Wreaths of Empire — Andrew M. Seddon

Naval Intelligence Commander Jade Lafrey retrieves a dying agent's last report from the wreckage of his ship, and stumbles into a conspiracy that may destroy any chance for peace between the Terran Hegemony and the alien Gara'nech Suzerainty. The garbled message implies that someone is developing the ultimate weapon - but who? Together with her super-geek aide and an Information Officer she's not sure can be trusted, Jade must negotiate both the treacherous political starscape and the stirrings of her heart in order to avert catastrophe.