The first person to successfully produce a crystalline form of nduhte was Jams Rondel, an Ixian scientist specializing in crystalliform research Rondel had been seeking a process which would permit him to crystallize die durable and highly reflective substance as part of a top-secret research project the Ixians wished to learn to manufacture a physical shield which would protect its user from a lasgun attack (The secrecy of the project is more easily understood when it is recalled that the God Emperor banned personal shields during the first years of his reign, and limited possession of lasguns to members of the royal military at Ac end of his first century on the throne ) When Rondel finally announced, in 10937, that he had discovered the proper combination of solvents and temperatures required to manufacture ndulian crystals, he was forced to temper the good news with bad The crystals, though even tougher than their parent substance and divisible into sheets of amazing thinness, darkened when exposed to bright light Sinking a shield made of ndulian crystal with a lasgun beam would render it opaque and useless within seconds The discovery was better received by his superiors than Rondel had dared to hope Rather than shunting him off onto another project they ordered him to continue working with the crystals, with particular emphasis on producing the thinnest possible sheets without sacrificing any of the material's strength and durability The result of this new direction of research was ndulian crystal paper which Ron del first exhibited m 10938 Only several molecules thick, the paper was capable of withstanding temperature extremes from -103 K to +1700 K with no change in structure, it was as durable as a much thicker sheet of gold leaf and much harder, and it would turn a rich, dark purple when struck by a beam of coherent light (while maintaining its off-white clanty in light of any other sort) Once it was certain that Rondel had pro duccd what was needed, he was informed of his creation s purpose The first dictatel had been built in 10936, intended as a gift to Leto n, whose habit of keeping comprehensive journals was already known The Ixians wished to provide him with a means of keeping a longer lasting record, and to se cure for themselves the God Emperor s continuing favor and tacit approval of their "forbidden' research But they had been stymied by their failure to come up with a truly imperishable recording medium Riduhan crystal paper solved their problem handily, the dictatel was adopted to ' write" with coherent light and presented to Leto Jams Rondel was awarded high honors by the Ixian Council of Scientists and given far more spacious quarters in which to continue his research The reputation of his invention far outlived that of its inventor, however, and the many generations of Ixians who acted as stationers to the God Emperor would have been at a loss to name him C W SALUSA SECUNDUS Further references: DKJFATEL; ATR^BJES, LBIO B, JOURNALS OF, Alan Baitke, Survey of Ixitm Technology, 10900-13500 (Firnlly: Mosaic).