I’d write a justifying setup if I weren’t so lazy. But I am, so I won’t.
The flight ring will let you fly about as fast as a 747–say a maximum of 600 miles an hour, though lower speeds and even simple hovering are allowed. It also protects you against dangers of altitude, acceleration, and so forth, but only while you’re flying. It has communications circuitry built in, but since Shadow Lass and Cosmic Boy are not available to be chatted up, let’s just say it can double as a voice-activated cell phone both while flying and on the ground. It has enough of whatever exotic fuel powers it to get to about 1 million miles if used at an average speed of 200 mph. You can command it remotely from no more than ten feet away. The ring will have 1000 miles on it when you get it (safety checks and what not); the next scheduled maintenance check is at 10 million miles.
The food replicator is about the size of an commercial microwave oven. The actual mechanism is much smaller; most of that space is just for the chamber where the replicated material appears. It only does food, beverages, and the appropriate plates, bowls, glasses, & cups, by the way. The replicator is self-contained, with enough of its exotic fuel to create about 5 years worth of meals for a family of four. It has an extensive pre-programmed menu, and in addition you can scan items and add them to its memory, after which it will be able to make an exact duplicate (down to the molecular level). I am including a picture of Dax & Sisko in TOS uniforms mainly because Terry Farrell was v. pretty.
Only one item to a Doper; pick the ring and you can’t get a replicator, and vice versa. Which do you choose, and why?
