by Brent Reilly
CHAPTER 45
Jawbone, the company commander, noticed a break in the snowfall. "Come on, everyone. Let's get out while we can. Mongols don't kill themselves, you know."
A well-liked veteran, he had a tendency to "jaw-bone" his team. The usual suspects made the usual groans, but most of them quickly got ready for another day on top of the 500 kilometer-long Pyrenees Mountain Range.
"Wake up, Dreamy," he said, kicking a super-quad who slept a lot, and handing him warm tea to clear his head. "Last one out cleans the latrine."
The downside of not having support staff was all the shitty chores.
Mongol control in Spain collapsed after their defeat at Cuenca. The 2nd division blocked enemy access to the peninsula while the 3rd bombed from Valencia. Then the new African division arrived and rolled up the Mongols from the south. Genghis Khan lost all his troops, government, and wealth in Spain. He vowed to re-take Spain, which meant first controlling the Pyrenees.
They built the cabin into the lee of a small cliff to minimize wind shear. Vulnerable from above, they placed large rocks on the roof, then poured water to freeze the boulders into place. A naturally-looking snowdrift hid frozen earth piled up against the exposed sides of the bunker as Jawbone peeked out a narrow slit before stepping outside.
The extreme cold made the interior feel like an oven. It got so cold that a guy could see his pee freeze as it landed.
The trick to surviving cold weather is layers of clothing, to add or subtract as needed. Jawbone decided to go back inside to take off a jacket now that the storm passed, but something made him pause. On impulse, he popped up to check out the roof. Unfortunately, a few dozen enemies blasted him for his sudden appearance, blowing his head off.
With that, hundreds of Mongols shot at the cabin from concealed positions, but did little more than melt snow and blacken the stone walls. The Americans rushed to open wand slits to fire back. Dreamy, now wide awake, noticed the white masks, gloves, and expensive coats. If they had all gone outside, the Mongols would have wiped them out.
"It's the special team we heard about!" he warned the others. "Let's hope this works."
Dreamy and several others stuck their hands out narrow holes in the back, then blasted blindly at anyone on the roof. Others climbed onto the roof to finish off the Mongols. The boulders gave them cover, while the curve of the cliff protected them from above. A stalemate started, but with the Americans more comfortable.
"Pass the shields up and prepare for a mass attack," Dreamy yelled into the cabin. Some of the metal shields looked old enough to be Roman, but would still protect against fireballs.
Several hundred enemies attacked on the narrow front. The defenders built their bunker so everyone could shoot out, which crushed the attack. Owning the roof kept them alive.
The Mongols had to destroy the Americans to re-take Spain. Since Jawbone's company guarded the much-traveled Somport Pass in Aspe Valley, it came as no surprise that Mongols hit them. The other companies would hear and counter-attack in force. All Jawbone’s unit had to do was wait.
When the counter-attack finally came at sunset, the Mongols were stiff, frustrated, and very cold. The Americans wiped out the remaining Mongols, but not before torturing some to learn where they trained.
“Oh, boy,” Dreamy concluded sadly after the third Mongol gave the same information. “I hope the Baron has come back. Maybe he’ll know what to do.”