Undisclosed planet, Tau Cluster
Thrthlmpdm watched a blip appear onscreen and smiled. Actually, it wasn't a smile so much as an uptick in bioluminescence, but anyone in the room would have interpreted it that way.
Construction was proceeding apace. It felt like moments since he had authorized the new colony, but it was actually a few days. Days to prepare for launch, days to travel at over seven times the speed of light, hurtling towards an unstable star, and most recently, days spent setting up rudimentary equipment on this new planet. This was an experiment. In an effort to get certain goods, most leaders agreed that they should at least try to colonize a partially landlocked world. The oceans covered only a small portion, but its location in relation to a specific prize was just too good to pass up.
A message appeared onscreen:
Established stable orbit around prospective colony 5007. Survey completed. Multiple forms of fungi, flora, fauna, and protists noted. No indicators of sentient life. FTL communications beacon established in ocean. Request landing permission. Message ends.
Thrthlmpdm "smiled" again.
Landing authorized.