M-50DT Widowlace
M-50DT Widowlace
Name and street designations
Illicit designation: M-50DT Widowlace
Common names:
Spider Net
Sleep Lace
Waiting Knife
Ghost Curtain
Widow’s Veil
Origin and manufacture
The Widowlace variant emerged in Europa tunnel colonies and Titan pressure-mining habitats about 60 years after the Needle Web appeared.
It was created by ambush specialists and sabotage crews who wanted something that could:
• Control space
• Stay hidden
• Activate later
• Kill only when triggered
Primary fabrication sites:
• Europa subsurface vaults
• Titan shadow refineries
• Eros abandoned shafts
• Chendiuria lower arcology levels
• Mobile stealth fabs
Widowlace units are built in ultra-small batches, usually to order.
Many are custom-tuned for specific missions.
Primary purpose
The M-50DT is designed as a hidden area-denial trap.
It does not deploy immediately.
Instead, it hangs invisibly in space, waiting.
Used for:
• Ambushes
• Kill corridors
• Escape denial
• Room sealing
• Pursuit traps
• Safehouse defense
It turns normal movement into a death sentence.
Core modifications
1. Stealth suspension system
Instead of collapsing after deployment, Widowlace maintains a low-energy hover state.
Micro-repulsors and tension nodes hold the net in place.
The grid “floats” in air.
2. Delayed arming logic
Activation delay programmable from:
5 seconds to 72 hours
During delay, the net remains inert.
3. Multi-trigger array
Can be configured to activate on:
• Motion
• Heat signature
• Sound profile
• Pressure change
• Network ping
• Biometric match
Some models require multiple triggers.
4. Adaptive collapse mechanism
Instead of instant tension, the net snaps inward when triggered.
This creates a slicing implosion.
Physical characteristics
Grenade size:
Standard 50×106 mm casing
Length: 158 mm
Weight: 2.0 kg
Externally disguised as:
• Environmental sensor
• Maintenance marker
• Fire suppression canister
• Air sampler
• Network repeater
Often painted to match surroundings.
Deployment sequence
- Placement: Thrown, mounted, or magnetically attached.
- Deployment: Net unfolds quietly.
- Suspension: Grid stabilizes and “freezes” in space.
- Dormancy: Low-power idle mode.
- Trigger event: Sensor suite activates.
- Collapse phase: Net contracts inward at high speed.
- Termination: Target is sectioned and crushed.
Time from trigger to kill: under 0.2 seconds.
Victims usually never see it.
Effective net dimensions
Standard deployment:
1.4 m x 1.6 m
Custom units:
Up to 2.2 m wide
Spacing:
20–30 mm adaptive grid
Spacing tightens during collapse.
Damage profile
On personnel:
• Full-body compression sectioning
• Simultaneous organ rupture
• Bone fragmentation
• Spinal pulverization
Victims are often reduced to layered slabs.
On power armor:
• Joint collapse
• Cable severance
• Partial frame failure
On drones:
• Total destruction
Collateral:
Minimal external damage
High internal contamination
Often leaves rooms intact but unusable.
Range and placement
Effective placement distance:
Thrown: 2–6 m
Launched: 8–14 m
Usually placed manually.
Precision matters.
Power system
Dual-mode cell:
• Dormancy battery
• Collapse capacitor
Shelf life:
Dormant: 10–15 years
Active: 2–5 years
Power drain is minimal until activation.
Stealth features
Widowlace units include:
• Low-emission electronics
• Passive thermal masking
• EM dampening
• Optical scatter coating
Under normal sensors, appears as background noise.
Even military scanners often miss it.
Safety systems
Limited.
Most include:
• Owner-coded disarm
• Remote kill switch
• Timed self-destruct
Improper handling frequently causes fatal accidents.
Legal status
Explicitly prohibited under:
Delayed-action weapon bans
Anti-boobytrap treaties
Law of Armed Conflict "LOAC" expansion protocols
Classified as:
“Autonomous Lethal Trap Device”
Possession is equivalent to terrorism charges.
Typical users
• Assassination teams
• Smuggling syndicates
• Pirate captains
• Intelligence cutouts
• High-tier mercenaries
• Corporate denials
Very rarely used by street gangs.
Requires planning.
Cost
Black market pricing:
Mars:
55,000–90,000 credits
Chendiuria:
35,000–60,000 credits
Eros:
40,000–70,000 credits
Titan:
70,000–120,000 credits
Europa:
85,000+ credits
Multi-trigger AI models exceed 150,000 credits.
Maintenance
Requires:
• Sensor recalibration
• Repulsor alignment
• Power cycling
• Firmware refresh
Neglected units drift or false-trigger.
Failure modes
Common failures:
• Premature collapse
• Sensor drift
• Suspension loss
• Partial contraction
• Trigger misfire
Many “accidents” attributed to industrial mishaps are actually Widowlace failures.
Reputation
Among professionals, Widowlace is considered:
• Elegant
• Cruel
• Paranoid
• Extremely dangerous
Using one signals long-term planning.
You do not deploy Widowlace casually.
M-50 Widowlace
Very, very rare (thankfully)
Comments
Author's Notes
Relationship to Aditi "Adi" Nizhóní Peshlakai
If Adi encounters one, she will probably detect it.
Her enhanced perception and Asteria’s threat modeling give her a chance.
Most people never get that chance.
Markus Kane considers Widowlace “the weapon of people who expect revenge.”