The Spider Dances
Sarna News
| The Spider Dances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Novella by Jason Schmetzer | |||
 | |||
| First Publication | |||
| Published | 18 May 2011 | ||
| Publisher | BattleCorps | ||
| Illustrator(s) | Klaus Scherwinski | ||
| Pages | 70 | ||
| MSRP | $1.99 (EPUB) | ||
| Chronology | |||
| Era | Star League era | ||
| Timeline | 17 March 2466 — 22 March 2466 | ||
| Series | |||
| |||
The Spider Dances (Proliferation Cycle, Part VI) (full title) is a novella by Jason Schmetzer that was first published online on BattleCorps in May 2011 as the long-awaited sixth entry in The Proliferation Cycle. It was released together with the re-released first five installments and a BattleCorps Exclusive bonus, a Technical Readout for the Dragonfire aerospace fighter featured in the story. On 20 September 2019, the novella was republished in electronic EPUB format. It was later re-released as part of the omnibus anthology, The Proliferation Cycle, on 13 May 2021.
It narrates how the Capellan Confederation first obtained BattleMech technology.
Plot Summary[edit]
[edit]
| “ | Alone of the Great Houses, House Liao lacks BattleMech technology. The Maskirovka is willing to expend any sum--any asset--to secure the war machines for the Chancellor's armies. | ” |
EPUB: From the Back Cover[edit]
| “ | THEIR MISSION: ACQUIRE BATTLEMECH PLANS, NO MATTER THE COST...
There are three ways to accomplish a difficult objective: Be first. Be smarter. Or cheat. The Intelligence Directorate of the Capellan Confederation, otherwise known as the Maskirovka, is well-versed in all three. But when the first two methods do not achieve the desired results, they have no problem resorting to the last one. And when the covert team gains the plans they are willing to die for, that resolve will be tested to the limit as they try to escape the Free Worlds League planet they have infiltrated, matching wits with one of the most feared intelligence officers the FWL has to offer... |
” |
In March 2466, during the early years of BattleMechs, the Capellan Confederation deploys a Maskirovka cell on Xanthe III in the Free Worlds League. Their objective is to penetrate the Happen Military Reservation, where FWL engineers are testing and building BattleMech prototypes. Halle Ostend cultivates a relationship with Senior Technician Robert Esterhazy, using him to bypass security doors and gain access to restricted areas. Behind the cover of seduction, she memorizes codes and locates consoles storing classified schematics. Her teammates Hector Little, Nicholas Drake, and Sasha Feodoreyva maintain a safehouse in Barter, coordinating with other operatives to prepare transport off-world once the data is in hand.
Within the League command, Inspectorate (NIA) Colonel Parsifal Nehru arrives to investigate possible leaks. He confronts Generals Vocaine and Bangs with evidence that Maskirovka agents are already inside the base. Nehru singles out civilian auxiliary Ned Reyes, a guard with a suspicious background. During interrogation Reyes suddenly breaks free, killing two soldiers and seriously injuring another before Nehru kills him with a concealed pistol. The encounter convinces Nehru that more Confederation spies remain embedded. At the same time, Halle eliminates Esterhazy by snapping his neck and uses his credentials to upload malware to steal the full 'Mech design specifications.
As Nehru urges a lockdown across the base, Halle triggers the next phase of the plan. Disguised in a medic's uniform, she smuggles herself out of Happen Military Reservation in an ambulance during the chaos caused by a diversionary bomb. The ruse allows her to pass the gates and reach Barter, where the Maskirovka team begins duplicating the stolen files. Each agent hides multiple copies on datacards, in noteputers, and across the city, ensuring the intelligence cannot be easily erased even if their entire cell is destroyed.
FWL authorities attempt to shut down all traffic and contain the breach, but the damage is done. Although, Nehru and his allies trace and kill the Liao operatives one by one, the Capellans have secured the most critical secret of all: the Free Worlds League's BattleMech technology. The Maskirovka sacrifice their agents without hesitation, proving that the Capellan Confederation is prepared to pay any price to close the technological gap with its rivals.
Featured Characters[edit]
- Senior Technician Robert Esterhazy
- Inspectorate (NIA) Colonel Parsifal Nehru
- General Reginald Bangs (base commander)
- Halle Ostend
- Hector Little
- Nicholas Drake
- Sasha Feodoreyva
- Ned Reyes
- Fyodor Danilov
- Edgar Tibbetts
- Ssu-ma Kane
- General Vocaine (section commander)
- Quinn
- Admiral James McKenna (mentioned)
Featured Places[edit]
- Xanthe III
- Atreus (mentioned)
- Loyalty (mentioned)
- Marik (mentioned)
- Regulus (mentioned)
Featured BattleTech[edit]
BattleMechs[edit]
Aerospace Fighters[edit]
Small Crafts[edit]
- Traveler-class shuttle ("mail boat")
WarShips[edit]
- Dreadnought-class battleship, TAS Dreadnought (mentioned)
Notes[edit]
- The original sixth story in the series, Machine Nations, was submitted by Loren L. Coleman but it reportedly fell through due to an unspecified fact-checking problem and could not be salvaged. The story had already been announced as the final installment of the series and became one of the more prominent cases of BattleTech vaporware until it was formally replaced by The Spider Dances six years later.