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You have kindly posted comments on my story. That is appreciated very much. Please continue to tell me what you think about
The Bandit Scout on Newhome. If you would like your tag removed from this list, you can send me a PM to that effect. Or, you can post your request in the story.
Friends and readers, I thank you for your patience in waiting for this chapter. While I know better than to make a promise that I might not be able to keep, the portents for moving on with the story look favorable.
-----
Chapter 81 – Stella Has the Women Bondage Wrestling
The Argonaut had been underway for two months, Earth time. If time is mentioned hereafter, you may assume it is Earth time unless another time frame is specifically mentioned. The first month, everyone aboard decided that Stella was a brutal taskmaster as she pushed everyone, including herself, to adapt to higher gravity. There might have been percussions if they had not been such good friends.
The men studied under Zack Ping in the second month, while the women continued working under Stella. With the women, she was pushing hand-to-hand combat. Judo, various forms of karate, kendo, jujutsu, Muay Thai, aikido, and, for the past week, mixed martial arts were introduced. Friendship was strained.
Barbara had soaked in a hot bath to ease her tired and very sore muscles. She was waiting for him to return. When he entered their room, she yelled, "En garde!"
Zack tried to defend himself but was flat on the floor in the blink of an eye. Barbara was a top fighter by any definition. Back on Newhome, she had been the second in command of the Johansson's Myrmidons. There, she had become highly proficient in ninja techniques and assassination.
Barbara said, "Can I help you up? I am needy tonight, Master. I need to talk for a while, and I need you. Would you not gag me and let me tell you some things?" She pulled Zack to his feet. Zack knew his mate could best him physically. As a master at Unihold, he did have martial arts training, but the minimal amount possible. Zack had devoted his time to science and engineering. Somehow, he and Barbara had captured each other's hearts when she was a prisoner of Unihold before the peace.
Barbara often would demonstrate that she was the superior fighter; afterward, she would always submit to Zack. In fact, she would submit whenever Zack wished. Barbara had always kept her fiery red hair cut short. Since falling for Zack, she had been letting it grow. It was now down to her shoulders.
Barbara removed the bikini, now the standard attire for the women on the Argonaut. That was working as Lou Chang and Rita Stevens planned. Libido on the Argonaut was high. Zack said, "Stella is pushing you hard, is she not?" Frank removed his brief shorts before getting into the bed.
"Yes, Master. Today, she told us that we had to establish our pecking order. This afternoon, she fought each of us, one at a time. That was five matches for her. I was the last one. I figured that I would take her. Some of the matches were easy for Stella, but not all. Lou is a tough competitor, as is Carmen and Carol. Rita is new to fighting, but she is game. She is also the smartest one of us. Carol Mill was no pushover. You know the history of Stella and Carol. Each of them has whipped the other back on Newhome, and I don't mean whipped as in a fight. I mean whipped with a single tail or a flogger while the other was bound and helpless. You could tell that both were determined to win."
Zack asked, "How did it come out?"
"You remember how Stella completes the most difficult physical activity without breathing deeply," Barbara said. "Well, after ten minutes, Stella and Carol breathed deeply. Then Carol made a mistake by grabbing Stella's wrist. Stella did an aikido move and threw Carol flat. You know, while I am talking, you could be tying me up." Barbara presented her hands behind her back.
Zack soon had her wrists and elbows secured. Her elbows were touching. Barbara continued talking while Zack slowly and lovingly secured her. "You can see that I thought I had a chance. I have practiced combat with Carol many times, and she is no pushover. Anyway, then it was my turn. Stella whispered to me, 'That match taught me that I cannot take it easy with you Johansson ladies.' Then she started on me, and within a minute, I was flat on my back. Zack, I have learned so much this last month. But clearly not enough.
"Stella helped me up and told us she was number 1 of the women. She said that tomorrow, we will determine who is number 2. In the past, I beat Carol most of the time. She is smart and can be tricky. I don't know what will happen when I face Lou. She is very competent. While she is not a professional warrior like me, she is unusually powerful. If I make the slightest mistake, she will win. And Carmen is a Comanche warrior. I can take her but can't make any mistakes."
Zack said, "Poor dear, I will help by taking your mind off your problems. I give you a short break." Zack was now frog-tying Barbara's legs. Barbara could see that Zack would not employ one of the standard tie-ups. After finishing with her arms, Zack tied a rope to each leg just above the knee and positioned her kneeling at the foot of the bed facing its head. Each ankle was roped to its thigh. The ropes attached above her knees were threaded through hooks to either side of the bed, and Zack pulled those ropes, spreading Barbara's knees apart.
While all of this was being accomplished, Barbara continued to talk. "The worst part of all of this is that Stella has declared that each match will end when the winner has tied up the loser. Zack, no one has ever tied me up but you. I don't want anyone else to do that to me. Oh! You have my private parts exposed for your convenience now. You have done something like this in a cross-legged hogtie, but this is new. I can't guess yet where you are going with this."
"All in good time, my dear," Zack said as he cupped Barbara's vulva. "I wouldn't have expected you to get antsy about a woman tying you up. I thought a lot of women did that to help condition themselves. I understand that sort of thing could get lesbo, but I wouldn't expect that to be a problem with your group."
"It's not that. I am used to being in control. With you, I love you and voluntarily give you control of me. But if I am fighting someone able to tie me up, that is not voluntary. When Unihold captured me, I was freaking out the whole time until you came along. Then I saw that it wasn't all bad. With you, I can relax in my bonds. I feel safe. I feel good knowing you are having fun. When you bring me to climax, they are beyond anything I experienced before I met you. If I lose, I wish that you could come in and be the one to tie me up. No, I am not going to be a baby. Of course, I am not going to shirk the matches. But it does creep me out."
"Have you gotten it all out now?" Zack asked.
"Thank you for letting me vent," Barbara said. You are the most wonderful mate in the whole world. Go ahead and gag me, and let me see what you have in mind with this tie."
Zack said, "I think that I will gag you hard to remind you that you shouldn't have serious conversations when the bed is out." The bed would retract into a recess on the deck. The deck is the floor to you landlubbers. He continued, "I think a 2¼" ballgag will stretch your jaw to its limit. Can you take that tonight?"
Barbara smiled at Zack and said, "For you, I will do my best to take it. Besides, I am kind of tied up and helpless right now. Do I really have a choice?"
"Yes, you always have a choice, my mate," Zack said. "Open wide now." She did, and even with her full cooperation, Zack had to work the ball behind Barbara's teeth. He buckled the straps behind her head. With this size ball, he probably didn't need the straps. Barbara stretched her mouth as wide open as possible to help get the ball in place. Zack's fingers stretched her jaws just a few more millimeters to set the ball behind her teeth. She would likely be unable to push the ball out of her mouth if it were unstrapped. But form is form, and Zack buckled it in place.
After the straps were buckled, Barbara felt Zack fiddling with the ropes around her wrists. She didn't know what he was doing and asked, "Hmmmph nnnmmm, hmmmph?"
Zack laughed and said, "I installed a new gadget this afternoon." Zack showed Barbara his tablet, displaying a ball in the center with arrows pointing up, down, right, and left from the ball. Zack touched the up arrow, and Barbara felt her hands being pulled up. She twisted around enough to see Zack had attached a thin cable to her wrist ropes. The cable ran to a box on the overhead. For you landlubbers, the overhead is the ceiling. Zack took his finger off the up arrow when her hands were raised about one foot.
Zack explained, "The cable is wound inside the box on the overhead when I touch the up arrow. The down arrow causes the cable to be let out. The left and right arrows cause the box to move. I have it set so I can move the box from over the foot of the bed to its head.
Barbara said, "Hmmmph, hmmmmmmph, mmph." Then, she was even more surprised when Zack reclined on his back on the bed before her. His head was between her knees, and his feet were toward the head of the bed.
"Can you see where this is going now?" Zack asked as he touched the up arrow on his tablet until Barbara was in a tight strappado. Her shoulders had moved forward as the strappado caused her to bend at her waist.
Barbara answered, "Nnnnph."
"This is almost perfect," Zack told Barbara. "Your tits are right over my face. Let's see what happens when I move the box forward." His finger touched the left arrow, and the box slowly moved toward the head of the bed. This pulled her hands forward as well, forcing her to bend further until her tits framed Zack's face. Her generous but pert globes rested on her thighs and Zack's face. "Okay, now this may actually be perfect." He put the tablet down and reached for Barbara's breasts. His left hand pushed her left tit to his mouth, which he eagerly suckled. His right hand played with her right tit. Barbara was one of those women who could be brought to climax just by working on her nipples. Now, they were being worked on.
Barbara said, "Ooommmph," softly.
Zack kept at his task minute after minute. Barbara was feeling that wonderful tingle in her core. She was pulling against the strappado and against the ropes, binding her arms and legs as hard as she could. Not trying to get free, trying to urge the tingle into a crescendo. Zack pulled her left tit from his mouth, giving the nipple a gentle nip as he did, and pulled the right breast in as a replacement.
Barbara said, "Ooommmph!" A minute or so later, she said, "Aammmmph, aammmph, aammmph!" as waves of pleasure cascaded.
-----
The six women of the crew were gathered in the Martial Arts Room. The Argonaut was a large cylindrical shape with 'up' aligned with the cylinder's axis pointing from the engines at the bottom to the control room at the top. Stella said, "I have placed ropes spread over the mats so they will be conveniently handy to contestants. When you are a contestant, your objective is to subdue and tie up your opponent. The woman bound will have ten minutes to escape. If she does, the match will continue on my command. If not, then the winner will untie her. Are there any questions?"
Carol asked, "What are the rules of engagement? What are we allowed to do to convince our opponent to submit to being bound?"
"The regular rules that we have been following," Stella answered. "Submission holds may be used except for the ones that cause harm. By serious harm, I mean no broken bones, no lacerations, and no deep bruises. Choke holds can be used provided no lasting harm is done. In other words, you can put someone to sleep, but they had better be awake and unharmed five minutes later. The same goes for punches and kicks. For these matches, you will not employ any weapon except yourself. That means that you can't use a rope until your opponent submits. Does that answer your question, Carol?"
"Yes, thank you very much," Carol replied.
Stella asked, "More questions?"
Rita asked, "If I had my opponent pinned to the mat and her arm barred behind her back and my opponent cannot escape, could I tie that arm even if she has not submitted?"
Stella answered, "Excellent question. The answer is yes. You may use rope if you have subdued your opponent with a pin and she cannot escape. What you can't do is use rope to achieve the pin. Other questions?" There were none. "Ladies, move to the bulkhead. First match, Barbara and Carol."
Barbara and Carol stood and faced each other. They were two strong, beautiful, and statuesque women. They bowed to Stella. When Stella returned the bow, they bowed to each other. Stella said, "Begin."
Carol immediately executed a forward front kick. It was lightning fast, but Barbara was ready, and Carol's foot entered the space that Barbara's stomach had just occupied. Barbara had stepped slightly to the side, turning to face Carol's foot. Before Carol could withdraw her foot, Barbara lifted it while stepping toward Carol. Carol tried to hop backward one-legged but couldn't move fast enough and fell backward.
But Carol was vastly experienced as well. She had to fall backward, but her fall became a backward roll. Once more, she was on her feet. The bout continued minute after minute. The women wore bikini bottoms and sports bras, leaving most of their skin bare. When they passed the ten-minute mark, Carol's and Barbara's skin glistened with sweat. Carol continued attacking but was reaching the point of exhaustion, and her timing was off. Barbara capitalized on this and executed a perfect hip throw, putting Carol flat on her back on the mat. While Carol was momentarily incapacitated, Barbara joined her on the mat and twisted her arm in a painful bar that turned Carol onto her stomach. Carol knew that she couldn't escape. She was experienced with pain, but this was jarring her to her teeth. She tapped on the mat with her free hand, giving the standard signal for surrender. Barbara immediately reduced the pressure on the arm bar but did not release it.
Barbara said, "Do you submit to me, Carol?"
"Yes," said Carol loud enough for all to hear. Barbara then unhooked Carol's sports bra and tried to slide it off of Carol's free arm. Carol resisted, and Barbara tightened up the arm bar again. Carol said, "I do submit. I will cooperate."
Barbara eased the pressure again, and Carol helped get her bra off. There was a rope at hand, which Barbara took and said, "Hands behind your back, Carol."
Carol obeyed, and soon Carol was securely hogtied in only her bikini bottoms. Stella said, "Jeeves, would you signal when ten minutes have passed?"
Jeeves said that he would.
Stella said, "That was a well-fought match. You were very evenly matched. Next time, the outcome might be different."
Carol was fighting the ropes now. She was contorting every way possible to get her fingers on a knot but could not. Carol tried to slip a wrist out of the loops of rope. The last few minutes, she relaxed. Jeeves said, "Ten minutes." And Barbara rushed to free her friend. "Carol, I am sorry that I removed your bra. That was uncalled for."
Carol rubbed her wrists and ankles and smiled at Barbara. "That's okay. It was in the heat of battle." Carol started putting the bra back on, "I always knew that you were the better fighter." Barbara helped Carol up.
Stella said, "Next match, Barbara and Lou."
As strong as Barbara was, Lou was stronger. Lou had adapted to the Argonaut's acceleration after a few days. After all, Lou had spent over six years at this acceleration previously. The rest of them were just getting there. Barbara attacked immediately, hoping for a quick takedown and an end to this match. She was able to take Lou down to the mats. Barbara threw herself across Lou's chest with her legs, scissoring one of Lou's arms and Barbara's hands grappling for Lou's hand on the other side. She would twist Lou's arm into a submission hold if she was successful. But Lou could lift Barbara up and dump her beyond Lou's head. Both women regained their feet at the same time.
Lou realized Barbara was incredibly fast and was stronger than she expected. Barbara thought she had failed at what might have been her best chance. Lou attacked next with an American football-style tackle. Lou's shoulder went into Barbara's midsection. This was a move that Stella had not taught because she simply had not considered such a move.
That took some air out of Barbara's lungs and more when she hit the mats with Lou still driving into her belly. Barbara was vastly experienced and reached around Lou's torso with both arms before hitting the mats. Barbara heaved as they hit the deck, forcing Lou to do a somersault over Barbara's chest and head, giving Barbara a chance to spring back to her feet.
Barbara started this match already tired and sweaty from her previous match. Lou was stronger than Barbara, but she was not yet in as good physical condition. As the match continued, Lou could tell that she was giving out. Lou thought she saw an opportunity for a judo throw, but her timing was off because of exhaustion. That was all Barbara needed to counter Lou, crashing her to the mats. Hitting the mats dazed Lou slightly for a fraction of a second. That was all that Barbara needed to twist Lou face down. Barbara took Lou's leg and folded it back toward Lou's butt, with Lou's other ankle held behind Lou's knee. This move put enormous pressure on Lou's leg and started stabbing pains above and below Lou's knee. Lou tapped on the mat and said, "I submit."
Barbara asked, "You will continue to submit while I tie you up?"
Lou answered that she would, and Barbara hogtied her second woman for that day. Not even an hour had passed. She figured that Stella would have her fight Carmen next, and that would be it for her. She was too tired to beat Carmen at this point. However, having bested Carol, it was up to her to uphold the Johansson name. She would try.
Barbara tied Lou in a hogtie that was not particularly uncomfortable. While tying Lou, she quietly said, "I am so sorry to be tying you up, Lou Harriman Chang. It doesn't seem fitting."
"Oh, don't be silly, Barbara. Don't you think Lee ties me tighter than this?" Lou said.
"I still apologize, Lou," Barbara said. We grew up thinking of you as a mythical being. Above us all. So it feels strange to me to do this to you."
Lou said, "Promise me that you will do your best work if we find ourselves in this position again, and I will avoid embarrassing you by escaping."
It was another hard match with Carmen. When she tied Carmen up, Barbara did not make the mistake she had made with Lou. She tied Carmen as securely as she could. This was good for her because Carmen practiced escaping from Ralph frequently, for her pleasure and Ralph's. Barbara didn't remove Carmen's bra. She wasn't sure why she removed Carol's.
Now, Barbara was down to Rita. They had all taken it easy contesting with Rita in their practices. They all liked Rita very much and felt it was unfair that Rita had to contest with them when all of the women except Rita had a lifetime of martial arts training while Rita had less than a year.
When Barbara and Rita closed with each other for the first time, Rita whispered to her, "Barbara, I won't forgive you if you don't do your best with me. And when you hogtie me, make it better than you did with any of the others. Take my bra off, too. You got all of that?"
Barbara was a troop leader and often knew where people were coming from. She realized that Rita was embarrassed because they had been babying her. That might have been more comfortable for Rita, but it was not helping her progress. Barbara whispered back, "I understand, you've got it."
Some thirty seconds later, Rita was face down on the mat; her bra had been snatched off, and her wrists were crossed and tightly tied. It would only be ten minutes, so Barbara didn't have to be too concerned with circulation. After Rita's hands were secured, Barbara fixed Rita in a chest harness instead of getting up and put Rita's arms in a chicken wing. Then Barbara tied Rita's feet and arched her back in a hogtie.
Before Barbara stood up, Rita whispered, "Thank you."
Stella said, "And unless Rita pulls off a miracle and escapes soon, it is settled that Barbara is number 2. Of course, we will wait ten minutes before making that official."
Rita was jerking and thrashing to the limited degree that she could in her strict bondage. Her bare breasts were exposed repeatedly as she twisted and turned. With a minute to go, Carmen rushed up to Rita and knelt at her head. Softly, Carmen asked Rita, "Rita, as long as I have known you, you have had a beautiful body. But are your breasts getting larger? They are! How is that possible?"
Rita replied, "Damn if the Medico or I know. It seems to be some artifact of space travel."
"But the rest of us are staying the same. Why are your tits growing and ours do not?" Carmen asked.
Rita replied, "I can only guess it is because I'm the only one here with average-sized tits. Frank says that is as good a guess as any."
Stella called, "Time! Barbara is number 2. You have free time for the rest of the morning. This afternoon, we will determine who is number 3."
Barbara started untying Rita, and Carmen assisted. Stella said, "Rita, I assume you asked Barbara not to hold back. Good move. I think your progress will be much faster now."
In the afternoon, Stella said, "Carol, you are up."
Carol's first match was with Lou. Lou won, hogtying Carol and strictly rope gagging her with the loops of rope going in Carol's mouth attached to Carol's feet. Carol's head was arched as far back as it would go. "This is not against any rule, is it Stella?"
"No," Stella answered, "but it goes beyond what has been done so far."
Lou replied, "I know, but Carol is a most formidable fighter, and I respect her enough to want to make sure she knows I have won."
"I think she knows," said Stella.
"Hmmmph! Nnmmmph! Hmmmph!" Carol responded.
At the ten-minute mark, Rita and Carmen assisted Lou in untying Carol. When the gag came out, Carol said, "Your fighting was good, Lou, but your bondage was spectacular."
"Lou, Carmen, continue," Stella said.
Again, Lou took Carmen down for the count and hogtied her. In addition, Lou frogtied her and removed her bra. Lou forced as much of the bra in Carmen's mouth as possible and used rope to cleave gag her, keeping the part of the bra in Carmen's mouth fixed in place. Lou said, "Stella, no, I don't have any animosity toward Carmen. It is just the opposite. We had fun playing together when Ralph Rider's men and the Aztec were bringing me back to Unihold. I wanted to see Carmen's boobs once again. Carmen, you don't mind, do you?"
Carmen said, "Nmmmph."
A short time later, Lou hogtied Rita, and Lou was number 3.
Stella said, "Carol, you are up again. Your first match of number 4 is with Carmen." Carmen was an excellent fighter. Possibly, if she had devoted all the time she spent with the katana practicing hand-to-hand combat, she would have taken Carol and possibly Lou. But the Johanssons were very martial. Carol had devoted endless hours practicing with Barbara, Molly, and a long list of Johansson women who wanted a chance to defeat Aaron Johansson's sister. Carol won against Carmen and then Rita. Carol hogtied her opponents simply and effectively. Carol whispered to Rita as she was tying Rita, "Today, you will be number 6. But you are progressing rapidly. Nothing says that you have to stay number 6."
And, of course, Carmen won against Rita. Thus, the rankings were Stella, Barbara, Lou, Carol, Carmen, and Rita.
Stella said, "Ladies, I suggest we open the bar and sip some mead together. We all need to remind ourselves that we are friends."
They all were in agreement. But each stopped by their room to change their sports bra for a more revealing bikini top.
