Editing Herzog

{{Status|Apocrypha}}
{{Cleanup}}
{{Character infobox
|variant=Human
|name=Herzog
|image=
|homeworld=
|birth=
|death=[[2552]]
|causeofdeath=
|parents=
|siblings=
|spouses=
|children=
|species=
|gender=Male
|height=
|mass=
|hair=
|eyes=
|affiliation=*[[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]]
*[[UNSC Navy]]
**[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]
***[[ONI Section Zero]]
|rank=[[Colonel]]
|sn=
|notable=
}}
{{Quote|no=two
|1=[[Standish|Major Standish]]
|q1=My conscience doesn't keep me awake at night, Herzog.
|2=Colonel Herzog
|q2=That's very frightening, Standish. Mine keeps me awake every night.
|3=Herzog, after Standish illegally tried to have [[Rani Sobeck]] assassinated.{{Ref/Audio|Id=6Herzog|ILB|Axon=6|Detail=Herzog: "My Conscience"}}
}}

'''Herzog''' was an [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] [[Colonel]] ostensibly in [[ONI Section Three]], although he was secretly working for [[Office of Naval Intelligence#Section Zero|Section Zero]]. He led a variety of investigations for several years along with his friend [[Avi]]. When Avi retired, he continued to remain active despite his friend's encouragement that he join him in retirement. Although Herzog had been married, it ultimately ended in divorce.

==Biography==
===UNSC ''Apocalypso''===
Herzog's interest in the ONI Prowler {{UNSCShip|Apocalypso}} began with him recruiting [[McKaskill|MacKaskill]], the ship's mechanic, whom he instructed to report to him should anything notable occur. It's possible that Herzog learned through him that the ''Apocalypso'' had intercepted [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] transmissions detailing upcoming attacks on the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] colony worlds of [[Troy]] and [[Harmony]]; however when the ship picked up the mysterious [[Deep-space artifact|Deep-Space Artifact]], MacKaskill's attempt to contact him was thwarted, by the ship's [[Artificial intelligence|AI]], [[Melissa (AI)|Melissa]], who knew that if the transmission was sent MacKaskill could be tried for [[treason]] and felt protective of her crew member.

When the artifact's activation caused a bizarre [[Slipspace anomaly]] that crashed the ship in [[Luna]]r orbit and disrupted all communications within the [[Sol system|Solar System]], Herzog's interests extended to the ambitious [[Major (UNSC)|Major]] [[Standish]]. Standish believed the artifact to be a prototype of a new Covenant weapon and sought to uncover its secrets before anyone else. To do this, he had everyone who served aboard the ''Apocalypso'' suffer a fatal "accident", and moved the artifact into his [[Building 41|own lab]] for study.

Herzog, however, managed to speak to the ''Apocalypso''{{'}}s CO, [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Greene]], before her vehicle [[Roadware|drove her]] into the path of a bus, and he learned of the artifact. On Avi's advice, he recruited a young analyst named [[Rani Sobeck]] to help him keep an eye on [[Chawla Base]], where the artifact was housed, as well as some investigative work into the matters of Troy and Harmony. Proud of her work, he accidentally gave away too much information while trading banter with Standish, leading to the latter's attempt to assassinate her. Herzog's sniper took out Standish's assassin with a [[Hard sound rifle|Hard Sound Rifle]] before he could get to Rani, and Herzog was able to use the incident to get Standish in trouble with an Admiral. In retaliation, Standish had Herzog's car drive him at full speed over a cliff, killing him.

Despite Herzog's death, his persona was taken over by a fragment of Melissa, who was split apart with the artifact's activation, known as the [[Operator]]. The Operator, desperately needed to communicate how to deactivate the artifact to another of Melissa's fragments, known as [[Durga]], but was afraid that Durga wouldn't trust her. She manufactured a scene between Herzog and MacKaskill detailing the artifact's activation sequence, disguising it as surveillance Durga took while spying on Herzog. It worked so well that she was later startled to learn that Herzog had indeed died in the crash.

===Legacy===
On [[2552#September 12, 2552|September 12, 2552]] two individuals known as Mike44236 and Echo23023 shared a conversation through sub-chatter. Among the things they mentioned was an agent known as [[Sierra10852]], implied to be Standish, who was executed for killing Herzog.{{Ref/Comic|HGN|Story=Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122|StoryLinkText=Page 122}}

==Personality and traits==
{{Expand-section}}
{{Quote|Principles are results, they are ends in themselves.|Herzog}}
Herzog often liked to use a fake voice called "The Cranky Old Man" to complain about things.

==Trivia==
*Herzog is a German title meaning Duke.<ref>[[wikipedia:Herzog (title)|Herzog on wikipedia]]</ref>
*It is possible, because of his name, that he is from [[Germany]] or is of German ancestry.

==List of appearances==
*''[[i love bees]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo Graphic Novel]]''
**''[[Halo Graphic Novel, Page 122|Page 122]]'' {{Mo}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Human characters]]
[[Category:UNSC Marine Corps officers]]
[[Category:Office of Naval Intelligence personnel]]