That was new to me, thanks! Excellent example of pulling several plausible ideas into one outlandish tale.

Sure, it’s a devil’s brew, but who wouldn’t say no to a specific impulse on the order of twelve thousand?

That kind of Isp is great for interplanetory/interstellar cruising, not so much for getting off the pad. That's why ion engines aren't used to get to orbit; thrust to weight matters when starting from zero m/s.