With a few caveats for tweaks, this is the background section from the rulebook. Formatting is a little wobbly since it was copied from the document :)
THE GALAXY AS WE KNOW IT
Overview
Mystic Space takes place in a remote galaxy, among stars almost invisible to our telescopes.
Great civilisations have arisen under these stars, which we will discuss in this chapter. After all, you are going to live among them in a tiny way, so you better get your bearings and know who is your friend and who is your foe.
This is not a peaceful galaxy, ruled by reason and prosperity. It is a galaxy riven by war and grand visions of the future in conflict with each other. But it is also a galaxy full of promise for the future, where bravery can change the course of unwritten history.
The “Human” Condition
The people inhabiting the galaxy look like humans, they talk like humans and they behave like humans, at least most of the time. They are not however human. They refer to themselves as the Star-Born due to having emerged simultaneously on multiple worlds. It is believed that they may have originated from an earlier culture of which no traces now remain.
Star-Born physically resemble Earth humans, though they tend to be slightly taller (about 185 centimetres average for an adult) and with very little height difference between male and female.
They tend to live slightly longer with the effects of aging not being noticeable until the 50s and average lifespan being about 100. They are also fairly resilient to illness with fewer viruses able to spread effectively.
Star-Born culture varies tremendously across many worlds, but compared to Earth humans, they would often appear to have heightened states of emotion, feeling loss, anger, love and passion very keenly and for prolonged periods of time. This can result in lifelong loyalties but equally lengthy rivalries and feuds.
The scattering
The cultures that we now call Star-Born arose on their individual worlds in relative peace and progressed technologically at a very rapid pace until they achieved star travel, allowing them to begin their spread throughout the galaxy. Great colony ships pierced the void as exploration fleets spread in every direction.
As they journeyed outwards from their home worlds, they began to discover that they were not alone: Others like them lived among the stars and had similar stories to tell and similar, though scattered, points of origin. All had followed similar paths into the void. All had ambitions for what they were finding under strange stars.
Diplomatic missions were established and forward thinkers began speaking of a galactic unity among the disparate people now calling themselves the Star-Born. This was not to be however.
As conflicting goals clashed, ambitions and passions flared. The brief dream of a cohesive galactic society collapsed into open warfare.
The Fracture
The Star-Born are intelligent and ambitious, but they are also a young species that lacks experience.
As conflicting ambitions came into contact with each other, fighting broke out across all points of contact and soon erupted into full scale warfare.
The home worlds were quickly overwhelmed as the pace of combat outstripped the ability to coordinate and control it all. Local commanders stepped in, marshalling reserves and taking action as they saw appropriate, often in pursuit of their own goals.
Having reached a high level of technology very quickly, the Star-Born lacked many of the foundations of military theory that might have been found in another species. This resulted in both great victories and bitter defeats as untested doctrines were pitted against each other.
Within a few years, collapse spread rapidly as each of the home worlds lost control of their distant possessions.
This traumatic event is generally known as the Fracture or the Shattering, except among the Dead Wake where it is known as the First Infraction.
The collapse of grand civilisation led to a slow down in the pace of fighting as supply lines ceased to exist and great industrial complexes could no longer be fuelled with raw materials.
The rise of the Factions
With central authorities failing, galactic civilisation reoriented itself along ideological premises as the Star-Born grappled with how to rebuild a stable level of existence in a hostile universe.
A number of philosophies began to spread, spearheaded by charismatic individuals and dedicated groups, leading to what historians call the Pre Faction Struggles. As similar ideological movements collided, they merged, struggled or warred against each other. As the ideologies spread across known space, they morphed and adapted along the way with those identifying with a particular ideology allying against their enemies.
Some organisations declared for a Faction quickly while others underwent internal strife before one emerged. Many colonies, expeditions and army units were split and parted ways. Others burned to ashes.
In the present day 8 grand Factions are generally recognised. They each represent a way of thinking and a way of life, allowing the Star-Born to codify their existence and place in the universe.
Not every Star-Born, nor every colony belongs to a Faction, though such independent groups are often hard pressed to maintain their status long term.
The Factions have stabilised enough to be roughly on parity, each controlling around 100 worlds though many of these are not inhabitable, being used only as outposts, military bases or for resource extraction.
Mystical space
As the Star-Born spread from their home worlds, they discovered a strange material scattered on a great many worlds through the galaxy. Soon named Element 511 the radiant yellow crystal can be refined into a fuel source, however its real benefit was rather more esoteric:
The awareness of very minor paranormal talents, such as a limited sixth sense, ability to perceive emotions or situational good luck had been quantified by scientists across the home worlds for some time, but the phenomena were too elusive and limited in scope to have much practical effect.
When exposed to a series of treatments using Element 511 in gaseous form, as well as intensive training, such abilities can be activated to a much more significant level allowing feats such as instantaneous movement, projecting bolts of energy or creating impenetrable walls of force.
The potential to exhibit such abilities is primarily a function of a particular mindset, requiring the combination of intense emotional force, strength of will and a high level of creative thinking. This can be taught but the training time is much longer and the results are often more limited.
Ever-enamoured with the grand and dramatic, the Star-Born generally dub these abilities as magical abilities or spells, though they are well understood by science.
The Barren Home Worlds
None of the original home worlds of the Star-Born contained Element 551, neither could it be found within their solar systems. This is all the stranger as the material is not especially rare throughout the galaxy, though deposits great enough to warrant mining are still uncommon enough to warrant investment.
Communications
For military purposes when satellite connections are not available the Pattern-Link system is standard for voice communications. This allows ground units to communicate securely at ranges of up to 10 kilometres in dense terrain and about double that in relatively flat terrain.
Transmission of visual data will drop these ranges to about a third.
Pattern-Link is extremely difficult to jam or intercept, when the system is properly configured but requires that all units on the network are synchronised before combat.
For back up communications, the Beam Link can be used. This has a range of about 1 kilometre but requires a relatively uninterrupted line of sight making it unsuitable for use in urban combat.
The Beam Link transmits audio only. The system can be used in real-time mode where two users can communicate live or in transmission mode where about 5 minutes of typical audio can be transmitted as long as the system can establish a connection for a few fractions of a second.
The typical infantry communications suite features a Beam Link built into the helmet as well as a Pattern-Link unit which may be mounted on the wrist, in a helmet headset or on the shoulder.
FTL travel
Travel among star systems (known as Faster Than Light or FTL travel) requires the use of specially equipped craft. There are three types in common usage:
The Slip Drive is the standard for commercial vessels, allowing a jump length of up to 30 light years, though the journey is quite slow taking roughly 1 week per 5 light years. Slip Drives are also used by military vessels for major movements and deployments.
Slip Drives require about 30 minutes of preparation to jump and jump signatures can be read by scanners to determine the likely destination with 80% accuracy.
The Impulse Jump system allows jumps of up to 10 light years and takes the ship through them quickly, in 2-3 days but requires a sizeable energy build up to perform. The specially built power systems take about 2 hours to fully charge and while the build up can be discharged, the destination cannot be changed once it has begun.
The cutting edge of FTL tech is the Displacement Drive, which allows a vessel to jump out to 6 light years instantaneously with no build up. This is primarily of use in military vessels where it allows quick attacks without being detectable by long range scans.
Lifeforms
There is only one known intelligent lifeform in the galaxy. However this does not mean the galaxy is empty. Quite to the contrary, many known planets are teeming with life. Unfortunately while many lifeforms are useful and even valuable, much of it is dangerous and distinctly unfriendly to settlers.
It is common for rookies in the armed forces to get their first deployments on a frontier world, patrolling the wasteland for dangerous lifeforms or hunting down nests of predators.
Colony worlds can get infested by dangerous creatures and require specialised teams to root out, often at great risk.
To scientists there appears to be patterns linking particular lifeforms across the galaxy, with similar forms showing up on unrelated worlds. Probability calculations suggest a common point of origin, though no concrete evidence has been found, nor has an explanation been given as to how the lifeforms could have spread from this point of origin.
Medical technology
A standard part of the infantry soldiers kit is the Med-Pack. This is a small high-tech device that can be attached to a wound and will administer needed drugs and first aid. Med-Pack application will not generally restore a soldier to combat condition but unless a weapons hit inflicted catastrophic damage, a treated soldier will usually not perish from shock and blood loss.
Recovery times in an advanced medical facility is quite rapid, allowing recovery at about half the time of an Earth Human sustaining a comparable injury and with a low chance of permanent disability except for the most severe of battlefield wounds.
For military commanders, this is a welcome feature as it means permanent retirement of soldiers is rare as long as the casualty can be recovered from the battlefield.
Cybernetics
The use of mechanical components to replace body parts is quite advanced, allowing replacement of limbs injured beyond repair for example. Attempts to enhance the body beyond its baseline of capabilities have so far failed to provide significant benefits, attributed to the Organic Frame Limitation hypothesis that suggests that there are limitations to what the biological baseline system can be enhanced beyond.
Helpers
Computer technology has evolved to where most complex systems have built-in Helpers: Artificial intelligences that assist the user in carrying out tasks. Helpers can often operate autonomously with the operator taking over in complex situations.
Space combat relies heavily on Helpers to manage the close range encounters, as reaction speeds are insufficient otherwise. When combat vessels engage each other, the battle is essentially fought between opposing arrays of Helper programs.
Ground warfare tends to be a little more low tech with Helpers mainly employed to ensure tactical awareness. Group troops have an excellent view of the battlefield, nearby threats and analysis of possible enemy plans, all relayed to them in real time from observation drones and Helper-operated scanning modules. The Helper also filters through the information and prioritises for the troops in the field, preventing information overload.
Combat Vehicles
Infantry contest the battlefield alongside walking fighting machines. Capable of both carrying heavy weaponry, walkers are also capable of withstanding intense firepower. The armour plating is coated in an Element 551 alloy, allowing the machine to self-repair under Helper guidance.
As long as internal components are not seriously damaged, a Walker can restore itself to undamaged state within a matter of minutes.
Unfortunately more complex systems cannot utilise this process, due to limitations of in Element 551 manufacture.
The typical combat walker is about twice the height of a foot soldier. Designs resembling the frame of a Star-Born (2 arms, 2 legs, upright posture) are the most common, but not universal. Some Walkers feature hands that allow picking up and manipulating objects, while others have weapons attached to the body directly.