Snip
1. Technically you report to the UN. In reality, they can't stop yelling at each other long enough to give you orders anyone else will agree to.
2. You have a small spacedock type thing... but your ship is bigger then that. Until you get another, bigger, spacedock or get fighter sized ftl drives, yep.
3. At the start, yes. Later on... Depends on what you do. You can appoint governors or let a corp manage it after a while, but when it's starting, its all yours, and even after that, you probably are the one with all the guns... unless you've given them some.
4. Currently, for earthsystem, its 1 to 2 days per orbital ring. so from earth to mars is 1 to 2, and from earth to the belt is 2 to 4. Depends on your dicelove/hate.
5. For now, if you don't make it, its not being built. In the long run it depends on what you do and how much independence you give to your minions.
6. I'd like to see that, but I must note this is inspired off
this, at least loosely, because the start of that game is lost to the gamefaq forums where it started and got deleted for being an old topic. If you do, please give them credit too.
And ask away! More questions mean more people are interested in this!
Edit, and as a note, Post 2 has an Earth Infrastructure spoiler. Yes, your ship was built in the small spacedock. And if you want to wait another 30 years they can make you another one.