The Borderlands of HC16 is a colossal, safe nation, remarkable for its frequent executions, keen interest in outer space, and public floggings. The hard-working, democratic population of 7.312 billion HC16ians are highly moralistic and fiercely conservative, in the sense that they tend to believe most things should be outlawed. People who have good jobs and work quietly at them are lauded; others are viewed with suspicion.

The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Defense. The average income tax rate is 27.1%.

The HC16ian economy, worth 364 trillion Yen a year, is led by the Trout Farming industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Uranium Mining, and Gambling. State-owned companies are common. Average income is 49,857 Yen, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.2 times as much as the poorest.

Pinkerton agents are called in to forcibly break up white collar strikes, no-one can foil the ambitions of Big Aluminium, every politician claims to be at least 1% Native HC16ian, and small businesses are gobbled up almost daily by corporate giants. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. HC16's national animal is the Spider, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests.

HC16 is ranked 135,467^th in the world and 1,423^rd in Artificial Solar System for Lowest Crime Rates, with 62.22 law-abiding acts per hour.