Synthesizer

Called the greatest invention of the post-Cataclysm age, the Synthesizer is a device which is capable of creating and recycling matter. A synthesizer is capable of creating any inanimate matter, so long as the desired object had been scanned and is on file. Its most common use is to replicate food or drink, but is also capable of creating more complex objects such as clothing or books. The greater the power of the Synthesizer the greater the object it can create, and large industrial ones are used to create objects as complicated as starship parts. Synthesizers are common fixtures on starships since they basically eliminate the need for stocks of food or supplies and are usually a negligible drain on a ship's power core.
Synthesizers have their origin in technology left behind by the Gods that was cannibalized by the mortal races attempting to survive after the Cataclysm. The technology was developed in several different places at once and spread rapidly across the Old Empire where it mixed with other versions of itself and was further developed. When the Watchers created the All Union and the Holy Order began reasserting itself, the technology was bolstered by more advanced races who managed to miniaturize the devices and significantly reduce the power needed to operate them. As both of these powers expanded, Synthesizer technology was spread till it became commonplace throughout the Universe.
Synthesizers work by scanning an object and recording it for future use. From then on, the Synthesizer can create as many copies of the object as it has power to do, which when connected to a ship's power core is practically infinite. The object that the Synthesizer scanned can be adjusted for future copies. For instance a food can be made to a different temperature, or clothes can be generated in different sizes or colors. Synthesizers also possess the ability to combine objects that they have on file to create new entirely new objects.
== Trivia ==
- Johnny Duke anticipated the existence of something like Synthesizers, and so brought with him samples of his favorite food from Earth so they could be saved. These included a bag of pizza slices from his favorite pizza place in Philadelphia and his hometown of Kattegat, NJ, a sack full of Hamburgers, a steak in a teriyaki marinade, various noodles and pastas, a chicken parm sandwich, every variety of Red Cola, certain brands of snack cakes and a couple beers.
- Most modern synthesizers have an additional scanner which can map and make a 3D model of a person. For instance, onboard the Rocco II, Kara had the synthesizer scan her body so that it could synthesize copies of Johnny's clothes fitted for her.