Benjamin Giraud

Benjamin Giraud is a journalist and a war photographer, who for a time worked as a civilian contractor for ONI's Section Two in the city of Mombasa. During the Battle of Mombasa, he witnessed the Master Chief "saving humanity" which led him to do a series of interviews about the life and history of John-117 years after the Human-Covenant War.

Biography
For years, Benjamin Giraud had covered human-interest stories on Earth and in the Inner and Outer Colonies. He had also contracted for the Unified Earth Government and UNSC, covering military affairs. By 2552, he worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence on Earth. Ostensibly a civilian working on the public relations of the Civilian Warthog, he actually helped alter battle footage to keep the public unaware how badly the UNSC was losing the Human-Covenant War.

Battle of Mombasa
On October 20th, 2552, Giraud was injured during the Prophet of Regret's invasion of New Mombasa, and after, was a part of a small resistance group trying to hold the Covenant back until the Marines arrived. He recorded and translated an order from a Sangheili to "Clear this area before we can access the Ark." He was ordered by a Marine sergeant to get the recording out of the city to the Office of Naval Intelligence. He was about to board a boat out of the city, but stopped when he saw a young girl crying with no one with her. 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, Giraud saw John-117 up-close.

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

Production notes

 * Giraud's character was first featured in the Halo Graphic Novel story Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa, although he goes 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 Over New Mombasa, who passed away in 2012.
 * In Hunt the Truth, Benjamin Giraud is voiced by Keegan-Micheal Key, of the show Key & Peele.

List of appearances

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