Benjamin Giraud

Benjamin Giraud is a journalist and a war photographer who for a time worked as a civilian contractor for the Office of Naval Intelligence's Section Two. During the Battle of Mombasa in October 2552, he witnessed Spartan John-117 "saving humanity". This led Giraud to undertake a series of biographical interviews about the Master Chief in 2558.

Biography
For years Benjamin Giraud covered human-interest stories on Earth and in the Inner and Outer Colonies. He also contracted for the Unified Earth Government and the United Nations Space Command, covering military affairs. By 2552 he worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence in the city of Mombasa, Kenya, on Earth. Ostensibly a public relations consultant for AMG Transport Dynamics' Hog, he actually helped alter battle footage to keep the public unaware of how badly the UNSC was losing the Human-Covenant War.

Battle of Mombasa
On October 20, 2552, Giraud was injured during the Prophet of Regret's invasion of New Mombasa. He fell in league with a small civilian resistance group trying to hold the Covenant back until Marine reinforcements arrived. He recorded and translated an order from a Sangheili to clear the area before the Covenant could access something called "the Ark". A Marine sergeant ordered Giraud to get the recording out of the city to the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was about to board an evacuation boat but stopped when he saw a lone young girl crying. Giraud calmed her down and handed her his laptop with the recording in it. He presumably asked her to give it to the authorities when she got to the mainland. He remained in the city where he observed the Covenant invasion in a room full of displays. During the invasion he saw Spartan John-117.

Post-war investigation
Giraud was able to find a way out of New Mombasa. By 2558 he had begun an extensive investigation in order to collect information about the Master Chief.

Personality and traits
Giraud had adopted a somewhat cynical attitude toward his job, and the pride he took in his work often overshadowed any guilt he felt for deceiving Earth's populace about the Covenant War. However, he still resented the UNSC's control over his work, particularly their demands to further sanitize battlefield photos. Partly to soothe his own guilt, he would often argue with the ONI representatives that the UNSC should simply tell the public the truth about the current situation, only to be reproved with a series of historical examples to justify the UNSC's media policy.

Giraud frequently worked in Old Mombasa. Because he had difficulty keeping up with the dialect spoken by the residents, he kept an automated translator running on his laptop when he interacted with the locals. Giraud wore a set of orange sunglasses at all times until they were knocked off his face in the crowd of refugees attempting to escape New Mombasa.

Production notes

 * Giraud was first featured in the Halo Graphic Novel story "Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa", although he remains unidentified in the comic. He was not named until being reintroduced as part of the Hunt the Truth promotional campaign for Halo 5: Guardians. His surname is an homage to Jean "Moebius" Giraud, the illustrator of "Second Sunrise", who passed away in 2012.
 * Giraud is voiced by Keegan-Michael Key, an American comedian best know for his work on Mad TV and Key & Peele. Key starred on Mad TV alongside Debra Wilson, the voice of Hocus in Halo 3.

List of appearances

 * Halo Graphic Novel
 * Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa
 * Hunt the Truth