Ultra Violence #2: Landfall

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Ultra Violence Ian Michael Kummer book sci-fi novel

As stocky 18-year-old cursed with premature baldness and a dull mind, Hanson didn’t have much going for him before he was drafted. With little education to speak of and no family connections, the boy seemed destined to disappear down a mineshaft, probably die in one like his father did. The Venusian Defense Corps changed all that. Hanson liked the black uniform and the Spartan aesthetics of military life didn’t bother him. Now he was part of something special and bigger than himself. He was part of something important.

Encased in body armor, packed like sardines with the rest of his platoon, all hurtling to the ground in a black coffin, military life doesn’t seem like so much fun anymore. But this doesn’t bother Hanson much either. Nothing really does. A simple mind has its benefits.

Russia-Ukraine Standoff: Here’s What We Know (Live Updates)

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The standoff in Eastern Ukraine continues. Here’s a rundown of events so far and what may come next. I’ll continue adding live updates to this post as the situation develops.

The Kremlin doubles down on their troop and ship movements, the White House is ineffectual as always, and Ankara gets bolder with their support of Ukraine. That last development (which includes new Turkish drones and Syrian mercenaries) is particularly good for Kiev, but probably gives them little comfort since just about every player at the table has made it clear they won’t face open warfare with Russia.

Syrian Mercenaries Prepare for War in Ukraine

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syrian mercenaries prepare for war in ukraine

Ukrainian Special Forces are recruiting Syrian mercenaries to fight in the disputed Donbass region. The American media has mostly declined to report on this event, for reasons that I’ll leave up to readers to infer. However, The Syrian Observer reported last month that Turkish special forces asked Syrian militants to prepare for deployment to Ukraine.

Former US Ambassador to Kiev named five options for “How to Stop Moscow and Russian troops”

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JMTG-U Honors Ukrainian Armed Forces Day with Ambulance Turnover Ceremony Former US Ambassador to Kiev named five options for "how to stop Moscow and Russian troops"

As pretty much everyone who doesn’t live under a rock already knows, the U.S. and NATO has pledged support to the nationalist government of Ukraine during the current standoff with Russia. Steven Pifer, former diplomat and avid warhawk, has proposed five courses of action. They’re hopelessly insane.

Megiddo: The First “Officially” Recorded Battle in History

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Megiddo: The First "Officially" Recorded Battle in History Battle of Megiddo

In this battle, Thutmose III crushed a coalition of rebels in Canaan. Aside from advances in military tactics and technology (like the composite bow), the confrontation at Megiddo was the first known case of an accurate play-by-play description of the battle, including the body count.