The Borderlands of Hedon-3 is a huge, orderly nation, notable for its soft-spoken computers, frequent executions, and absence of drug laws. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 895 million Hedonians are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.

The relatively small, well-organized government is primarily concerned with Defense, although Law & Order, Public Transport, and Administration are also considered important, while International Aid and Spirituality receive no funds. The average income tax rate is 15.5%.

The Hedonian economy, worth 49.7 trillion Eridiums a year, is driven entirely by a combination of government and state-owned industry, with private enterprise illegal. However, for those in the know, there is a slick, highly efficient, broadly diversified black market in Gambling, Retail, Arms Manufacturing, and Furniture Restoration. The private sector mostly consists of enterprising ten-year-olds selling lemonade on the sidewalk, but the government is looking at stamping this out. Average income is 55,505 Eridiums, and evenly distributed, with the richest citizens earning only 3.2 times as much as the poorest.

Battlefield gains are quickly lost when enemies don't respect a time-out, using "inspect element" is grounds for espionage charges, major cities shut down as their local sports team takes to the field every day, and every new building project has to undergo a five-year environmental impact study before it can go ahead. Crime is a problem, perhaps because of the country's complete lack of prisons. Hedon-3's national animal is the Rakk.

Hedon-3 is ranked 295,316^th in the world and 2,660^th in the Pacific for Most Developed, scoring 46.3 on the Human Development Index.