Halo: Feindberührung

==Plot Summary==
The Theban Commonwealth defends itself against a Covenant onslaught. 
==Part I: Oy, To Ne Vecher==
===Chapter 1===
The first thing Lex Novak felt was the sickness. Stronger than any other time he had awoken from cryosleep. He crawled out of the pod and fell to the deck, retching. 
Next, he felt the searing pain. Freezer burn. A common symptom of extended periods of time spent in a cryotube. Treatable, but that knowledge did little to ease the pain in the moment. 
But it did bring back his memory, for next he felt relief. 37th of Kionos, year 26, they had been forced to enter indefinite cryosleep in some uninhabited system between the frontiers of human space. No working slipspace drive, no hope of getting home except leaving a beacon and praying that someone found them, some day. "Snooze drifting", it was called in English; a benign term for one of the most terrifying experiences a human can undergo.
Not nearly as terrifying as what stood before Novak in that moment, however. 
A tall, yet hunchbacked creature gazed down at him. Some kind of feathers, or spines, protruded from its head and forearms, and beady yellow eyes shot right through him. Its face ended in beak that reminded him of a parrot but looked as though it could crack open his bones effortlessly.
Worst of all, it began to speak.
"It's good to see that some of you have survived," it hissed in well-practiced English. "You will fetch a good price."
. . .
Novak had not been the only survivor of the Škotovudet, thankfully. 26 besides himself had pulled through. But 16 others had not. Armin, Galena, Dominik, Hasan... between the losses and the apparent discovery of intelligent non-human life, Lex's head had been spinning ever since they had been herded off of the transport and onto the strange alien craft. The concept of time no longer seemed to exist, and he couldn't be sure how long it had been when he felt a jolt and heard the sound of unfamiliar machinery. The vessel had, evidently, docked with something. 
One of the aliens strode into the gallery where Lex and the other humans sat. It waved a clawed hand upwards and barked something in its native tongue, directing them to stand up. A loose line was made as the 27 survivors solemnly followed the alien through winding hallways. 
Lex had been right; the alien craft had docked with something. As they approached what appeared to be some equivalent to an airlock, Lex caught sight of something familiar. At first, he believed himself to be hallucinating. Next to the red-plumed alien that he had first seen stood three humans, wearing the crisp maroon uniforms of the Theban Intelligence Service. 
One called out to them. "Welcome home, comrades," she spoke in Slavonic. Lex's eyes welled with tears as the other survivors went forward, grasping at their rescuers' hands in fervent thanks. 
===Chapter 2===
"Tomyris, run the simulation again."
Elias Tomilin let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in his chair. The "smart" AI flickered into existence on the table in front of him. A somewhat fantastical image of her namesake, bearing a breastplate, plumed helmet, and flowing cape. Tall boots reached up to her miniature knees.
"Minister, you do know that this is of little help?" She spoke matter-of-factly, and somewhere, Elias knew she was right.
"It is of little help for you to disobey a direct order from a lawfully elected state official. Run it again."
"What would be great help for you, I think, is if you got a good night's sleep. How do you expect to defeat the Covenant when you can barely keep awake?" Elias closed his eyes and rubbed beneath them. He really hated when she was right. "I promise you, the chances of a Covenant fleet entering the system during the next 9 hours is extremely low," she added, with a slightly playful tone.
"But not zero." The transparent blue figure visibly rolled her eyes.
"But not zero," she repeated. Elias leaned forward in his chair and brought his eyes to the steel floor beneath him.
"I just don't know how we'll do it," he said solemnly. "Because they will find us, eventually. You and I both know that."
He glanced up at the figure in time to catch a slow nod in reluctant agreement. "Save for a miracle, of course."
"A miracle," Elias chuckled. "Think of it: the survival of our revolution, dependent on a miracle."
"I would think all revolutions depend on them, to one extent or another."
Elias sighed once again, bringing himself to stand from his chair. He rubbed his lower back, then behind his neck. He glanced at the simulated data once again; partially coopted data stolen from ONI sources, and the rest purchased from contacts among the alien called "Kraveniat", "the Red One". Regardless of what they did, any Covenant fleet greater than a dozen ships would inevitably glass Thebes and wipe the system of humans. Even with the assistance of the "Kig-Yar". Assuming they could rely on the aid of the aliens, which Elias did not. 
"Alright, then," Elias began. "You win, Tomyris. I'll go to bed and leave you alone."
"At last!" the AI interrupted.
"But," he continued. "I want a report in the morning for the data of another fifty simulations. And I want more information from the team working on the plasma howitzer."
"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Minister..." 
"For which one?"
"Either of them."
Elias blew air from his nose in something approximating a light chuckle. Gallows humour had finally caught him, it seemed.
"Goodnight, Tomyris." He strode from his office into the hall, his eyes already droopy with sleep. The comforting, soft support of the pillow brought him much needed relief.
===Chapter 3===
==Part II: Feindberührung==
==Part III: Gel-âdhargar==
==Part IV: Völlig Losgelöst==
==Part V: Another Such Victory==