"Yes, lord. I am certain this is where we are going to find our life rings," the battleship commander focused hard to get his thought through. He was glad that the researchers back on the home system finally gotten the thought communication system working. There would have been no way to communicate with the warlord back home on the Government system.
"Have you actually seen enough life-rings to make this attack worthwhile?" the thoughts of the warlord came across strong and menacing. Meiron, the battleship commander an accomplished warrior in his own right having led dozens of successful campaigns still couldn't help but feel a frisson of fear crawl up his spine.
"Yes, lord. Our sensors clearly show enough life-rings on this sector to keep our entire system supplied for at least 3 seasons," Meiron thought and immediately also sensed that he was trying too hard to please. Too late, he realized the Warlord was going to know that as well.
"What is your plan now?" There seemed to be a long pause before the Warlord thought anything, and Meiron was wondering how the Warlord seemed to be able to control his thoughtwaves so precisely.
"I am going to lead the first assualt, lord," Meiron thought with a wave of excitement, "with the best from my fleet in the standard extended attack formation."
"What opposition are you expecting?" the warlord seemed to taunt him.
"Nothing, my lord! They are not expecting us, I am certain of that. They have not secured the life-rings, the sensors still show them to be out in the open," Meiron felt much happier about his thought. It had been a good response, he decided. It still took a while for the Warlord to respond, and Meiron was starting to wonder if he was going to be allowed to attack, tot seek glory as the first to find life-rings outside of the system.
"Proceed. Leave orders that the rest of your fleet is to return to the system if your attack fails," the Warlord's ultimatum shook him a bit, and Meiron realized that the entire fleet had received that thought! Horrors!
"Yes, my lord."
As he lead the cream of his fleet in the standard extended attack formation, Meiron felt the glory, the truimph wash over him. "Onward," he thought, "attack that white ship." Suddenly it was dark, Meiron felt locked in, he couldn't move. "What duplicity is this, they weren't expecting us!" Meiron thought indignantly, as he felt a soft but strong cage closing in on him. "I wonder why these creatures, these humans as they called themselves didn't realize the importance of the life-rings, calling them tyres." The Arctic Tern did not hear these last frantic thoughts from Meiron before it flew on to what was a rich, but hitherto new dinner that night. A dinner of alien invaders.
Challenge Update : 126 days, 149 to go.
P.S - Yes, the name is *very* cliched. And yes, this is my attempt at sci-fi, in my defense, I am still enough of a geek to think that sci-fi is "cool".
P.P.S - Thanks Cheta dude for the edits. Really really really neat stuff machaan!