I notice that the stats keep tabs on player and mob kills. How does PvP work? Are there PvP areas? Can you play long-term without having to deal with PvP (e.g. without being harrassed?)

You can play long term without dealing with PvP. Just make sure you stay within your own nation's protected space.

However, it makes things much more fun when you engage other players of an enemy race.

The entire game is a PvP area, but killing someone in monitored space where they have a good standing with the faction will drop the killers standing, and any attacks in a sector with a station will cause the def bots to attack the offender

The grey systems are where most of the PvP occures. It's also where some of the most lucritive trade routes are. There are things you can buy in some grey systems that you can't get in player faction space too. I don't think there's a penelty from killing other players anywhere in the grey systems, even station sectors.

What I find interesting is that most of the current guilds are a mix of all 3 races. How the hell can there be racial tension and further to that player-vs-player combat, if you could potentially be fighting a guild-mate? Makes no sense to me.

The INM was recently recreated under the moniker of IDF, and we will do our part to renew racial tensions between Itani, and Serco :P

and the Serco are currently working on getting together a Prometheous army guild. dont worry, the tension will be there

/cheer