Energy sword
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- "A noble and ancient weapon, wielded by the strongest of Sangheili, requires great skill and bravery to use, and inspires fear in those who face its elegant plasma blade."
- — Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee[1]
Energy swords, sometimes known as energy blades,[2][3][4][5] or plasma swords,[6][7][8] are a class of single-handed, double-bladed energy weapons developed by the Sangheili.[9] To their users, they are formally designated as fireblades,[10][11] and nicknamed plasma blades.[12] The Office of Naval Intelligence has typically type-classified encountered energy sword variants under the designation of the Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword (T-1 EW/S).[13] Nicknames for the energy sword include Katana and Kill Beam.[14]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
- "Keep your blade handy. I doubt the cable can withstand its bite."
- — Rtas 'Vadumee alludes to the destructive properties of an energy sword's superheated plasma while speaking to Thel 'Vadamee.[15]
An energy sword's twin blades are superheated plasma contained in a tightly configured magnetic field generated from its grooved hilt.[9][16] Within the hilt, there is an energy storage device that doubles as a field generator,[13][17] which, when activated, projects the blade, with the stabilized superheated plasma being enclosed in magnetic lines extending from the hilt.[10][18][19][20] The superheated plasma ionizes the air around the blade upon its activation,[21] then continues to emit immense heat on its surroundings.[5]
The weapon is powered by a small battery that supplies power to both the plasma generator and the magnetic field generator.[22] The battery's energy is reduced for each successful strike.[23] Once the battery power is fully depleted, the sword will deactivate unless recharged. The horizontal hilt forces the wielder to use a punching motion to impale enemies rather than the thrusting motion of most knives and swords.[24]
Some variants, notably the Pelosus-pattern energy sword, contain a fail-safe mechanism that can permanently disable the weapon if the Sangheili wielder drops it.[25] When dropped, the failsafe engages by deactivating the magnetic field before dispersing the plasma. The plasma then consumes the handle and thus destroys the weapon. The fail-safe is included to prevent enemy from acquiring the weapon and using it.[26]
Mass-produced models generally feature a simple hilt design, but more individualized models can be quite ornate. Different patterns are typically expressed through the shape of the blade; different contours can have either smooth curves or elegant angles. Furthermore, the color of the superheated plasma can vary with no functional difference as well, though most energy swords glow with a blue tint.[17][27] The hilts of energy swords have demonstrated a variety of ornamental differences, such as having Forerunner symbols imprinted on the surface.[28][29] Ancient energy swords are marked by their creator and first owner, though their legacy is often forgotten,[30] while the hilts of ceremonial energy swords bear ancient Sangheili proverbs.[31]
Sangheili blademasters are often commissioned to create ornamented and hand-customized for elite individuals.[10] As such, drastic variations have been observed. For example, Arbiter Ripa 'Moramee's matching pair of custom-designed swords had basket-style hilt guards and radiated a high degree of ionized plasma,[32][33] whereas most energy swords contain the blades' plasma with greater efficiency. Arbiter Thel 'Vadam's personal sword, the Prophets' Bane, was pale salmon-colored and had a wider blade compared to mass-produced swords.[34][35]
History[edit]
- Reth: "Sangheili are insane. What is the mark of disobedience?"
- Thel 'Vadamee: "He will use his energy sword to burn marks into the skin of his arms. Crossing lines all up and down, where all can see and know him for what he is. It is shameful. Death is preferred. But for now, I need all my fighters. He can kill himself later, and we will destroy the body so that his lineage will not suffer. If he performs well in battle."
- Reth: "Sangheili..."
- Thel 'Vadamee: "We are strong, Kig-Yar. That is why we sit at the right hand of the Prophets."
- — Thel 'Vadamee explains to Reth how a Sangheili may use an energy sword to mark one's history of dishonor.[36]
The energy sword's design is seen as the logical evolution of an ancient lineage of traditional Sangheili weapons, most notably the twin-scythe and the curveblade;[10][27] superficially, the ancient melee weapons' influence on the energy sword's design is unmistakable.[37] The sword was originally crafted from hardened resin found in trees which lined the coastal territories of Sanghelios, but as they began carefully exploring Forerunner technology, the weapon was refined over time using Covenant technology, eventually taking its current state.[9] Technologically, the energy sword succeeded an older type of Sangheili sword known as the burnblade, which was created by the arm masters of Qikost—one of Sanghelios' moons—in the early period of Sangheili interstellar expansion,[10] and was used in the early years of the Covenant.[38] Modern energy swords are manufactured by the Merchants of Qikost, a prominent group of arms makers on Qikost.[16][20][39] Prior to the fall of High Charity, they were also manufactured in the city's Assembly Forges.[10][17] Following the Great Schism and the dissolution of the Covenant, the