Voyages of the White Skull Book 1

by Jason Alan Jones

  “But, of course, my lady,” Jesse said, jokingly. He hopped up next to her on the table. She smiled as she continued to eat. She was eating sausage. Jesse was dying to rip it out of her hand and shove it in his mouth. However, he didn’t think it would be appropriate. He also thought she would probably think he was crazy, and would call the whole trip off.

  “Why do you travel alone?” Jaime bluntly asked in a sweet voice. She caught Jesse off guard, causing him to choke on a piece of lettuce.

  “Sorry,” she smiled. He returned her smile.

  “No, it’s not a problem. It’s a fair question. I’ve found I don’t like people. Just kidding. It’s not necessarily by choice. I had a pretty serious girlfriend awhile back, but she went psycho on me, and blew up my last ship. Since then, I’ve kind of kept to myself. I’ve been keeping myself pretty busy with work, and saving up some money so I can retire from a life of piracy. I wanted to travel the universe, but I wasn’t planning on it so soon,” he explained.

  “Sorry,”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m kind of glad things turned out the way they did. I probably would have put off this trip for a very long time, or made some excuse not to go,”

  “Do you miss having a girlfriend?” she asked him. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was going.

  “Occasionally, but I find women to be a nuisance,” Jesse jokingly said, which made Jaime laugh.

  “Do you have a boyfriend back home?”

  “No, it’s been a long time since I’ve had one. I’ve also been keeping myself busy with work. I was working at one of the restaurants on the Rockfield Space Station as a server. It wasn’t bad money either. Well, not as much as you probably make, White Skull,” she smiled. He was shocked at her remark.

  “Oh, so you’ve heard of me,” Jesse said, as he jokingly breathed on his fist and then shined it on his shirt. “How long have you known?”

  “Since the first time I saw you. I used to pass by your wanted poster every morning where I lived. The UPG did a few news broadcasts on you and Captain Barakat. Most people know who you are,”

  “Does it bother you that I am a pirate?”

  “No, I could tell by your eyes that you aren’t as bad as the government makes you out to be. Some of the other people do believe whatever the UPG says and think you’re evil. But I don’t believe that. My foster mother used to always say that you were misguided because you lost your mother when you were so young. She used to say that you were cute. This is going to sound so high school, but my mother and I kind of had a crush on you,” she said, as she smiled.

  “Really?” Jesse said, in a teasing voice.

  “I know you’ve done some pretty bad things, but I never got the sense that you are a bad person. Many kids on the station kind of look up to you as some sort of hero,”

  “I had no idea.” Jesse was a little shocked. He really hadn’t talked to anyone in a while, other than other smugglers and pirates. “Do you still have a crush on me?” Jesse boldly asked.

  “Maybe, I’ve always thought you were really handsome and sexy,” she confessed.

  “Thank you, that is very interesting. I think you are very beautiful,” Jesse smiled at her, causing her to blush. She seemed to be a very sweet woman to him, and he realized that he would have to be careful with her. It had been awhile since he had met someone as nice as her.

  “I also know about Monica, your psycho ex-girlfriend. She’s become pretty famous herself. Kind of the Joan of Arc of lesbians. A couple of girls from Rockfield had ventured after her so they could join her crew,” said Jaime.

  “I guess I should watch the news more often,”

  “You and Monica are pretty big news. Not much goes on anymore that isn’t broadcasted,”

  “How about that, I didn’t know our relationship was that well known. I’ve been trying to lay low for the last year. I was hoping to fade away out existence. Well anyway, I’m wondering if you want to watch a few movies with me later in the living room? I could use the company,”

  “Sure,” she said. Jesse was surprised with the flirtatious look on her face.

  “Good, I have to do a couple of things to prepare for tomorrow. After I’m finished, we can watch some movies, listen to some music, and talk. Does that sound all right?” Jesse asks.

  “All right, we might as well get to know each other since we’ll be stuck on the same ship for a while,” she smiled. Jesse kept it to himself, but he was a little anxious to spend time with her. Her eyes were hypnotic, as he glanced into them. They both had butterflies in their stomachs in anticipation of their little date later. He was a little nervous and excited at the same time.

  Later that night, she was waiting in the living room on one of the red couches. He wasn’t expecting her so soon. She had an anxious look on her face. He felt as if she acted like he was a rock star. Jaime had her dark black hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing one of his black tee shirts and a loose pair of black pants.

  “You look good in my clothes,” he said.

  “You like?” she asked, smiling.

  “Very much, you’re very sexy,” he said, as he sat next to her.

  “Do you want to watch a movie?” Jesse asked her. She didn’t answer him. Instead, she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She smelled so good to him. Her lips were as soft as he imagined they would be. Their slow, delicate kissing became more and more passionate. He drew her in closer as they continued to kiss. His heart was racing, as was Jaime’s. She had actually fantasized about kissing him for a couple of years. To her, he was a kind of fantasy. Now that she actually got to know him, she liked him even more. Jaime had a feeling that he was a nice guy. Ironically, she could see it in his face, on his wanted poster. After several minutes of passionate kisses, Jesse finally led her to his bed, and they made love well into the next day. They continued to hold each other while feeling their bodies tingle with satisfaction.

  He kissed her forehead as her head rested on his chest, “Although I don’t want get up, we’ll be at Nemtox 8 in a half hour,” Jesse told her.

  “I don’t want to move. I’m too comfortable,” Jaime pouted. They both felt a strange connection between them. Jesse hadn’t felt this way in a very long time. He felt closer to Jaime than he did with Monica.

  “Trust me, I feel the same way. I’ll tell you what, as soon as I’m finished, we can continue where we left off. Even better, I promise you a full body oil massage as soon as we finish,” Jesse smiled at her, as he kissed her lips, then rose out of the bed.

  “You promise?” she smiled.

  “I promise,” Jesse stated.

  Chapter 7

  "We're really quite nice and friendly, but everyone has a beastly side to them, don't they."

  Sid Vicious from Sex Pistols

  Jesse and Jaime got ready for their arrival at Nemtox 8. Jesse wanted to make sure everything went as smooth as possible.

  “We’re only a few minutes from the station. I want you to stay here while I unload the crates. I have a secret room under my bed,” Jesse said, as he pressed a button cleverly concealed behind the headboard of his bed. The bed moved forward, revealing a staircase underneath. He walked her down to the room. It was a rather large space, which had a couch and a video screen on the wall. Jesse had used it a few times, while transporting highly sought after criminals, for a tidy sum, of course.

  “You’ll be safe; I just don’t want to take any chances of anyone seeing you,” Jesse explained.

  “Okay, how long will it take?” Jaime nervously asked.

  “Probably ten to fifteen minutes at the most. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe,” Jesse said, trying to reassure her.

  “All right,”

  After helping Jaime to get situated in the secret room, Jesse pressed the button, and closed her in. She gave him a pouty look and waved goodbye. She was extremely nervous about him leaving. She was a little afraid he would not come back. While back in his flight room, Jesse received the approval to do
ck his ship in bay five. Nemtox 8 was a medium-sized black space station, with a large beautiful purple nebula off in the distance. The only light that came from the station was through the thousands of windows. It was known as one of the more upscale space stations, which had a large amount of international businessmen, running around in expensive suits. Jesse had been to Nemtox 8 a few times in the past. Luis had an apartment there, and the two of them used to conduct their illegal business out of it. They sold unattainable items to the businessmen. It was a fond memory for Jesse, he and Luis had a lot of fun, and had a large cash flow through that apartment.

  Jesse circled his ship around the back of the station to docking bay five and landed his ship. After the airlocks were sealed, he strapped on his guns, and grabbed his little black device for opening his cargo hold. He jumped out of his ship, and cautiously looked around. The pirate pressed the button on his small black device, and his cargo bays doors opened. The lift in his cargo hold smoothly lifted itself up, and gently landed on the deck. The hydraulics of the lift hissed with activity. Jesse didn’t waste any time, as he quickly pulled the crates to the deck. The only thing left remaining on the lift was the obelisk.

  “Nice and easy, just the way I like it,” Jesse said to himself.

  Just as the young space pirate was about to press the button to close his bay doors, a figure emerged from the shadows. Before the person could get a word out, Jesse drew both of his guns with smooth lightning speed.

  “I suggest you show yourself before I decide to shoot,” Jesse calmly advised. The figure slowly came into the light.

  “Lurch, what the fuck are you doing here?” Jesse asked surprised.

  “Do you mind lowering your guns? I come in peace,” Alexander asked.

  “I haven’t decided if I’m going to shoot you yet,” Jesse said, smiling.

  “Why are you here? I was told that there wouldn’t be any contact for the drop off. I don’t like changes. So, if you don’t want me to shoot, then I suggest you start talking,” advised Jesse. Although he was calm, he wasn’t the type to play around. He could easily shoot without a care.

  “Listen, there was a change of plans. The owner of the obelisk is impatient and doesn’t want to wait. So, I am here to relieve you of it. The owner has decided to meet us halfway,” Alexander explained.

  “Luis just called me two days ago. Why ask me for an exact date and then change your minds? I hope those are my credits in your hand,” Jesse said, looking at the briefcase that Alexander was holding in his right hand.

  “Yes, this is for you. We felt you should be compensated for your troubles; there is a little extra.” Alexander handed it to Jesse as he twirled one of his pistols back in its holster. He decided to keep one gun out until Alexander was gone.

  “Thank you,” the pirate simply said.

  “Like I said, the change in plans is unexpected,” Alexander confessed. He pulled out a dolly from behind a crate and put it under the obelisk.

  “Nice doing business with you,” Alexander said, as he wheeled the obelisk back into the darkness.

  Jesse waited until he was gone, then looked around, and got back on his ship. After closing his cargo hold, he powered up his engines, and decided to scan the case, just to make sure it wasn’t rigged to blow up. It was fine. He didn’t even bother counting the credits. Instead, he threw the credits in his safe, and threw the case in the disintegrator. Jesse went to his room to let Jaime out. He quickly opened up the secret room under his bed and called for her to come up. Jaime started to worry as she saw the look on his face.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Follow me,” Jesse said. She followed him to the flight room. The young space pirate waited for the docking bay door to open, then quickly flew the Black Ice out and away from Nemtox 8. As he explained to Jaime what had happened, he scanned the area to make sure he wasn’t being followed.

  “Holy shit,” she said. Jaime felt too scared to pass out.

  “Yes,” Jesse agreed.

  “Do you think they will open it up?” she asked.

  “Very soon, I imagine. As soon as it reaches its destination, the owner will be looking for the two of us. The obelisk doesn’t look as if it had been tampered with. So they’ll probably deliver it, which won’t give us too much time,” Jesse explained.

  “My heart feels like it’s going to beat out of my chest. Here, feel it,” Jaime said, as she grabbed his hand. He placed his hand on her small, firm breast, and smiled.

  “Listen, we don’t have time for that. We have to get far away from here,” Jesse said, jokingly. She lightly punched him in his arm as she smiled. Jaime liked how he was able to make her laugh so easily, and under stressful circumstances. The more she got to know him, the more she liked him. Jaime liked that he always looked on the positive side of things.

  “All right, since we don’t have to make the last drop off, then we can get the hell out of here. They’re going to find out soon that you’re not in there. I would love to see the look on the face of the owner when they open the obelisk,” Jesse devilishly grinned, as he plotted a course on his navigational console. She nervously giggled.

  “We’ll make a quick stop at the Milingrow Depot. I’ll stock up on some supplies, and then we can hit the road,” Jesse explained.

  “Milingrow Depot? I haven’t heard of it,”

  “It’s a cluster of asteroids, which are connected together. It was built buy an ex-smuggler named Rex Clayton. He pulled thirty-two asteroids together and then connected them with tunnels constructed out of titanium. It’s pretty ingenious, actually. It’s barely considered a space station. Milingrow was almost as large as Rockfield Space Station. The asteroids were colossal. Thousands of people live there. They have a couple of good bars and a lot of shops. I hope he lets me dock. I haven’t been there in few months. He and Elijah were friends, but he recently cut ties between them because of some stupid dispute. Rex knows that I don’t work for Elijah, but I occasionally do business with him. So, hopefully we can dock. Otherwise, we would have to risk going to the Trading Post where I am supposed to drop you off. That will be the first place they will look for us,” Jesse explained.

  “Who’s Elijah?”

  “You haven’t heard of Elijah? He’s the most powerful man in the solar system. He’s in charge of the entire black market,”

  “Damn, I had no idea, I guess I’ve been concentrating on my work too attentively. How long will it take us to get to Milingrow?” Jaime asked.

  “If my stolen code for one of the star portals still works, then it will only take one week. Otherwise, we are looking at four weeks,” Jesse explained.

  “Well, then, I’ll pray that it works. Until we get far away, I’m going to be a nervous wreck. I don’t even care anymore about who I am supposed to go to. I just want to get as far away as possible and never return,” Jaime said.

  “I second that,” Jesse agreed. The space pirate typed in the coordinates to the star portal that he knew of, and the Black Ice repositioned itself in the right direction.

  “Come here,” he told Jaime. As he was sitting in his flight chair, he pulled her onto his lap. She put her arm around his shoulder, and jokingly bit his neck.

  “Oh, that’s not what I wanted,” Jesse laughed.

  “Is this better,” Jaime said, and she strongly kissed him.

  “Much,” Jesse replied, and then kissed her back. They looked into each other’s eyes, and smiled. They had both thought at the same time, that they were a perfect match for each other, without having to say it. He didn’t feel uncomfortable around her at all. With Monica, he always had to act tough. He could feel himself really falling for Jaime. Jaime felt the same. It had been awhile since he had felt this happy. Jesse had something to look forward to each day. Jaime made him feel important. Since they started making love, he cut down on the painkillers. The positive thing about the painkillers was that if he took them before having sex, he could last for three to four hours.

  After
a short while, they decided to wait out the trip to star portal, so that they could engage in some sexual Olympic sport in his room. Jesse calculated that it would take at least two days to reach the star portal. He prayed that the codes had not been changed. His worries were cut short, however, because Jaime’s sensual body kept his mind on other things.

  ***

  Monica traveled to the Trading Post, which was her and Jesse’s old hangout. After she docked, Monica stayed aboard her ship for a week, locked away in her room. The death of her White Skull was devastating. She couldn’t stand to be without him. Even though he had pushed her away, at least he had been alive. Monica had never experienced this magnitude of pain and loss before. She wished it were all a bad dream, that he would walk through her door any second, and tell her he loved her. Monica had come to realize that if she had another chance, she would give every single drop of her blood for Jesse to be alive. Waves of emotions had emerged in her that she hadn’t realized she had. Things like marriage and having Jesse’s children. She felt that she had matured from Jesse’s death. Jesse had been after her to get married for the last couple of years, but she had continually dodged him, ignoring his feelings.

  Monica had also reflected on how Jesse treated her so well. He was very affectionate, for a space pirate. He would stroke her hair for hours, until she would fall asleep. Monica was also affectionate toward him as well, but, she was more concerned with gaining riches and power, instead of settling down. She bit her lip, thinking back to how she would disappear for weeks at a time on smuggling runs, taking as many jobs as she could just to get a few extra credits. The times she had been with Jesse, she would continually push him to use his power to become some kind of black market lord, like Elijah. The one time she actually agreed to marry him, she stood him up at the altar. That was the last straw for him, and when she came back from a smuggling run, his clothes were gone from their apartment.

  Jesse contacted her one day after she got back and explained to her why he was leaving her. That was when she went crazy, blowing up his ship a week later, while he was drinking at the Rusty Bucket. Monica had done a considerable amount of thinking the week she spent docked at the Trading Post. She came to a decision that power was not as important as she had thought. It had begun to lose its taste. Monica realized that love was a precious thing, and should never be neglected, or rejected, by the person you truly care for. If she could do it all over again, she would marry Jesse in a heartbeat, would follow him around the universe, and would love him with all of her heart, the way she felt he deserved.