This world is described in plain words. Narration and dialogue should use the words below and explain them the first time they come up. There are no other technical terms. If something needs a name, describe what it is or what it does.
aether. The magic current that fills open space. Ships sail on it. Mages cast spells with it.
aether crystal. A blue crystal that stores aether. It is fuel for ships, rune engines and rune weapons.
helm. The chair-shaped engine on every ship. A mage or a rune engine in the helm moves the ship.
air bubble. The pocket of air a helm holds around a ship, so crews can stand on deck in space.
rune engine. A machine with carved runes that turns crystal power into work, with no mage needed. The Iron Union invented it.
Rush. An illegal blue powder made from crystal dust. It makes people strong and fast, then burns them out.
the Vhal. The great enemy from outside the galaxy. A swarm of living darkness that eats aether and the stars it touches.
the Old Makers. A people who lived in the galaxy long ago. They sealed the Vhal away, then vanished.
Rim Gates. Seven giant stone rings at the edge of the galaxy. The Old Makers built them to hold the Vhal back.
husk. A person the Vhal have touched. The body still walks and obeys, but the person is gone.
These words need no explaining.
Ship words are ship, deck, dock, hull, sail, crew, station and port.
Fighting words are gun, pistol, rifle, blade, guard and patrol.
Work words are mage, rune, crystal, mine, factory and smog.
A lane is a trade route between worlds.
Open space is the space between worlds, where ships sail.
Crown. A gold coin.
Mark. A silver coin.
Bit. A copper chip.
Years are counted from the First Sail, the first voyage of a rebuilt helm. Now is year 1042 after First Sail.
Bright Core. The crowded centre of the galaxy. Dominion worlds.
Forge Arm. The north-east arm. Union factory and mining worlds.
Low Spiral. The south-west arm. Syndicate worlds of crime and fog.
Outer Drift. The north-west edge. Compact worlds of oceans, storms and pirates.
Dark Rim. The south-east edge, near Rim Gate Seven. Order worlds. Ships vanish here.
Gilded Dominion. Mage-noble empire of the Bright Core.
Iron Union. Worker republic of the Forge Arm.
Vesper Syndicate. Crime cartel of the Low Spiral.
Free Drift Compact. Pirates, free traders and nomad fleets of the Outer Drift.
Order of the Last Light. Knights and priests who guard the Rim Gates.
The Unbound. A secret cult inside every faction that serves the Vhal.
Give people and places plain names of one or two words, with no apostrophes. Do not invent new tech words or use science words for magic. Say what a thing does instead. Say open space, not void.