Every story has to begin somewhere. This story begins with the introduction of the main character, called 'Marine', and the events which reveal his expected comportment in dealing with the problems he will soon begin experiencing. While sleeping at his home in the Arizona desert, an ex-US Marine is abducted by a pacifist off-world race intent upon finding a 'killing animal' species to use to defend themselves from aggressors of another planet. Marine is pitted in battle against representatives of eleven other alien species while the abductors study the species involved to determine the most lethal of the test subjects. With help from new friends, Marine adapts to the situations he is presented with, and strives to survive in a hostile environment not of his choosing.
