The Empire of Retilect is a huge, orderly nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape, complete lack of prisons, and vat-grown people. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 220 million Retilects 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, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Defense, Law & Order, and Healthcare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 14.6%.

The thriving Retilect economy, worth 19.4 trillion Skamturs a year, is broadly diversified and led by the Uranium Mining industry, with major contributions from Information Technology, Arms Manufacturing, and Book Publishing. Black market activity is notable. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is 88,122 Skamturs, with the richest citizens earning 7.3 times as much as the poorest.

Hit TV show 'The eXecution Factor' is a critical success, soldiers' positions are given away by the glint of their bayonets, pro-democracy protesters are shot on sight by state police, and agricultural science is the most competitive subject at universities. Crime, especially youth-related, is almost non-existent, thanks to a capable police force. Retilect's national animal is the Lamb, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation.

Retilect is ranked 104,708^th in the world and 145^th in The Union of Democratic States for Most Subsidized Industry, scoring 1,287.01 on the Gilded Widget Scale.