Or they have access to magic tech healing but are currently operating in a completely-lawless environment.

The FTF game that I recently had to abandon (due to lack of dependable sleep on my part) featured a scenario wherein my player had the chance to save the remnant population of a world that had suffered a monumental environmental attack (some fifty thousand people total) from rule by a bloodthristy megalomaniac.

The player handled the scenario fairly well, right up until the very end. At this point, in order to secure the funding needed to move the remnant population to a nearby liveable world, the player made the mistake of seeking help from a certain crime boss* without first securing a firm deal with said crime boss. This boss would have kept his word if it had been secured in advance. The boss valued his reputation for very close but honest dealing far more than any immediate monetary reward, no matter how large. But with no deal in place, the boss had zero problem cutting the PC out completely and dealing directly with the madman.

As a consequence, the madman's rule was merely transferred to the new colony rather than terminated. The player and his PC were both pretty bummed about this. But them's the breaks.

*For any interested: Yes, the crime boss was the same Lucius Alexander Marr - of "Lawful Ruthless" alignment - that I mentioned in an earlier thread.