@HighKKings Mostly for functionality. Orbital deposits (which is what the stones are) get converted to a base planetary deposit once the world is colonised. This becomes less reliable as a method of "mining" the Stones, and opens up a plethora of possible bugs. Since control of the stones is a fundamental element of gameplay which all the other mechanics are dependent upon, I've kept it as streamlined and risk-free as possible.
A smaller reason is that you can't see planetary deposits from the galactic map, so it would be harder to "see" the stones if they were on an inhabited planet
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