The Culture Explores 40K III: Just As Planned

[Gavinfoxx]

I'm mostly with jseah on this, though I'd argue that for full consistency.. both should be reachable from the other. The warp as a "conceptual dimension" or "alternate plane" should be linked to all of realspace, including the fourth spatial dimension. However, it's totally feasible for the hyperdrives themselves to not function within the warp, at least not until the Culture has a much better understanding of warp engineering. The hyperspace parts of minds/drones having problems is also consistent, though perhaps making hyperdrives work in the webway will prove not too difficult since it has much more normal physics. Anyway, doing warp skimming from hyperspace seems consistent to me.

It's also possible that the Old Ones who made the Webway either intentionally or unintentionally didn't give it more dimensions when they were setting the 'reality' parameters.

Though I would expect a ship with 4d spatial dimension stuff out in the Warp proper to, depending on exactly how many spatial dimensions the Warp is operating at, have those hyperspace bits phase in or out of accessibility... as the spatial dimensions (and number thereof!) of the Warp temporarily line up in a way that provides access. Basically, you can consider that the number of spatial dimension in the Warp proper varies greatly. Anywhere from three to 6 or 7 or 11 or 13 or whatever.

Remember that there are ways to protect a ship in the Warp other than a Gellar Field. Have enough Orks on it with Ork Teef on the ship, and the WAAGH reality-distorting field will let the Teef effectively warn demons away. Sorcery can do it too.