The Pilgrimage

Authors notes

A very special thanks to Cecilia Martin for all her help and guidance in writing this chapter!

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Morrigan led Megan back to her quarters. As soon as the door closed behind them, Morrigan pushed Megan's back up against it. She locked lips with Megan in a searing kiss as her tongue slipped past Megan's soft, full lips. Her tongue explored every inch of Megan's mouth almost tickling Megan's tonsils before finally pulling back coaxing Megan's tongue into a wrestling match.

Morrigan's kiss caught Megan completely by surprise. She couldn't help but return it with all the love, passion, and pent up frustration that had been building within her since the day she first laid eyes on Morrigan. For Megan, Morrigan's kiss was pure ecstasy. It was a dream come true that was even more sensual than her deepest fantasies.

Megan felt her mind begin to cloud over with love, lust, and an unquenchable desire to let Morrigan fuck her senseless. But even in that state, Megan realized that she still had a job to do. Her responsibility to Morrigan HAD to come before her own selfish desire to spend the day doing nothing but making sweet passionate love to the woman she loved more than life itself.

When Morrigan broke the kiss and began nibbling on Megan's earlobe while squeezing and caressing the firm flesh of Megan's succulent, high, round C cups and rolling Megan's diamond like nipples through the thin cloth of Megan's peasant blouse, Megan moaned loudly. It took every bit of her will power for Megan to fight the ever growing desires of her body and mind. She moaned again and gasped out "Morrigan...I... oh gods... I want... feels sooo good... but we... you... no time... please...," Megan whimpered softly as Morrigan slid one hand inside the open neckline of her peasant blouse cupping one of her bra-less globes while slipping the other hand under Megan's short skirt and lightly stroking Megan's pantyless soaked outer lips with the tips of her fingers. Megan whimpered again and using the last bit of willpower she had left, she breathlessly gasped, "Morrigan.... please... time... no time, My Love."

Morrigan finally realized that Megan was desperately trying to tell her something. Although she had no clue as to what it could be. One look into Megan's pleading eyes was enough to tell Morrigan that whatever Megan had to say, Megan felt it was urgent.

Morrigan knew that Megan could barely stand. She scooped Megan up in her arms carrying her like a child over to the easy chair. She sat in the chair cradling Megan in her arms with Megan's head resting on Morrigan's shoulder. Morrigan gently stroked Megan's long, silky, red tresses asking Megan, "what's wrong Meg? I didn't hurt you did I?"

Megan held up her index finger as she gulped in lungfuls of much needed oxygen. She violently shook her head from side to side letting Morrigan know in no uncertain terms that the answer to Morrigan's question was a definite no. After a minute or so, Megan's breathing returned to normal. She laid her hand gently on Morrigan's cheek and said, "trust me, Babe, you didn't hurt me at all. That was the most intense experience of my entire life. You have no idea how much I wanted to let you just keep going. Stopping you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

I love you, Morrigan. I have since that first day in the hospital. All I have to do is look at you and my pussy juice starts running down my thighs. I want you so bad right now that I ache all over. But I've got a job to do, Love. My responsibility to you has to come before my personal needs and desires. As much as I'd love to spend the day in here with you fucking each other senseless, we don't have time for that right now. I've got you scheduled for an open forum on deck twenty three, section seven at thirteen hundred. After that, you have a meeting with Kylie in the astrophysics observatory at fifteen hundred. I have no idea what Kylie wants to talk to you about but I get the impression that it's important. I'm sorry, Darling. I didn't know that you had

your own plans for today. I'd be more than happy to clear your schedule for you if you want me to," Megan said with a wink.

"I wish we could Meg," Morrigan sighed. "But you're right, duty has to come first. Kylie wouldn't ask me to meet her in the observatory without a damn good reason, and the open forums are really important to me. Thank you for arranging another one so quickly. I guess we'll just have to pick up where we left off later on this evening. She leaned down and kissed Megan softly then sat back as she continued, "we don't have a whole lot of time left before duty calls. You're all nice and comfy cuddling in my lap and I'm not ready to let you

go just yet; why don't you take a few minutes and tell me your thoughts on what I should do about Mike's little outburst earlier."

Megan leaned in brushing Morrigan's lips gently with her own. She sat back placing her hand on Morrigan's cheek again. "I think my beautiful queen needs to learn that not every situation requires her personal attention. As Vanessa said, she's a big girl. I'm sure she's quite capable of taking care of herself. Let her handle things her way. If you step in and try to help, you'll be undercutting her authority as a princess. Let Vanessa know privately that you'll accept any decision she makes regarding the situation with Mike, and that you have her back. Then just stay out of it unless you're given no other options."

Morrigan turned her head kissing Megan's hand. "You've got a point, Meg. I don't want people thinking that Vanessa's just a weak sister who needs my protection. I guess it's time we got back to work. I'll give you fifteen minutes to get the open forum set up, then I'll meet you there just like we did it last time."

Megan made a few opening remarks then introduced Morrigan.

Morrigan entered the rec room with a wave of her hand and a smile on her face. She looked around the room briefly before sitting down on a plush carpet of artificial grass. "Good afternoon folks. I wanna thank you for taking the time to meet with me. I'll try my best to answer any questions you may have. But first I wanna say that I understand just how difficult this situation is for everyone. Our patron gods and goddesses have tasked us with the enormous challenge of reshaping and restoring the human race. We've been given a second chance. But like everything else in life, it comes with a price tag attached. That price is a set of rules and guidelines that we all have to live

within. Going forward, that's gonna mean profound changes in the way we all live, think, and act.

I realize that change is never easy. One of the most important things that everybody has to understand is that the relationship between men and women has been changed forever. Men are no longer considered the head of the household. Instead it's the woman who's queen of her castle. This is a tough one. Most women have been taught to defer to the man in their life; while most men have been taught to rule the roost. There isn't any wiggle room on this one folks. It's a hard and fast rule set down by The Maker of All Things. As women, it's our duty to take the lead. The survival of our race depends in part on how well we women adapt to the changes being demanded of us and our new society. Despite the fact that some men still think otherwise; the days of keeping a woman barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen are long gone. So I'm asking everyone to remember, and adhere to the rules and guidelines we all agreed to when we boarded this Ark. Now that I've got that little tidbit off my chest; I 'll take some questions." Morrigan looked around at the sea of hands. A pleading look on the face of a young redhead with gorgeous sapphire eyes caught Morrigan's attention. "Let's start with you in the white silk blouse."

The young woman stood looking down at the artificial grass for a few seconds while gathering her courage and her thoughts. She looked up at Morrigan with a sad smile then spoke. "Good afternoon Morrigan. My name is Erica. I'm twenty one years old and telling you my story in public is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's the only chance I 'll ever get to talk to you though, so I'll try not to mess it up too much.

I'm a pre-op transsexual. I was born a guy. My birth name was Eric Forester. I guess I've always known that my body just didn't fit who I am. I know that's hard to understand. But it's the only way I can think of to explain how I feel. I was eleven years old when it all hit the fan on me. One of our neighbors snapped a picture of me wearing my older sister's clothes and showed it to my mom and dad. To say my parents were shocked would be a bit of an understatement to say the least. They tried every thing they could think of to 'cure' me. I've lost track of just how many different therapists they sent me to. I was seventeen when they tried to force me into one of those shock therapy programs; I said 'no thank you' and split. To make a long story short; I've been taking hormone pills for about a year now and I was saving up for my surgery before things went south back on Earth. I've got lots of questions about my future now, but the most important ones are how do people like myself, transgenders, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and others fit into this new society, and what about my surgery? Would that even be possible under current conditions?"

Morrigan stood and weaved her way through the crowd until she stood face to face with a shocked Erica. She took both of Erica's hands in hers and smiled. "thank you for sharing your story. You are without a doubt the bravest woman I've ever met." Morrigan leaned forward giving a stunned Erica a kiss on both cheeks then continued, "I've been struggling to find the answers to those very questions myself. I'm bisexual and I have a definite preference for other women. Does that make me any less of a woman than a straight woman? I don't think so. Does your being a woman trapped in a man's body make you anything less than a woman? Again, I don't think so.

To answer the first part of your question, everyone, regardless of sexual preference, is welcome and has a place within our new society. Wherever that place happens to be is solely dependent on a person's abilities. I won't tolerate discrimination, harassment, or bullying of any kind. My interpretation of the Maker's rule regarding the relationship between men and women is that we're simply converting a patriarch society into a matriarch society. All that really means is that women like you and I will have to take the lead in shaping our new world. Yes, there's still a prohibition against men owning land. But back on Earth both women and men could own property. So that just didn't sit right with me; it didn't seem very fair. I've had several long talks with Banba about it. In the end, she agreed with me. After some intense negotiation by our patron gods and goddesses with the Maker of All Things, they've come to the agreement that for now, it's only gonna be a temporary measure. Once our new society is firmly established; the prohibition will be lifted on a one hundred year trial basis. At the end of the trial period the prohibition will either be gone forever, or reinstated permanently depending on how things are progressing. I'm doing everything I possibly can to see to it that EVERYONE is treated equally and fairly, but whether or not I achieve those goals isn't just up to me; we all have to do our part to make it happen.

As to the second part of your question, yes, sexual reassignment surgery is absolutely possible. You could even have it done today if you want to. There's a fully equipped and staffed medical center on deck five. All you have to do is to go there and ask them. I promise they'll take great care of you."

Again Erica was stunned. "I... um... I..." She squeezed Morrigan's hands and took a few deep breaths to calm herself then continued, "I really don't know what to say. Thank you seems so inadequate! Aphrodite was right. You truly are an amazing woman, Morrigan. I wasn't gonna come here today. I was too afraid of what people would say and do. Aphrodite convinced me that if I really wanted to become a woman, all I needed to do was to talk to you. She's been my patron goddess for almost a decade. She's never let me down. But I honestly had my doubts about this one. I'm sooo glad I listened to my heart and followed her advice! I'll never doubt what she tells me again!"

Morrigan smiled gently. "A very good friend of mine once told me to keep my desires unselfish, my heart pure, and my trust in my goddess. She said if I did that, I could never lose my way. Take that advice to heart, Erica. Your goddess will never steer you wrong!" Morrigan closed her eyes for a moment then opened them and grinned. "By the way, Erica. If you want the whole motor and not just the playpen; all you have to do is ask your goddess."

Erica's eyes widened with surprise and her mouth gaped open. "Do you mean like ovaries, Fallopian tubes, a uterus, the whole nine yards? I didn't think that was medically possible."

Morrigan placed a hand on Erica's cheek. She smiled gently again. "you're right, OUR medical technology hasn't advanced that far yet. While it's true that every god and goddess wants their worshipers to be happy, Aphrodite wants more than just happiness for you and all her other worshipers, Erica. She really wants all of you to love and be loved in return. The laws of Creation won't allow her to change your birth sex for you directly. But there's nothing that says she can't add to a sexual reassignment that has already been completed." Morrigan turned to walk away. She looked over her shoulder with a grin and winked. "I think you'll find that almost ANYTHING is possible if you trust in your goddess enough, Erica.

She returned to where she had been sitting and said, "okay next question." She looked around the room then said, "you sir, in the checkered shirt."

A tall muscular man with broad shoulders and a full beard stood."Hello Morrigan, my name's Joe Chesna. I appreciate the time you're taking to keep us all updated. I know it can't be easy trying to juggle so many things at once. Thank you for doing such a remarkable job. I'm a long haul truck driver and my question is, what are we going to do about transporting goods and other transportation issues once we reach Erie?"

Morrigan laughed softly then replied, "good question Joe. The short answer is I don't know. I haven't gotten that far in my thinking yet. I can tell you that there's been some changes to the original city building plan. Instead of having just one huge overcrowded city; we're going with two hundred smaller ones. The overall population of each city will be around twenty-five thousand. The layout of the interconnecting roads and bridges is a part of that planning process, so all of that will be in place ahead of time. I'm sure there's gonna be lots of work available for drivers like yourself. As far as what we'll have for vehicles ; I can't answer that question just yet. I do know that we'll have an overabundance of electricity, so I'm kinda hoping we can do something with electric powered cars and trucks; but I don't know if that's even practical. You're absolutely right though. A viable transportation system is essential, and I don't think that a horse and buggy's gonna cut it." Morrigan shook her head with another soft laugh. " Thanks for the reminder, Joe. That's one more thing I'll have to add to the billion and one other things I need to get done in the next few weeks. Oh, and thanks for the support too. It's nice to know that my efforts don't go unnoticed and that people realize that this job's not exactly a walk in the park."

Joe chuckled then said, "I wouldn't want your job for all the money in the universe, Morrigan. But I seriously doubt that there's many people aboard this Arc who don't have full faith in you and your ability to get the job done right. We all realize that you're young, and that you're gonna make some mistakes here and there. We expect, and accept that fact. Don't let the pressure get to you. If some things can't be done before we reach Erie; so be it. Trust me; we'll survive. I don't think you know just how much we've all come to admire you, Morrigan. You rule with an easy grace. Your strength, courage, and honesty is an inspiration to us all. You genuinely care about about your people. That alone makes you a great queen. Just do the best job you can. We'll all follow you wherever you lead us."

When Joe finished speaking, Morrigan sat with tears in her eyes as she got a standing ovation, along with shouts of "hear, hear, well said Joe, damn skippy," and a whole litany of other positive comments. You could hear clapping and cheering throughout the entire ship.

Morrigan sat there with her head bowed as the tears streamed down her cheeks. When the cheering quieted down and people began to sit, she looked up and said, "Thank you everyone. Especially you, Joe." she took a deep shuddering breath and continued, "even I didn't realize how badly I needed to hear that. I'll take one more question then I have to go." She looked around at the sea of hands then spotted a young girl way in the back dressed in all black with black makeup and pink hair. She pointed to the girl and said, "you in the corner with the pink hair."

When the girl stood, she smiled then said, "Erica's right. You are an amazing woman, Morrigan. I didn't even think you'd notice me; let alone call on me. My name's Zoe Carpenter. I know you said you were dividing us up into small cities. How are you choosing who goes where? Are you separating us by our patrons?"

"Absolutely not. Part of what city you're assigned to will depend on your skills, and what that particular city needs to develop and grow properly. I also think diversity at the neighborhood level is an important factor as well. The key to our success is gonna come from tolerance and an understanding of different lifestyles. If a gay couple who worships Aphrodite lives next door to you then you're gonna learn a few things about what it's like to be gay and probably a few things about Aphrodite at the same time. The same will be true of the gay couple. They'll learn about you, your lifestyle, and your patron. We're all literally in the same boat right now. I'm hoping that the kinship we're all feeling because of our shared experiences carries over into establishing our cities. In anticipation of your follow up question, yes, every patron god and goddess will have separate temples in every city dedicated to them so that their worshipers can continue on in their traditional manner."

Zoe grinned and replied, "you're right, that was my follow up question. I couldn't have asked for better answers. Thank you, Morrigan."

Everyone gasped in shock as Morrigan's full battle gear appeared on her body. Morrigan stood sword in hand while quickly taking a battle stance. This was the first time her battle gear had appeared on it's own. Danger was somewhere close by, though Morrigan had no idea where, or from what direction it would come. She did her best to appear calm and focused but inside, she was terrified. She carefully looked around at the sea of faces and saw no danger there. All she saw was a room full of apprehensive faces. Morrigan silently asked the Goddess Banba to grant her the courage, strength, and wisdom to handle whatever danger was coming her way. She felt the warmth of her goddess flowing through her as Banba answered Morrigan's silent petition.

Suddenly a man appeared in the doorway. He had a wild look on his face. His eyes were reddened; his hair was sticking up everywhere like he'd stuck a finger in a light bulb socket. His clothes were all wrinkled and disheveled and you could smell the alcohol on his breath clean across the room. Morrigan took a deep breath letting it out slowly as she sent a silent thank you to her goddess.