Herios II can be summed up in a single word – Purgatory. A bleak, fiery hot world with daily temperatures across its scorched, wind scoured rock surface reaching over two hundred fifty standard degrees, Herios II is so inimical to life, at least on the surface, that the largest indigenous creatures recorded by the Galactic Geological Survey were a sub-species of duracrete slug that only grew to a third the size of their cousins on most other worlds. Even these were only found deep within the labyrinthine cave systems that honeycomb the planet’s crust, especially in more seismically active areas. The survey team recorded no signs of life on the planet’s surface. This is no surprise, considering the heat, as well as the brutal winds that rage around the planet, reaching speeds of over four hundred kilometres an hour, and laden with miniscule shards of basalt, onyx and volcanic glass that would immediately shred the lungs of any creature without sophisticated air filtration systems. The atmosphere is also inimical to most sentient species, containing high percentages of hydrogen sulphide, methane, carbon dioxide and a cocktail of chlorine compounds including phosgene.

Despite these appalling conditions, Herios II has a huge population of over twenty five billion souls. This incongruity can be explained by the planet’s great wealth of economically significant minerals. Great deposits of quantum, meleenium and other important metals abound on the planets crust and mantle. Some of the deepest mines in the galaxy can be found here, delving ever core-ward to extract more of the world’s mineral bounty. The level of automation and droid labour is surprisingly low, until the planet’s unusual electromagnetic field is taken into account. This field interferes with the normal operation of equipment and droids, making high technology extraction methods expensive to maintain – thus the majority of the mining work is accomplished using handheld tools such as picks and shovels, and basic chemical explosives. Living conditions for the mine workers are spartan at best, with billions of workers crammed into dormitories dug out of the rock. Serious accidents happen from time to time, despite the best efforts of the planetary government, leading to the loss of tens of thousands of lives per year. The planet is not without beauty though, and on clear nights, some of the most brilliant auroras in the galaxy can be seen lighting up the dark skies.