The Bandit Scout

Chapter 15 -- Silk Sheets and a Trap

Ralph Rider set a fast pace for the last leg of their journey home. They wouldn't have to keep it up for long. Carmen rode next to him with the Medico making three abreast, and just behind rode Carlos, Stella, and Walter Holt, followed by the Guardians who were still tasked with protecting Stella. Then the two Mounted Troop platoons followed. Next were the Ranch Hands, and straggling to the rear were the supply wagons. It was just before midmorning when they entered the Ranch. About an hour later, they were in sight of the main compound.

On arrival, the first activity was to take care of the horses. By late morning, all were gathering at tables set up under large shade trees. The Chief Cook had prepared a brunch to make the mouth water. As soon as everyone was gathering, platters of bacon, sausages, cured smoked ham, and toast filled the tables. There were large bowls of grits, scrambled eggs, and melon. Slabs of butter, salt, pepper, plates, and utensils waited for the gathering of people. Large pitchers and mugs filled with ale, tea, and water were available.

Boss Ralph announced, "It is good to be home. Find yourself a table and start digging in."

Ralph, Carmen, Carlos, Stella, Walter, and the Medico sat at the same table to discuss immediate plans. Stella announced, "Tonight, I will duplicate my run into the badlands as closely as I am able. In two days, I will return with the Katana Documents. At the time I took them, it was the right thing to do. But I am sorry now that I did."

Carlos objected, "You didn't say who will go with you. Of course, I will. But we need more for your protection. What about the Guardians?"

Stella replied, "When I left here in the middle of the night, I left at a fast run I kept up for four hours. I'm sorry, Carlos, but you could not sustain that pace. Neither can the Bucks as far as that goes. People with me on horseback would be a distraction. If I were on horseback, I am afraid that I would not follow my old route with precision, which I must do to find the cave where I hid the documents."

Ralph suggested, "Okay, I understand that. We know the approximate route that you took. If we staged people along the way and they did not interfere with you, wouldn't that work for you?"

After hesitating, she answered, "I think that might work. How many people will you use and where will you place them?"

"We will go to the big house and work that out on a map after we eat," Ralph said.

Frank spoke for the first time. "You can use me. I am an above-average tracker."

The people from Ralph's table followed him to the big house when they finished eating.

-----

Three Comanches prepared the trap, while one watched the Ranch. When they judged the trap was ready, they stood by, ready to spring the trap. Each night, they would rotate the Comanche who was keeping watch. They saw Boss Rider and most of his forces ride toward Round Rock, and they were watching ten days later when they returned. The Comanche watcher noted the two women in the return. One appeared to be Stella Brooks. The other, he knew, but did not understand how she could be there. She was the daughter of their Chief, Carmen Gomez. She was riding next to Ralph Rider and did not appear to be a prisoner.

The watcher slipped away from his post to report this to his companions.

-----

Stella was highly proficient at map reading from her experience as a scout and followed Ralph with keen interest as he spread his map on a table for all to see. It was the same map Carmen had seen the night before in Ralph's tent.

Stella commented, "It looks as if it is about 55 km from here to the edge of the badlands where I contacted them before. Then it is another 5 km up the arroyo to the place that I stopped running. So I was running about 15 km per hour. Not the fastest pace on Newhome, but I can maintain that pace for a long time."

Ralph asked, "Would signal flares disturb you?"

She answered, "No, I don't think so."

"Then I would stretch out my two Mounted Troops platoons along the route from here to your end position in the arroyo, but offset half a click. Then, going across the ridges, I think the Guardians would do best. Do you agree, Frank?"

Frank replied, "Yes, that would be a good use of the Bucks. Stella, you indicated you spent the night on the third ridge. Your cave is there?"

"Yes, I was moving slowly and carefully to avoid leaving any signs of my passage. The cave has landmarks around it that I can find. But I will have to be close to the cave to see the landmarks. That is why I need to recreate my previous route."

Stella was thinking, "This is a good plan, but there is just too much chance of something throwing me off course. My mate wants me protected, and it would be wrong for me to defy him. I am supposed to be submissive to him. We've been mates for less than a day. But I have a duty to the Bucks and Carlos. Damn, it looks like whatever I do, I will fuck something up!"

"The horses need a rest, as do the men," Ralph said. "I will get this organized in the morning so that you can do your run tomorrow night. Is that satisfactory to everyone?"

Ralph rang a bell for a house servant. He told his guests, "I will have you shown to your rooms now. I think you will find them comfortable, especially after living on the road. Come back down in twenty minutes, and we will go to my labs. Walter, you will have an officer's suite in the barracks. You can go ahead and look at the labs. A servant will show you the way."

After all but Carmen left with the servant, he put his hand on her cheek, saying, "You have nothing but one change of clothing that Stella gave you. We correct that starting later this afternoon at the Ranch commissary. Soon we will go to Round Rock, where there are more elaborate stores."

Their room took Stella aback. Thick rugs covered the hardwood floors. There was a sofa and easy chairs. A water basin held clean water for them, and there was a tub that the servants would fill with hot water on request.

But the object that held her attention was the bed. It was large with a high, thick mattress. It had an elaborately carved headboard and footboard with tall posts at the four corners. She checked the bedding material. It was thick and soft, but she did not know what it was. In her travels, she had seen cotton sheets and wool blankets. When she asked Carlos, he told her the sheets were silk, and the comforters were lined with satin. Stella also noted the four bedposts with an inquisitive eye.

"It's too warm to use the comforters, but we can enjoy the silk sheets," Ralph informed her.

-----

In the lab, Ralph proudly pointed out the equipment he used. There was a clay vessel above a firepit with bellows attached, enabling it to reach very high temperatures. There were forges and complete blacksmithing equipment. A wall held sample blades labeled by their creation date. Frank studied the progression of blades with great care.

Stella said to all, but especially to the Medico, "What you are looking at is what convinced me that Boss Ralph is close to making a true katana. What do you think, Medico?"

He replied, "This is fascinating. Ralph has taken this much further than Unihold has. Your assessment was correct. The later blades are good, but they aren't yet true blades. Something is missing. I need to study Ralph's documents."

Carlos commented, "I have been around blacksmiths all of my years working on Wagon Trains. It's been a long time since I last did any smithing. I'm looking forward to getting started.

Walter Holt said, "This is the most complete setup I could dream of for making individual blades. However, it is not satisfactory for mass production. I will have to design a manufacturing facility, which will be a costly endeavor. What are my budget constraints, Boss Ralph?"

Ralph answered, "Rider Ranch is one of the wealthiest enterprises on Newhome. Keep me updated on your design efforts daily. If I see you approaching any fiscal limits, we will talk about it when it comes up."

-----

Except for Walter Holt, the team went to the Compound's Dojo next. It impressed Frank. He had seen nothing like this since he left Unihold. The practice area was a raised platform topped by tatami mats. Tatami were made of densely woven straw and, placed on the raised platform, allowed a little give when someone took a fall. That made it possible for the students to be thrown hard and still be unharmed.

By dojo etiquette, boots and shoes were not allowed on the tatami. There was room on three sides of the practice for visitors to walk around observing. On the remaining end was a shrine called a tokonoma. Although the tokonoma did not have religious significance on Newhome, martial artists usually included one in their dojo in deference to old Earth Japanese tradition.

Frank, speaking as Sensei, said, "We will hold a short class this afternoon to tell students about dojo etiquette and to practice ukemi on tatami. Carmen, you can begin your duties as Frank's Administrator by letting everyone know my class will start in one hour."

Carmen had already figured out that she only needed to inform Foreman Sam Briggs, the senior Lieutenant in the Mounted Troops, and the Senior Guardian. She set off to do just that.

After class and the evening meal, most retired to their quarters. It had been a full day for all. Except for a minute here and there, it was the first time that Stella could be alone with Carlos since the mating ceremony that morning. She put her arms around him and hugged him tight while laying her head on his shoulder.

She said, "Now that we are mates, I don't know how to act. Nothing has prepared me for this."

"Stella, me neither. But that is alright. We will just have to feel our way into this. I don't know if I am supposed to tie you up or not. Since we are not in the Final Courtship ritual, we don't have guidelines, do we? I guess we can just do what we want."

"You are right. We can do what we want. Since we saw this room earlier, I have been daydreaming about our bed. You know what I want, but not tonight. I picture myself tied to one of those bedposts. Tied up to the point where I can't move at all. Then you come up to me and play with my body. You take me while I'm still bound to the post. I think I am gagged effectively because I am trying to scream, but only moans escape."

"That sounds exciting, Stella. We will have to keep a to-do list. For now, I am ready to have a bath and try out these sheets. You see the sash by the door. It is attached to a bell pull, allowing us to fetch a servant and request hot water. Are you game to try it?"

"Carlos, I have never bathed indoors before. The idea makes me a little apprehensive, but I want to see what it is like."

Carlos pulled the sash, and in minutes, a servant knocked on the door. He opened, and when the servant inquired about their needs, Carlos said they wanted to try the bath if that would be convenient. About half an hour later, the servant returned with four others, all carrying wooden buckets filled with steaming water, which they poured into the tub, filling it.

The lead servant said, "That will need to cool for a few minutes before you get in the tub. Here are towels and soap for you to use. We will return in a few minutes with extra buckets of hot water you can add if the tub cools too much. By the time we return, it should be just right for you."

Within 5 minutes, they returned, set the buckets by the tub, and left. Stella asked, "What now?"

He said, "The tub is large enough for both of us. So we undress and climb in."

Because of their move to a lower altitude and the onset of summer, it had been getting warmer, and Stella was wearing shorts instead of long pants. Her shorts and halter exposed a lot of skin. To Stella, that seemed normal. She had been naked with Carlos for nights now, but she realized that the conflicted feeling she was having was shyness. With that understanding, she peeled off her clothing and stood proudly naked in front of Carlos. A moment later, he was naked too.

He said, "I will help you first, then I will climb in. He held Stella's hand as she stood on the step beside the tub, lifting one leg over the top and into the water. With her other hand, she held the side of the tub and lifted her other leg over the side. She squatted in the water and then sat down in it.

"Carlos, this feels wonderful. Come on and get in."

To Carlos, this was old except for being with a woman, especially one as beautiful as Stella. He got in after moving Stella forward and sat down behind her. With the bar of soap from the table beside the tub and after moving her hair out of the way, he began soaping her back. He continued to her front, finding soaping the soft, wet mounds of her tits a delight. He followed past her pubes and down to her legs and then to her feet, running a soapy finger between each toe.

"I cannot describe how good this is. Why have I been missing this all my life? Okay, turn around, it's your turn now. The tub wasn't so big that it didn't require careful maneuvering for both of them to get turned without spilling water, but soon Carlos was sitting between Stella's legs, and she started duplicating on him what he did to her. When she got to soaping between his legs, she found him sporting an erection. Moving her soapy hand up and down his erection could have ended the bath, but Carlos grabbed her hand and said,

"I'd rather complete that on the silk sheets."

Stella finished cleaning his legs and feet. They rinsed themselves and climbed out of the tub, using the towels to dry. They went to the bed, and Carlos pulled the comforter down to the foot, turning back the top sheet. He looked over at Stella and saw that she had backed up to a bedpost at the foot and crossed her hands behind the post.

He said, "You seem eager for that post. Tonight, something simpler. Come stand by me." Carlos sat on the edge of the bed. Stella stood in front of him, and he took her hips and turned her around. He selected a rope from a drawer in the bedside table and made a couple of loops around her wrists, ending with a quick cinch.

With her hands tied, he swung her over the edge of the bed, placing her on her back. He kissed her, and she enthusiastically kissed him in return. Moving lower, he pulled on her tits and suckled. Continuing down, he jabbed his tongue in her navel and licked the skin from her navel to her pubic hair. His tongue discovered her arousal. He moved between her legs, entered her, and pumped. Her hip movements matched the energy of his, and it was not long before they were both panting and on the edge of a climax. It thundered down on them, leaving both satiated and spent.

Stella lay there reveling in the afterglow and the silk sheets. She heard Carlos fall into that regular breathing that showed deep sleep. She thought,"I have to explore freeing myself. Even though he has only tied my hands, he still did it well. But I have a lot of time. If I can't get out of this, I can get to my knife and cut myself loose."She rolled to her side and started investigating her bondage.

"He has put the knots where my fingers can't reach them. He always does that."She tested for slack by trying to force her elbows out."An elbow tie is for more than just looks. It would stop me from trying this kind of thing."She found that there was some slack."He had sex on his mind. He did not focus on tying me up. I think I can work with this."

Folding one hand to make it as small as possible, she worked that arm back and forth. She could feel her hand moving into the loops and knew she could free herself when she was ready. She stopped. In case Carlos woke up and checked on her, she would stay tied up until it was time for her to go. She even dozed off for an hour or more. But her body clock was faithful and woke her an hour after midnight.

She listened to Carlos' breathing and satisfied herself that he was still fast asleep. She finished working her hand free of the restricting loops. Carefully, she slid out of the bed and found her long pants and halter, which she put on. Her moccasins were where she had left them, and she was ready. She stood at the foot of the bed, looking at Carlos. She hoped he would not be too mad at her for going ahead with her run to the badlands tonight.

As Stella stole away from the Ranch, running toward the badlands, she had no way of knowing that she was being observed by keen and well-trained eyes. The two observers had different desires, but they had very similar goals. Gus Sloan wanted to get his hands on Stella for nothing more than his carnal desire. The Rider Expedition Comanche loved his fellow Comanche and wished to deliver Ralph Rider's prize to them.

-----

Three of the Comanche on the Rider Expedition were waiting on the ridge a click (a thousand meters) from their selected ambush site. They could see a place below in the arroyo northeast of their ridge. Their fourth member was keeping watch at the edge of the badlands and would come to this spot to give them a heads-up. It had taken days to prepare their trap, and they had been waiting more days for Stella Brooks to show up. They would continue to wait until she showed or someone senior from the Comanche called them home.

One of the two on the ridge kept watching for a signal day and night. Finally, the signal came. Not long after dawn, the lookout Comanche rode up the arroyo to the signal spot and gave the signal that the Scout had entered the arroyo, as they expected she would. Upon receiving the acknowledgment that they had received the signal, the lookout continued up the arroyo to another place where he could ascend the ridge. He would make his way to the trap and take his prepared position.

The Rider Comanche had prepared four depressions in the ground next to the net that was set as the trap. Each of them could disappear into a depression by covering themselves with artfully designed camouflage. They had worked on the camouflage of their hiding places and that of the net with its ropes and pulleys until satisfied that the Scout would not see anything wrong before they sprung the trap.

Their trap was clever. A large rock had been positioned on the edge of the cliff. It was ready to fall off the edge, but was blocked by a stick bracing the rock. They tied a camouflaged rope to the rock and led it to the depression, where the team leader would spring the trap. When Stella was one step from the center of the net, the Comanche would pull the bracing stick loose, and the rock would fall. The rope attached to the rock would pull the net around the Scout. All the Comanche would rush the Scout before she could free herself from the net, wrapping her in rope from head to toe. It would not be pretty bondage, but it would slow her down enough that they could put knives to her throat.

It was still a long wait, but the Comanche had trained to wait calmly. They make no sounds that would give them away.