Edmond Dahm

Edmond Dahm is a former police officer and serviceman who served with them during the. A somewhat competent gunslinger with a knack for surviving unwinnable situations, Dahm is best characterised for his patriotic, somewhat judgmental personality and investigative skills.

Born on yet partially raised on Circumstance, Dahm would lead a brief independence streak before committing himself to become an officer of the law. Enjoying much of his time here, the young man would develop many of his core beliefs during this period, such as a strong sense of justice and stance against killing his fellow man. After being dishonourably discharged from the organisation, he would reluctantly enlist into the as a means to keep himself employed. Working his way up, Dahm's skills and background would attract the attention of the, where he would serve as first an agent and then finally an Investigator of Section Zero. Unfortunately, by ONI standards Dahm's time here was also brief; he would be blackmailed and reassigned back into the Marines after he stumbled on some illegal activities being conducted by Section Three. Within a frontline unit, he would fight in many of the war's toughest battles, including, and eventually Earth. By this point, however, he grew disinterested in the UNSC; as soon as the war ended, Dahm immediately retired and headed for the Colonial Frontier.

Career Service Vitae
 2540= 

Early Life
Edmond 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 a vast homestead property some 361 kilometres from Bathurst, where 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, the Dahm kids didn't have much schooling save the necessary skills his mother and father taught him on the homestead. As a result, Edmond 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 an exciting adventure 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. The dried produce made it less desirable for the companies the Dahm family regularly traded with to purchase their produce, and after a year all but one small company looked for other suppliers. 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 Edmond. 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. Edmond's oldest brother promised to stay on the homestead to look after it, promising to visit the family when they're all settled in.

Spending the better part of four months on board the Venture while traveling to, Edmond began to learn about what he was to experience on Circumstance. The eleven-year-old also learnt that he would be going to a proper school for the first time, something which greatly excited him. When Edmond arrived, he was caught in awe of the surroundings of his new neighbourhood, as he never seen an urban environment before. While enjoying the free-time before going to school, he frequently caused mischief in the neighbourhood, frequently using the excuse that he was 'exploring' his new homeland.

Schooling for Edmond would be very far from what he was told. While it was true that there were lots of other students to socialise with, the class ranking system meant that the students were often very competitive with each other. He would learn to hate it, as his lack of the most basic academic skills meant he was condemned to the bottom classes known as the 'rainbow learners'. This fact meant that at first many of his peers looked down on him, but with backing from his family he was determined to win them over. He joined many extra-curriculum sports, and joined the bottom of many social groups before finally being able to form his own gang of friends. Prior to this period, a young Alex Dubbo helped the foreign student get his bearings on how school worked, becoming Edmond's earliest and closest friend.

As he got older, the pressures of later school life would begin to change him. After witnessing the results of his older brothers and sisters, Lucinda began to crack down on Edmond so he could do better at school. Very quickly, Edmond saw homelife as an extension of school, and began organising nights out with his friends. Most of these early events were harmless, with late-night soccer games being common, but as tension increased Edmond began to take more risks. Infiltrating nightclubs in one way or another, taking low-level drugs and, upon getting his license, encouraged street races with his friends. This all, of course, caused even more trouble in school, resulting in broken property and fights in addition to punishment set by the teachers, though he rarely the latter. By year eleven, Edmond had little to challenge the thought that he and his gang were above the law.

URF Fall-in
Eventually, Edmond's actions and reckless nature led him becoming known for his long line of ex-girlfriends, dumping them when the relationships took a turn for the worst when they learnt how dangerous his exploits were and wanted out. His hobbies and thrill-seeking attitude meant it was inevitable that he was fall in with Natalie Kewling, one of the newest additions to his grade in Year Eleven. Despite being tall and physically attractive like his previous girlfriends, she didn't mind getting her hands dirty and cared less about undertaking the risks Edmond's group took. Again different, she was utterly unimpressed by the activities they did. Already crazy about the way she acted, Edmond was obsessed with trying to impress her. He led more bold strikes, with the apex being when his gang robbed the local major bank before disappearing long before the police arrived. Still, she wasn't impressed.

Natalie offered them to storm the JOTUN building near Mira's Central Business Division (CBD), where they would rob the building and steal a small amount of credits as well as a few packages. Though she didn't attend this, she did have one of her other guy-friends Aj to help out in the operation, who also provided the weapons and masks. Edmond and the rest of the gang were shocked at their other 'mate's' brutality, where he mercilessly gunned down the security guards. Edmond made his doubts known about the need to kill anyone, but was intimidated by by Aj's rebuttal and armament, and when he was given the offer to run, Edmond declined it, not wanting to ruin his reputation as a fearless rebel. They quickly ascended to their target on level thirteen, in the Research and Development wing, though not quietly; the alarm had already sounded as soon as they arrived.

During the entire raid, Dahm found he was completely out of his depth: the mere raid turned into a small-scale fight, where the gang were told to do whatever they could to fight off the police assault that was to come. As only Aj was willing to to execute the hostiles, the rest of the gang were tasked to create ways to slow their progress. Edmond was ordered to set explosive charges and then watch the drill as it worked its way through the vault's lock. During these preparations, Edmond caught bits and pieces of a TV report which was showing a strangely-similar circumstance that Edmond was in: a tower siege. While ignored most of it, it was obvious it wasn't broadcasting the JOTUN building when a strafed the top floor, before making a spectacular explosion from a barrage of its wing-mounted missiles.

Dahm wasn't the only witness to this; Dubbo also witnessed this while barricading the outer doors, and came running to the drill after grabbing Yelding to make sense of what just happened. In the end, the trio decided it was simply too dangerous it was too dangerous to stay, filled with fear for the first time. Before they could sneak off, a platoon of officers had breached the building and the trio fled to Aj, who mercilessly tried to fight them off. The chaos that ensured led to two officers being killed, one injured, and Dahm and Dubbo somehow subduing Aj and knocking him out to be detained. In the panic, the remainder of the team tried to evacuate, taking a route that involved going down the fire escape, hijacking the elevator before finally falling two stories down into the building's garden. Despite being wounded and tired, the trio were overwhelmed by the fear that they sought earlier on, and ran in random directions to escape the chaos. By a blind miracle, as well as Dahm's knowledge of the city's layout, he was able to discard his mask and suit he used to infiltrate the building before finally returning home, albeit many hours after avoiding police and emergency vehicles that traveled the streets.

Training and Partnership
In the months after the robbery, Dahm's life changed dramatically. He learnt that his girlfriend, Natalie, was actually the daughter of a prominent family of the Reach rebel cell. Being faced with the possibility of prosecution and being locked away for the very first time, he became a great deal more withdrawn even within his gang, and he quietly severed many of his friendships. Despite all this guilt, he continued to hold onto the carbine Natalie gave him before the mission, though only as a reminder to be careful in the future. To cope with the guilt that he had gotten people killed, he became quite a drinker and turned to drugs more and more easily to raise him up. He was eventually discovered by his family, who put him on therapy to help him recover in time for his High School Certificate (HSC). During the therapy sessions, he discovered that, like his friends, he wanted to set right the wrongs he did in during his time in his gang. Unlike Dubbo and Yelding, who both signed up for the, Dahm held the UNSC in low light because of how quickly they called their gunships to murder the rebels. Instead, he aspired to join the local Police Department after he spoke at length about the subject with his uncle's friend, who was a leading administrator of a wealthy PMC. Not long after, he announced to much surprise that he wanted to take up a university course in Justice and Law, which were essential for the Police Academy. He agreed to take on sessions of tutoring to improve his questionable academic skills. Unlike his school years, he was persistent to improve, and at the end of the four-year course, he managed to proudly attain a middle-range score set - his highest score yet. He then attended the Police Academy of New Beijing, where its physical and academic training regime improved his abilities. In 2532, he finally emerged from his schooling to be transferred over to the South Mira Police Station.

Despite completing the courses on average marks, the psychiatric profile done on him during his studies made him an unpopular choice for a field partner. As a result, the role of getting him prepared in finishing his last semester in the field fell to Axel Jefferson, a drunkard who was nevertheless a brilliant planner and famous for making accurate snap-judgements of random suspects. He was less-than-thrilled to be given babysitting duties with Dahm, where his smart-ass attitude regularly got under his skin. They were well-known for their excessive bickering, only brought to an end when Dahm's attitude and youthful arrogance was subdued and he began to take his job seriously. This new mindset also saw the pair begin to respect each other's abilities and mindset, especially since Dahm's easygoing and conversational approach allowed him to make informants in the likes of the local homeless and, to an extent, gangs as well.

If Dahm hoped his gang history would be buried, he would be disappointed in late 2535, when he would be called to investigate a number of robberies. On the fourth call, he and Jefferson would arrive quick enough to watch a hooded person escaping. Ignoring Jefferson's advise that it would be easier to drive, Dahm took a brief chase with the criminal, only to let him go after he discovered the masked man was Aj. Though he would plead with police leadership, Intendant Ander Vastag, to put him and Jefferson on the case, they refused to due to Dahm still being a Probationary Officer. Despite this, he felt he was responsible to bring them to justice, and spent extended hours in the station looking researching the records and profiles of his old gang.

This massive increase in productivity quickly got the attention of his partner Jefferson, who confronted him about the reason of this sudden push in effort. Though initially denying the allegations, he eventually gave in, telling him that he knew the robber in high school. However, he has since dropped out of contact with him soon after he entered Uni, being careful to distance himself from his former friends. A few days later, Jefferson revealed he had Intel on a planned trap to spring on the robbers, managing to convince the Intendent to change their patrol route to a place where they could quickly respond to it. Though that operation was a failure, they both knew it was only a matter of time before they caught them.

It was months later in late October that Dahm finally had another chance. The gang had engaged in a hit-and-run, and the pair were pursuing in a Givet police vehicle. It was here that Dahm first displayed his driving skill, keeping pace with the runaways for more than fifteen minutes. After that, a stunt went badly wrong when the criminal driver attempted to shake them off in a U-turn, but collided with the side of a building. Parking his vehicle, Dahm was about to check the wreckage before he saw a silhouette run from the vehicle down the street. Dahm quickly gave chase down the alleys, only to be cornered when a wrong turn allowed himself to be trapped. Rather than gunning him down quickly, Dahm managed to distract them into a rather tense conversation, giving enough time for Jefferson to hit them from behind. He became upset when Jefferson killed Yelding in his opening rounds, and placed himself in Jefferson's line of fire to save the others. Given no-where to run, the gang were successfully arrested.

The rest of his partnership with Jefferson was far less emotional or exciting. Though they managed to shut down a small black-market operation and started an investigation into a child slavery ring, they were given the less thrilling job of following up on expired licenses or acting as security at major events. Dahm despised this, even more when it was a private event they had to guard, though Jefferson ordered him to endure it. Despite these disagreements, among others, both respected each others' skills and abilities, and remained good friends even after Dahm became qualified as an officer of the law.

The Early Years
Now having a taste at what policing was really like during his probationary period, Dahm's enthusiasm improved after he received the rank of Constable. Assigned into a small squad, he would routinely patrol the streets on foot, mainly to fulfill mundane duties such as fining and breaking up drunken stand-offs. While most within his squad were content with roaming the streets, Dahm frequently ventured into back-alleys of Mira in search of trouble. To his distaste, little besides insults thrown from the resident homeless population would ever emerge from them. Nevertheless, Dahm would loyally serve the force, even if he never did anything particularly distinctive during his earliest time there.

Fortunately, Dahm would be given an opportunity to distinguish himself during his second year. During the month of April, a townhouse suddenly caught in one of the housing commission suburbs. Arriving first on the scene, Dahm would quickly establish a perimeter to stop others from approaching the building. As the minutes ticked down, he made the decision to rush into the building to assist in the rescue before the fire department arrived. In total, he would save almost fifteen lives before anyone else arrived, and with extra help saved nearly all of the 120 people that lived there by the night's end. Although the injuries he sustained would temporarily remove him from duty, on his return Dahm would receive a commendation.

One Last Mistake
"I know 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 fucking 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 Edmond "Eddie" Dahm's protests against his resignation.

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 which once contrasted his ability to trust easily - a trait which was lost as he grew older and friends turned on one-another. Corruption is intolerable for him, and he holds a strong code in regards to human life which stemmed from his experiences during the heist which changed his life. Reluctantly, he would only kill a person to save another, and only after all other options have been exhausted. This would often make him disregard orders, butting heads with authority on questionable orders. This weakness would ultimately get him discharged from the force, when he failed to stop a suicide bomber from killing over a dozen people in a cafe. These strong stances make him look down on military personnel, especially augmented soldiers, yet would prove to be a strong conflict in his mind later on as he found himself forced to do the same things to stay alive.

Dahm is known as being easy-going, and found it hard to be angered or embarrassed. He is stubborn and highly opinionated, something which is expressed when he talks more than he thinks. This comes off as insubordination to his superiors, yet excused by his co-workers and friends. This is because he genuinely cares about their well-being - 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 is trustworthy and honest, and would never attempt to lie or betray them, even when intoxicated by alcohol. He likes making jokes in the field, or at the very least entering conversation with someone clearly under stress to take their mind off their case. 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 is his enlistment into the Marines. In his youth, he lived for the thrill, disliking paperwork and thriving on field work. He would pull of 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 in dangerous plans.

As Dahm got older, he would find himself becoming more and more conflicted on himself and his life. While a younger Dahm would easily disregard orders, he has curbed his willingness to do this in favour 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 of those he's killed to remember them. He also became ashamed of how easily he has been desensitized 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 facade of confidence, however.

Edmond, like the rest of his family, spoke with a strong Australian country ascent. This became less pronounced in time, as he began to take on the Circumstancian's European-like ascent and the American ascent 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.

Firearms



 * Originally used exclusively in the military, the MA5-series are a range of visually-similar rifles that are air-cooled and gas-operated. Immediately recognised for its pronounced shroud, these automatic weapons are widely used thanks to their impressive reliability. Police departments are often issued with either the MA5K/P or MA5R for specific purposes. The MA5K/P operates as a general service rifle, with two additional tactical rails on the sides and iron sights on the top rail to improve its adaptability and ease of use. The MA5R, on the other hand, is designed specifically for en masse crowd clearing, and its built-in gas canister launcher and heartbeat monitors for emergencies. Both are designed to be fully compatible with as well as the standard  to reduce the loss of life during anti-crime patrols.


 * Cheap, adaptable and reliable, the M6-series of sidearms have been in service for over 140 years and is amongst the most common of weaponry. Law Enforcement officers are frequently armed with either the variant, or Dahm's more favoured  model. The M6B is equipped with a  linked up to either the helmet or glasses the officer tends to wear. While favourable, the M6B is rarer than the M6A and is set aside exclusively for higher-ranking officers. Like all other police models, it can fire TT Darts.
 * Cheap, adaptable and reliable, the M6-series of sidearms have been in service for over 140 years and is amongst the most common of weaponry. Law Enforcement officers are frequently armed with either the variant, or Dahm's more favoured  model. The M6B is equipped with a  linked up to either the helmet or glasses the officer tends to wear. While favourable, the M6B is rarer than the M6A and is set aside exclusively for higher-ranking officers. Like all other police models, it can fire TT Darts.


 * CM393 Marksman Carbine
 * A recent addition, CM932 Carbines are the replacement of the older SRS70-AP rifles issued to qualified snipers, and are heavily influenced by the used by the . Possessing a stripped-down silhouette of said rifle, the CM393 lacks many of the recoil-dampeners and other electrical features enjoyed by military personnel. With a retractable iron sight at the end of the barrel and two tactical rails, as well as a wide variety of different models, they are also issued to SWAT teams. Like all other police rifles, it fires modified TT Darts to maximise range at the cost of ammunition space, and stands out for its superior firepower.


 * Natalie's Memento
 * Despite knowing the risks that owning a can bring, Dahm still kept it in his home as a reminder of what side of the law he's on, and took on even greater significance after the Battle of Circumstance. Because of this, Dahm almost never touched the weapon, and it retained a degree of restrain and caution when he did. He only actively used the weapon after his time in the military ended in 2559, using it to defend himself while he traveled the remaining colonies. He later had it modified by a friend to improve its performance, featuring a traditional x3 DMR sight, heartbeat monitor, slightly improved firerate and the ability to load and fire TT Darts. A stock made of wood from Circumstance's Great Northern Forest and a gold and blue pattern inspired by Circumstance's flag along its barrel would be another late modification.

Vehicles

 * Lost Veteran


 * Flying it soon after he left the UNSC, the Lost Veteran is a heavily-modified C709 Longsword he recovered from the wreck of a Marathon-class cruiser. Stripping out everything that wasn't necessary to fly it, Dahm converted these into cargo bays and fitted external electromagnets and clamps to allow him to carry parts which can't fit anywhere else. To allow it to be suitable for interstellar travel, the hull and superstructure were reinforced and coated with radiation-resistant plating, and an extremely-compact acquired through unknown means was stuffed into the back. To supplement its already-durable superstructure, a shield generator from a  is added to give it an edge in combat. As a salvage vessel, its sensor package and navigation software is upgraded to allow it to navigate dangerous regions of space, as well as to identify specific parts which can be sold. Living space was restricted to a small space centered around the cockpit, with the hull extended to allow it to carry up to three people in livable conditions. Finally, the engines and reactor were further upgraded to provide 25% extra thrust for the same size. Lastly, while its ammunition capacity is diminished and its missile capacity is non-existent, some reports indicated that Dahm deployed some sort of electromagnetic pulse weapon in desperate situations. This all resulted in a ship which was surprisingly fast and durable for its size, however in a dogfight it had much to be desired.

Trivia

 * This character was the winner of the Sixth season of Survival of the Fittest.

List of Appearances

 * Distraction
 * Have a Drink
 * Survival of the Fittest
 * Season Six
 * RP:Jaeter's Protectors