Alanya to Alanya by L. Timmel Duchamp

The Marq’ssan come to Earth to teach humanity to change, become less violent and hierarchical. Kay Zeldin, a historian with former ties to “the Company” is recruited by her old nemesis to be one of the USA’s negotiators.

There are a lot of lesbian characters. I thought the book needed another draft or two. This is the first of five books in the Marq’ssan cycle. Available from the publisher: Aqueduct Press (http://aqueductpress.com), who specializes in feminist science fiction.