Hyperwave Beacon (EU2012)

Hyperwave Beacon

Although we've studied a number of unusual pieces of alien technology up to this point, the equipment recovered from the alien base on Earth is among the most cryptic. When we first encountered this device, it appeared that the Sectoid Commander was somehow interacting with it through a non-physical link...using some type of mental telepathy or another equally mysterious form of communication. Having now studied the device further, we believe this is undoubtedly the case. Our testing has revealed a pattern of signals being transmitted at a wavelength never before associated with any form of communications or electronic transmissions. Although we should not be surprised at this point by the advanced nature of the alien technology, this particular discovery is a bit...unsettling. As far-fetched as it may seem, several members of the research team have theorized that this device may be capable of transmitting and receiving signals beyond our own dimension. The implications of this possibility affect all areas of known science, and perhaps most alarmingly, indicate that the Sectoid Commander may have been receiving signals or...orders...from a higher authority. While continuing to analyze the transmission we've detected, we have also moved forward in our attempts to interface the device with our own satellite communications network. If my suspicions are correct, this beacon may provide us with a means of detecting previously unknown contacts.

Source: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012) Research Archives

Grey Market Description

This beacon was carefully guarded within the alien base, implying its importance to their invasion. We must work to uncover its purpose...

Source: XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012)

Notes

• Completed research allows construction of new Base Facility: Hyperwave Relay.
• You can only capture 1 Beacon, during the Assault Alien Base mission.
• Research benefits from the following Research Credit: Psionics.
• Beacons can't be destroyed by gunfire or explosives.