Us v Them: Independence (Sci-fi Romance / Book I Complete)

Power is important. James Hawk comes from a family that rose from nothing to the ultimate height of power, their names to be forever remembered in the history of their solar system (see prologue). His family gave him everything, and they expect even more in return. The expectations have never been higher and failure, is not an option. Meanwhile, one of the enemy is living with far lower expectations. Alanna Summers joined the navy for the attractive college tuition repayment package. Her only plan: keep her head down and avoid notice. A few minor instances of murder, mutiny, and mayhem and Alanna finds herself stuck in a dead end job, on a dead end asteroid, fighting what she is quietly starting to suspect is a dead end war. As far as jobs go, this one comes with very limited exit options. Alanna’s world is about to change. And whether she likes it or not, she will get noticed. Walking a tightrope between two worlds, James and Alanna must find a way to protect their allies on all sides, before it’s too late. Because while the residents of this distant solar system are fighting and destroying each other, someone is watching.  The universe is a lot more crowded than anyone realized. And even the aliens, are not alone. The battle for independence, has just begun.  What to expect: Harsh world with a happy ending for the main characters.  Also: progression (not LitRPG), battles, missions, romance, morally ambiguous characters faced with difficult choices, a dog, a telepathic alien spider (more on that in book II), and aliens so strange even the other aliens think they’re weird. This book does not include chapter by chapter trigger warnings. In some chapters, bad things happen. But it mostly all works out in the end.  Schedule: I'm committed to at least one new chapter each week but I'll typically post 2-3 chapters.  I love comments and feedback, so please let me know what you think!