Belial666 wrote:2) Because having several hidden colonies instead of one increases both the industrial base and the total number of scientists I got.
I should think that having a dozen hidden partners on already developed worlds would suit the MAlign better -- they have gone to all the trouble to activate the full Mesan Alliance as a star nation, although not publicly advertising that fact.
You've got a fairly good plan for colonizing, I just can't see how it furthers the MAlign's plans or why the MAlign would spend the additional effort in a direction so divergent from their known plans.