Platform 47

Owned by Nurugosha Industries and built on the planet Durius II, "Phemodrin Core Superplatform #47" was the largest teritium mining and processing facility in the galaxy. A recently colonized planet, Durius II had an unstable subterranean structure, and it was suggested by more than one report to delay building until further studies could be made. Despite warnings from both the Intergalactic Mining Union and OSHAN, the platform was constructed due to unusually high concentrations of teritium. Under peak operating conditions, the mining platform was able to extract, process and refine over 400 tons of teritium ore a day. Because of this, it was by far the most lucrative of the phemodrin platforms, which were already intended to dominate the galactic refinery business.

But on Nalan 63rd, 387, at 1825 (stellar time), a slice-blasting rupture triggered a series of enormous underground explosions that fractured the already delicate subterranean foundation. The entire platform collapsed into an ever-widening chasm, taking a large part of the surrounding mining colony with it. Thousands were killed from the collapse itself, with hundreds of others succumbing to the hostile atmosphere without any functioning life support. This ranked the catastrophe as one of the worst peacetime planetary mining disasters in history and, by far, the most famous.

This photo, taken only two Earth months before the tragedy shows the refinery at full operational capacity. Today, the incident which has come to be known as simply "Platform 47" serves as a somber reminder of the often disastrous results of putting greed before the safety of the workers involved.