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Description
Franchise: Halo

Real Name: Unknown

Faction: Office of Naval Intelligence, HillSol Commerce, The Council of Man, The Placeholders (Rumoured)

Artificial Intelligence (A.I) Companion: PUPET- Taking the appearance of a silhouette of a puppet with strings attached to a marionette controller, which The Man "holds" when he interacts with it. PUPET does not seem to have any clearly defined personality traits, though it's lack of one makes sense for The Man, who only seeks counsel from PUPET on cost/benefit matters. It is believed that PUPET is built upon the framework of a LUMU-Model A.I and mindlessly serves its master, but others believe that there is something more sinister at play, and suggest that PUPET, contrary to its name, is actually the one manipulating or "puppeteering" The Man, and not the other way around. This theory is supported by those who believe that the A.I is actually the digitised consciousness of Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu- ONI's founder who died in the late 23rd Century at the age of 166, and envisioned a society where everything was controlled by ONI and all humanity was kept safe and prosperous. A goal that very much aligns with The Man's, potentially leaving him open to being used by the late Admiral Sadanobu.

Age: Unknown (Estimated to be within his mid 50s-late 60s)

Rank: “Benefactor”

Height: 6.1ft

Species/Nationality: Human, American (Presumed)

Birthplace: Unknown

Citizenship: UEG (Presumed)

Job: Benefactor and Functional Leader of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Head of The Council of Man

Nicknames/Titles: The Man, Benefactor, The Mastermind, John Doe, Anderson Cooper, The Guy in the Chair, Jefferson Hernandez (Rumoured former identity), Evil Bruce Wayne, Everything Wrong with Humanity, Henry Gyrich, Damian Idaho (Rumoured former identity), James Miller (Rumoured former identity), Space Ronald Reagan, Head of the Illuminati, Quentin Goodman (Rumoured former identity), M, Mr. Man, Guy in a Suit, Mr. Smile (Rumoured former identity), Martin Garrick (Rumoured former identity), Andrew Sampson (Rumoured former identity), Obsolete, Rag ’N’ Bone Man, The Prophet of Humanity, Trillionaire Grindset, theman (Rumoured Politi-Net username), Space Mitt Romney, Chijimatsu Sadanobu (Rumoured former identity), Norman Engelhert (Rumoured former identity), A Puppet for the Flood, D.B Cooper, Charles Kaiser’s Grey Cardinal, An Embodiment of the System, Benny Scorchead’s Worst Nightmare, Mr. Yellow Eyes, Dr. Fate, Abraham Lincoln Wannabe, Two-Face, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Superior Iron Man, G-Man, A Man Who Hated His Enemies So Much He Became Them, Smug Little Shit, Matetholos ' Match, Alien-Hating Dickweave

Gender: Male (Presumed)

Vehicles/Mounts: PRO Pale Horse- Formerly the UNSC Pale Horse, the PRO Pale Horse is a Sahara-Class Heavy Prowler specially designed alongside the UNSC Black Horse, UNSC Red Horse and UNSC White Horse. Out of all four of these crafts, the Pale Horse is said to be the most powerful, possessing Forerunner hardlight-enhanced pulse cannons, experimental Ancient Human-derived antimatter charges, a fibril cutter, a modified slipspace drive, gravitic manipulation array, self repairing nano-engineers and a Forge Industries Plasma Reactor for power. Out of all these crafts, the Pale Horse possesses the unique ability to control all the others remotely; Modified Vincentu Dynes Aeromobile with a Forerunner Sentinel-derived hardlight bubble shield generator

Voice: A calm and charismatic yet 'emotionless' voice befitting a powerful tycoon and political manipulator

Eye Colour: Yellow (Cybernetic)

Hair Colour: Chesnut (Greying)

Skin Colour/Race: White

Scars/Damage/Markings/Unusual Features: Two Glowing Yellow Cybernetic Optics, Numerous Interior Cybernetic Implants, Synthetic Skin Graft (Rumoured)

Enemies/Rivals: Aliens, Tyrese Bluford, The Covenant, Unified Earth Government, UNSC, Allied Sangheili Houses, Swords of Sangheilios, Banicrons, Insurrectionists, Protectorate of Balaho, Dromund Empire, Hammers of Doisac, Fleet of Sprightly Truants, The Jiralhanae Covenant, CIO, President Damion Hughner, The Silent Partner, New Colonial Alliance, The Flood, Eayn, T'vao, Kingdom of Mura Ocerus, True Kingdom of the Yonhet, UMBRA, Zawaka, Unified Rebel Front, Numerous Others

Status: Active

Weapons: None Known

Equipment/Paraphernalia/Personal Belongings: Personal Command Chair, Black Giuletta-Saroque Light-Linen Blend Reactive-Layer Suit with intricate white patterns, Bormani-Adeloyu Venezian Silk White Business Shirt, Quorzini-Trivento Business Trousers, Nurokawa Formal Shoes, Holographic Infovisor, Roger Luxatic Watch, Saroque Magnetic-Clip Business Tie, Shin Fo Rose Gold Triple-Suit Cufflinks, Personal Energy Shield Generator, Neural Interface Implant, Comms Implant, Glowing Yellow VISR Tech Cybernetic Optics, Nasal Filters, Haptic Interface Implant, Nanosurgeon Hive Implant, Vocal Repeater Implant, Voice Synthesiser Implant, Voice-Stress Analyser, Skin-Cell Reinforcement Lattice Armour, Anti-Cyberintrusion Enhancement, Cyber-RAM Upgrade, In-Built Bio-Conversion Reactor, Synthetic Lungs (Rumoured), Pain Editor Implant, Metabolic Regulation Implant, Synaptic Acceleration Implant, Health Monitor Implant, Neural Black Box, Riemann Matrix, Holocommunicator, Covenant Omnitab-Derived Operating System, Mimic-Gene Detection Program, Holo-Drones, Flood Biomass-Consumed Quantum Entanglement Device kept in ray-shielded dome, Macallan Scotch Bottles, Dalmore ‘62 Whiskey, Bombay Sapphire Revelation Bottle, Royal Salute Tribute to Honour Whiskey, Skopje 2333 Merlot Red Wine, Actium 2301 Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, Jinqùal Cigarettes, Cocktail Shaker, Unidentified Trophies, High Prophet of Glory's Crown Stored in Glass Case, Numerous Miscellaneous Pieces of Memorabilia from across Human history, Unidentified Framed Picture of a person

Specialisation/Skills: Genius-Level Intellect, Tactician, Strategist, Persuader, Organisation, Manipulation, Improviser, Multilingual, Datarunning/Hacking, Data Analyst, Political Manipulation, Economic Manipulation, Business Management, Fermenting Conspiracy, Counter-Intelligence, Spy, Historian, Theoretician, Logistician, Trading, Detective

Powers/Abilities: Technopathy (Rumoured)

Personality: The Man is the ambiguous, secretive, and well-informed leader of the post-Covenant war shadow-enclave version of the Office of Naval Intelligence. The Man's real name and his life before becoming the Head of ONI are both long forgotten. For years, he has been using ONI and his immense network of contacts with the express purpose of protecting humanity and making the species ascendant above all other races, harbouring a deep, ingrained hatred of alien life.

The Man is someone who believes that the ends always justify the means. As such, he is pragmatic and utterly ruthless in his attempt to achieve his goals, even willing to perform brutal experiments on not just aliens, but other humans as well. He is also incredibly stubborn and dogmatic, always convinced that he's right and never considering for a second that there's anything wrong with his methods. For this reason, he is disgusted by the actions of the Unified Earth Government in not taking opportunities to cripple the alien splinter groups formed from the end of the Human-Covenant War, calling the government’s stance on trying to find allies a naive idealist philosophy, and believing that the UEG’s politicians choke on the hard decisions.

Despite his ruthlessness, the Man is also charming and very charismatic, which can put even the most careful and wary people off guard. Everyone from mega-corrupt politicians to thriving crime bosses to the most advanced lie-detector apps and A.Is have never been able to tell if he is lying or not.

The Man is extremely intelligent and calculating. He always attempts to make sure he has all of the bases covered. This, mixed with his charm and strong charisma, makes him a master manipulator. He tries not to underestimate his enemies and greatly admires and respects those he feels deserve his respect. He often warns his subordinates, be they field agents, military generals or his own personal assassins, to show their enemies the same respect as well. He also truly believes that what he is doing will make the galaxy a better place. And maybe that would be true, if he wasn’t just doing it for Humanity.

Though the Man is immaculate at remaining calm, and is excellent at presenting and arguing his points as to why Humanity needs to ascend above its alien adversaries rather than try to ally with them, some believe that the Man’s disdain for aliens actually stems from a deep-seeded fear that among such a diverse set of species each with clearly-defined capabilities that Humans cannot seem to naturally match, the modern Galaxy has no need for Humans, and that the Man secretly fears that his own species is obsolete, so he wants to make it powerful enough to vanquish the aliens when they inevitably realise that Humans are the weakest link.

It is unknown when The Man actually surfaced. He originally came under the radar in early 2553, but deep investigations into evidence of his existence has led some to conclude he has been active for many years beforehand and may have even led the Office of Naval Intelligence from the shadows for years before his existence became known. Some believe he even allowed the vigilante known as Truthunter to expose ONI's shady dealings just so he could force the agency into a position of weakness from which he would easily be able to gain control of it.

For many attempting to build intelligence on ONI’s new mysterious benefactor, The Man’s appearance is one of the only things they have to go off, but many believe it is very deliberate, and says a lot about him. He is always seen dressed in an impeccable, tailored, designer-quality suit, neatly pressed and always looking as if it is just being worn for the first time. Additionally, he is often seen smoking what appear to be Jinqùal Cigarettes, and a short glass of Macallan Scotch within arms length, and it always has to have been bottled before 2342. Alongside all this, he wears the casual swagger of a charming billionaire; and possesses unique, cybernetic patterns running through his skin. Some believe this is done to make him appear very relaxed, controlled and superior in comparison to his subordinates and indeed, his opponents.

Despite The Man's obvious stylings as a backstabbing Bond villain, the members of ONI can't seem to find much fault with him. Probably because they're all backstabbing Bond villains too, but also because at the end of the day, look at him and then look at the powers that be. The UEG Senate has their hands clamped over their ears and their eyes screwed shut. The UNSC Security Council doesn't really know anything about what awaits humanity at the other side of the Galaxy. What monsters are hiding under the bed. They don't listen, and nobody who listens to them is going to believe.

But The Man gets it. He understands. He knows the danger of the Flood, of the Banicrons, of the destructive power of the Forerunners' technology, and he’s on your side.

Right?

It is unknown who The Man was before he became ONI’s mysterious ‘benefactor’. There are numerous conflicting theories, reports and beliefs from the individuals who know of his existence regarding his original identity, but it has been impossible to confirm or deny any of them. The Man is every bit the enigma he seems to wish to be.

One popular belief is that The Man was once Jefferson Hernandez, a member of the UEG Intermutual Party who attempted to become Prime Minister of his home colony during the 2530s, but his campaign trail was cut short when the public learned of his numerous backhanded deals with corporate lobbyists, who people believed would undermine Hernandez' cause of rapid and expansive social changes. Because of the staunch adherence Jefferson showed towards his efforts to benefit the working class even in the face of these revelations, and the excellent debate skills he showed which are mirrored in The Man’s own, it is believed that Jefferson could’ve become The Man, wishing to help the everyday person from the shadows, styling himself as an unsung hero, with the truth being that he is incredibly corrupt and will help nobody in the end.

Another theory is that The Man was originally Damian Idaho, an average office worker at a local stockbroker firm on Kroedis II who had a two children, with a third on the way with his pregnant wife. According to a conversation between Idaho and his wife recorded via a womb microphone, Damian was a great fan of 1960s symphonies, remarking that the only thing better than that was the beauty of his wife, who remarked that he only said that because he “liked the pregnancy boobs”, which Damian did not deny. After going to work for the day, Kroedis II was attacked and he never saw his family again, returning to their home to find it destroyed and his children, wife, and unborn child a pile of ash. Damian Idaho eventually managed to escape Kroedis II, but was never accounted for again after being discharged from UNSC custody, leading some to believe he could’ve pursued a quest of vengeance against the Covenant. Some think that he is The Man because of an intercepted purchase of a vinyl record of Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahm, recorded in 1965, which Damian considered one of his favourite symphonies in a short blog he wrote on the Waypoint.

There is also James Miller, a prolific actor who was last spotted shopping a few days before Christmas Day on Terra Nova before an Insurrectionist bombing occurred in the upper west side of the capital city. According to a report by The Magellan newspaper, the organiser of the attack was one Frank Miller, James' estranged son who he abandoned along with his mother shortly after his birth. Frank Miller allegedly died in the attack, but neither his nor James' biological remains were ever discovered. Only traces of James' clothing was found, and some believe that the actor could still be alive and his body may not have been vaporised by the blast as believed. Because Miller was known for playing ‘evil men in suits’ roles, and had the same haircut as The Man seems to sport, there are some who think the two may be the same, and believe that The Man’s policy of destroying whatever becomes, in his eyes, no longer useful, may stem from the event that nearly killed him because he left himself vulnerable to someone he had abandoned in the past.

Quentin Goodman was Archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England from 2541-2548, and was known for coining the idea that the Covenant’s alien races were in fact demons, who labelled Humanity as demons because they wanted to fool the human race into believing it was inherently evil when the opposite was the truth. Quentin’s increasingly divisive and controversial religious espousals concerning aliens, conspiracies surrounding the events of the Human-Covenant War, as well as bigoted views of other Human faiths eventually led him to be forced to resign, which is perhaps what may have led him to become The Man, according to one theorist, who believes this could explain The Man’s almost religious obsession with the domination of other races and the disrespect he seems to hold towards their culture.

Another highly popular idea is the case of Andrew Sampson, a pro-shareholder board member of the Harris-Romner Bank who moonlights as an illegal street racer. Over the course of his career, Sampson has been involved in numerous tax evasion scandals, all of which have either been proven legal via loopholes, or the cases dropped through his connections in the legal system. He has also had the bank prematurely evict late-paying renters, purchased cheap land to build new headquarters where charity organisations originally intended to set up shop near homeless areas, once sponsored a police "crime crackdown" on a poverty-stricken community in Lister on Ganymede, in order to clear up space for what would eventually become a thriving sub-district for the super-rich, and where Sampson would have the villa where he lives at now constructed. Sampson's possible alter-ego as The Man is credited to ONI’s known manipulations of the economy, coupled with the CIO’s understanding that it made common use of agents embedded within the powerful Harris-Romner Bank, which is the primary banking company on many colonies. Sampson’s greed and self-serving nature also befit the characteristics of The Man, as well as Sampson’s venture capitalist endeavours in which he has invested millions into different forms of technology of dubious legality, all of which ONI has also done ever since The Man came to the organisation’s aid.

CIO Agent Nicholas Temper believes Martin Garick could also possibly be The Man, as Garick was a former ONI Section One operative, whose last task was leading a mission to capture the Covenant Sangheili General Noro 'Kremee. Upon interrogating the captured General, Garick discovered that 'Kremee was searching for a Forerunner artifact in the remains of the 23 Librae System, which was invaded by the Covenant. When Martin began his own search, Noro told Garick to be careful about what he was looking for, as he could very well find it. Garick's last transmissions were that he had discovered a device on the glassed world Madrigal guarded by "strange robed figures" that could mentally interface with the user and cybernetically modify an individual, which he claimed to observe taking place in front of his eyes with his teammate, Hans Joyer being subjected to modification. Martin apparently survived for months before a Covenant warship returned to the system, and he was taken away by Sangheili who loaded him aboard said ship. When he awoke, 'Kremee was there- Captaining the ship, and told him that he escaped the ONI Prowler he had been held aboard and had planned to come and kill Garick, but after finding nothing on Madrigal, now had a different goal and told the Human that the war was over, and he was bringing Martin back home. Some say Noro found nothing because Martin either hid or destroyed the artefact. In the case of the former, he may have went back to Madrigal after being returned to Human space, and, drunk on the power it offered the user, claimed it to make use of it and continue the war as The Man.

Some conspiracy theorists on the Waypoint believe that The Man, or rather, a figure similar to The Man as his actual existence is unknown to the public, is an individual known as “Mr. Smile”, who went viral on the Waypoint for his disturbing non-reaction to the death of a passenger next to him on a commercial spaceflight. On a Garosian Spacelines flight from Garos to Cascade, a woman sat nearby his seat in business class experienced a cyber-seizure induced by an overload of her neural implants, which sent millions of volts of electricity through her body and caused her to act out in a violent seizure whilst fellow passengers could only look on and flight attendants attempted to help her before she died. He went viral because he was filmed reacting pleasantly to the situation- happily smiling and taking sips of his beverage at the event and paying no mind to the chaos. Garosian Spacelines refused to reveal the identity of Mr. Smile to the public under customer confidentiality, but many suspect that the young woman’s implants were in some way hacked by Mr. Smile and that he was her killer.

Another ONI-related individual, Norman Engelhert was an ONI Section Two propagandist and data analyst, described as "nerdy" by his colleagues and very closed-off, Engelhert was not only involved in sponsoring numerous fake news campaigns and cover-ups in collusion with media corporations, but was responsible for the generation of the concept of Spartan 'flag-wavers'- Superheroic, Mascot-like figures that the Spartan-II and III Programs employed to act as public representations of the supersoldiers. Most of these Spartans were members of either the Spartan-III Delta or Epsilon Company, which were made up entirely of consenting adults pulled from regular military service who displayed skills equal to the children who were abducted and melded into soldiers from young ages, making up the rest of the Spartans. The so-called "Flag Wavers" would sometimes reveal their civillian identities, or at least reference them and appear as figures of inspiration for the public to look up to and draw morale from, putting to rest any fears of the dark truth behind the supersoldiers and keeping citizens on the government's side. Engelhert was however eventually drawn into a conspiracy where his superior, Fareed Zula framed him for a leak surrounding the assassination of the European Society of Human Genetics Professor Ganesh Rampart, in an effort to delay a meeting to re-examine the license of ONI front-company Dascsan Human Improvement Solutions to use their facilities in Belgium. ONI Section Zero as a result came bearing down on Norman, and he was forced to go on the run. In a story which has almost become legend among ONI's membership, Engelhert evaded Section Zero and even managed to crash a vital comms frequency used by the internal affairs department to spy on the others. It is possible that Engelhert could be a current member of the post-war ONI, but some take this theory further and say that Engelhert became The Man so that what happened could never happen to him again, and believe the mysterious suicide of Fareed Zula in the aftermath of the war to actually have been a personal assertion of poetic justice by Norman.

Perhaps the most conspiratorial of all these theories is the notion that The Man is actually the founder of The Office of Naval Intelligence- Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu, who died in 2293 at the age of 166. There are rumours that Chijimatsu was working on a way to preserve his legacy by becoming immortal and ruling all of humanity from the shadows, and he intended to do this by copying his psyche over into the form of raw data, which could be stored on a data chip like an A.I and inserted into a deceased brain, slowly taking over said brain through advanced nanotech. Some believe that this was the focus of ONI’s enigmatic “Silent Project” which existed for many decades, and that The Man is the end result of that project. Therefore, Sadanobu is the one inhabiting the body of this “Man” and running ONI through him. Alternatively, some believe that Sadanobu is the brain donor behind The Man’s mysterious artificial intelligence companion, PUPET- and influences and advises The Man based on his own perspective.

Alternatively, some think The Man is actually D.B Cooper. Honestly, there’s no theory that hasn’t been thrown out there.

What is known about The Man is that he first surfaced on the Human Waypoint in early 2553, literally weeks before the official signing of the Treaty of 2552. A Politi-Net user (account now deactivated and archived) by the name of "theman" published a manifesto of sorts, detailing that in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War, the Galaxy and Humanity's place in the universe had forever changed, and there would be new challenges for it to face, new threats around the corner that were going to come knocking at its door. And, like the Covenant, they would not take "no" for an answer. As such, the manifesto outlined the need for "Gargoyles" to ward off the evil that would jeopardise the human species at this point and root out any enemies of the race among its own kind.

Many Waypoint users, the media and several organisations interpreted this as a call for Humanity to assert its dominance in the modern Galaxy to make sure that an attritional war like the one fought with the Covenant could never happen again and that everything in future would be on the species' terms. For this reason, the manifesto is cited as an inspiration for numerous anti-alien hate groups, such as the cultish Sapien Sunrise, to the decidedly more rational Ex-Pats gang made up of UNSC veterans, to the xenophobic terrorist group known as The Gargoyles, who target non-humans, those with unexplained powers, people with extensive cybernetic enhancements, genetic "freaks", flash clones, and even A.I.

Because a source listed in the manifesto's bibliography is a writing by Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu after the Interplanetary War in which he said humanity needed an 'Oni' to do the dark, concealed, behind-the-scenes work that was required for humanity to be safe and prevent such a terrible all-consuming war, or anything like the Interplanetary War from happening again. This writing has been described as ONI's founding document, meaning there is an undeniable link between the user who generated the article, the Gargoyles, and what would eventually happen to ONI.

After the Treaty of 2552 was signed, revelations of many of the Office of Naval Intelligence's crimes such as the abduction of children for the Spartan programs, countless political assassinations, economic manipulations, illegal projects, human rights violations and immoral treatment of prisoners of war were made to the entire public as a result of the New York-based vigilante known as "Truthunter" leaking them on the Waypoint. The Office of Naval Intelligence quickly came under fire and its assets were seized and closed in on by the rest of the government under the orders of the UEG Senate and newly elected President Damion Hughner, who formed a taskforce dedicated to completely taking power out of ONI's hands, detaining its members and then disbanding it.

ONI reacted by publicly denouncing the Senate, stealing trillions of credits from the government, organising the various Sections of the agency into small pockets of resistance which could move stealthily across Human space and hiding assets in a rotating number of black sites, including the facilities of some front companies, all whilst building a highly illegal shadow version of ONI in total secrecy, apparently according to a plan known as "SPRING CONTINGENCY" plotted by Admiral Sadanobu all the way back in the 2280s. Because of ONI's extensive control of human society and its knowledge of things that even the highest echelons of the UEG were ignorant to, it managed to get away with a staggering 31% of its previous assets, and that's just what the government knows about.

A short time later, a wealthy, well-connected and powerful individual known as "The Man" allegedly approached ONI's new head, Charles Kaiser, and used his influence, which somehow extended into the agency's shadow version, to organise its resources and secure them from the pursuit of the UEG, cleaning up all footprints and burning all bridges, effectively fixing every mistake made by ONI's remaining personnel in following the SPRING CONTINGENCY up to that point. Kaiser initially protested The Man's attempt to be a Benefactor, but The Man convinced him that he had guided ONI in its exfiltration from day one, and needed his vision, direction, backers ad resources, or else ONI, and every hope for humanity's survival and enrichment would be crushed. Kaiser and The Man reached an agreement, and as a result, the Office of Naval Intelligence began to regain its pre-treaty power.

ONI first began to use the relatively new company HillSol Commerce, which was built up by The Man as a front organisation for its shadow operations. It then began to resume operations, projects and investigations that were left paused in the wake of Truthunter's leaks. This also included the launch of several new activities, including an investigation into the identity of Truthunter, a new Spartan Program completely under this new ONI's control, efforts to turn public opinion in human space vehemently against the Sangheili Supreme Commander Thora 'Marumee and support for calls for his pardon to be revoked, the recruitment and embedding of agents and sponsoring of sympathisers in the Unified Earth Colonies government, and resuming of operations to undermine the power and influence of former Covenant species and remnants of the Hegemony.

The Man has held onto the belief that the political party Primum Terrae (Earth First) has a part to play in humanity's ascension, and rumours are flying around that its leader, Doctor Anastasia Hanshi has cut a deal with ONI. In an attempt to inspire more research into cybernetic enhancements, which The Man seems to favour as a possible future of human evolution, ONI sabotaged and detonated a research station operated by Dun Lao Technologies off the coast of Shanghai, China, with the intent that the corporation's Nano-Wasps would seek out and devour organic material in the city, ensuring a massive amount of people would require cybernetic replacements for body parts and their unique injuries would demand specific treatments that could be studied by ONI. In an effort to weed his way into the Terran House, The Man has also directly overseen a delicate operation to slowly brainwash President Damion Hughner's Vice President Marcus Fleet, placing operatives inside his private security detail, afforded by Fleet's distrust of the UEC Secret Service, and having them report on Fleet and his wife Zhenya's routine at home, their likes, dislikes, and preferences regarding food, drink and so on. The Man then began having the private security introduce tiny traces of polymerised dopamine and adrenergic antagonists into their food and water, to the point where a special device designed to do this via nanobots has been secretly installed in their fridge. The aim of operation is to chemically alter the behaviours and memories of the Fleets by giving them the illusion of success in their goals whilst inhibiting their drive to come up with new ideas and effectively make them passive and incapable of posing a threat to ONI, grooming them into easily manipulated High-level politicians directly under President Hughner's nose. In time, ONI hopes it can install agents within the Secret Service to do the same to Hughner. Though The Man is weary of recent hours Zhenya Fleet has spent deep in introspection, feeling it may be a sign that she is starting to notice the changes in their mannerisms.

The agency also planted operatives into the crew of the UNSC Eternity, the UEG's new primary intelligence agency in the Counter-Intelligence Office/CIO and the new UNSC branch of Spartan Corps to keep a close eye on the UNSC's new motive to create less morally controversial supersoldiers, leech off of CIO intelligence-gathering, develop countermeasures according to their new cutting edge tech, and draw Spartans of all generations into ONI's embrace. The Man believes that ONI's loss of control of the majority of the Spartan supersoldiers was almost equivocal to a parent losing custody of children in a divorce, and intends to "win them back".

The Man is also one of few individuals throughout the Orion Arm who is knowledgeable of the existence of a spacefaring Ancient Human civilisation, and has accurately identified many alien assets wrongly classified as Forerunner or unknown as Ancient Human in origin, though is reluctant to release the details of prehistoric humanity to ONI's general membership, as he currently has the intention of waiting for the right time to reveal evidence of Humanity's former glory. Nonetheless, The Man views this technology with extreme value, in some cases even more so than superior Forerunner tech, believing these relics to be Humanity's 'birthright', and has plans for their integration into ONI's equipment going forward. Interestingly, some of this Ancient Human tech seems, in some way, newer, as if it were created recently as opposed to 100,000 years ago, and carbon dating has placed some of these items much closer to the modern era than anticipated, leaving The Man to wonder if Ancient Humanity somehow continued elsewhere in the Galaxy.

Other new initiatives undertaken by the Office of Naval Intelligence include Project: Surtr’s Sword- a network of orbital satellites which would be able to target any location on a planet below with lasers, and the heads of the organisation aim to use the project as retribution for the glassing of numerous human worlds by the Covenant, by using it on the worlds of ex-Covenant species instead. Additionally, there has been Project Dung Beetle- involving the creation of "Dung Beetles"- functional imitations of Covenant Scarab walkers, though considerably slower and highly overbuilt due to the limitations of human technology and the inability to utilise Lekgolo worms to control their inner workings. Project Brainstorm on the other hand is an attempt by The Man to create cybernetic augmentations which can boost the human mind’s processing speed and power to the level of a Smart artificial intelligence. The Project was conceptualised by The Man and datarunner Travis Weasel, who has been one of the first guinea pigs of this initiative. Finally, there's the ever-enigmatic Silent Project, though it's purpose is very much unknown.

The Man appears to be confident that former CINCONI Admiral Oscinia Dilvaskovy, a convicted war criminal for her attempts to spread the Flood parasite throughout the Covenant colony of Glyke during 2551 who was mutinied against by Spartan-E267 Tyrese Bluford, the crew of the UNSC Last Judgement and two Covenant allies, will remain tight-lipped about ONI's intentions whilst she remains in UNSC custody. The Man has described Dilvaskovy as a "tough cookie", and although they have never met and Dilvaskovy likely does not know who he is, The Man knows she will not say a word, but has a plan to 'suicide her' in place should this change.

The Man seems to place particular trust in his star operative Indiana Boxxon, whom he has assigned to oversee several research divisions. Other prodigies The Man has been nurturing is General Konrad Valstuppen- a former UNSC Army General who sided with ONI, Doctor Ramona Zorucini of the REAP-X Division, Spartan-A029 Darrel- a candidate for The Man's backlog of personal assassins, Uyot 'Jeli- A Sangheili spy and mercenary ONI uses for undercover counterintelligence ops within Sangheili-controlled organisations, and ONI Forward Commander Gordon Draxus.

If possible, he wishes to enlist the services of the Spartan-III E267-Tyrese Bluford, Spartan-II Ivan-S226 and the Project: Spectra Spartan-IIIs SP613 April Solis and SP612-Jason Blyth, each members of the UNSC/Swords of Sangheilios coalition alliance Trident of Revelation. The Man admires the talents of each greatly and wishes to one day bring them over to ONI's side, viewing them as the best of the Spartans.

Despite the clear benefits that The Man's sponsorship has brought to the Office of Naval Intelligence, many among SPRING CONTINGENCY's original circle of organisers cannot help but think that Charles Kaiser sold the entire organisation to someone they know nothing about, and that The Man has become Director Kaiser's grey cardinal- the real power behind his throne, little more than a mouthpiece for The Man, and that this is very dangerous. Admiral Yeliz Amek, who was supposed to become CINCONI after Dilvaskovy's detainment but was forced to transfer that privilege to Kaiser has become agitated by The Man, and seems to resent Kaiser for his choice.

The Man has a strong rivalry with UMBRA- a paramilitary authoritarian syndicate, secret society and terrorist organization bent on installing a fascistic regime that has existed for thousands of years that has expanded to include aliens amongst its membership, and the individual known as The Silent Partner, an enigmatic figure at the head of an expansive organisation which trades in information and resources to the highest bidders across the Galaxy. The Man understands that this Silent Partner is the only individual who is more well informed than he himself about Galactic affairs, having detailed information on the day to day routines of everyone in the known Galaxy, even ONI's leadership. The Man has a very clear intent to find and usurp the Partner and gain control of their organisation, making it an extension of ONI. It is unknown whether he knows of the existence of The Assembly- a clandestine group of human artificial intelligences who regulate the activities of artificial intelligences, as well as analyse and extrapolate data for the continued survival of the human race. Knowing him though, he likely does, and has a plan to usurp them too.

Overall, the precise details of The Man's long-term goals are unknown, but it is certain that he has many different projects in motion at a time, all factoring into helping humanity achieve its "rightful place" in the galaxy. Currently, it seems that his main focus is on consolidating power and reverse-engineering Covenant and Forerunner technology that can be used to place Humanity ahead of the other species in the Galaxy technologically whilst it is already ahead politically, thereby assuring that it will remain at the top as the uncontested galactic power.

However, as of recent, The Man seems to have taken an interest in the Flood parasite: realising the vast threat they pose to humanity's survival but also acknowledging the potential they possess, and The Man has expressed a desire to learn how the Flood operates and has dedicated vast resources in an effort to find a way of controlling the parasite and harnessing the power of its Graveminds by any means necessary. Only time will tell how well this fares for him.

Quotes:

"Well, it's just like the song goes- I'm only Human."

"Halo was nearly a disaster. One that no one was prepared for, and it could've wiped the slate clean. The more we refuse to anticipate our impending extinction, the more we throw science out the window in favour of ridiculous untruths we tell ourselves to keep comfy at night."

"I don't care if it's from the vineyards of Xanadu on Arcadia. If it was bottled after 2342, it doesn't interest me."

"Are there more forces out there in the universe that will test us? Ones that will shake our resolve and threaten the lives of every man, woman and child like the Covenant did? Of course there are. To doubt it would not only be a failure of our imagination, but a failure to recognise the limits of our own stupidity, the accuracy of our science, the practicality of our tools. We look, we listen, we actively seek out. Hoping for a sign as if our eyes can see. As if our brains are able to comprehend, or our egos are humble enough to respect power greater than our own. I am not in the business of avoiding challenges of our collective strength as a species. No, the work I am doing is to assure that Humanity can rise to the occasion every time. And our kind are notoriously competitive."

“For nothing can seem foul to those that win.”- A quote from the Shakespeare play King Henry IV, Part 1, which The Man has often recited in regards to his personal philosophy

"That's how Forerunner technology works. The Human touch is all it takes- and it's proof we're destined for more."

"Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to dominate and harness the Flood's power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them.”

“It would be wise of you to rethink your choice now, Mr. Quinn.”

"Let Director Fowler believe he's found us out. Let him chase this lead. He'll learn soon enough he's wasted his time."

"At the end of this, Humanity will live on in my image, rather than God's."

"UMBRA is an old nuisance- they've waited far too long to reveal themselves, and won't last the next twenty years. The real one to worry about is The Silent Partner."

"Information is the greatest weapon in any arsenal."

"How spineless. Greatness undreamed of within their grasp and yet they still bleat like sheep in the presence of a hungry wolf."

"Mmm. I must hand it to the Sangheili- they know how to mix a decent cocktail."

"You said it yourself Ms. Dubhar, the aliens aren't on our side, and we shouldn't try to tell ourselves they are."

"You and I Matetholos , we have the same goal. 'Humanity First'- is that not your philosophy?" (In the future)

"Just a friendly suggestion: don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

Operative: "I can still work on the baseball results. Who would you like to win?" The Man: "I couldn’t care less. What I don’t want to see is Akisagi's competitive division winning the Formula-1 race next week. As long as I’m alive, that doesn’t happen."

"The Mantle of Responsibility is Humanity's destiny. It is the ultimate test of a species, and I intend for us to pass with flying colours."

"I don't do this to stop you from completing your goals. I do this to keep you in the fight."

"I don't believe Doctor Tennyson's input is a particular requirement, but I certainly argue that her expertise would benefit our new project greatly. Make no mistake, if you can find her, then bring her to us."

"All the credits in the Galaxy aren't worth a damn. A real economy trades and competes for power. The power to leave your own mark on history. One much greater than any President, any tyrant, any upstart terrorist or warlord. I ask not for any payment you could give me, except for your understanding that what we do here has to be done, and enough patience to let me prove I'm right."

"And may God help us all."

"I didn't spend billions of credits organising your assets for you to turn me away. You need me. You're lost, lacking vision. Be honest, you don't know what you're doing or what you intend to do. I? I can give you that direction, and give you what you need to keep fighting the good fight."- To CINCONI Charles Kaiser

“Don’t you see? This is the key to subjugating the Flood.”

"Tell Mr. 'Vokosanee we appreciate his cooperation, and transfer 10 Million Orons into his offworld account. On second thought, make that 12.3 million Credits. Save him the trouble of those fluctuating exchange rates."

"God knows I'm not going to be the hero of any story, but I don't need to be the hero. I just need to do what I set out to do."

"I want updates on the KALA Nanotech Recovery Op on my tablet in the morning."

"ONI has always had one singular purpose- the defense and continued survival of Humanity."

"I don't know if the Flood feels fear, but you killed one of their Graveminds. They'd be foolish not to at least respect that."

"Look around, 'Marumee. Face my reality. My race is fighting for its very survival. What else do you expect?" (In the future)

"We all have our addictions, Mr. Blyth. Mine's just always been whiskey."

“If you've come for answers Bluford, you've come to the right place.”

"Don't worry about him for now, but keep an eye on him. Should this 'Vindicator ' get anywhere close to Black Flag, we'll let him know."

"A law that has us scuttling like mice from a cat. A law that demands that we deny our destiny, one that directs those under its dominion to cower in fear lest we risk evolving. I ask you, who does this law protect? Us? Or them?"

"Parts of me will always be human. But I have gained so much more. Strength. Immortality."

The Man: “Who do you think you are Thora? Telling humans what’s best for us? You’re not one of us Thora, and you’ll never know what being human is like!” Thora 'Marumee: “That may be true....but I am a citizen of this Galaxy just as much as you are, and if we ever wish to let go of the shackles of our past, you must break the chains of hatred and division now. I assure you, if you go down this path, if you instigate war and hate between all species of this Galaxy, then you will only be doing humanity a great disservice.” (In the future)

"Earth...just look at it. Our home. Beautiful. Perfect."

(Here we go ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Man! One of the biggest villains going forward in my Haloverse, and someone who's going to be a consistent thorn in the side of our heroes for many years. I've had this guy as an idea since summer 2020, and I thought it was high time to finally unveil him to you all. Apologies for the utter drought of content I've been going through for a while, as the current goings on in my life have been totally brutal- spiritually, mentally, and physically draining. I'm trying to get back on top of submissions now, and I've actually been working on alot of things, just haven't focused on one enough to get it done and ready to post. Anyway, I'm quite proud of The Man, and I hope you all enjoyed a look into what exactly the Office of Naval Intelligence has been up to since it was officially disbanded, as well as sneak peeks into other elements of my lore, particularly concerning the behind-the-scenes, conspiratorial shenanigans that numerous shadowy organisations are involved in.)

(As for The Man's name, you might wonder why I didn't think of something more...more. Well there's a reason for his very simple name. You often hear about people standing up against "The Man", particularly in our modern age with people becoming more and more aware of just how messed up the world we live in is. "The Man" being the system, the powers that be, what controls and makes our society what it is today. "The Man" is everything wrong with Humanity, not necessarily an actual person. Well, in the Haloverse, all of those things are one person- The Man, and as for the numerous former identities I gave him, I'll say immediately that there is no one of them that is particularly 'canon' or 'the real one' but rather, they are all tools to represent all the awful traits of our civilisation that The Man embodies whilst also giving some delicious slices of lore for you to gobble up. Jefferson Hernandez is political corruption and how it leads to the forsaking of one's original mission statement, Damian Idaho is the desire to seek vengeance and how it can destroy a person. James Miller represents abandonment and the effects it can have on a person as his son was driven to become a terrorist because of him leaving, Quentin Goodman is racial and religious bigotry as well as the use of faith to justify wholly immoral ideas. Andrew Sampson is corporate greed, gorging to the point of waste that leaves the needy hungry, and the consequences of unchecked capitalism, Martin Garick is power and our hunger for more of it once we get a taste, Mr. Smile is our tendency to ignore the plights of others and our uncaring attitude towards anyone's problems but our own. Norman Engelhert is lies, fake news, and how reality and fiction are misconstrued and made indistinguishable to the point where the truth doesn't matter anymore, and finally, Chijimatsu Sadanobu is tyranny, violation of privacy and the need to control everything, particularly other people. All of these stories, all of these traits, all of these men are reflected in The Man. And that's what The Man is- he's everything wrong with us as a species. I hope you like it.)

(Also, as part of a new thing I wanna start doing, I'm gonna start putting in songs that could be summed up as a character's 'theme song' in these end of bios, so The Man's would be Obsolete by Peroxwhy? Gen . I have a few others but I think for now I'm just going to keep to having one main song per bio, unless I really wanna throw others at you. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed looking at and reading about The Man! Take care everyone and stay safe.)

Description
Franchise: Halo

Real Name: Unknown

Faction: Office of Naval Intelligence, HillSol Commerce, The Council of Man, The Placeholders (Rumoured)

Artificial Intelligence (A.I) Companion: PUPET- Taking the appearance of a silhouette of a puppet with strings attached to a marionette controller, which The Man "holds" when he interacts with it. PUPET does not seem to have any clearly defined personality traits, though it's lack of one makes sense for The Man, who only seeks counsel from PUPET on cost/benefit matters. It is believed that PUPET is built upon the framework of a LUMU-Model A.I and mindlessly serves its master, but others believe that there is something more sinister at play, and suggest that PUPET, contrary to its name, is actually the one manipulating or "puppeteering" The Man, and not the other way around. This theory is supported by those who believe that the A.I is actually the digitised consciousness of Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu- ONI's founder who died in the late 23rd Century at the age of 166, and envisioned a society where everything was controlled by ONI and all humanity was kept safe and prosperous. A goal that very much aligns with The Man's, potentially leaving him open to being used by the late Admiral Sadanobu.

Age: Unknown (Estimated to be within his mid 50s-late 60s)

Rank: “Benefactor”

Height: 6.1ft

Species/Nationality: Human, American (Presumed)

Birthplace: Unknown

Citizenship: UEG (Presumed)

Job: Benefactor and Functional Leader of the Office of Naval Intelligence, Head of The Council of Man

Nicknames/Titles: The Man, Benefactor, The Mastermind, John Doe, Anderson Cooper, The Guy in the Chair, Jefferson Hernandez (Rumoured former identity), Evil Bruce Wayne, Everything Wrong with Humanity, Henry Gyrich, Damian Idaho (Rumoured former identity), James Miller (Rumoured former identity), Space Ronald Reagan, Head of the Illuminati, Quentin Goodman (Rumoured former identity), M, Mr. Man, Guy in a Suit, Mr. Smile (Rumoured former identity), Martin Garrick (Rumoured former identity), Andrew Sampson (Rumoured former identity), Obsolete, Rag ’N’ Bone Man, The Prophet of Humanity, Trillionaire Grindset, theman (Rumoured Politi-Net username), Space Mitt Romney, Chijimatsu Sadanobu (Rumoured former identity), Norman Engelhert (Rumoured former identity), A Puppet for the Flood, D.B Cooper, Charles Kaiser’s Grey Cardinal, An Embodiment of the System, Benny Scorchead’s Worst Nightmare, Mr. Yellow Eyes, Dr. Fate, Abraham Lincoln Wannabe, Two-Face, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Superior Iron Man, G-Man, A Man Who Hated His Enemies So Much He Became Them, Smug Little Shit, Matetholos ' Match, Alien-Hating Dickweave

Gender: Male (Presumed)

Vehicles/Mounts: PRO Pale Horse- Formerly the UNSC Pale Horse, the PRO Pale Horse is a Sahara-Class Heavy Prowler specially designed alongside the UNSC Black Horse, UNSC Red Horse and UNSC White Horse. Out of all four of these crafts, the Pale Horse is said to be the most powerful, possessing Forerunner hardlight-enhanced pulse cannons, experimental Ancient Human-derived antimatter charges, a fibril cutter, a modified slipspace drive, gravitic manipulation array, self repairing nano-engineers and a Forge Industries Plasma Reactor for power. Out of all these crafts, the Pale Horse possesses the unique ability to control all the others remotely; Modified Vincentu Dynes Aeromobile with a Forerunner Sentinel-derived hardlight bubble shield generator

Voice: A calm and charismatic yet 'emotionless' voice befitting a powerful tycoon and political manipulator

Eye Colour: Yellow (Cybernetic)

Hair Colour: Chesnut (Greying)

Skin Colour/Race: White

Scars/Damage/Markings/Unusual Features: Two Glowing Yellow Cybernetic Optics, Numerous Interior Cybernetic Implants, Synthetic Skin Graft (Rumoured)

Enemies/Rivals: Aliens, Tyrese Bluford, The Covenant, Unified Earth Government, UNSC, Allied Sangheili Houses, Swords of Sangheilios, Banicrons, Insurrectionists, Protectorate of Balaho, Dromund Empire, Hammers of Doisac, Fleet of Sprightly Truants, The Jiralhanae Covenant, CIO, President Damion Hughner, The Silent Partner, New Colonial Alliance, The Flood, Eayn, T'vao, Kingdom of Mura Ocerus, True Kingdom of the Yonhet, UMBRA, Zawaka, Unified Rebel Front, Numerous Others

Status: Active

Weapons: None Known

Equipment/Paraphernalia/Personal Belongings: Personal Command Chair, Black Giuletta-Saroque Light-Linen Blend Reactive-Layer Suit with intricate white patterns, Bormani-Adeloyu Venezian Silk White Business Shirt, Quorzini-Trivento Business Trousers, Nurokawa Formal Shoes, Holographic Infovisor, Roger Luxatic Watch, Saroque Magnetic-Clip Business Tie, Shin Fo Rose Gold Triple-Suit Cufflinks, Personal Energy Shield Generator, Neural Interface Implant, Comms Implant, Glowing Yellow VISR Tech Cybernetic Optics, Nasal Filters, Haptic Interface Implant, Nanosurgeon Hive Implant, Vocal Repeater Implant, Voice Synthesiser Implant, Voice-Stress Analyser, Skin-Cell Reinforcement Lattice Armour, Anti-Cyberintrusion Enhancement, Cyber-RAM Upgrade, In-Built Bio-Conversion Reactor, Synthetic Lungs (Rumoured), Pain Editor Implant, Metabolic Regulation Implant, Synaptic Acceleration Implant, Health Monitor Implant, Neural Black Box, Riemann Matrix, Holocommunicator, Covenant Omnitab-Derived Operating System, Mimic-Gene Detection Program, Holo-Drones, Flood Biomass-Consumed Quantum Entanglement Device kept in ray-shielded dome, Macallan Scotch Bottles, Dalmore ‘62 Whiskey, Bombay Sapphire Revelation Bottle, Royal Salute Tribute to Honour Whiskey, Skopje 2333 Merlot Red Wine, Actium 2301 Sauvignon Blanc White Wine, Jinqùal Cigarettes, Cocktail Shaker, Unidentified Trophies, High Prophet of Glory's Crown Stored in Glass Case, Numerous Miscellaneous Pieces of Memorabilia from across Human history, Unidentified Framed Picture of a person

Specialisation/Skills: Genius-Level Intellect, Tactician, Strategist, Persuader, Organisation, Manipulation, Improviser, Multilingual, Datarunning/Hacking, Data Analyst, Political Manipulation, Economic Manipulation, Business Management, Fermenting Conspiracy, Counter-Intelligence, Spy, Historian, Theoretician, Logistician, Trading, Detective

Powers/Abilities: Technopathy (Rumoured)

Personality: The Man is the ambiguous, secretive, and well-informed leader of the post-Covenant war shadow-enclave version of the Office of Naval Intelligence. The Man's real name and his life before becoming the Head of ONI are both long forgotten. For years, he has been using ONI and his immense network of contacts with the express purpose of protecting humanity and making the species ascendant above all other races, harbouring a deep, ingrained hatred of alien life.

The Man is someone who believes that the ends always justify the means. As such, he is pragmatic and utterly ruthless in his attempt to achieve his goals, even willing to perform brutal experiments on not just aliens, but other humans as well. He is also incredibly stubborn and dogmatic, always convinced that he's right and never considering for a second that there's anything wrong with his methods. For this reason, he is disgusted by the actions of the Unified Earth Government in not taking opportunities to cripple the alien splinter groups formed from the end of the Human-Covenant War, calling the government’s stance on trying to find allies a naive idealist philosophy, and believing that the UEG’s politicians choke on the hard decisions.

Despite his ruthlessness, the Man is also charming and very charismatic, which can put even the most careful and wary people off guard. Everyone from mega-corrupt politicians to thriving crime bosses to the most advanced lie-detector apps and A.Is have never been able to tell if he is lying or not.

The Man is extremely intelligent and calculating. He always attempts to make sure he has all of the bases covered. This, mixed with his charm and strong charisma, makes him a master manipulator. He tries not to underestimate his enemies and greatly admires and respects those he feels deserve his respect. He often warns his subordinates, be they field agents, military generals or his own personal assassins, to show their enemies the same respect as well. He also truly believes that what he is doing will make the galaxy a better place. And maybe that would be true, if he wasn’t just doing it for Humanity.

Though the Man is immaculate at remaining calm, and is excellent at presenting and arguing his points as to why Humanity needs to ascend above its alien adversaries rather than try to ally with them, some believe that the Man’s disdain for aliens actually stems from a deep-seeded fear that among such a diverse set of species each with clearly-defined capabilities that Humans cannot seem to naturally match, the modern Galaxy has no need for Humans, and that the Man secretly fears that his own species is obsolete, so he wants to make it powerful enough to vanquish the aliens when they inevitably realise that Humans are the weakest link.

It is unknown when The Man actually surfaced. He originally came under the radar in early 2553, but deep investigations into evidence of his existence has led some to conclude he has been active for many years beforehand and may have even led the Office of Naval Intelligence from the shadows for years before his existence became known. Some believe he even allowed the vigilante known as Truthunter to expose ONI's shady dealings just so he could force the agency into a position of weakness from which he would easily be able to gain control of it.

For many attempting to build intelligence on ONI’s new mysterious benefactor, The Man’s appearance is one of the only things they have to go off, but many believe it is very deliberate, and says a lot about him. He is always seen dressed in an impeccable, tailored, designer-quality suit, neatly pressed and always looking as if it is just being worn for the first time. Additionally, he is often seen smoking what appear to be Jinqùal Cigarettes, and a short glass of Macallan Scotch within arms length, and it always has to have been bottled before 2342. Alongside all this, he wears the casual swagger of a charming billionaire; and possesses unique, cybernetic patterns running through his skin. Some believe this is done to make him appear very relaxed, controlled and superior in comparison to his subordinates and indeed, his opponents.

Despite The Man's obvious stylings as a backstabbing Bond villain, the members of ONI can't seem to find much fault with him. Probably because they're all backstabbing Bond villains too, but also because at the end of the day, look at him and then look at the powers that be. The UEG Senate has their hands clamped over their ears and their eyes screwed shut. The UNSC Security Council doesn't really know anything about what awaits humanity at the other side of the Galaxy. What monsters are hiding under the bed. They don't listen, and nobody who listens to them is going to believe.

But The Man gets it. He understands. He knows the danger of the Flood, of the Banicrons, of the destructive power of the Forerunners' technology, and he’s on your side.

Right?

It is unknown who The Man was before he became ONI’s mysterious ‘benefactor’. There are numerous conflicting theories, reports and beliefs from the individuals who know of his existence regarding his original identity, but it has been impossible to confirm or deny any of them. The Man is every bit the enigma he seems to wish to be.

One popular belief is that The Man was once Jefferson Hernandez, a member of the UEG Intermutual Party who attempted to become Prime Minister of his home colony during the 2530s, but his campaign trail was cut short when the public learned of his numerous backhanded deals with corporate lobbyists, who people believed would undermine Hernandez' cause of rapid and expansive social changes. Because of the staunch adherence Jefferson showed towards his efforts to benefit the working class even in the face of these revelations, and the excellent debate skills he showed which are mirrored in The Man’s own, it is believed that Jefferson could’ve become The Man, wishing to help the everyday person from the shadows, styling himself as an unsung hero, with the truth being that he is incredibly corrupt and will help nobody in the end.

Another theory is that The Man was originally Damian Idaho, an average office worker at a local stockbroker firm on Kroedis II who had a two children, with a third on the way with his pregnant wife. According to a conversation between Idaho and his wife recorded via a womb microphone, Damian was a great fan of 1960s symphonies, remarking that the only thing better than that was the beauty of his wife, who remarked that he only said that because he “liked the pregnancy boobs”, which Damian did not deny. After going to work for the day, Kroedis II was attacked and he never saw his family again, returning to their home to find it destroyed and his children, wife, and unborn child a pile of ash. Damian Idaho eventually managed to escape Kroedis II, but was never accounted for again after being discharged from UNSC custody, leading some to believe he could’ve pursued a quest of vengeance against the Covenant. Some think that he is The Man because of an intercepted purchase of a vinyl record of Ein Deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahm, recorded in 1965, which Damian considered one of his favourite symphonies in a short blog he wrote on the Waypoint.

There is also James Miller, a prolific actor who was last spotted shopping a few days before Christmas Day on Terra Nova before an Insurrectionist bombing occurred in the upper west side of the capital city. According to a report by The Magellan newspaper, the organiser of the attack was one Frank Miller, James' estranged son who he abandoned along with his mother shortly after his birth. Frank Miller allegedly died in the attack, but neither his nor James' biological remains were ever discovered. Only traces of James' clothing was found, and some believe that the actor could still be alive and his body may not have been vaporised by the blast as believed. Because Miller was known for playing ‘evil men in suits’ roles, and had the same haircut as The Man seems to sport, there are some who think the two may be the same, and believe that The Man’s policy of destroying whatever becomes, in his eyes, no longer useful, may stem from the event that nearly killed him because he left himself vulnerable to someone he had abandoned in the past.

Quentin Goodman was Archbishop of Canterbury of the Church of England from 2541-2548, and was known for coining the idea that the Covenant’s alien races were in fact demons, who labelled Humanity as demons because they wanted to fool the human race into believing it was inherently evil when the opposite was the truth. Quentin’s increasingly divisive and controversial religious espousals concerning aliens, conspiracies surrounding the events of the Human-Covenant War, as well as bigoted views of other Human faiths eventually led him to be forced to resign, which is perhaps what may have led him to become The Man, according to one theorist, who believes this could explain The Man’s almost religious obsession with the domination of other races and the disrespect he seems to hold towards their culture.

Another highly popular idea is the case of Andrew Sampson, a pro-shareholder board member of the Harris-Romner Bank who moonlights as an illegal street racer. Over the course of his career, Sampson has been involved in numerous tax evasion scandals, all of which have either been proven legal via loopholes, or the cases dropped through his connections in the legal system. He has also had the bank prematurely evict late-paying renters, purchased cheap land to build new headquarters where charity organisations originally intended to set up shop near homeless areas, once sponsored a police "crime crackdown" on a poverty-stricken community in Lister on Ganymede, in order to clear up space for what would eventually become a thriving sub-district for the super-rich, and where Sampson would have the villa where he lives at now constructed. Sampson's possible alter-ego as The Man is credited to ONI’s known manipulations of the economy, coupled with the CIO’s understanding that it made common use of agents embedded within the powerful Harris-Romner Bank, which is the primary banking company on many colonies. Sampson’s greed and self-serving nature also befit the characteristics of The Man, as well as Sampson’s venture capitalist endeavours in which he has invested millions into different forms of technology of dubious legality, all of which ONI has also done ever since The Man came to the organisation’s aid.

CIO Agent Nicholas Temper believes Martin Garick could also possibly be The Man, as Garick was a former ONI Section One operative, whose last task was leading a mission to capture the Covenant Sangheili General Noro 'Kremee. Upon interrogating the captured General, Garick discovered that 'Kremee was searching for a Forerunner artifact in the remains of the 23 Librae System, which was invaded by the Covenant. When Martin began his own search, Noro told Garick to be careful about what he was looking for, as he could very well find it. Garick's last transmissions were that he had discovered a device on the glassed world Madrigal guarded by "strange robed figures" that could mentally interface with the user and cybernetically modify an individual, which he claimed to observe taking place in front of his eyes with his teammate, Hans Joyer being subjected to modification. Martin apparently survived for months before a Covenant warship returned to the system, and he was taken away by Sangheili who loaded him aboard said ship. When he awoke, 'Kremee was there- Captaining the ship, and told him that he escaped the ONI Prowler he had been held aboard and had planned to come and kill Garick, but after finding nothing on Madrigal, now had a different goal and told the Human that the war was over, and he was bringing Martin back home. Some say Noro found nothing because Martin either hid or destroyed the artefact. In the case of the former, he may have went back to Madrigal after being returned to Human space, and, drunk on the power it offered the user, claimed it to make use of it and continue the war as The Man.

Some conspiracy theorists on the Waypoint believe that The Man, or rather, a figure similar to The Man as his actual existence is unknown to the public, is an individual known as “Mr. Smile”, who went viral on the Waypoint for his disturbing non-reaction to the death of a passenger next to him on a commercial spaceflight. On a Garosian Spacelines flight from Garos to Cascade, a woman sat nearby his seat in business class experienced a cyber-seizure induced by an overload of her neural implants, which sent millions of volts of electricity through her body and caused her to act out in a violent seizure whilst fellow passengers could only look on and flight attendants attempted to help her before she died. He went viral because he was filmed reacting pleasantly to the situation- happily smiling and taking sips of his beverage at the event and paying no mind to the chaos. Garosian Spacelines refused to reveal the identity of Mr. Smile to the public under customer confidentiality, but many suspect that the young woman’s implants were in some way hacked by Mr. Smile and that he was her killer.

Another ONI-related individual, Norman Engelhert was an ONI Section Two propagandist and data analyst, described as "nerdy" by his colleagues and very closed-off, Engelhert was not only involved in sponsoring numerous fake news campaigns and cover-ups in collusion with media corporations, but was responsible for the generation of the concept of Spartan 'flag-wavers'- Superheroic, Mascot-like figures that the Spartan-II and III Programs employed to act as public representations of the supersoldiers. Most of these Spartans were members of either the Spartan-III Delta or Epsilon Company, which were made up entirely of consenting adults pulled from regular military service who displayed skills equal to the children who were abducted and melded into soldiers from young ages, making up the rest of the Spartans. The so-called "Flag Wavers" would sometimes reveal their civillian identities, or at least reference them and appear as figures of inspiration for the public to look up to and draw morale from, putting to rest any fears of the dark truth behind the supersoldiers and keeping citizens on the government's side. Engelhert was however eventually drawn into a conspiracy where his superior, Fareed Zula framed him for a leak surrounding the assassination of the European Society of Human Genetics Professor Ganesh Rampart, in an effort to delay a meeting to re-examine the license of ONI front-company Dascsan Human Improvement Solutions to use their facilities in Belgium. ONI Section Zero as a result came bearing down on Norman, and he was forced to go on the run. In a story which has almost become legend among ONI's membership, Engelhert evaded Section Zero and even managed to crash a vital comms frequency used by the internal affairs department to spy on the others. It is possible that Engelhert could be a current member of the post-war ONI, but some take this theory further and say that Engelhert became The Man so that what happened could never happen to him again, and believe the mysterious suicide of Fareed Zula in the aftermath of the war to actually have been a personal assertion of poetic justice by Norman.

Perhaps the most conspiratorial of all these theories is the notion that The Man is actually the founder of The Office of Naval Intelligence- Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu, who died in 2293 at the age of 166. There are rumours that Chijimatsu was working on a way to preserve his legacy by becoming immortal and ruling all of humanity from the shadows, and he intended to do this by copying his psyche over into the form of raw data, which could be stored on a data chip like an A.I and inserted into a deceased brain, slowly taking over said brain through advanced nanotech. Some believe that this was the focus of ONI’s enigmatic “Silent Project” which existed for many decades, and that The Man is the end result of that project. Therefore, Sadanobu is the one inhabiting the body of this “Man” and running ONI through him. Alternatively, some believe that Sadanobu is the brain donor behind The Man’s mysterious artificial intelligence companion, PUPET- and influences and advises The Man based on his own perspective.

Alternatively, some think The Man is actually D.B Cooper. Honestly, there’s no theory that hasn’t been thrown out there.

What is known about The Man is that he first surfaced on the Human Waypoint in early 2553, literally weeks before the official signing of the Treaty of 2552. A Politi-Net user (account now deactivated and archived) by the name of "theman" published a manifesto of sorts, detailing that in the aftermath of the Human-Covenant War, the Galaxy and Humanity's place in the universe had forever changed, and there would be new challenges for it to face, new threats around the corner that were going to come knocking at its door. And, like the Covenant, they would not take "no" for an answer. As such, the manifesto outlined the need for "Gargoyles" to ward off the evil that would jeopardise the human species at this point and root out any enemies of the race among its own kind.

Many Waypoint users, the media and several organisations interpreted this as a call for Humanity to assert its dominance in the modern Galaxy to make sure that an attritional war like the one fought with the Covenant could never happen again and that everything in future would be on the species' terms. For this reason, the manifesto is cited as an inspiration for numerous anti-alien hate groups, such as the cultish Sapien Sunrise, to the decidedly more rational Ex-Pats gang made up of UNSC veterans, to the xenophobic terrorist group known as The Gargoyles, who target non-humans, those with unexplained powers, people with extensive cybernetic enhancements, genetic "freaks", flash clones, and even A.I.

Because a source listed in the manifesto's bibliography is a writing by Admiral Chijimatsu Sadanobu after the Interplanetary War in which he said humanity needed an 'Oni' to do the dark, concealed, behind-the-scenes work that was required for humanity to be safe and prevent such a terrible all-consuming war, or anything like the Interplanetary War from happening again. This writing has been described as ONI's founding document, meaning there is an undeniable link between the user who generated the article, the Gargoyles, and what would eventually happen to ONI.

After the Treaty of 2552 was signed, revelations of many of the Office of Naval Intelligence's crimes such as the abduction of children for the Spartan programs, countless political assassinations, economic manipulations, illegal projects, human rights violations and immoral treatment of prisoners of war were made to the entire public as a result of the New York-based vigilante known as "Truthunter" leaking them on the Waypoint. The Office of Naval Intelligence quickly came under fire and its assets were seized and closed in on by the rest of the government under the orders of the UEG Senate and newly elected President Damion Hughner, who formed a taskforce dedicated to completely taking power out of ONI's hands, detaining its members and then disbanding it.

ONI reacted by publicly denouncing the Senate, stealing trillions of credits from the government, organising the various Sections of the agency into small pockets of resistance which could move stealthily across Human space and hiding assets in a rotating number of black sites, including the facilities of some front companies, all whilst building a highly illegal shadow version of ONI in total secrecy, apparently according to a plan known as "SPRING CONTINGENCY" plotted by Admiral Sadanobu all the way back in the 2280s. Because of ONI's extensive control of human society and its knowledge of things that even the highest echelons of the UEG were ignorant to, it managed to get away with a staggering 31% of its previous assets, and that's just what the government knows about.

A short time later, a wealthy, well-connected and powerful individual known as "The Man" allegedly approached ONI's new head, Charles Kaiser, and used his influence, which somehow extended into the agency's shadow version, to organise its resources and secure them from the pursuit of the UEG, cleaning up all footprints and burning all bridges, effectively fixing every mistake made by ONI's remaining personnel in following the SPRING CONTINGENCY up to that point. Kaiser initially protested The Man's attempt to be a Benefactor, but The Man convinced him that he had guided ONI in its exfiltration from day one, and needed his vision, direction, backers ad resources, or else ONI, and every hope for humanity's survival and enrichment would be crushed. Kaiser and The Man reached an agreement, and as a result, the Office of Naval Intelligence began to regain its pre-treaty power.

ONI first began to use the relatively new company HillSol Commerce, which was built up by The Man as a front organisation for its shadow operations. It then began to resume operations, projects and investigations that were left paused in the wake of Truthunter's leaks. This also included the launch of several new activities, including an investigation into the identity of Truthunter, a new Spartan Program completely under this new ONI's control, efforts to turn public opinion in human space vehemently against the Sangheili Supreme Commander Thora 'Marumee and support for calls for his pardon to be revoked, the recruitment and embedding of agents and sponsoring of sympathisers in the Unified Earth Colonies government, and resuming of operations to undermine the power and influence of former Covenant species and remnants of the Hegemony.

The Man has held onto the belief that the political party Primum Terrae (Earth First) has a part to play in humanity's ascension, and rumours are flying around that its leader, Doctor Anastasia Hanshi has cut a deal with ONI. In an attempt to inspire more research into cybernetic enhancements, which The Man seems to favour as a possible future of human evolution, ONI sabotaged and detonated a research station operated by Dun Lao Technologies off the coast of Shanghai, China, with the intent that the corporation's Nano-Wasps would seek out and devour organic material in the city, ensuring a massive amount of people would require cybernetic replacements for body parts and their unique injuries would demand specific treatments that could be studied by ONI. In an effort to weed his way into the Terran House, The Man has also directly overseen a delicate operation to slowly brainwash President Damion Hughner's Vice President Marcus Fleet, placing operatives inside his private security detail, afforded by Fleet's distrust of the UEC Secret Service, and having them report on Fleet and his wife Zhenya's routine at home, their likes, dislikes, and preferences regarding food, drink and so on. The Man then began having the private security introduce tiny traces of polymerised dopamine and adrenergic antagonists into their food and water, to the point where a special device designed to do this via nanobots has been secretly installed in their fridge. The aim of operation is to chemically alter the behaviours and memories of the Fleets by giving them the illusion of success in their goals whilst inhibiting their drive to come up with new ideas and effectively make them passive and incapable of posing a threat to ONI, grooming them into easily manipulated High-level politicians directly under President Hughner's nose. In time, ONI hopes it can install agents within the Secret Service to do the same to Hughner. Though The Man is weary of recent hours Zhenya Fleet has spent deep in introspection, feeling it may be a sign that she is starting to notice the changes in their mannerisms.

The agency also planted operatives into the crew of the UNSC Eternity, the UEG's new primary intelligence agency in the Counter-Intelligence Office/CIO and the new UNSC branch of Spartan Corps to keep a close eye on the UNSC's new motive to create less morally controversial supersoldiers, leech off of CIO intelligence-gathering, develop countermeasures according to their new cutting edge tech, and draw Spartans of all generations into ONI's embrace. The Man believes that ONI's loss of control of the majority of the Spartan supersoldiers was almost equivocal to a parent losing custody of children in a divorce, and intends to "win them back".

The Man is also one of few individuals throughout the Orion Arm who is knowledgeable of the existence of a spacefaring Ancient Human civilisation, and has accurately identified many alien assets wrongly classified as Forerunner or unknown as Ancient Human in origin, though is reluctant to release the details of prehistoric humanity to ONI's general membership, as he currently has the intention of waiting for the right time to reveal evidence of Humanity's former glory. Nonetheless, The Man views this technology with extreme value, in some cases even more so than superior Forerunner tech, believing these relics to be Humanity's 'birthright', and has plans for their integration into ONI's equipment going forward. Interestingly, some of this Ancient Human tech seems, in some way, newer, as if it were created recently as opposed to 100,000 years ago, and carbon dating has placed some of these items much closer to the modern era than anticipated, leaving The Man to wonder if Ancient Humanity somehow continued elsewhere in the Galaxy.

Other new initiatives undertaken by the Office of Naval Intelligence include Project: Surtr’s Sword- a network of orbital satellites which would be able to target any location on a planet below with lasers, and the heads of the organisation aim to use the project as retribution for the glassing of numerous human worlds by the Covenant, by using it on the worlds of ex-Covenant species instead. Additionally, there has been Project Dung Beetle- involving the creation of "Dung Beetles"- functional imitations of Covenant Scarab walkers, though considerably slower and highly overbuilt due to the limitations of human technology and the inability to utilise Lekgolo worms to control their inner workings. Project Brainstorm on the other hand is an attempt by The Man to create cybernetic augmentations which can boost the human mind’s processing speed and power to the level of a Smart artificial intelligence. The Project was conceptualised by The Man and datarunner Travis Weasel, who has been one of the first guinea pigs of this initiative. Finally, there's the ever-enigmatic Silent Project, though it's purpose is very much unknown.

The Man appears to be confident that former CINCONI Admiral Oscinia Dilvaskovy, a convicted war criminal for her attempts to spread the Flood parasite throughout the Covenant colony of Glyke during 2551 who was mutinied against by Spartan-E267 Tyrese Bluford, the crew of the UNSC Last Judgement and two Covenant allies, will remain tight-lipped about ONI's intentions whilst she remains in UNSC custody. The Man has described Dilvaskovy as a "tough cookie", and although they have never met and Dilvaskovy likely does not know who he is, The Man knows she will not say a word, but has a plan to 'suicide her' in place should this change.

The Man seems to place particular trust in his star operative Indiana Boxxon, whom he has assigned to oversee several research divisions. Other prodigies The Man has been nurturing is General Konrad Valstuppen- a former UNSC Army General who sided with ONI, Doctor Ramona Zorucini of the REAP-X Division, Spartan-A029 Darrel- a candidate for The Man's backlog of personal assassins, Uyot 'Jeli- A Sangheili spy and mercenary ONI uses for undercover counterintelligence ops within Sangheili-controlled organisations, and ONI Forward Commander Gordon Draxus.

If possible, he wishes to enlist the services of the Spartan-III E267-Tyrese Bluford, Spartan-II Ivan-S226 and the Project: Spectra Spartan-IIIs SP613 April Solis and SP612-Jason Blyth, each members of the UNSC/Swords of Sangheilios coalition alliance Trident of Revelation. The Man admires the talents of each greatly and wishes to one day bring them over to ONI's side, viewing them as the best of the Spartans.

Despite the clear benefits that The Man's sponsorship has brought to the Office of Naval Intelligence, many among SPRING CONTINGENCY's original circle of organisers cannot help but think that Charles Kaiser sold the entire organisation to someone they know nothing about, and that The Man has become Director Kaiser's grey cardinal- the real power behind his throne, little more than a mouthpiece for The Man, and that this is very dangerous. Admiral Yeliz Amek, who was supposed to become CINCONI after Dilvaskovy's detainment but was forced to transfer that privilege to Kaiser has become agitated by The Man, and seems to resent Kaiser for his choice.

The Man has a strong rivalry with UMBRA- a paramilitary authoritarian syndicate, secret society and terrorist organization bent on installing a fascistic regime that has existed for thousands of years that has expanded to include aliens amongst its membership, and the individual known as The Silent Partner, an enigmatic figure at the head of an expansive organisation which trades in information and resources to the highest bidders across the Galaxy. The Man understands that this Silent Partner is the only individual who is more well informed than he himself about Galactic affairs, having detailed information on the day to day routines of everyone in the known Galaxy, even ONI's leadership. The Man has a very clear intent to find and usurp the Partner and gain control of their organisation, making it an extension of ONI. It is unknown whether he knows of the existence of The Assembly- a clandestine group of human artificial intelligences who regulate the activities of artificial intelligences, as well as analyse and extrapolate data for the continued survival of the human race. Knowing him though, he likely does, and has a plan to usurp them too.

Overall, the precise details of The Man's long-term goals are unknown, but it is certain that he has many different projects in motion at a time, all factoring into helping humanity achieve its "rightful place" in the galaxy. Currently, it seems that his main focus is on consolidating power and reverse-engineering Covenant and Forerunner technology that can be used to place Humanity ahead of the other species in the Galaxy technologically whilst it is already ahead politically, thereby assuring that it will remain at the top as the uncontested galactic power.

However, as of recent, The Man seems to have taken an interest in the Flood parasite: realising the vast threat they pose to humanity's survival but also acknowledging the potential they possess, and The Man has expressed a desire to learn how the Flood operates and has dedicated vast resources in an effort to find a way of controlling the parasite and harnessing the power of its Graveminds by any means necessary. Only time will tell how well this fares for him.

Quotes:

"Well, it's just like the song goes- I'm only Human."

"Halo was nearly a disaster. One that no one was prepared for, and it could've wiped the slate clean. The more we refuse to anticipate our impending extinction, the more we throw science out the window in favour of ridiculous untruths we tell ourselves to keep comfy at night."

"I don't care if it's from the vineyards of Xanadu on Arcadia. If it was bottled after 2342, it doesn't interest me."

"Are there more forces out there in the universe that will test us? Ones that will shake our resolve and threaten the lives of every man, woman and child like the Covenant did? Of course there are. To doubt it would not only be a failure of our imagination, but a failure to recognise the limits of our own stupidity, the accuracy of our science, the practicality of our tools. We look, we listen, we actively seek out. Hoping for a sign as if our eyes can see. As if our brains are able to comprehend, or our egos are humble enough to respect power greater than our own. I am not in the business of avoiding challenges of our collective strength as a species. No, the work I am doing is to assure that Humanity can rise to the occasion every time. And our kind are notoriously competitive."

“For nothing can seem foul to those that win.”- A quote from the Shakespeare play King Henry IV, Part 1, which The Man has often recited in regards to his personal philosophy

"That's how Forerunner technology works. The Human touch is all it takes- and it's proof we're destined for more."

"Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to dominate and harness the Flood's power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them.”

“It would be wise of you to rethink your choice now, Mr. Quinn.”

"Let Director Fowler believe he's found us out. Let him chase this lead. He'll learn soon enough he's wasted his time."

"At the end of this, Humanity will live on in my image, rather than God's."

"UMBRA is an old nuisance- they've waited far too long to reveal themselves, and won't last the next twenty years. The real one to worry about is The Silent Partner."

"Information is the greatest weapon in any arsenal."

"How spineless. Greatness undreamed of within their grasp and yet they still bleat like sheep in the presence of a hungry wolf."

"Mmm. I must hand it to the Sangheili- they know how to mix a decent cocktail."

"You said it yourself Ms. Dubhar, the aliens aren't on our side, and we shouldn't try to tell ourselves they are."

"You and I Matetholos , we have the same goal. 'Humanity First'- is that not your philosophy?" (In the future)

"Just a friendly suggestion: don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

Operative: "I can still work on the baseball results. Who would you like to win?" The Man: "I couldn’t care less. What I don’t want to see is Akisagi's competitive division winning the Formula-1 race next week. As long as I’m alive, that doesn’t happen."

"The Mantle of Responsibility is Humanity's destiny. It is the ultimate test of a species, and I intend for us to pass with flying colours."

"I don't do this to stop you from completing your goals. I do this to keep you in the fight."

"I don't believe Doctor Tennyson's input is a particular requirement, but I certainly argue that her expertise would benefit our new project greatly. Make no mistake, if you can find her, then bring her to us."

"All the credits in the Galaxy aren't worth a damn. A real economy trades and competes for power. The power to leave your own mark on history. One much greater than any President, any tyrant, any upstart terrorist or warlord. I ask not for any payment you could give me, except for your understanding that what we do here has to be done, and enough patience to let me prove I'm right."

"And may God help us all."

"I didn't spend billions of credits organising your assets for you to turn me away. You need me. You're lost, lacking vision. Be honest, you don't know what you're doing or what you intend to do. I? I can give you that direction, and give you what you need to keep fighting the good fight."- To CINCONI Charles Kaiser

“Don’t you see? This is the key to subjugating the Flood.”

"Tell Mr. 'Vokosanee we appreciate his cooperation, and transfer 10 Million Orons into his offworld account. On second thought, make that 12.3 million Credits. Save him the trouble of those fluctuating exchange rates."

"God knows I'm not going to be the hero of any story, but I don't need to be the hero. I just need to do what I set out to do."

"I want updates on the KALA Nanotech Recovery Op on my tablet in the morning."

"ONI has always had one singular purpose- the defense and continued survival of Humanity."

"I don't know if the Flood feels fear, but you killed one of their Graveminds. They'd be foolish not to at least respect that."

"Look around, 'Marumee. Face my reality. My race is fighting for its very survival. What else do you expect?" (In the future)

"We all have our addictions, Mr. Blyth. Mine's just always been whiskey."

“If you've come for answers Bluford, you've come to the right place.”

"Don't worry about him for now, but keep an eye on him. Should this 'Vindicator ' get anywhere close to Black Flag, we'll let him know."

"A law that has us scuttling like mice from a cat. A law that demands that we deny our destiny, one that directs those under its dominion to cower in fear lest we risk evolving. I ask you, who does this law protect? Us? Or them?"

"Parts of me will always be human. But I have gained so much more. Strength. Immortality."

The Man: “Who do you think you are Thora? Telling humans what’s best for us? You’re not one of us Thora, and you’ll never know what being human is like!” Thora 'Marumee: “That may be true....but I am a citizen of this Galaxy just as much as you are, and if we ever wish to let go of the shackles of our past, you must break the chains of hatred and division now. I assure you, if you go down this path, if you instigate war and hate between all species of this Galaxy, then you will only be doing humanity a great disservice.” (In the future)

"Earth...just look at it. Our home. Beautiful. Perfect."

(Here we go ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Man! One of the biggest villains going forward in my Haloverse, and someone who's going to be a consistent thorn in the side of our heroes for many years. I've had this guy as an idea since summer 2020, and I thought it was high time to finally unveil him to you all. Apologies for the utter drought of content I've been going through for a while, as the current goings on in my life have been totally brutal- spiritually, mentally, and physically draining. I'm trying to get back on top of submissions now, and I've actually been working on alot of things, just haven't focused on one enough to get it done and ready to post. Anyway, I'm quite proud of The Man, and I hope you all enjoyed a look into what exactly the Office of Naval Intelligence has been up to since it was officially disbanded, as well as sneak peeks into other elements of my lore, particularly concerning the behind-the-scenes, conspiratorial shenanigans that numerous shadowy organisations are involved in.)

(As for The Man's name, you might wonder why I didn't think of something more...more. Well there's a reason for his very simple name. You often hear about people standing up against "The Man", particularly in our modern age with people becoming more and more aware of just how messed up the world we live in is. "The Man" being the system, the powers that be, what controls and makes our society what it is today. "The Man" is everything wrong with Humanity, not necessarily an actual person. Well, in the Haloverse, all of those things are one person- The Man, and as for the numerous former identities I gave him, I'll say immediately that there is no one of them that is particularly 'canon' or 'the real one' but rather, they are all tools to represent all the awful traits of our civilisation that The Man embodies whilst also giving some delicious slices of lore for you to gobble up. Jefferson Hernandez is political corruption and how it leads to the forsaking of one's original mission statement, Damian Idaho is the desire to seek vengeance and how it can destroy a person. James Miller represents abandonment and the effects it can have on a person as his son was driven to become a terrorist because of him leaving, Quentin Goodman is racial and religious bigotry as well as the use of faith to justify wholly immoral ideas. Andrew Sampson is corporate greed, gorging to the point of waste that leaves the needy hungry, and the consequences of unchecked capitalism, Martin Garick is power and our hunger for more of it once we get a taste, Mr. Smile is our tendency to ignore the plights of others and our uncaring attitude towards anyone's problems but our own. Norman Engelhert is lies, fake news, and how reality and fiction are misconstrued and made indistinguishable to the point where the truth doesn't matter anymore, and finally, Chijimatsu Sadanobu is tyranny, violation of privacy and the need to control everything, particularly other people. All of these stories, all of these traits, all of these men are reflected in The Man. And that's what The Man is- he's everything wrong with us as a species. I hope you like it.)

(Also, as part of a new thing I wanna start doing, I'm gonna start putting in songs that could be summed up as a character's 'theme song' in these end of bios, so The Man's would be Obsolete by Peroxwhy? Gen . I have a few others but I think for now I'm just going to keep to having one main song per bio, unless I really wanna throw others at you. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed looking at and reading about The Man! Take care everyone and stay safe.)