- "Eruseans are shit everyone is shit and you too womanslayer69"
- —Lynx bullying everyone when he tried to escape Shilage Castle
Benjamin "Lynx" Neumann, callsign Lynx. Despite common belief, Benjamin was not born in Shilage or Voslage, but rather in a city close to the Waldreich mountains in Belka, Benjamin was young when the Belkan War erupted. His family decided to leave the country shortly after the war began, fleeing the fires of war and the inevitable chaos it would bring, leaving their entire life behind. Benjamin's family was one of the thousands of Belkan refugees that fled from the Osean continent. They went across the sea and remained in Usea while they hoped the war would die down so they could return home. As refugees were not always welcome in many places, the Neumann family had to stay on the move frequently, with Benjamin's parents working odd jobs to support themselves and their family. It was a tough time for everyone.
One evening Benjamin and his family were staying at a hotel preparing to take a flight to Saint Ark. He was watching some old movie on television when the broadcast was interrupted by breaking news: Seven nuclear detonations had just ocurred on Belkan soil.
Benjamin quickly learned that his hometown had been wiped out from the map. In a single flash of light, his home, school, friends, relatives and the entire world he had known up to that point in his life had disappeared. The V1 explosions had only left behind only a highly radioactive wasteland behind. This left a deep impression on him that would last for the rest of his life. All he wanted for months had been to go back home, now that home no longer existed. He had nowhere to go back to.
Benjamin's family finally settled somewhere in Verusa after months of traveling searching for a new place to call home. New jobs, new lives, a fresh start for them. For Benjamin, however, the war never ended. Growing up he began reading books about the Belkan War, watching news and documentaries about them, trying to understand what had happened. when he read about the mercenaries from Ustio that were rumored to have been instrumental in the end of the war, bringing back peace to the region and defeating the Belkan forces, he became obsessed about them. Those mercenaries were not loyal to any one country, only to themselves and their ideals. These romanticized views on mercenaries and the footage of Allied planes flying victorious in the Belkan skies after the end of the war had led Benjamin to seek to become a fighter pilot.
His time with the Verusean Air Force was short, as he felt that becoming a soldier of fortune was his true calling, so he left the military and joined a famous PMC in the region. Though little is known about his activities during this time period, it is certain that he distinguished himself in combat and earned enough fame to become a freelance mercenary, operating mostly in regional countries in Verusa, Anea and South Osea . Despite the suspicion that Belkan mercenaries often received, his skill and tactical knowledge couldn't be denied, becoming expert in air-to-air combat and sought after by warring factions attempting to hire him. When paired with an advanced stealth aircraft like the YF-23 with the Hyper-Velocity Air-to-Air Missile, he became known for being almost unstoppable.
Benjamin was one of the mercenaries hired by Erusea in early September 2019 as part of their efforts to bolster their air force after suffering heavy pilot losses during the Osean attempts to capture the Submersible Aviation Cruiser "Alicorn", operation Sighthound. It is said that he was able to negotiate a lucrative contract that he didn't think Erusea would be willing to pay. His service was short, but he made a name for himself in the few weeks he flew for the Erusean Air Force, shooting down more Osean planes in a single week than most experienced Erusean fighters would manage in the entire war.
Benjamin was stationed near the Shilage region and on his first operation his squadron succesfully repelled an Osean bombing offensive attempting to push westward into Erusean controlled territory. During the engagement Benjamin had saved several of his squadron members from an experienced Osean squadron, who he shot down. Because of this, the squadron decided to celebrate at a local bar while they were on leave. There, a young woman worked as a bartender. Being a fervent supporter of independence for the region of Shilage, she held Eruseans and particularly their military with contempt. She told Benjamin that he and his new friends were not welcome there, telling him to "go back to his homeland". Benjamin laughed, explaining to her that it wouldn't be possible. He was from Belka and his homeland was nothing but a crater on the ground. The woman's attitude changed and they engaged in conversation. Benjamin and his friend were allowed to stay and celebrate their victory.
Benjamin would becoe a regular at that bar for the following weeks, often chatting with the locals and the bartender. Despite the suspicion that often followed him due to his nationality, he fit in with the community. He was sympathetic to their cause and their desire to retake their homeland. It was because of this that he became known and accepted by the locals.
When the satellite communications went down and Erusea was thrown into chaos, Shilage took the opportunity to declare their independence. Benjamin, sympathetic to their cause, chose to stay with them. He joined the members of the Voslagian air force, Sol Squadron and the rest of the military forces of both Shilage and Voslage, who accepted him into their rank. For the first time Benjamin was fighting for something he truly believed in.
When Shilage Castle was raided by Osean LRSSG forces on October 24, 2019, Operation Beehive, Benjamin was scrambled to stop the raiders. Taking off from a tunnel near a highway turned into a makeshift runway, he attempted to stop Strider Squadron from neutralizing the air defenses, but as he engaged Trigger, he realized that the struggle was useless. Benjamin tried to flee but was shot down by Trigger. He survived the ejection unscathed, but had to watch powerlessly from the ground as battle on the skies raged on. He recalls watching a lone fighter approaching from the east, his plane being like a black dragon with orange wings, just to be slain by the Trigger after a deadly dance in the skies. The defeat of that old hero of Shilage, the King of the Skies himself, and Osea's raid of Shilage Castle, was an enormous hit on the morale of the people of Shilage, but Sebastian was among those who urged everyone to stay strong in order to reclaim independence and have a homeland they could call their own.
After the war ended he remained in Shilage. He was officially named a citizen there and was celebrated as a hero, though he disagreed with that last one, saying he only did what he had to do. Finally having a place which he could call truly call home, he quit his mercenary life and married the bartender he had met that day. Today he lives in Shilage with his wife, recently celebrating the birth of his twin daughters.