Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-24.177.35.35-20130913034201/@comment-3580035-20130913081956

^above info is somewhat wrong.

The 'bears' (properly known as the Nicassar), are not really that integrated into Tau space travel.

In the old edition, the Tau utilised a form of Ether Drive that allowed them to 'dive' into the realm between realspace and the Warp. Whereas Imperial ships can be likened to objects diving into a river and being carried along by its current, Tau ships can be likened to pushing something that floats into the river only for it to bob straight back up again a short distance away. Whilst this method of travel was slower than Imperial warp travel (by roughly a factor of 5), it did carry its benefits as you do not need any form of directional compass to guide you, and the Tau were never exposed to the dangers of the Warp (as in Daemons and such).

However, in the new edition, this fluff may or may not have been retconned and it is now unclear as to what exactly Tau use for space travel.