The massive freighter began to slow as it approached the planet - A jungle world, which command had designated as a good starting point. The huge thrusters on the massive freighter began to fire, slowing it down in it's inevitable course, as maneuvering thrusters began to bring the freighter into an orbital position. Freight detaching, as construction shuttles and pre-constructed ATIGs got to work, as pods were maneuvered about, some having their exterior plating removed to reveal modular stations, which quickly began to be placed together, and grow- Being settled into orbit by ATIG-322s, who tugged other modules around, placing them into positions around the freighter and the growing station, determined by a dozen ATCs working to coordinate the rapidly increasing flow of traffic.
Within 3 hours, the station would be large enough to support a fully loaded Super-Rhino. Within 6 hours, the station would be able to refine materials, drawn from the asteroid belt. Within 12 hours, the station would be able to support the mining efforts to the asteroid belt. Within a full day, the next fully loaded Super-Rhino, carrying the first load of supplies would arrive.
They had to have the first stages of the colony setup before then.
The 'Finite Chances' was rapidly becoming a large station, even by ISO standards. It's modular design that allowed it to expand so quickly, meant it could serve as a mothership while the bulk-freighter 'Midnight Dreams' would continue on to explore the new galaxy. It's dark grey hull was already being expanded, to have the facilities to house a Super-Rhino, and to fuel it. Other parts of it were being added- living quarters, hangars, hydroponics bays, weapon pods, and everything else needed for a new adventure into a galaxy. Refineries, foundries, machine shops, print-shops, mills, science labs, sensor stations, and other such things. Everything was being strung together in a thorough manner, by a manner that was built for thorough and rapid expansion. Huge solar panels being strung out, to support the station before it's boilers warmed up and began howling.
By the time the 'Finite Chances' finished it's first round of expansion, it'd sprawl across dozens of kilometers in space- A boxy hull, with arms reaching out to provide docking slots, defend by a complex web of defensive platforms, guns, and AG-300s patrolling.
The 'Midnight Dreams' had been in a steady orbit now, as the second layer of containers was detached. Transport pods loaded full of soldiers, civilians, and others, being moved into position. Most of the pods, fairly obviously, were guided into position with the station itself. Others, however, were put into temporary orbits. As ATIGs, now freed, latched their heavy cables to the pods--And then they began to descend into atmosphere. Flames lapping hulls and armor, as they dove down. A total of 12 ATIGs moving 3 pods into atmosphere. The starting parts of the first step of ISO colonization, which after this point, would be a near unstoppable spiral.
The scans had given a good image of the planet. A continental forest world- Covered in trees, and likely hiding untold bounties of minerals beneath it's surface. A few more detailed recon passes had showed smaller mammalian life- For the most part anyway. A few alerts had been put up about the larger predators, but not many. That left the teams to explore the world, to mark out sites for other FOBs, even as the form of the Main Colony rose up behind them.
The Main Colony itself was already fairly large- Literally built out of a dozen Super-Rhino cargo-pods. It had been raised above tree-level on a series of massive stilts, and work-teams were quickly beginning to clear the space below the main building for future expansions. On landing pads which had quickly been built, AG-304s were in varying states of readiness- Some hovering on the pad, waiting for their orders to come in. They would begin the process of finding mineral deposits, and marking them for the logistical divisions to start mining...
High above the colony, in orbit, mining vessels were already being deployed to the systems asteroid belt, to tear it apart for valuable resources, and to hide defenses within it's grasp. The ISO were well versed experts in colonial warfare, after all- You hide more surprises than what the enemy can...
The lead officer watched nervously, as the amber light suddenly flashed green...
"Commander, connection green. Portal is now opening." Came the cool voice of the Station-House 'Track' officer, as the huge portal began to open in space, 25,000 kilometers away from the Stationhouse itself. This was just a temporary portal, though... The start of something far grander.
It took maybe half an hour of waiting for the form of six Super-Rhinos to slide through the portal, five of which didn't even slow as they turned towards the distant form of the planet, carrying supplies, soldiers, materials, and all the items the ISO had sent out to this new galaxy. They then vanished, one-by-one, with the flash of the BFAD powering each one into warp. The sixth, on the other-hand, began to slow almost instantly. Whirling about, as it dragged behind it huge cables which began to go slack--Some cables were easily a kilometer in diameter, using which it dragged the form of a Junction House.
The huge cables began to detach from the Junction House, as the Super-Rhino that had been sent out to tow it whirled about, as the cables drifted free. The Junction-House's own maneuvering thrusters kicking into life, as ATIG-322s began to detach from the SR, picking up the ends of the cables to attach them to the Station-Halt, as it's own portal flicked off. Towing it out of the way, as the massive Junction House sent out it's own connection lines, than it's portals, connecting back to the network. Now that the foothold was established... It was time to reinforce it.
It wasn't too long before the five transports were all sitting in orbit, disgorging containers. Enough materials, and population, to build a fair sized city on this planet alone... And the soldiers to defend it. But even then, the 'Scarlet Fever' was just disgorging one of it's layers of transport pods- Many of it's other troops would go onto other systems, as the ISO moved in to this cluster.
It was also about this time, the 'Midnight Dreams' turned, it's heavy sensor arrays pointing out towards zones unknown. Filling in scanner information for nearby systems. About thirty minutes had passed when suddenly- It vanished in a flash of warp-energies, flinging itself off towards the nearest system, to continue this process...
Afterall. That's what the ISO did best.
Expand into new frontiers, and mine them dry.