Before finding their way to Veira-X97 the collection that would eventually become known as The Miners of Veira-X97 was a relatively unknown group of spacefarers, comprised mainly of humans that roamed Delta Space mining a variety of asteroid belts and wayward comets for materials they could then sell to support their small fleet of ships and subpar mining equipment. Even after a few generations of travelling together they only had a few hundred people and a few dozen transport ships and space adapted mining drills in their possession. They did not take a name, preferring to consider themselves simple space nomads.
Travelling together for so long they formed strong bonds with each other, treating all like family, sharing what they had amongst the entire fleet and caring for one another as best they could in good and bad times. This was a difficult and cold time, and they spent many years adrift with most of their time onboard their ships or out in space mining cold rock. Docking the immense fleet cost exorbitant fees so supply runs were only conducted by a few of the transports at a time in six to eight-month intervals. Being a part of this supply crew was often considered a big deal and gifted as a reward for hard work as interaction with other people not of the nomadic fleet was rare at this time.
Surprisingly, the nomadic fleet would soon find a more permanent home, though one that wouldn't provide any more comfort than the cold expanse of space. They would stumble upon an often ignored planet called Veira-X97, a planet heavily populated by volcanoes and filled with noxious gases like carbon and sulphur dioxide. Many had passed by it, perceiving it as too hostile and not worth the risk. But the experienced miners of the nomadic fleet saw otherwise, they knew that in the presence of so many volcanoes and such a heavy and toxic atmosphere the potential for rare ores was ripe. And after several scans of the planet, their suspicions were proven correct, just underneath the planet's surface, they found vast stretches of ultramafic igneous rocks, primarily chromite and olivine. The nomads knew they had hit the jackpot, as these two ores are commonly used in the smelting of platinum a priceless material used in the construction of spaceships.
They decided to take a risk and attempt to settle the planet, using the parts of their small fleet to build small interconnected domed communities and a single mining facility. The first few years were tough, they struggled against the toxic nature of the environment, having to develop rudimentary masks to help filter out just enough sulphur dioxide and other harmful gases so that they could breathe somewhat while travelling outside of their shelters. These masks are vital to survival on the planet, but it is nevertheless recommended to only spend the least amount of time required outside as possible.
Over the next generation, the former nomads would build numerous new habitats and facilities. With the habitats being fitted with larger filtration systems, initially scavenged from their ships to help keep out excess harmful gases, those these would eventually be replaced with higher efficiency systems when funds became available. These systems need to be carefully maintained and regularly cleaned to ensure the filtration systems function properly and that safe levels of sulphur and carbon dioxide are kept. To this day, every few years entire communities have to be temporarily shut down and emptied so that a full clean can be done to express any accumulated toxins from any surfaces and even the ground from the sheltered communities. Their facilities would also expand, and come to include dozens of mining operations, smelting facilities, and transport docks.
Now, over a hundred and fifty years after first settling Veira-X97 the former nomads, now simply known as The Miners of Veira-X97 have become one of the primary sellers of platinum in their sector and have accumulated vast wealth. The miners, after years of toiling on the surface, finally collected enough money to build themselves a permanent space station that orbits above the planet. The space station is completely outfitted and provides a comfortable, and arguably, luxurious life for the miners that stay there. Since the completion of the station, a shift system has been put into place allowing all workers to rotate between time off on the station and time on working on the surface below. Usually, these shifts run for about town months on the surface, and two months on the station, with different teams, rotating on and off to allow work to continue at essentially all times.
The miners now primarily sell fully smelted platinum, having built several manufacturing facilities to smelt down chromite and olivine into the precious metal. This has been a boon for the miners as they now sell directly to deep-pocketed corporations that require vast amounts of the stuff in order to build their ships. One of their most frequent consumers are corporations that run large shipyards and build bulk transport ships for sale to other businesses and corporations.
While life on the surface is still difficult, and levels of noxious gases must be monitored at all times, sulphur dioxide plumes are common from the volcanoes and always pose a threat, the miners have found a niche for themselves in The Delta Space and have done well for themselves because of it. To this day, even though their numbers have swelled to many thousands of residents and workers, The Miners of Veira-X97 still hold dear their old nomadic ways and treat all of their own as family and ensure everyone is taking care of properly.
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