Drift beacon

Drift beacons scattered across the galaxy allow for easier targeting of Drift jumps. These beacons serve as navigational buoys and are placed by priests of Triune or are spontaneously generated. The most prominent, and least understood, of these beacons is the Starstone at the center of Absalom Station; its extraordinary power allows Drift-capable ships to use it for fast transit from Drift-accessible locations to the hub.

Having multiple Drift beacons at a location make it easier for a Drift engine to target that location, and it is this Drift beacon density, not distance, that differentiates Near Space from the Vast.

Communication

Drift beacons are also used as communication relays for system-wide or interstellar communication, passing on information through encoded channels to their intended receivers. Although doing so shortens the time needed to relay the information (compared to slower methods such as radio waves), sending information through drift beacons takes just as long as it would take to travel the same distance in a spaceship.