I know this game is tough but this one has me stymied! Mainly I can't figure out what's attacking the ground by my base. The ground starts crumbling and my buildings start collapsing. I'm not talking about the 4 wacky sites you're supposed to build the cores on, but everywhere else. It seems like it's some kind of scourge but I can't see anything! I have scum twisters patrolling all over and it blasts its beams at something but doesn't seem to help much.
I don't have enough brigadiers to keep that rubber face from reappearing, never mind fixing up all these attacks...
How can I get ahead of this crazy planet?

Wow, well I finally did it.
[begin rant]
This is partially why I hate forum nazis. "Did you try search?" "All the answers are at this link; blah blah" Then a couple of years go by and one site goes down... so do all your answers. Argh. I thought the Internet was built on redundancy?
[/end rant]
I finally found a scrap of a clue. You only have to build the cores long enough to see where the portal will be built and start construction. AND you only have to have one tiny corner of the core on the targeted area. You should only bother to terraform the smallest part of the face, because it will be a load of work to redo it all the time. That thing pops up before you really make much headway!
Save the face for last, and as SOON as you see the location of the portal and start building - you're OK (it needs to be terraformed, so you might need to get to this point twice, unless you know where it is already)! The 4 core locations can be destroyed at this point and you don't need to worry.
Don't forget to charge your spiral, and give yourself a path to the portal with energy cores.
Whew, and this is the EASY setting?

I know! It's very satisfying to finish a murderous level like that and realize you did it through strategy. What a game.

this game is absolutely kicking my ass, and yet still i play it... man they really love stacking the deck against you in this game too...

thanx for the info BoxOfSnoo, so did you ever figured out what's attacking the ground by your base?(yap, I know, its been 3 years)

the planet is described as unstable. i think this is what cracks the ground.

This is the only mission I have not finished! - yet