diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward/StoreAndForwardStorage.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward/StoreAndForwardStorage.cs
index 54859796..8b3b008f 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward/StoreAndForwardStorage.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward/StoreAndForwardStorage.cs
@@ -123,34 +123,6 @@ public class StoreAndForwardStorage
         await cmd.ExecuteNonQueryAsync();
     }
 
-    /// <summary>
-    /// Returns every buffered message regardless of status, oldest-first, up to
-    /// <paramref name="limit"/> rows, plus a flag indicating the buffer holds more
-    /// than that. Anti-entropy groundwork: the active node snapshots its buffer for
-    /// a standby resync. One extra row is fetched (<c>limit + 1</c>) purely to
-    /// compute the truncation flag without a second COUNT round-trip.
-    /// </summary>
-    /// <param name="limit">Maximum rows to return; must be positive.</param>
-    /// <returns>The oldest-first page (at most <paramref name="limit"/> rows) and whether more rows exist beyond it.</returns>
-    public async Task<(List<StoreAndForwardMessage> Messages, bool Truncated)> GetAllMessagesAsync(int limit)
-    {
-        await using var connection = OpenConnection();
-
-        await using var cmd = connection.CreateCommand();
-        cmd.CommandText = @"
-            SELECT id, category, target, payload_json, retry_count, max_retries,
-                   retry_interval_ms, created_at, last_attempt_at, status, last_error, origin_instance,
-                   execution_id, source_script, parent_execution_id
-            FROM sf_messages
-            ORDER BY created_at ASC
-            LIMIT @limitPlusOne";
-        cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@limitPlusOne", limit + 1);
-
-        var rows = await ReadMessagesAsync(cmd);
-        var truncated = rows.Count > limit;
-        return (rows.Take(limit).ToList(), truncated);
-    }
-
     /// <summary>
     /// Inserts a message, or updates every mutable column in place if a row with the
     /// same id already exists (<c>ON CONFLICT(id) DO UPDATE</c>). Used by the standby
@@ -224,23 +196,41 @@ public class StoreAndForwardStorage
         await using var connection = OpenConnection();
 
         await using var cmd = connection.CreateCommand();
-        cmd.CommandText = @"
-            SELECT id, category, target, payload_json, retry_count, max_retries,
+        const string cols = @"id, category, target, payload_json, retry_count, max_retries,
                    retry_interval_ms, created_at, last_attempt_at, status, last_error, origin_instance,
-                   execution_id, source_script, parent_execution_id
-            FROM sf_messages
-            WHERE status = @pending
+                   execution_id, source_script, parent_execution_id";
+        const string due = @"status = @pending
               AND (last_attempt_at_ms IS NULL
                    OR retry_interval_ms = 0
-                   OR (@nowMs - last_attempt_at_ms) >= retry_interval_ms)
-            ORDER BY created_at ASC";
+                   OR (@nowMs - last_attempt_at_ms) >= retry_interval_ms)";
 
-        // Bound the sweep batch (oldest-first). 0 = unlimited (legacy).
         if (limit > 0)
         {
-            cmd.CommandText += "\n            LIMIT @limit";
+            // Page FAIRLY across (category, target) lanes: rank each due row within its
+            // lane (oldest-first) and take the page by rank, so one dead target holding
+            // hundreds of due rows contributes one row per "round" like every other
+            // lane instead of owning the whole page. Within a lane rank order == created_at
+            // order, so per-target FIFO is preserved for the service's GroupBy.
+            cmd.CommandText = $@"
+            SELECT {cols}
+            FROM (
+                SELECT {cols},
+                       ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY category, target ORDER BY created_at ASC) AS lane_rank
+                FROM sf_messages
+                WHERE {due}
+            )
+            ORDER BY lane_rank ASC, created_at ASC
+            LIMIT @limit";
             cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@limit", limit);
         }
+        else
+        {
+            cmd.CommandText = $@"
+            SELECT {cols}
+            FROM sf_messages
+            WHERE {due}
+            ORDER BY created_at ASC";
+        }
 
         cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@pending", (int)StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Pending);
         cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@nowMs", DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.ToUnixTimeMilliseconds());
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward.Tests/StoreAndForwardStorageTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward.Tests/StoreAndForwardStorageTests.cs
index a3b1a26e..d55c495e 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward.Tests/StoreAndForwardStorageTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.StoreAndForward.Tests/StoreAndForwardStorageTests.cs
@@ -822,19 +822,35 @@ public class StoreAndForwardStorageTests : IAsyncLifetime, IDisposable
         Status = status,
     };
 
-    /// <summary>Verifies that the all-messages query returns every status, oldest first, up to the limit.</summary>
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Review 2026-10-21 02/C2: a dead target holding more due rows than the sweep page must not
+    /// starve a healthy target — the page is ranked per (category, target) lane, and each lane
+    /// stays oldest-first.
+    /// </summary>
     /// <returns>A task that represents the asynchronous operation.</returns>
     [Fact]
-    public async Task GetAllMessages_ReturnsEveryStatus_OldestFirst_UpToLimit()
+    public async Task GetMessagesForRetry_PagesPerLane_DeadTargetCannotStarveOthers()
     {
-        var @base = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow;
-        await _storage.EnqueueAsync(NewMsg("p1", StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Pending, @base));
-        await _storage.EnqueueAsync(NewMsg("k1", StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Parked, @base.AddSeconds(1)));
-        await _storage.EnqueueAsync(NewMsg("p2", StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Pending, @base.AddSeconds(2)));
+        var @base = DateTimeOffset.UtcNow.AddHours(-1);
+        for (var i = 0; i < 600; i++)
+        {
+            var m = NewMsg($"a{i:D3}", StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Pending, @base.AddSeconds(i));
+            m.Target = "dead";
+            m.RetryIntervalMs = 0;
+            await _storage.EnqueueAsync(m);
+        }
+        var healthy = NewMsg("b0", StoreAndForwardMessageStatus.Pending, @base.AddSeconds(1000));
+        healthy.Target = "healthy";
+        healthy.RetryIntervalMs = 0;
+        await _storage.EnqueueAsync(healthy);
 
-        var (all, truncated) = await _storage.GetAllMessagesAsync(limit: 2);
-        Assert.Equal(new[] { "p1", "k1" }, all.Select(m => m.Id)); // every status, oldest-first
-        Assert.True(truncated); // a third row exists beyond the limit
+        var page = await _storage.GetMessagesForRetryAsync(500);
+
+        Assert.Equal(500, page.Count);
+        Assert.Contains(page, m => m.Id == "b0");
+        var dead = page.Where(m => m.Target == "dead").Select(m => m.Id).ToList();
+        Assert.Equal(dead.OrderBy(x => x).ToList(), dead); // per-target FIFO preserved
+        Assert.Equal("a000", dead[0]);
     }
 
     // ReplaceAll_SwapsTheEntireBuffer_Atomically was DELETED with ReplaceAllAsync in