The Mercenary State of Ferris Archipelago is a massive, efficient nation, ruled by Connor O'donnel with an iron fist, and notable for its ritual sacrifices, state-planned economy, and complete absence of social welfare. The hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical, humorless population of 1.538 billion Ferrisians are ruled with an iron fist by the corrupt, dictatorship government, which oppresses anyone who isn't on the board of a Fortune 500 company. Large corporations tend to be above the law, and use their financial clout to gain ever-increasing government benefits at the expense of the poor and unemployed.

The tiny, corrupt, well-organized government juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defense, and Industry. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Sidiropolis. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 6.1%.

The frighteningly efficient Ferris Archipelagoan economy, worth 192 trillion Ferums 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 Arms Manufacturing, Information Technology, Retail, and Uranium Mining. 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 an impressive 125,234 Ferums, but there is a large disparity between incomes, with the richest 10% of citizens earning 476,033 per year while the poor average 22,845, a ratio of 20.8 to 1.

Forgotten trend connoisseurs turn their nose at one wrinkle, the nation's government buildings are remarkable for being ugly concrete boxes, the nation's navy has been named the scourge of the seven thousand seas, and buses are widely regarded as the safest way to travel. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Ferris Archipelago's national animal is the Ferrisian Monitor, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its national religion is Ferrisian Neo Paganism.

Ferris Archipelago is ranked 44,939^th in the world and 472^nd in the Pacific for Most Scientifically Advanced, scoring 196.68 on the Kurzweil Singularity Index.