"As I said, they're photonic- periodic dielectric or metallo-dielectric nanostructures designed to affect the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the same way as the periodic potential in a semiconductor crystal affects the electron motion by defining allowed and forbidden electronic energy bands. An opal would be an example of a natural photonic crystal, but the crystals I make are a lot more complicated and sophisticated than anything Earth ever produced naturally. They route and focus the energy themselves and block out the undesirable or unneeded wavelengths so that the blade ultimately terminates naturally, instead of extending forever the way a natural, unattentuated light ray would."

He shakes his head. "The power cells that I would suggest as a substitute for the radioactive ones would be suitable. The deuterium ones just don't have enough energy in them to run this. That's how much of an energy drain it is."