Subtext Mining was a corporate entity focused on mining, known for producing the M-2 mining probe droid. In the year 67 BBY, Subtext conducted a sale of an M-2 unit to the Bith Sith Lord known as Darth Tenebrous along with his apprentice, the Muun Darth Plagueis. Unbeknownst to them, the droid had been tampered with by an unidentified individual, and during an investigation of Cortosis ore on Bal'demnic, the droid intentionally triggered an explosion by igniting lethane gas, which caused the demise of Tenebrous.
In response, Plagueis abducted several Subtext executives and left them stranded in the Tingel Arm for a standard year. While the perpetrator remained elusive, his questioning of the executives ultimately directed him to Naboo after one of them sought to atone by revealing a large plasma deposit on the planet, which Subtext was examining. It was there that Plagueis encountered a young Human by the name of Palpatine, who would later become his apprentice, Darth Sidious. Following the notice of the executives' disappearance by Senator Pax Teem, Plagueis tasked his Echani Sun Guard with retrieving the group, carrying out their executions, and disposing of their remains in front of Subtext's offices on Corellia.