Yes they can. By the time i finally got into beta, it was too late, too many established alliances and people. I was trying to learn the game and build. I was colonized over and over (but let go several times, told them I would find them in ageI and kill them, lol). But the constant crap hindered me from getting a complete grasp of the game play rules. And I read a lot on here. It was just an amazing hassle. There was no way to really learn and play...