The Bandit Scout Ch. 05

Chapter 5 -- Rider is on the Move

As Carlos and Stella were starting a new relationship in Carlos's tent at the wagon train, back at Rider Ranch, Ralph went to his lab, thinking that he had let too many other things interfere with his research. He knew in his heart that he was close to being able to forge a true katana blade with the proper properties, even though he was missing something. There were many steps to the process, and each must be executed flawlessly for success. The basic method was described in the manual that he copied from Unihold. The process could be completed with essentially primitive technology.

The raw materials are iron sand, charcoal, clay, moss, drawing paper, and water. The sand is smelted into pieces of steel that the ancient Japanese on Earth called tamahagane. These pieces are categorized into high-carbon steel and low-carbon steel. The high-carbon steel was harder but more brittle, while the low-carbon steel was more malleable.

The tamahagane is hammered into flat sheets, which are placed on a steel scoop. The sheets are covered with clay, water, and drawing paper and placed inside the forge. The covering is to prevent the sheets from reaching the melting point. The heat of the forge must be carefully regulated. If the sheets melt, the high-carbon steel loses its hardness, and the low-carbon steel loses its flexibility. When the sheets reach the right temperature, they are removed from the forge and hammered to remove impurities and air pockets.

A sheet is folded repeatedly until it forms a stick. After each folding, the steel is reheated, hammered, and quenched in water to cool. Too many folds will result in brittle metal. The number of folds required differs for high-carbon and low-carbon steel.

After the folding, a layer of low-carbon metal is placed between two layers of high-carbon metal. When everything is done correctly, this balance of hard and soft gives the blade its desired characteristics, allowing it to maintain incredible sharpness while withstanding hard blows without breaking. The combined metal is hammered into the desired shape for the katana blade, but it remains straight. The blade is chiseled to create the details, such as the tang where the handle will be attached, the tip for stabbing, and the back edge.

Identification marks and decorations can now be carved on the tang. Carving on the blade proper would weaken it. A blood groove or fuller is carved on the back edge. This is to improve the weight of the sword and improve its cutting ability.

The final phase of creating the blade involves sharpening, polishing, assembling the hilt and handguard, and fitting the blade into a sheath.

The problems in actually doing this had been vexing. Ralph had to resolve how many times the folding process had to be repeated for the high-carbon sheets and the low-carbon sheets. He had to determine how long to let the blade cool before repeating the folding process. He had to learn exactly what temperature the blade must be heated at each stage. Ralph had been conducting trials since leaving Unihold. His journal held all of the details. He believed that just a few more experiments would be enough to prepare him to make his first successful blade. His trials had been producing blades ever closer to the objective.

Ralph opened the cabinet where he stored the manual that he had copied at Unihold. It described the basic process. His journal, detailing the results of all his trials and the details of each trial as he slowly varied one parameter at a time, was also stored there. His mind seemed to go blank when he saw the empty shelf. Then he realized that Stella, the Bucks scout, must have taken the documents.

Ralph Rider had always been decisive. He immediately sent for Foreman Sam Briggs and Capt. Riker. He quickly determined that they knew nothing of the missing journal and manual. He sent them to question everyone who had even the slightest contact with the Scout to see if there was any hint of what she did with the documents. It did not take long for the negative results to return.

He ordered Briggs and the Captain to prepare to leave first thing in the morning.

"They must be on the edge of the mountain range by now. Mounted, we can get there in a couple of days and overtake them shortly after they crest the gap. We will utilize all available forces. Leave only a token defense force at the Ranch. Those documents are more valuable than the Ranch. We must question the Scout and learn what she did with the documents. They must be hidden in the badlands. We could search there for years and not find them."

In truth, most of Rider's hands had little or no understanding of the importance of their boss's foray into technology. If they did not see its possible impact on their lives, they had unquestioning allegiance to Ralph Rider and would obey him without question.

-----

To the west, in the Comanche Bandit camp, another council was taking place. Chief of the Comanche, Garcia Gomez, was summarizing,

"We know that Chief Dan Brooks thinks he is honor-bound to attack the Wagon Train for the treatment given to his daughter. We know that in the morning, the train enters the mountain range. We know that the Bucks will attack the train as it descends the north slope of the range. Most likely, they will certainly attack at the big meadow about halfway down the slope."

"It will take the Wagon Train three days to reach the place the Bucks will attack. We can get there in two. We will ride in the morning. Our strategy will be to let the Bucks and the Wagon Train hands kill each other off, and then we will move in and kill any left. We will have destroyed the Bucks and have the wealth of the Wagon Train for our use!"

-----

Tom and Henry were speaking quietly, "Tom, you don't think that the Wagon Master will hurt her, do you? I have come to admire Stella and care about her in this very short time. She is a good lady caught in a bad situation."

"I don't think so, Henry. If I am reading things right, Carlos has fallen for her in a big way. He is too honorable not to do whatever is necessary to protect the Wagon Train. But he is smart enough to find the right path through all of this."

Back in the Wagon Master's tent, Carlos had released Stella from the tent pole strappado but not her hands and arms. He was sitting on his bunk next to her with an arm pulling her close.

"Stella, do you want me to untie you all the way?"

"No, Carlos. In the Bucks, it was my rule, supported by my father, that before courting me, a man would first have to win a fight against me. You did very well, but not well enough to win me over. Being tied up, I have no obligation to attack you. And, for reasons that I cannot explain, it feels good to be your prisoner. With you, I am having erotic feelings, even tied up as you have me.

"That is very good to know," Carlos told Stella. I can tell you that I'm enjoying tying you up. Stroking your beautiful body and having sex with you is something I will cherish forever. Having you at my disposal gives me a strangely peaceful feeling. I want to control you forever. I've said before, I know this doesn't make any sense, but there you have it."

Stella replied, "You are the most talented fighter that I have met other than Medico Stevens. I will teach you what you need to know to win against me. You are closer than you think to becoming a Master. Until then and afterward, too, you can tie me up as much as you wish and safely have your way with me. And, of course, with my full consent."

"Stella, you said Medico Stevens?" so surprised that he didn't pick up right away that Stella had just made a great offer. "Is that Frank Stevens?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"At Unihold, Stella, my principal trainer in Martial Arts, was a young, newly made Master named Frank Stevens. He trained me and Ralph Rider. I want to hear the story of how he came to be your trainer at the Bucks."

"I will tell you what I know of it, Carlos. But right now, you have me naked and helpless on your bunk. Isn't there something else that we should be doing first?"

And there was. Afterward, Carlos and Stella were lying on the bunk facing each other. Carlos had his lower arm under Stella's shoulder with his hand stroking her back and arms. His other hand seemed to have a will of its own as it moved from her face to tit to navel to pussy to butt and back again.

"I still have to be Wagon Master, and that gives me many other things to do. I need to get you back to Tom and Henry. You do know that I love you?"

"I do, Carlos. And you know that I love you?"

Carlos gave her a long, passionate kiss, their tongues exploring each other. He kissed each breast and then her lips again. Getting off of the bunk, he helped Stella stand and untied her completely. He picked up her buckskins and handed them to her,

"Get dressed. I will walk you back to your wagon."

She did, and he opened the tent flap for her.

"Aren't you forgetting to tie my hands and hobble me?" she asked.

"No, I am not forgetting. From now on, I will tie you up only as part of loving you."

-----

Both Tom's and Henry's mouths almost fell open as Carlos and Stella strode up to the wagon side by side.

"Tomorrow Stella will ride with me. We have a lot more talking to do. See you in the morning," Carlos said as he turned and walked away. Tom looked back and forth from Stella to Henry,

"What in the hell is happening? Are you free now, Stella? What are we supposed to do, Henry? What are we, mushrooms, to be kept in the dark and have shit shoveled on us? What is going on?"

Stella gave them a big smile and said, "No, I don't think I'm free. I might be freer than I was, but we will have to see. For tonight, I think that you had better tie me very securely, maybe even a hogtie. What do you say?"

Henry said, "Are you alright, honey? This doesn't seem natural."

Stella replied, "I think that I am fine. And yes, this is very unnatural. Now, would someone tie me up? I am exhausted and need to sleep."

They tied her into a loose hogtie very gently and carefully, pulling a blanket over and around her.

The next morning, they had her coffee and breakfast ready when they untied her. She still had a big smile for them as she stretched her muscles. As they were eating, she said, "I don't know how you are supposed to prepare me for a ride. I suggest we wait for the Wagon Master, but you should be ready to tie me up fast."

"Stella, honey," Tom said, "You just don't seem much like a prisoner anymore. Even hogtied last night, it was your suggestion, not ours. I don't know for sure what is happening, but I think it is good."

-----

At the crack of dawn at the Rider Ranch, a large column of men consisting of two Mounted Platoons and another fifty Ranch Hands on horseback started up the road to Round Rock with the intent of catching up with the Wagon Train.

-----

At dawn in the Comanche camp, a large column of men started toward the mountains to their east with the intent of getting ahead of the Wagon Train. Toward the rear, a woman, Carmen Gomez, was riding with her team of three bandits. Chief Gomez had worried about appointing his daughter to be a Team Leader. She was sometimes too rash, but he hoped the added responsibility would help her mature more quickly. He also worried about her being with the men. She was too damn good-looking. But she was a bandit, and he couldn't deny her involvement.

-----

At the Wagon Train, Carlos rode up to the third wagon with a saddled horse in tow. He jumped off his horse, boosted Stella into the saddle of his extra horse, and tossed her the reins. He told her to follow him as he remounted and rode to the head of the first wagon. He turned in his saddle and cried out in a loud voice that was heard throughout the camp, "Forward Ho!" He set off at a trot at the head of the wagons as they unwound from their circles and head into the mountains. Stella could see the Mounted Troops moving off to their flanks and scouts moving ahead.

Carlos started the conversation, "Okay, Stella, I agree with you. We have to settle things with your dad without a fight. By the way, you have had a huge grin on your face this morning. Does that mean that you are happy about last night?"

"I am happy about last night. I'm happy to be with you now. I am happy because I learned something about myself. First, I learned that I am comfortable around you when you are in control. That, you should know, is not normal behavior for me. Then I learned that I can enjoy being tied up by the right person, such as you, and only you. If you think it will help your position as Wagon Master to keep me tied up, that is fine with me. And any time we are alone, I hope you will tie me up. Even a hard, uncomfortable tie would be nice with your hands on my body. This may not make any sense to you. I'm not sure it does to me, either. But I am trying to be honest about how I feel. By the way, no man has beaten me in a fight yet, except for the Medico. And he doesn't count as a suitor. I would like us to set aside some time each evening for me to provide further training. If you could beat me in a fight, it might help with my dad, too."

Carlos answered, "I am not sure that we have enough time for me to learn enough before we encounter Chief Brooks. Can you think of a way that we could talk to the Chief before he attacks?"

She answered, "Yes, there might be a way. However, it will require a great deal of trust on your part. More trust than I have earned. By the way, we should both stop saying that this doesn't make sense. Whether it does or does not, it is what it is!"

-----

As they rode at the head of the Wagon Train, Stella told Carlos her thoughts on how he could meet her father, the Chief. The gap is the highest point of the trail they were following. From the gap, the trail finally goes through a big meadow as it winds its way down the north slope of the mountains. The Bucks main camp is at about the same altitude as the meadow 8 kilometers to the east. There is a path from the camp to the meadow.

And there is also a path from the gap to the camp. From the gap, the entrance to that trail is hidden. Stella proposed that she lead Carlos from the gap to the hidden path and down until they were close to the Bucks' camp but not so close that sentries might spot them. Stella would then go into the camp alone. If anyone questions her, she will say that she has escaped and is looking for the Chief. None of the Bucks would have any problem with that.

When she meets with her father, she will report to him privately. That is usually the way he received her scouting reports. She will give her father a complete report on everything that has happened, including that she has fallen in love with Carlos McTavrish. She will not yet mention that Carlos is close to the Bucks' camp.

Stella will ask her father for safe passage for Carlos to meet with him. She will emphasize that she believes that there is a path for the Bucks to become allies with the Wagon Master and perhaps with others. That would be a significant advantage to the Bucks.

Stella tells Carlos, "I know there is a risk here. But in the past, the Chief has respected my opinions. He sends me out to form opinions, and I have always given good advice. If he agrees to give you a safe package, I will lead a party to collect you. As an added safety, as we draw near, I will call out 'Wagon Master.' If I do not think that you will be safe, I will call out, 'Carlos.'"

This gives Carlos a lot to think about. He wonders if he can trust Stella not just with his life but with the lives of the entire Wagon Train. Stella has endured mistreatment. Does she want revenge? He decides that he does trust Stella with his life.

He says, "I know that you love me as I love you. Let's meet your father."

-----

The trail, which could no longer be called a road, became a series of one switchback after another. The horses in the train had a challenging task pulling the wagons ever upward. In places, the hands had to help push the wagons. Progress was slow. As night approached, there was no place to circle the wagons. There was a glen that would allow cookfires. They stopped in place, chocked the wheels, and unhitched the horses to feed and rest.

Guards were placed in front of and behind the wagons on the trail. The mountains made any other approach to the wagon train inaccessible. There was no place for Carlos to raise his tent. As they looked around the edges of the trail, they found a small glen they could use for practice. Stella brought a backpack with food and water for both of them.

The ride that day had been tiring for all. The hands were glad to have a hot supper and quickly took to their sleeping blankets. Stella and Carlos begin what was to be a long workout. Stella would describe an advanced attack, and Carlos would deliver it. Stella would defeat the attack until she thought Carlos understood what she was doing. Then, she would use that attack against Carlos repeatedly until he had shown mastery of the technique. Almost two hours had passed, and they were both covered with sweat as they called an end to their session. They seated themselves on the ground, and Stella retrieved the food and drink from the backpack. They were too tired to talk at that point.

The food was soon finished, and Stella arose, signaling Carlos to stay seated. She reached into the backpack, pulled out coils of rope, and tossed it to Carlos's feet. Carlos had a happy, bemused look on his face as she shed her halter and pants.

"How do you want me?"

Looking around, Carlos saw a tree that was slightly leaning to one side. Picking up the rope, he ordered, "Back up to that tree and lean against it with your hands behind it."

Stella did as he asked and soon found her hands tied and rope around the tree and her upper arms pinning her to it. Carlos spread her legs by hobbling her feet behind the tree. This would have been awkward if the ropes around her arms were not holding her tight. Her hair cascaded over her shoulder and down to her thighs.

"Now, there is nothing to obstruct me from touching you anywhere on your front, from your ankles to the top of your head. He began stroking her by playing with her breasts. He followed that by running fingers along her labia. As he touched, he also kissed. Stella started moaning, but he placed his hand over her mouth and said quietly,

"Hush, we are close to the train."

Stella nodded her head as he released her mouth and gave him a huge smile, "Just keep touching me, please."

She thought that everything was up to Carlos, but she did hope that he would not take long before he filled her womanhood. After a lot of fondling, manipulating, and stroking, he entered her to the pleasure and joy of both.

After Carlos freed Stella, they dressed and sank into a bed of moss, spending the night there, sharing a blanket from their backpack.