The Purpose of Stations
Stations are the neutral powers of the world in this game; mining outposts, laboratories, and other organizations that are independent from the colonies. They're viable partners for trade, and you potentially get some great yield bonuses from dealing with them. However, they do not own territory beyond their one tile and cannot produce Units or anything else a City is normally capable of. They also do not participate in diplomacy. This chapter covers the best use of Stations and explains what you can do to maximize their perks while also denying them to other players.
Discovery
Stations appear on the map over time. Some start near the very beginning of the game, while others randomly plop down later on. There are many types of Stations, and each has its own bonuses. A Station might trade Production, Food, Culture, Science, or Energy. Many Stations even trade a mix of these yields to anyone who sends convoys their way.
Once a Station appears, you get a notification about its name and the yield it provides, and the map zooms to its location. To make it available for trade, have one of your explorers or military units wander over to that area so that you have a clear explored path to that Station. If the path is clear of Miasma, the Station should appear on your list of potential routes when using the Establish Trade Route command on a trade unit.
Now you're ready to go, so start trading!