In Mass Effect, there is a "relay" that spins up to basically catapult a ship from one relay to another almost instantaneously. That's not how this works I now understand, but it is still a cool concept. Would you say that travel would be even a bit faster using these Beam Drives if physical anchor constructs are used? As you describe it, if I understand correctly, a planet itself can function as good an anchor as an asteroid where you want to go. In that light, I'd say that a device which functions as an anchor point means that the beam can be more stable and thus allow higher velocities.