Phil was never anything extraordinary or abnormal really, just an ordinary boy living a pretty much ordinary life on Esperanto. His father and mother had set out to scrape a living from the desert, attempting to farm moisture and food for themselves in a tiny patch of land. When Theophilus was born, things had actually been going fairly well for his parents, leaving him with an imperfect but happy childhood. His father taught him how to shoot, how to hunt, how to track, and how to work the land. His mother taught him how to cook and mend clothing as well as how to read and write. As he grew he became a very well rounded boy when it came to the world, albeit one that was almost painfully world-wise.

His mother was the first to die due to health complications from living in such harsh conditions, leaving the young Theophilus and his father alone to manage the farm. It was difficult work, trying to survive with just the two of them, especially when Theophilus was only ten and not able to do as much as an older boy. Lonely years passed and Phil's father succumbed to illness and fatigue, passing away and leaving Phil alone. Despite his desire to work for what his parents had been carving out for themselves, he knew he couldn't stay, not and survive. Thus Theophilus shed his name, opting to only answer to 'Phil' and took what he could, setting out for one of the nearby towns. He found work where he could, typically eating what game he could find in the desert. His skills with both a blade and a gun increased greatly over the years and, eventually, he slipped into the mercenary trade.

As a mercenary Phil gradually grew more and more infamous, taking on the dangerous jobs that most others didn't want to risk. He seemed like a loose cannon most of the time but, really, he simply didn't have much regard for his own safety. Phil always craved a new challenge, something to get his blood pumping, to test his skills against something new. Never mind that a part of him always wanted to be able to save others from what he had to go through, to make sure people were safe. Thus, sometimes, he'd lower his prices to help poor farmers from outlaws and thieves or other such charitable things, though he'd never admit to it. Oddly this never seemed to damage his reputation of being ruthless business man and killer, leading him to be the target of various attacks over the years.

During a particularly hazardous job something unexpected and amazing happened, something which eventually turned his gaze to the stars. It felt just like any other adrenaline rush, fueled by rage and, secretly, pain, only more intense. The weight that manifested in his hand was familiar... Yet it was weightless at the same time. Its rounds were powerful and never needed to be reloaded, the weapon itself never needing to be cocked. This resulted in Phil scouring Esperanto for what information he could find about this strange... Manifestation of power. His search eventually lead him to the Keepers, those that seemed to have all of the answers he sought and more.

Due to Phil's attitude he was wary of going into space, of fighting for anyone other than himself even for a paycheck. However the lure of seeing things unfamiliar, of fighting new enemies, of learning more about this ability he had was too tantalizing. He made sure that the pay was good and packed his few possessions, joining the cause with little thought. Over the years he became better and better at controlling his power and learned to tolerate working with others as well. It was at the point in which he was most comfortable with his current team that the Keepers decided to transfer him to another.

Needless to say Phil protested the transfer quite vocally. He was comfortable with the team he was currently with and didn't want to be dumped into a team full of kids. However no matter how much he fought the decision, he found himself swapped anyways, leaving him rather disgruntled and bitter. Now he had to find where he fit on a new team and he didn't like that idea at all.  However it went much differently than he could have ever anticipated and, later on, he was glad to have found his way to his old team.

Phil uses a rather wide arsenal when it comes to combat. He has a long barreled rifle as well as a shorter barreled shotgun. These two weapons get the most use, but if they fail, he has an assortment of hand guns as well as some knives tucked away on his form. Weapon-wise, he is very well armed and knows how to use everything he has which makes him a very well-rounded and experienced killer.

Shotgun
Phil wears a lever-action shotgun at his side similar to this. He's, over the years, perfected cocking it with one hand and, when he feels like showing off, flip-cocking it. Even one handed he's an accurate shot with this weapon. It was his father's gun so he tends to always keep it close and gets temperamental if anyone touches it.

Rifle
He owns only one long-barreled rifle, used mostly for sniping. It's a little haphazardly held together with a primitive sight welded to the top but, oddly, he is rather effective with it. While he is fond of the gun he may concede and get another after joining the team.

Hand-Guns
Phil has four separate handguns that he tends to tote around with him. Two, high-caliber matching guns, one on each side, a small gun in his boot for emergencies, and another emergency weapon in a lower-back holster.

Knives
Usually he does not use knives for fighting. He has a fairly large knife he keeps strapped to his thigh for cutting food and eating, along with other such tasks. When in a bind he won't hesitate to use it as a weapon, but he isn't very good when it comes to knife combat.

Hand-to-Hand
Phil usually doesn't resort to hand to hand as he's much better with a gun. However when desperate he'll resort to throwing punches, despite the fact that he was never heavily trained in it. He's been in a few bar fights, so he can hold his own, but isn't amazing.

Cavalry
Phil has acquired, through means he swears were legal, a steam-powered, steel horse named Jezebel.  While not quite as agile or fast as a real horse, it can be handy in combat.