The Martian Connection

Federation space lieutenant Aria Pantel is haunted by her past and being hassled in the present by the arrogant Dr. Hansel Heinrich, a lover turned pain in the ass from the Academy now a fellow crewman. Light years away from her Martian home with only her best friend to remind her to take care of herself, Aria's universe begins spiraling further down a black hole when an unidentified ship blasts across their bow.
The captain says to leave it alone but the invader risks destroying the humanoid settlement on the planet below, one inhabited by strapping, primitive men which Aria has grown fond of spying on. This latest threat couldn't be the Quillian aliens, not seen since they lost the war a decade ago, right? Such a thought might send Aria back to her coping vices. Will she open herself to resources that can heal her heart, save the settlement, and all the while keeping Hansel from mucking it all up?