Edmond Dahm

"A lot of my mates say that I'll do more good on the frontier than here in the urban. They say I'm a coward for choosing to stay safely behind the lines. Well, 'screw them', I say. My battles aren't the massacres on the frontier - its going walkabout and rooting out the outlaws who live right next to each and every one of us."

- One of Ed Dahm's infamous protests against his resignation.

The call to arms when an declared an unprovoked war on humanity turned the UNSC's propaganda manufacturers into full swing. Here, ordinary men and women were pulled under the impression that joining the armed forces has now become a normal part of everyday life, and the reasons for their enlistment were many and varied. Some wanted to try and become heroes, others wanted to do their part to ensure humanity doesn't go extinct, and others still needed a new purpose in life to prevent their sanity from crumbling in the massive civil war interrupted by this new conflict. However, what many don't tell is how many don't join the war effort, and are criticised to be cowards or corrupt individuals seeking to keep their power. Deputy Commissioner Ed Dahm was one of those souls who were frequently accused of this, though he knew he needed to fight the battles that the Covenant war had put into the background.

Though born on a large homestead in the middle of Australia's Outback, Ed Dahm's family left their home for the stars when hard economic times hit. A stroke of luck allowed them to win a small-town lottery and they used the money to travel to Circumstance. Here, he witnessed how much poverty was present in his home city and how much tension was caused between the people and the UNSC. He joined the Mira City Police Department as an officer, where he served for over two decades. He was the envy of his peers, who were jealous of his position and his dedication, and he weathered their constant insults and accusations. He only learnt of the power of the Covenant when they attacked Circumstance, and despite his efforts he watched as his home burned. Not content to let his first home meet the same fate, he enlisted for the first time in 2552, fighting during the and staying on until 2569, when he formally resigned and went independent as an investigator-for-hire.

Early Life
Ed Dahm was born in a large country hospital in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, to Lucinda and George Dahm. He lived in a large family on the Dahm Homestead Property some 349 kilometres from Bathurst, and he, along with his older siblings, were forced to work on the fields of Sugarcanes and the undercover vegetable rows, the family's primary source of income. As a child, he didn't have much technology and his family discouraged this. As a result, he spent most of his free-time running and chasing his brothers, sisters and the neighbours kids from across the road. Because of the distance from the major town, Ed didn't have much schooling save the necessary skills his mother and father taught him on the homestead. As a result, Ed didn't have a good grasp on mathematics or science, though his parents taught him limited English skills. Instead, he was taught how to ride and break into horses, how to filter water of salts and, when he got older, how to fly the family's spacecraft to and from Bathurst. He rarely did the latter due to the price of petrol, so it was always exciting for him.

Eventually, the Dahm's family were affected by a crisis starting in 2518. A large drought hit the farm for several years, reducing the income the family were able to gain. While the family knew they had to save money to ride out the drought, they found that after two years they began to starve. George was often criticised for his 'habit' of gambling and putting money on the local lottery, and most of the family turned on him for his addiction, including Ed. George's addiction proved to be their salvation, surprisingly, when he won a minor lottery of $1.5 million. Despite the chance it had to save the homestead, however, both his parents came to an agreement to move the majority of the family to a more stable economic environment. Ed's oldest brother promised to stay on the homestead to look after it, promising to visit the family when they're all settled in.