Disclaimer:
This story contains bondage and BDSM-related themes. If this is uncomfortable to you, here is your chance to back out.


"I'm not upset.", Samus lied, doing her best to hide her frustration and maintain a stoic kind of friendliness, "I just want to know why I'm being held up so long, when you already confirmed my open travel code."

She really tried not to get too outwardly mad at the uniformed brunette on the other side of the counter desk, who had gone from friendly smiles to nervously tucking the same curly strand of hair back behind her ear every couple of seconds since their first conversation nearly twenty minutes earlier.
As much as she hated paperwork and bureaucratic holdups, a large portion of that hate had developed when the Federation had her working deskjobs herself, so she tempered herself in understanding.

"W-well, ma'am, I'm told there was some unidentified issue during the scan of your ship. Um, my boss tells me this is cause for investigation, so... unless you'll consent to a search of your ship, I'd need to ask you to turn around."

Samus lowered her head with a defeated sigh. For a moment, she ran through everything she had stored, but couldn't think of anything that would be too drastically off-code. If anything, the scanners were probably spooked by some of the alien energy readings coming from her equipment. "Fine. I'll consent, go ahead and search my ship."

The young woman nodded and pressed a few keys on her console before standing up from her chair. "In the meantime, I'll have to ask you to remain in custody, only until the search is complete."

Samus relented and began to follow her into the security room. It wouldn't be her first time in Federation custody, and by far not the longest. Perhaps it was even a decent chance for a nap. The woman led the way into a small security office, approaching the single present security officer, an even younger-looking woman with her red hair tied back in a strict bun. Unlike the brunette, who was wearing heels and a slim skirt, this woman was wearing a proper military standard uniform.

She stood by while the clerk explained the situation and the security officer checked her data before standing up. "Samus Aran. You're listed as a potential maximum security threat.", she said firmly, looking up at her.

"Should I be flattered?", Samus answered, returning the look stoically.

"If we're to keep you in custody, we'll have to go through the maximum security protocol. Only until the matter is cleared up, of course. I'll need your help, too.", she added, directed at the startled brunette.
"Oh, ah... yes, ma'am."

She motioned both of them to follow and walked towards the sealed door in the back of the room, opening it with her key card, leading into the hallway between the holding cells, then led the way to another door at the end

A warning shiver crept up Samus' spine as she followed. Submitting herself to the Federation's protocols already irked her, but the "maximum security" part made her particularly nervous. Still, everything she had was in order and it would only be for maybe half an hour at most. If that meant avoiding a massive detour or legal charges, she'd just swallow her pride for a little while.

Passing through the second security door, the officer stopped in a rectangular room with secured lockers built into the walls and only two holding cells at the back wall. She turned back to Samus, her hands on her back, standing straight. Wonderful, looked like she was taking her job extremely seriously.

"Relinquish any weapons and personal possessions on your person. And take off any baggy clothing to ensure you aren't hiding anything."

Samus reduced her annoyed sigh to a quiet huff as she set her handgun and a small personal pad down on a low metal table, followed by her padded jacket, her boots, and her trousers, leaving her in a sleeveless, midriff-bearing top and tight shorts. She couldn't help but notice the brunette's quiet "oof", though was unsure if it was a reaction to her scars or her muscles.

The officer nodded and unlocked one of the lockers, retrieving the restraints before looking up the protocol on her pad and beginning to instruct the clerk.
Samus bit her tongue and complied silently, standing by as the two shorter women had her move her arms behind her back and proceeded to wrap black pseudo-leather straps around them. They tightened and locked up nearly on their own, controlled by the officer's pad, and they added enough until they almost entirely covered her arms, holding them together tightly, leaving only her hands and elbows free, with a few of them extending to wrap around her torso as well, around her waist, below her breasts, and one more above her breasts.

The redhead then unlocked one of the cells, tiny metal rooms with only a metal bench and a single small security glass-paned window in the door, and led Samus inside by her shoulder.
"At this rate, your people will be done with their search once you close that door.", Samus noted drily, earning a nervous chuckle from the brunette, but having no such luck with the security officer, who roughly sat her down on the bench.

Having her conscripted assistant hand her more restraints, she continued adding the straps to Samus' legs, wasting not quite as many, but enough to keep them firmly held together from her ankles to her knees and from her knees halfway up her thighs.

Next, she took a slim, almost cord-like strap and held it up in front of Samus' mouth. She was tempted to resist, on principle, but this far into the procedure, it wouldn't do her any good. She opened her mouth and the redhead placed the strap between her lips, making it push slightly into the corners of her mouth, at which point the middle part expanded, filling her mouth as a large, firm ball, with the ends tightly connecting behind her head.

"Good. Now we just need the security collar and we'll be finished.", the officer said sternly, holding her hand out for it. The brunette hesitated, looking at the metal piece in her hands.
"Ah, ma'am? Is this, um, really necessary? Once the search is done, she'll be cleared to leave, so..."

"This is protocol, Miss.", the redhead answered sternly, snatching the collar out of her hands, "We must follow it, whether it seems superfluous or not." She stepped back in and secured the slim cold metal band around Samus' neck, where it subtly tightened as well.
"There we are. Now if you'd be patient, I will return for you shortly."

The door closed and the lock shut. Samus breathed out quietly through her nose. Half an hour in these kinds of restraints weren't going to be comfortable. She really needed to look into upgrading her travel code after this.
She shifted slightly, twisting against the straps. Only a few seconds later, her arms slammed against the wall, the straps sealing against it like powerful magnets, her heels getting pulled up against the underside of the bench as well, forcing her to keep her legs bent and her back straight. She grunted in discomfort and began to think about how to word her official complaint, the only positive aspect of all this bureaucratic bullshit.


Samus wasn't particularly good at judging time without a clock, but this had definitely been more than half an hour. Two hours at least if she had to guess. After a while, the magnetic force released its grip and left her to subtly shift and readjust herself, but real comfort was a luxury not meant for maximum security prisoners.

When she heard the door lock open, she looked up, unable to hide the annoyance in her expression, meeting the same strict gaze of the red-headed security officer.
"Miss Aran, the search of your vessel is completed. No illegal cargo has been identified, so it cleared to proceed through the border." She looked down at her pad. "However..."

Suddenly, a mocking smile played across her features, an expression that set off all the same alarm bells in Samus' spine once more.
"I've come across quite the list of damage reports and unpaid handling fees. I'm afraid I'll have to extend your investigation by... two or three business days."

Samus' eyes flared up in anger and she lurched forward, growling into the uncomfortably large gag. The magnetic straps pulled her back straight away, not even letting her resist for a full second before her arms and legs were pinned back in the same position.
Additionally, a quiet hum came from the collar around her neck and a moment later, her body shuddered involuntarily and she felt the strength leave it.

"Let this be a lesson to you, bounty hunter." The redhead grabbed her ponytail and pulled it back, forcing her to look up again. "You can brag about how independent you are and stomp all over our work all you want, you will always end up back under the Federation's heel." She pulled the hairtie out as she let go, having Samus' hair fall over her shoulders before she turned around, her sadistic chuckle cut off by the cell door closing and locking in place.