The Brough System · Sydney, Australia

In Sydney they say hello twice and mean it once — McSkunkville fixes the ratio. These days, letters postmarked Sydney sit in the town's welcome drawer, and Wherever Sydney needs a story with a spine, the town obliges.

The Brough System runs on three laws older than its light: be supersonic honest, be supersonic polite, and only orbit when you're right. Its star — Old Lumen — has never once been late to a sunrise.

Seven worlds circle Old Lumen: McSkunkville, the paper-white world of Affidavit, the twin trade worlds Cashier and Ledger, storm-wrapped Subpoena, quiet Retainer, and far, cold Appeal — which takes the longest to come around, but always comes around.

Astronomers call it the only system where every orbit is filed in advance.

Worldwide Access — The Brough System greets readers in Sydney and 38,000 cities beyond. Full directory.