Us v Them: Independence [Sci-Fi Romance / Prequel and Book I Complete]

In a distant  solar system far from earth, two life bearing planets orbit a yellow dwarf star. First, humanity colonizes the warmer and more hospitable planet of Saraya. Over time, the resources of distant and much colder Tundra lead to another human colony being established. More time passes and inevitably, the scrappy new colony of Tundra declares their independence. And then they go to war. This nearly always happens.  Growing up on war torn Tundra, the Hawk family rose from nothing to the ultimate height of power, collecting a few alien secrets along the way (prologue/short story). They're a tough act to follow, but their son James Hawk is not one to give up. The expectations have never been higher, and James will do whatever it takes, to win it all.  Meanwhile, one of the enemy is living with far lower expectations. Growing up on the sunny and well established colony of Saraya, Alanna Summers has no family at all. Alanna's just trying to keep her head down and avoid notice. And even that doesn't work out. A few minor instances of murder, mutiny, and mayhem and suddenly her government really is out to get her.  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.  Exit options: severely limited.  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. Morally ambiguous characters doing some seriously morally ambiguous things. Also progression (not LitRPG), battles, missions, romance, a very confused guard 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: 1-3 chapters a week. I love comments and feedback, so please let me know what you think!