalind snaps for an instant and slaps Hannah around the face, then freezes, shocked at what she has done.

Abilities
Rosalind has earned the rank of lieutenant and the Rank 3 Armour that comes with it, although she only has two coloured bars on her medal strip, as opposed to the three on fellow lieutenant Ash’s, suggesting she is not quite as skilled as her colleague. She is able to fight on par with the Rank 3 Armours making up Jaeger’s bodyguard, and dispatches one with a single hit as it threatens Pvt. Paige.

Relationships

 * Hannah: Initially, Rosalind gives the impression of being devoted to her captain’s service, and tries, fruitlessly, to curb her drinking habits. After meeting Roberta, Rosalind seems to grow a little more rebellious towards her captain, speculating about her being ‘out of sorts’ and starting to engage in the same sort of banter as she and Ash do. In her state of depression, Rosalind rejects Hannah’s initial attempt to talk to her, effectively blocking her off, and later becomes so angered at Hannah’s insinuation that she caused Roberta’s death that she momentarily forgets all protocol and slaps her.
 * Roberta: After initially meeting in the bar following the town’s capture by British forces, Roberta and Rosalind quickly become close friends. There are various implications that this may be more than just friendship- they don’t question waking up together the morning after this, Rosalind goes out of her way to protect Roberta specifically, and may have even been dreaming about her. At the very least, Captain Fairfax seems to think they are romantically involved, mentioning that they ‘are getting so chummy it’s sickening to be around’ and threatening to start speculating on their ‘exact relationship’. Immediately after her death, Rosalind completely freezes, losing all control of her Armour, and for a while afterwards is incredibly depressed and emotionally unstable.

Trivia

 * Rosalind bears a close resemblance to Jane, a protagonist from Coga Suro [by the same artist], hence the title of page #8, in which she was first clearly seen.
 * Rosalind usually has a single strand of hair hanging down over her forehead. When she is still distressed over Roberta’s death, two strands are hanging down. After she starts recovering, this immediately switches back to one strand.

Quotes

 * ’Well, that drunk woman I left at the bar is *Captain* Fairfax, and I’m her lieutenant, Rosalind.’
 * ’I don’t think so!’
 * ’Whatever. You don’t understand how I feel right now.’