Space Odyssey: Spectre-Chapter 432: Assumptions and Strategies

Chapter 432: Assumptions and Strategies
They were back on the road a few minutes later. Almost immediately they arrived at the entrance to the canyon. They sailed right past it and down a hill into the canyon as the fog was still heavy and covering the air above the canyons. But as soon as they entered the canyon there was no fog blocking their view. So as they went down they were welcomed to the view of a blockade at the bottom of the trail leading into the canyon.
"What should we do, Major Jace?" Corporal Quest asked as they rode down into the blockade.
Jace took a moment and made sure this blockade was not that much of a problem. He confirmed what he was seeing a second time when he took a closer look. While it was a blockade, it was not filled with demons. There were only three demons there. All barely armed and completely unarmored.
"Kill them quickly, it looks like it is a skeleton crew." Jace informed them as he steered to the edge of the cliff wall and used it to ride the wall over the barricade before sliding to a stop behind the demons who were frozen in shock.
Before they had a chance to act. Sergeant K was mimicking his maneuver. But as she came down she went straight towards one of them and pulled her sidearm. Firing three shots that hit each of the demons in their head. As the demons went down the others made it past the barricade. "What the hell was that?"
"The weaker type of demons." Jace answered as he watched Corporal Quest walk past the barricade and bring his dirtbike with him. He then looked over to see Doctor Foulm and Captain Uti struggling with their own ATC.
"Yeah but... after what we just did. Why would they weaken their defenses?" Sergeant K had a point. There was no reason they should be limiting themselves. Especially since they knew they were coming.
"Y’know, there was this one time I stole a snack from my mothers stash." Corporal Quest started speaking as he sat down and looked like he was taking a break. "Afterwards I got really really sick. I mean like I was throwing up constantly, had the shits for days, it was really bad. No one knew what was wrong with me until I told my mother what I did. She laughed her ass off before explaining that the things I ate were not snacks but my fathers old stash of drugs."
The rest of them stared at the Corporal as they waited for him to get to the point. After a few seconds of waiting the good doctor was the first one to get impatient. "Son, does this story have a point or did you just feel like telling a story?" A bit of an accent slipped out when he spoke which was why Jace could tell he was annoyed.
Corporal Quest had the self awareness to look bashful for a moment before explaining. "My point is that there is no way for anyone to have all the information available to them given any situation. Like how I hid what I ate."
Jace frowned and thought about it for a moment before something clicked in his mind. They may not have all the information available to them at any given time. But they could make inferences based on the information that is available. "They might be low on manpower-er actually I guess it would be demonpower. But you get my point. They came here with only a limited amount and now they are probably focusing all of their people on two locations." Jace informed them as he started working it out in his head.
"Meaning the patrols we do encounter will be light and almost completely unarmed." Captain Uti agreed as he climbed on the back of the ATC now that they were past the barricade.
"They might be using the patrols to keep track of our location." Sergeant K realized and looked over at Jace who dipped his head for a moment. Agreeing completely with her assessment. "How should we get around that?"
"What do you see on them?" Jace asked as he nodded at the dead demons.
They all looked at the demons. After a moment Captain Uti was the one to answer. "I see they are naked and have some of those laser rifles. But nothing else. But I suppose that is the point. No way to communicate our position."
"Correct." Jace nodded. "So... we ignore them. We ride past any patrols we encounter. Just try not to get hit. Corporal Quest, get up and get on your dirtbike. We will take our break in an hour."
"When the afternoon starts?" Corporal Quest sighed as he climbed onto his dirtbike. "Why couldn’t we have rested earlier?"
"Because down in these canyons we can find a cave to hide inside of. Up on those hills we were exposed to a patrol or possible attack. Now stop complaining and follow me." Jace ordered as started driving but stopped immediately. "I need a new battery." He told his confused team.
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"We are coming up on something?" One of his team called from the hatch of the roof. Captain Maxim tapped a button on a screen and the image the lookout was seeing appeared. "Looks like a bunch of civilians. What are we doing?"
"Slow down and go around them. Ask them what happened while we go past." Captain Maxim instructed as he sent a message to the armored transport. Telling them that they were slowing down and going around a group of civilians that were in the road.
"Hey! Where are you people coming from?" The soldier called out as they got closer.
"A few miles that way!" A human man of Oda descent who looked a bit annoyed but was clearly injured answered. "Your friends freed us and a bunch of others. We are heading back to the city but the rest are going to meet you at the entrance to the canyon, they want to fight with you!"
"How many?" The soldier asked as they rode past the group.
"About twelve. The doctor only allowed that many to go. The rest of us, the injured and those unable to fight were sent to get to the city and get out of harm’s way." The Oda man answered.
"Mister Soldier! Go kill those monsters!" A little girl yelled, causing the survivors to all call out encouragement and wave at them as they went past. The soldier could only wave in response.
Captain Maxim looked at the screen in sadness as they continued over a hill. "When even children are involved in war, it is no longer a war but an atrocity." After a few moments he pressed a button and spoke into the channel that all of the people in both vehicles could hear. "You heard the civilians, let’s go out and hunt down those monsters."
""Yes sir!""
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"They are in the canyon." Belphe confirmed as the lights on the panel indicating the patrol she left at the barricade to the canyon disappeared.
"Are you sure about this Sloth?" The red mask asked as he sharpened the giant axe he had. He was using the skull of a human to sharpen it. Belphe looked at him and he visibly shivered. "I mean, I do not doubt your strategy. But these humans, do we really need to be so cautious? Just myself, you, and Envy would be enough to even give a duke a run for their money."
"He was holding back." Belphe answered as she stepped away from the screen. Letting the imps walk up and take control of the console. Their small wings flapped as they flew up slightly. "He was holding back and still managed to damage my shell."
"Not even Duke Belius managed to damage your shell." The green masked Envy pointed out as he walked in. He was still slightly injured but was getting better. "But I doubt that is the only reason for your hesitance. You have not told us about it yet. Your dream."
Belphe frowned and considered something for a moment before deciding to respond. "It is still blurry, even now I cannot tell what will happen. But I know we are going to need all the help we can get. Because I know for certain that four of the sins will die in the coming battle."
"Your distant foresight is foggy? How is that possible? That ability even works on the Dukes of Daemon." Wrath the Red Mask asked in confusion as he stopped sharpening his axe.
"I do not know for certain. But I know immediate foresight works. But that human managed to change the outcome by watching my reaction and figuring out my ability during the start of the fight." Belphe informed them as she pulled her halberd out of her personal pocket dimension. It was chipped and damaged and she would have to quickly prepare it before the coming battle. Because what she was not telling them was that of the four to die, she knew for sure that she would be one of them.