Scene Context: The space outside the viewport is flooded with brilliant blue-white light as the lifeboat and reactors sit inside the plasma cocoon of the soliton.
Essence of the Phenomenon: Electron-positron plasma is a real physical system known in high-energy astrophysics. If such a plasma is confined by a powerful magnetic field, it can act as a brilliantly luminous, highly energetic envelope around a vehicle. In this model, the cocoon is not "engine exhaust," but a structural component of the soliton that simultaneously shields the ship and isolates it from the standard view of the stellar background.
Current Limitations: Modern science understands electron-positron plasmas and magnetic confinement, but lacks the technology to generate and sustain such a stable cocoon around a spacecraft. Here, the engineering model extrapolates upon real plasma physics.