This is the "Attack" order. This orders tells your ships to attack a location. Since a ship will automatically attack a location just by moving into it, the attack order only serves a purpose if you are trying to attack the same location that your ship is currently at (if there are enemies at that same location).

The Attack order serves another purpose in a Simultaneous game, where it gives your ships the order to seek and attack a target. This is useful since your ships will actually seek no matter where the target moves during the turn.

This is the "Colonize" order. This order will request that you select a planet to colonize. Your ship will be give several orders. First, it will try and load population from any planet at that location. It is important that your ship has some population in its cargo bay so that they can be placed on the planet when it is colonized. Next, the ship will be given orders to Move To the planet. And finally, the ship will be given the Colonize order.

When your ship colonizes a planet, the ship will be deconstructed for raw materials. Any population or cargo being carried by the ship will be placed on the planet. It is very important that your colony ship carry population when it is colonizing a planet. Without population, a colony will still be created, but it will have no people. A colony without population will not be able to construct any facilities.

This is the "Fleet Transfer" order. This order will display the Fleet Transfer Window so that you can create new fleets, and add this ship and others into the fleet.

This is the "Load Cargo" order. This selection will display a window asking to you select a cargo type. Then you will be asked for a location. This button will give your ship orders to Move To the location specified, then attempt to load all of the cargo it can of the type chosen. Your ship will attempt to load the cargo from a planet or base that you own at that location. If you have nothing that can hold the cargo at that location, then the order will not be executed.

Usually, you will use the Cargo Transfer order to move cargo. You would use this order if you want to perform the load sometime in the future.

This is the "Launch Units Remotely" order. This selection will display a window asking to you select a unit type. Then you will be asked for a location. This button will give your ship orders to Move To the location specified, then attempt to launch all of the units it can of the type chosen.

Usually, you will use the Launch/Recover Units order to launch units. You would use this order if you want to perform the launch sometime in the future.

This is the "Drop Cargo" order. This selection will display a window asking to you select a cargo type. Then you will be asked for a location. This button will give your ship orders to Move To the location specified, then attempt to drop all of the cargo it can of the type chosen. The destination for the cargo will be a colony you have or a base. If you do not have something that can hold the cargo at the location, then the order will not be executed.

Usually, you will use the Cargo Transfer order to move cargo. You would use this order if you want to perform the drop sometime in the future.

Usually, you will use the Launch/Recover Units order to recover units. You would use this order if you want to perform the recovery sometime in the future.

This is the "Convert Resources" order. This selection will display a window which will allow you to convert resources from one type to another. Any conversion from one resource to another is not perfect, there is some loss of material when converting. For example, if there is a 50% loss of material, you will use 3000 minerals to get 1500 organics. This order is only available if the currently selected planet has a facility with the resource conversion ability.