The Bandit Scout

Chapter 19 -- The Medico Delivers

As the dawn brought the light of day to the camp, Stella woke but didn't want to move. She was not in any pain but knew that, if she moved, she would be. Carlos had been awake and had remained still so Stella would sleep as long as possible. When he saw that she was awake, he said, "You get breakfast in bed this morning." He arose, dressed, and went out to the mess tent.

The cook saw him and said, "Don't give Stella a regular breakfast. I'll fix a plate for her." Shortly, he handed Carlos two plates, one for him and one for Stella. Stella's dish consisted of soft foods: grits, scrambled eggs, and a pancake with butter and syrup.

Medico Frank Stevens spent much of the night studying the Katana Documents. He now knew why Ralph had not produced a true blade. It was past sunrise, and it was time to go and visit Carlos and Stella. He needed to check on her and give her a potion for the trip back to the Ranch. Then he could see Ralph.

By the flap to Carlos' tent, Frank called out, and Carlos told him to enter. Carlos had Stella propped up in the bunk as he fed her. "Good," he said. "Until I give permission, Stella should not use her arms and shoulders even to feed herself."

He stood by the bunk and probed her shoulders with his fingers. I don't detect any further damage. Thanks to Sgt. Lee and the Mounted Troops, you successfully completed your expedition yesterday. Here are two potions for the trip home. Take one now and one after midmorning.

"Stella, you should know this. I spent the night studying the Katana Documents. I know why Ralph has failed to make a true blade. We can fix the problem. Without the documents, I might not have discovered the problem, or it could have taken years."

The Medico and Carlos used a blanket to lift Stella to the latrine and returned her to the bunk. "Troops will bring a stretcher to move you down to the wagons. A comfortable pallet has been made in a wagon to carry you back to the Ranch. I know you will want to help. Don't. Call me if you need me."

Frank left, and minutes later, Ralph and Carmen came in. Ralph said, "I'm sure that you heard the news. Meet my new mate."

Carmen moved close to Stella and looked her in the eye. "I am going to be with you while we travel back to the Ranch. Stella, it makes this so much worse that it was my people who did this to you. I hope you won't hate all Comanche."

Ralph added, "Troopers will be here any moment to carry you to a wagon on a stretcher. I hope you will ask for anything that you need. I also hope that you have the fastest possible recovery."

Stella told them, "No, Carmen, I won't hate all Comanche. The four Comanche who did this to me and Gus Sloan have paid the price. I'm glad you will be with me for the trip to the Ranch. Boss Ralph, I'm not sure I can explain why I had to retrieve the documents before your plan. I had to do it."

Ralph said, "You don't need to explain, I know. Most on Newhome have honor. It just doesn't always take the same form. Your honor made you leave the first moment you could. Chief Gomez wants to speak to you. Can he come in?"

"Of course, I will be happy to see him."

As Ralph left, Chief Gomez entered the tent and got down on one knee beside the bunk. "Stella, you have been a friend to Carmen and me. I am very sorry that this has happened to you. Medico Stevens tells me that you will recover if you follow his instructions. I am glad that you have him as your Medico. Is there anything that I can do for you?"

"Chief, Carmen means a lot to me. I am glad she is with me today. What has happened to the bodies of the four Comanche?"

"Stella, we plan to go and cremate them. I hope you do not object."

"No, Chief. To them, I was an enemy. Now the Bucks and the Comanche are allies. I think my father would want you to cremate them with honor."

The Chief said, "As I understand, non-Bandits do not think of cremation as an honor. We will throw Sloan's body to the flames without ceremony."

"Thank you, Chief. Although the news will reach him first by Boss Ralph's dispatches, I look forward to telling my father how much help you have been to the alliance. And how much of a personal comfort you have been to me."

As the Chief left, four Troopers entered Stella's tent with the stretcher. As was done the day before, Stella was lifted with a blanket and placed on the stretcher. They placed bedrolls on either side of Stella's hips and shoulders, securing them with straps. With a Trooper at the head and foot of the stretcher bearing the load and a Trooper on either side to ensure there was nothing amiss, they headed down the arroyo with Carlos and Carmen.

The wagon with Stella's bedding was waiting for them. The four Troopers lifted Stella with the blanket and placed her gently on the bedding in the wagon. Carmen climbed in beside her. "Okay, Stella, let me know if I can do anything to make this trip easier for you. There are other bedrolls ready if you need more padding. I think we are leaving now."

The wagon's pace was slow to make the journey as easy on Stella as possible. The Mounted Troops rode escort, and Stella noticed. "Carmen, why are the Troops riding in an escort formation? Am I a prisoner? "

"No, silly. You really don't understand how much the Troops respect you, do you? First, you were a major factor in forming the alliance. Second, enough of them had the opportunity to practice martial arts with you that your capability became known to the rest. Third, you would wait for nothing to get the Katana Documents back to Ralph. Fourth, you were captured and tortured but refused to give up the Documents. And fifth, although too injured to walk, you refused to leave without the Documents. You got them into Ralph's hands. Stella, you are their hero. No, you are not a prisoner. They are your honor guard."

Stella was quiet for a long time, lost in thought. "I don't deserve it. Of course, it pleases me that they think well of me. Enough, tell me about your Courtship."

"It was similar but different from your Final Courtship. It was only one night. Ralph had to keep me tied up until dawn. I had to do everything that I could to escape. The Guardians were there to ensure that I continued to struggle the entire night. I will tell you that wore me out fast. We had the same Guardians, by the way. I wish you could have been one of them! Ralph did everything that he could to relieve my muscle cramps and divert my mind from my discomfort. Many orgasms! But poor Ralph wasn't allowed to penetrate me with his cock. I owe him so many orgasms now that I will never catch up. Jane was great. She kept suggesting things for Ralph to do for me. Without her guiding Ralph, I might not be his mate today."

Stella answered, "Oh, yes, you would be. Carmen, you just don't recognize how exceptional you are. Boss Ralph is very fortunate to have found you."

Carmen took this opportunity to ask a question that had been on her mind. "Stella, we are both big-breasted women. I have always known that men are fascinated by my body, especially my boobs. I'm sure you have noticed this as well. In my case, I have had little to no interest in being touched until I met Ralph Rider. Now, I can't wait until he puts his hand on me again.

"The question I have been leading up to is this. "Why do I seem to enjoy it so much more when Ralph has me tied up and helpless, unable to stop him from doing whatever he may want to do? That seems unnatural to me. But I crave being helpless at Boss Ralph's hands."

"I would hug you, if I could," Stella replied. "I don't know the honest answer to your question. I do know, for generations back as far as we know, Bandit women have been at their happiest while submitting to their mate, or their mate to be. Has that changed our genetic structure? I have no idea. And, I don't care.

"I had been captured by Rider Ranch Hands and placed, as a prisoner, in Boss Carlos McTavrish's Wagon Train for transport to Unihold. I was waiting for an opportunity to escape. When I saw Carlos for the first time, everything changed. I thought being Carlos's captive wouldn't be so bad. Then it was not long before I found myself stripped down and tied strappado in his tent for him to question me about the Bucks' intent. I was happy and content knowing I was exactly where I was meant to be.

"So, I can't answer your question. But I can confirm that I am glad my boobs are big because they bring joy to Carlos. He also enjoys tying me up, playing with my body while I am tied up, and just being with me while I am tied up. I always want his hands on me. When I am tied up, it is particularly gratifying. That's all I can tell you."

The wagon driver signaled Carmen when they were about halfway. She gave Stella the second dose of the potion. It was more potent than the first, and soon Stella was asleep and remained so until they pulled up to the big house.

Later, Stella learned that there had been intense gambling among the Mounted Troops over who would man the stretcher to carry her to her bedroom.

-----

Medico Frank worked his way until he rode next to Ralph Rider on the ride back to the Ranch. "You are going to have a lot to put in your report to Chief Dan. It will be hard to tell him that his daughter was captured and tortured. At least you can assure him that justice was served on the perpetrators and that Chief Gomez helped serve it."

Ralph replied, "It is good that I can also report that the Medico predicts a full recovery."

"You know, Boss, that I studied the Katana Documents last night, most of the night?"

"I am not surprised, Medico. These Documents have put a lot of things in motion. I am glad to have them back. Now I can proceed with the next logical step in trying to achieve a true blade."

"Boss, I hate to tell you this. You were never going to get a true blade the way you were going. In the Document that you copied from Unihold, a step was missing. I studied that Document at Unihold, but from another copy of it. I recall the details of the step you are missing and will write them down for you at the Ranch."

"I know you are right," Ralph answered. "I had suspected that something was missing, but discounted it because I was sure that I copied the Document accurately. This is a perfect example of hubris. If I hadn't been so sure of myself, I could have even made a trip to Kennedy to visit Unihold. The Masters would have given me access to the library."

"Ralph, we have seen a lot of hubris, haven't we? Stella's confidence in her abilities led her to make an unwise choice. But consider, it was Stella's taking of the Document initially that put everything in motion. Without that, we wouldn't be allies now and wouldn't have found the missing step."

"Frank, don't keep me waiting. What is the missing step?"

"It is called rapid heating quenching. Your last step is to fold a low-carbon sheet over a high-carbon sheet and flatten it. Then you heat it for the last time and quench it. That is when the blade curves. But it is still easy to break. To achieve the desired characteristics, you must add something to your last step.

"Before the last heating of the blade, clay and other materials are placed on the blade. You should spread the clay thicker on the backside of the blade and thinner on the cutting edge. When the blade is put in the forge for heating, the clay protects the low-carbon steel. The temperature of the forge and the time the blade is in it are critical. The blade is removed from the forge and immediately quenched in water. The clay regulates the heat transferred by the forge to the various steels in the blade. The differential tempering gives the katana its ability to have incredible sharpness on the cutting edge and to be still able to take tough blows without breaking."

Ralph said, "I am thankful that Chief Brooks sent Walter Holt with us. He will have to feed me blades at a rapid rate so that I can experiment to find the right clay thicknesses, the right temperature, and the right time in the forge. I have a lot of planning to do on the rest of the ride home. Carlos will want to know about this. Could you let Stella's wagon catch up with you and pass this on to him?"

"I need to remind Carmen to give Stella her second potion of the poppy medicine. I will bring Carlos up to date."

-----

After the badlands incident, Frank continued to hold a martial arts class each day. Because of the work schedule, he held it after the evening meal. The focus of the class had changed. Now, kendo, the way of the sword, was all-important. It was just a matter of time before Ralph could make true blades. If all of his weapons-bearing personnel were armed with a katana, they would have to know how to use one. Kendo was the key to their learning to use the katana.

To make the best use of the katana, it should be used as a slicing weapon. It could also be used as a stabbing weapon. But it should never be used as a chopping weapon. To practice, Frank had a lot of practice weapons made, bokken and shinai. The bokken is a wooden sword of the approximate size, shape, and weight of a katana. The shinai is made with split bamboo and is used in live practice. Toward the end of his life, the legendary Japanese swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi, only carried the bokken into battle.

Frank knew that he would need more instructional help if he had any hope of all the Ranch's armed personnel knowing even the basics of swordsmanship. At the first opportunity, he would talk to Ralph and Carlos. Of course, Stella would teach as well as soon as she recovered from her injuries.

It was a week after the return from the badlands. Ralph and Carlos stopped by the dojo before class started. Frank told them his concerns about the training of Hands, Troops, and Bandits in swordsmanship.

Ralph said, "Soon, I hope that we will have more Comanche. I have sent a messenger to Chief Gomez, stating my intention to hire a large number of Comanches to learn smithing and katana making. We should be able to pick up some people from Round Rock, too. By this time next week, Walter Holt will be able to deliver two to four blades to me each day that have completed the folding process. Then I will be able to experiment to find the best way to perform your rapid heating and quenching process. Within a month, I expect to have a true katana."

Carlos added, "Yeah, then the real work begins. No more of these pussy fourteen-hour days. We can give a full sixteen to eighteen-hour day. You know, this could break up a mating."

Author's Note: The time and calendar traditions on Newhome had been set by Lou Harriman, Commander of the Space Ship Argonaut, and the first Earth person to set foot on Newhome, which she named. The Newhome day was 25.61 Earth hours long. Harriman chose to use the Earth's tradition of dividing a day into twenty-four hours, an hour into sixty minutes, and a minute into sixty seconds. This meant that a Newhome second was (25.61/24) times longer than an Earth second.

Ralph injected, "I know this is hard on everyone involved. Carmen is working her butt off coordinating Ranch activities. We still have to produce beef, you know. Once we have a true katana, everyone currently smithing will become teachers of smithing for the new hires. I have to keep the Hands and the Troops as intact as possible because their tasks haven't changed."

Frank dropped his bomb. "It won't do any good to have a katana without the training in using it. That is why my classes focus on kendo now. But I cannot do it at all. To train everyone, I need the two of you to teach at least one martial arts class a day."

"We will do what we have to do," said Ralph. "But Carlos and I are cutting out on you tonight."

"That is probably best," Frank said. "Carlos, Stella is showing signs of depression. That is almost expected after going through an ordeal like she did. Some tender love and care from you is what the Medico orders. Frank, Carmen is under a lot of stress, too. She has no background in running a ranch. Of course, having you to call the shots when needed and having Sam Briggs to implement things makes it a lot easier for her. Still, I am sure she is feeling the pressure and fears she will make mistakes."

-----

As Carlos moved about the room, getting his things ready for work the next morning, he noticed that Stella's eyes tracked him constantly. She did that before the badlands incident, but she would radiate joy. Her eyes would have a sparkle. Now, she had a haunted look.

He told her, "The Medico says that you can start feeding yourself now. We owe Carmen a lot for taking care of you at the noon and evening meals."

"She has been sweet to help me so much," Stella said. "Carmen also visits whenever she can. Still, this is no way to live. I felt like I had more freedom when I was tied up in your Wagon Train."

"Stella, I am really hoping that you will be happier when you start therapy. After living your entire life at a high level of activity, it must be depressing to have to lie here. Frank says that he will check your shoulders in a couple of days to see if you can start exercising."

"Carlos, I know that everyone is doing everything they can for me. Don't you see, that's part of my problem. I am used to taking care of myself. Not using my arms at all is like being tied up in an imaginary rope."

"I know that, darling. For your future health, keep putting up with what the Medico says."

"I promised that I would. So far, I have and will continue to do so. I just didn't think that my shoulders would still ache after a week."

"You didn't tell me you were aching, Stella! Roll over and I will massage you."

"Thank you. Just a few minutes will help. You are worn out, too, Boss Carlos. Help me take this nightgown off." Stella sat up and let Carlos pull the gown over her head. Then she turned over with a sigh, looking forward to having her shoulders rubbed.

The red whip marks on her back were starting to fade. They would always be noticeable. Carlos thought her back was as beautiful as the rest of her, even with the whip marks. Carmen had brushed her hair every day, and it gleamed. "Stella, we can have sex if you are up to it. You wouldn't have to do anything. I would do all of the work."

"You might have to use your tongue to get me moist, Carlos. Yes, I would love that."

Carlos made gentle love to Stella. He found that light caresses of her breasts did not cause her any discomfort. It was not long before they were both fast asleep, side by side, holding hands.

-----

Carmen's face brightened with a smile when Ralph entered their rooms. He had left that morning before dawn. Now, it was well after dark. Carmen had arranged with the house staff for them to keep water hot continually after supper time so that they could bring it on a moment's notice for Ralph's bath. She also had a plate of cold cuts and fruit for him.

She welcomed him with a hug and a kiss and rang the bell for the hot water. He said, "How did I go all of those years without having you waiting for me?"

" Well, that is the past. Now, we just have to get you on a decent schedule. Your bath water is on the way, and I have a plate beside the tub waiting for you."

"Bless you. I need a hot soak. While the water is coming, give me a rundown on the Ranch today."

She gave him a concise report of today's Ranch activities. It only took a few minutes, but before she finished, house staff arrived and filled the tub. Extra buckets of hot water were placed beside the tub. The staff left, and Carmen pulled Ralph to the tub while pulling off his clothing.

Ralph climbed into the tub, watching Carmen remove her shorts and halter. "You are coming in with me? That's wonderful."

"No, I am going to scrub you down," she said, picking up a large sponge and a bar of soap. She soaped him and scrubbed with vigor. To get between his legs, she had to lean over the tub, making her tits an irresistible target for his hands. Ralph stroked her breasts in time with her massaging his cock.