Edmond Dahm

"Mate, take it from me - I've done some bloody stupid stuff. And when I say a plan is batshit crazy, that should tell ya all you need to know."

- Edmond Dahm

Edmond Dahm was a policeman, UNSC serviceman, and spacer.

Early life
Although proud of his heritage, Edmond Dahm found himself in a case of cultural displacement. He spent most of his childhood in a isolated farm in rural New South Wales, where he was pushed to work to make ends meet. His nostalgic memories of hard work on JOTUN automatons, breaking in wild horses, and planting harvests clashed heavily with other children who enjoyed the latest cross-media series and electronics. Despite this, life on the homestead was tough, even before an extended drought gripped the state and threatened his family's economic livelihood. It was only through careful financial management, and a bit of luck with local lotteries, that they managed to send Dahm to Circumstance, as they knew that the colony would offer him far more opportunities than the static country life would bring. This split put him in a curious position where he had a childhood that bore no relevance to his adult life, and vice versa.

Staying with his uncle and aunt in the city of Mira, Dahm's alienation to his new surroundings led to a rebellious adolescence. While he was not disliked in school, his struggle in academic studies meant that he held little interest in pursuing any meaningful careers, and the increased pressure at home further pushed him away. Instead, more and more of his time time was spent causing trouble with his friends. This started off fairly mundane and harmless, but eventually turned criminal, involving tagging, illegal street-races, and the occasional fight. The only reason he never got caught was because the police officers were lenient to him in his youth, giving Dahm the experience on how to evade them later on.

Of course, there was always a point where one goes too far. For Dahm, that started with his involvement with an old girlfriend, who was an undercover supporter of the Secessionist Union. After a number of incidents where she carefully nurtured his disregard of the law, she convinced him and his friends to partake in an armed attack on a government building in 2527. It was only through a last-minute decision not to participate that he was not killed when UNSC Army Troopers stormed the Mira Council Chambers during the subsequent siege. The ordeal caused Dahm to reevaluate the path his life was on, and served to give him maturity that was sorely lacking in him. The brutality of the soldiers also planted a seed that gave him a very strong moral code, something that remained with him throughout his life.

Police and UNSC career
Dahm eventually graduated from the Circumstance Police Academy and joined the force in 2531, where he had cultivated an impressive career. Paired with senior constable Axel Jefferson, he operated as a street cop between 2532 and 2537, where he established a reputation for being eager and thorough. He was particularly commended for his pursuit skills. This was sorely needed, as the mass-emigration of refugees from the Outer Colonies also brought with it battle-tested criminals, causing a massive increase in violent crimes. This got so bad that Dahm eventually joined SWAT Team Four between 2538 and 2540, who worked closely with the UNSC Army soldiers during times of extreme crisis. He also received qualifications as an investigator, working on both unsolved cases, recent attacks, and the occasional undercover operation.

However, corruption eventually trickled up the chain of the Police Force and the leadership of the Mira City Police Department found itself overstretched by the recent crop of violence. While this was in part due to insufficient jail space, it was also because Dahm's fellow peers had seen such an escalation that they were more willing to let go of minor offenders, something which frustrated him. His preference for bringing in suspects alive also caused issues in an age where high-powered firearms were easy to get a hold on, and on many occasions he had to let his opponent get away just so he could treat the wounded. His final straw was when he was forced to let go of a suspect by orders of the police commissioner himself, disregarding the evidence Dahm had carefully curated. He officially resigned on April 15, 2544.

After a few stints in the odd jobs involving laboring and volunteer work, neither of which he particularly excelled at, Dahm enlisted into the UNSC Navy in 2546. After completing basic training, he graduated as with a Master-at-Arms rating, and worked closely with his peers in the UNSC Marine Corps and on occasion the Office of Naval Intelligence. While this kept him off the front lines, he was drawn into various theatres when the facility or ship he was stationed on came under attack. He first fought at Algolis in 2548, barely surviving this engagement. This started a breakdown in his moral code that continued well beyond the Human-Covenant War. He subsequently fought on Paris IV, Falkirk, and Earth.

Appearance
Standing over six feet tall, Dahm was not as bulky as other career Marines, giving him a lean look. Despite this, his muscle structure was well-defined from his active upbringing and career that demanded the best of his physical abilities. His shoulders aren't as broad as other people, only being slightly wider than his hips. His skin is well-tanned thanks to years in the sun, with plentiful freckles along his arms. Unlike his wife, however, Dahm looks about a decade older than his supposed age, with lots of wrinkles and scars earned from combat injuries. His brown hair, often cut fairly short but occasionally was permitted to grow fairly long, has begun to grey after his fortieth birthday, though he often dyes it to retain a semblance of youth. His main characteristic look was with a three-day-growth, however he has been known to stay clean-shaven and has refused to let it grow too far out of control. He has a tattoo of a dragon that wrapped around his left arm, with the insignia of the UEG Law Enforcement with it's motto on his right shoulder that was always kept covered over after he was discharged from the police force.

For the most part, Dahm wears a plain-colored T-shirt with shorts that have plenty of pockets, although this wasn't set and he often did deviate from this for one reason or another. However, he always seemed set on having a morale patch set on the left side of his chest, which usually featured Australian imagery. His typical smart-casual clothes was a red-and-blue short-sleeved flannelette shirt, now an unpopular choice due to its age, and a pair of blue denim jeans. In his youth he could be often found sporting a cap of his favorite football club, the Miran Mariners, wearing it so frequently that friends and family could use it to pick him out of crowds.

Personality
"Being idealistic will get you killed, but butting heads with the higher-ups will leave you with nowhere to go."

- Former partner Axel Jefferson.

A distinctive character of the Mira City Police Department, Dahm has been described as idealistic, good-natured yet somewhat arrogant. A hard-worker in the field, he has a strong sense of justice that once conflicted with his ability to trust easily. Any sign of corruption was intolerable for him, and he held a strong code in regards to human life which stemmed from his experiences during the heist which changed his life. Reluctantly, he only killed another human to save another, and only after all other options have been exhausted. This would make him frequently disregard orders, butting heads with authority on a weekly basis. This quirk ultimately got him discharged from the force after he failed to stop a suicide bomber from killing over a dozen people in a cafe. These strong stances made him look down on military personnel, especially augmented soldiers, for their willingness to take life in an instant. Sadly, this became a strong and common conflict in his mind later on as he found himself forced to do the very same things to stay alive.

Dahm was known for being easy-going, and found it hard to be angered or embarrassed. He was stubborn and highly opinionated, something which was expressed when he talked faster than he thinks. This comes off as insubordination to his superiors, yet excused by his co-workers and friends. This was because he genuinely cares about the well-being of his co-workers - he would help wherever he could, and in stressful assignments would invite them for a night out or simply play his guitar in the office. He was trustworthy and honest, and would never attempt to lie or betray them, even when intoxicated by alcohol. He liked making jokes in the field, or at the very least entering conversation with someone clearly under stress to take their mind off their case, made all the more better by his charisma. Somewhat ironically, Dahm is not one to discuss personal issues due to his pride, and only on occasion would he accept help for the same reason. However, although stubborn, he wasn't immune to gang pressure even when they conflicted with his beliefs - one example was his enlistment into the Marines. Within his circles of work and friendship, Dahm was known as a womanizer. He would sometimes hook up with multiple women at once just to have sex with them, causing so much tension with his first wife that their marriage would end up in a divorce. In his youth, he lived for the thrill, disliking paperwork and thriving on fieldwork. He would pull off ridiculous stunts in police pursuits just to achieve that thrill factor, to the dismay of his peers. It's for this reason he often volunteered for dangerous plans.

As Dahm got older, he found himself more and more conflicted about himself and his life. While a younger Dahm would easily disregard orders, he has curbed his willingness to do this in favor of pursuing a career. He began to kill more frequently, mostly in self-defense, lying that the world is better off without them. In an effort to maintain his integrity, he recorded the names and faces of those he killed to remember them. He became ashamed of how easily he has desensitized himself to killing. He also became more cautious as time went on, rarely pursuing his missions with the same energy as he once did. To better cope with this guilt, he turned more and more to alcohol and indulged in religious practices more often to give him some sense of relief. He still maintains a façade of confidence, however.

Dahm, like the rest of his family, spoke with a strong Australian country accent. This became less pronounced in time, as he began to take on the Circumstancian's European-like ascent and the American accent that most of the population had. To further distinguish himself, he has a habit of excessively swearing, not to insult people around him but because his upbringing encouraged it. In addition, he also uses a lot of slang derived from Australia - some of it genuine phrases from there, others marketed by Australian tourism companies. He makes an effort to let his peers know when he's joking by elevating his pitch slightly. Dahm tends to be the driving force in most conversations, encouraging them to speak by asking questions which cannot be answered with a simple yes or no and having a genuine interest in the other party. He likes to talk about his stunts from his youthful years, but what people might find annoying is his habit to brag and run his opinionated mouth, especially after drinking. Luckily, he is careful to keep his negative comments to himself.

Skills
For the most part, Dahm's gunplay skills tend to range from average to subpar, occasionally being belittled for his inaccuracy with a BR55 battle rifle or his inability to bring a M739 SAW to bear. This was not the case when it came to handguns, having put in a great deal of time to practice with them and work with their quirks. While officers and Marines were trained to shoot at the center of mass, Dahm was capable of being able to track and accurately bring down targets by hitting their limbs, forcing them to drop a weapon in a hostage situation or cripple escaping criminals. He has proven to be able to reliably hit his opponent at up to about two hundred meters away, and can control the recoil rise extremely well. He can even dual-wield two M6D magnums with a reasonable level of firerate and accuracy, with the lack of iron sights and their high recoil making it difficult to maintain his usual standard of quality. Because of this deficiency, Dahm has had to make up his lethality in other ways. He has earned a reputation for being extremely hard to kill, with his slight cowardice, sprint speed and endurance, and use of his environment all contributing to this. On occasion, he has been able to stage effective ambushes against those trying to chase him down, such as hiding in roofs and dropping down on his enemies.

Dahm has exhibited talent in the pilot and drivers seat, the latter owing from his fixation with auto-mobiles. While he can hardly be called an ace in the air, he was able to man oeuvre around to be a tough target to hit in even his personalized Longsword, and being creative enough to lure experienced pilots into feints. This has only enhanced with training from Sylvia Farkas, who has taught him how to fly pelicans, falcons and condors. On the ground, Dahm was a master driver, being able to chase down runaways in high-speed pursuits in cramped streets and areas of high congestion. Although he wasn't the best, as he had been beaten by rivals in good-natured races, his ability to know when to drift and the like were enough to set him near the top in most situations.

Personal life
It was while Edmond Dahm was working here that he met and later married Zorana Bogdanović, a nurse who worked in the Venture Seas Private Hospital, in 2538. Moving into a suburban house just outside Escalon, the pair raised a daughter, Jessica, and a son, Javor. While he spent as much time as he could with his family while he worked in the police force, once he enlisted into the UNSC Navy, he often left for months or weeks at a time. He wasn't there when they were killed when the Covenant came to Epsilon Eridani system in 2552, and though he grieved for them, his regret for not being there haunted him for the rest of his life.