Wolfstar : Tour of the Merrimack #2

Set in the distant future, when Earth and her colony worlds have long been at war with the forces of the Palatine Empire - an offshoot Earth culture that bases its values, civilization, and military structure on those of the Roman Empire - Wolf Star opens at a crucial moment in the struggle between these two opposing empires. The Earth space forces, spearheaded by the United States, have long retained an advantage over the Romans through a "sling-shot" technology that permits them to cross the vast distances between two crucial space stations, totally bypassing Palatine territory. But rumors abound that the Romans have almost succeeded in the completion of their own equivalent of Earth's stations. If this is true it means they will be able to catapult their fleets beyond the reach of Earth's forces, immediately laying claim to numerous areas of disputed territory.
To find their secret bases and halt construction of the catapults, Earth has assigned the pride of the U.S. space fleet, the two sister battle class starships, the U.S.S. Merrimack and the U.S.S. Monitor, to seek out and destroy the Palatine stations before they become fully operational. Now, the Merrimack has located a Roman convoy that they believe is key to the success of their mission. But unbeknownst to Captain Farragut and his crew, the Roman convoy is not quite what it appears to be, and this cunning enemy has a secret plan of attack which could well leave the Merrimack helpless in space - with surrender the only option. Only the unorthodox strategies of Captain Farragut may stymie the Roman's attack. Yet even if they escape the forces bearing down on them, it is only the opening salvo in a whole new stage of the Earth/Palatine conflict.
And even as the two sides struggle for supremacy, an alien life-form is bearing down on them - the Hive, a biological force whose only imperative is : seek and devour!