Questions about adding defenses to colonies: Is it possible to fortify a colony in the same way that you can fortify a starbase? Example: I have a 16 colony near a military starbase. In time I've sent constructors to the starbase to add attack and defense modules so it is extremely powerful against attack. But the colony is protected only by ships in orbit around it, plus some unknown defense inherent in a colony.
1. Is there a way of knowing what defense a colony has on its own? I notice that when I attack a colony it shoots back, so I assume my colonies also shoot back when attacked, but I've never seen a screen to build shields or point defense or armor on one of my colonies, so I don't know how that defense gets there or how strong it is. Can someone tell us newbies how this works?
2. Is there any way to have a constructor build attack and defense modules on a colony the same as it can on a starbase? (If this is possible but considered a cheat, please so indicate, as I prefer to not use any cheats...for time being.)
3. In the build menu for a colony there are items like Planetary Defense and Orbital Defense. What do these do for you and are they generally considered worth building?
Thank you for replies.