The Commonwealth of Astra Prime is a colossal, socially progressive nation, ruled by Lance Hornsby with an iron fist, and renowned for its deadly medical pandemics, national health service, and keen interest in outer space. The compassionate, cynical, cheerful population of 6.309 billion Astrans are proud of their wide-ranging civil freedoms, and those who aren't tend to be dragged off the streets by men in dark suits and hustled into cars with tinted windows.

The relatively small, corrupt government juggles the competing demands of Industry, Administration, and Education. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Alexandria. The average income tax rate is 25.0%, but much higher for the wealthy.

The frighteningly efficient Astra Primean economy, worth a remarkable 1,709 trillion gold coins a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Retail industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Book Publishing, and Soda Sales. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an amazing 270,935 gold coins, and distributed extremely evenly, with little difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

The SWAT team always rings twice, minority children spend hours bussing to schools miles away from home, crowded passenger trains are near-silent save for the soft tap of fingers on touchscreens, and tardiness has increased after carpooling was classified as a criminal offense. Crime is totally unknown. Astra Prime's national animal is the sea dragon, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its national religion is Talos.

Astra Prime is ranked 110,272^nd in the world and 1,358^th in the West Pacific for Largest Gambling Industry, scoring 1,430.5 on the Kelly Criterion Productivity Index.