Trentons settled back in his chair, his posture straightening with academic precision. “The matrixied stepper gimbal requires incredibly precise power regulation - even a microsecond fluctuation can disrupt fluid motion. Each unit draws roughly equivalent power to a small household over the course of a year… think 69-70 kWh daily…, with the resonator systems requiring additional load for maintaining consistent 432 hertz frequency.”

Roma approached the witness stand with measured steps. “And these power requirements - how do they scale?”

“Objection,” Juniper cut in, her voice steadier than her racing thoughts. “Relevance to the discrimination claims at issue.”

“Your Honor,” Roma countered smoothly, “the infrastructure impact directly relates to the government’s legitimate interest in regulated deployment.”

Judge Donahue’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’ll allow it, but keep it focused.”

Noooo, Juniper’s internal voice rose in panic. Her mind raced through constitutional precedents, searching for anything to counter this line of attack. Daniel’s thumb traced a subtle calming pattern against her palm where their hands remained linked beneath the table.

“As I was saying,” Trentons continued, his tone carrying the weight of someone who’d spent decades being the smartest person in every room he entered, “the power requirements scale exponentially. The magnetic arrays alone require rare earth elements primarily sourced from conflict regions near the Earth’s poles. Each resonator matrix must be precisely grown in Bose condensate conditions.” He gestured expressively, every movement emphasizing the complexity. “The environmental impact of solar panel production to support these power needs is… substantial.”