The first book in the AMP series. In a distant galaxy, humans are on the run. For a thousand years they have fled from an enemy that is bent on their annihilation. The only real defense is their home, a great station called the Grid with a faster than light drive that is unmatched for speed. Don is a Messenger not a hero. But ordinary men sometimes have a way of rising to a challenge. War is again coming to the Grid and fate will place Don smack in the middle of it. Is Man ready for the 43rd Milgari war? Don Grange doesn't think so