Thanks Ntronium!  The relay station is what I didn't know about (don't remember seeing it in the manual).  I thought I was missing something!!  [:)]

<t> Recently purchased the game and am playing for the first time. I went to war and captured an enemy colony. However, capturing that colony did NOT extend my ship range, so I can not continue into the enemy's empire. I had assumed that taking over an enemy's colony and making it my own would ...