Object
Palm Beacon
A palm-sized, ruggedized handheld emitter with a sealed alloy casing and a small lens that throws a tight cone of white-blue light and short-range coded pulses. Designed to fit in an away‑team member’s hand, it bears a wrist loop and tactile ridging for grip in high winds; salt and grime spatter its surface after use. Team members briefly activate the beacon to pierce charged-particle precipitation and send limited location pings, though the storm’s interference reduces its effective range and visibility.
1 appearances
Purpose
Short-range illumination and limited visual/radio signaling to mark position or improve immediate visibility for an away team operating in atmospheric or electronically noisy environments.
Significance
Serves a practical tactical role by enabling momentary sight and signaling amid the storm; thematically it reinforces the episode’s focus on technology as the team’s surrogate vision and highlights their vulnerability when even small tools falter under extreme conditions.
Appearances in the Narrative
When this object appears and how it's used