The Sovereign State of Nova Phoebus is a massive, safe nation, ruled by Adon Herr with an iron fist, and renowned for its pith helmet sales, anti-smoking policies, and devotion to social welfare. The compassionate, cynical, devout population of 2.039 billion Phoebusians are kept under strict control by the oppressive government, which measures its success by the nation's GDP and refers to individual citizens as "human resources."

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Astris. The average income tax rate is 67.0%, and even higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Phoebusian economy, worth 246 trillion Credits a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Retail, Book Publishing, and Woodchip Exports. State-owned companies are common. Average income is an impressive 120,837 Credits, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

When you fly on Air Nova Phoebus you win a seat or you die, statue-sitting has replaced the stake-out as the dullest form of police duty, prisoners regularly escape detention posing as scarecrows, and drug deals return to the streets as legions of undercover officers stalk the dark web. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a well-funded police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Nova Phoebus's national animal is the Whale, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to heavy metals seepage into national waterways.

Nova Phoebus is ranked 17,666^th in the world and 11^th in Talonia for Lowest Crime Rates, with 91.8 law-abiding acts per hour.