The Rogue Nation of Rust is a gargantuan, cultured nation, ruled by Sigma with a fair hand, and renowned for its museums and concert halls, national health service, and punitive income tax rates. The compassionate, democratic, cheerful population of 15.009 billion Rustians are free to do what they want with their own bodies, and vote for whomever they like in elections; if they go into business, however, they are regulated to within an inch of their lives.

The government — a sprawling, bureaucracy-choked, liberal, socially-minded morass — juggles the competing demands of Education, Environment, and Healthcare. It meets to discuss matters of state in the capital city of Terminal. The income tax rate is 100%.

The all-consuming Rustian economy, worth a remarkable 2,628 trillion Gears a year, is driven almost entirely by government activity. The industrial sector, which is highly specialized, is mostly made up of the Information Technology industry, with significant contributions from Book Publishing. State-owned companies are reasonably common. Average income is an impressive 175,099 Gears, and distributed extremely evenly, with practically no difference between the richest and poorest citizens.

Sigma's new door-knocking campaign has the sweet taste of success, professionals are ready to retire by the time they receive permission to use their credentials, airport announcements inform passengers that flights have been delayed because pilots are having afternoon naps, and too many developers spoil the codebase. Crime, especially youth-related, is totally unknown, thanks to a capable police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. Rust's national animal is the magpie, which soars majestically through the nation's famously clear skies.

Rust is ranked 702^nd in the world and 1^st in Pawnsilvania for Safest, scoring 180.07 on the Bubble-Rapp Safety Rating.