Kepler Prime
Kepler Prime is a mostly desert planet with successfully established mining colonies for large salt deposits. Has not been terraformed and inhabitants are required to wear full-face oxygen masks when outdoors. The atmosphere is breathable, but only for limited periods as a high concentration of salt and other particulates in the air can cause permanent damage to the lungs, eyes, and skin after a few minutes. Prolonged and/or repeated exposure is also known to cause cancer - the leading cause of death for residents. Average life expectancy for miners is forty years.
The salt plains of their home world had raised a hard generation. They had spent their lives working in mines, chemical processing plants, and packaging facilities. Toxic air meant that protective masks and suits were required when traveling outdoors, but even that wasn’t a permanent solution. It was never possible to fully protect their homes from the air, so they had grown up with an intimate knowledge of death.
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