Flowerscat asked Fletcher DeLancey:

Ah, I assumed ships could just jump into base space and emerge where they wanted. So if one had to get from point A to previously unexplored point X, a ship would need to 'surf' using FTL to place a beacon, before other ships could travel to X using base space?

Fletcher DeLancey Right! Or to be more specific, the ship would use base space to get as far as possible, and then use surf engines through normal space to find the point where a beacon would be placed. Base space makes for speedy travel, but it doesn't obey the physical laws of normal space, so normal navigation techniques are out the window.

In Catalyst (Chronicles of Alsea Book 4), we get a good look at what it's like to enter base space and to leave it -- which is not a smooth process -- and how that layer of space appears. I had fun dreaming that up.

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