John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First, he visited his wife’s grave. Then he enlisted in the army.
There are two bits of news. Good news: humanity has finally reached the stars. Bad news: there aren’t many planets suitable for life, and there are many alien species ready to fight for them.
Far from Earth, the war has continued for decades—cruel, bloody, unchanging.
The defense forces of the colonies’ self-defense forces don’t need young men; they need people with knowledge and skills built up over decades of living. John Perry is sure he knows what to expect. But the real struggle is far, far more complex than he can imagine. And John has no idea who he will become.