“Tell me more about the world of the colonies.” - asked the blonde, drinking a contraceptive pill with quite good, albeit chemical, tea.

- What do you want to know? - asked the guy, settling in front of the girl.

- History ... We were always told that when the UN banned dangerous technologies, you refused to follow orders and destroyed all our orbital stations. You almost did not have women, so you started to clone yourself, to perform incest and homosexuality ... And therefore everyone is ugly. What is practicing cannibalism and what should soon become extinct. But the people in your videos are quite normal. And you yourself are nothing ... What was really?

- In fact? In fact, at that time each country had its own small space fleet. There was an international lunar base with complete self-sufficiency. Several autonomous stations around the earth. Martian base ... And the Earth threw them. The Doomsday War was unleashed by Pakistan after exchanging weak nuclear strikes with India. This conflict led to several million deaths, but at the same time broke the psychological barrier in the whole world to use nuclear weapons. Soon, North Korea attacked Japan. USA to North Korea. North Korea to South. South Korea to China. China to the USA. Arabs to Europe. Ukraine to Russia. Russia to Turkey ... Everything began to turn and within a month a third of the old world was destroyed. Support for space colonies has become a burden for the destroyed countries, we just left. Ten years later, the UN ordered us to abandon the prohibited technologies.

- But it’s not for nothing that these technologies are forbidden?

- After a nuclear catastrophe, great countries decided to limit the technologies that could enable private companies to collect something dangerous. After all, each plant can be used to assemble a nuclear bomb. Biofactory can produce poisons of mass destruction. Genetic manipulations allow you to create ideal viruses. Artificial intelligence easily hacks information networks. The UN was afraid of a repetition of the disaster because it is impossible to control everyone who has the money to buy a nanozavod. Therefore, technology on earth was limited to the level of the twentieth century.

- But, after all ... Is it still not so simple?

- Yes. It is difficult to blame the UN for such a decision in a world filled with fanatics who want to make atomic jihad.

- What happened to you, the colonies?

- We were allowed to either survive without prohibited technologies, or to receive nuclear strikes at each station capable of collecting an atomic bomb. That is, for each of our stations, because we had only the best technology ... Then the chiefs of bases and stations decided on a desperate step - to go beyond the reach of earthly weapons. Within six months, the stations were equipped with ion engines. And then one day they simply took off and flew to Ceres. Yes, we had only a thousand women for twenty thousand men ... But we had a stock of genetic material from forty million people. Artificial insemination and gestation technologies were tested on animals, we just applied them to people.

“And it didn't give ... side effects?”

- Not. The technology is completely safe ...

The door to the kitchen opened and a naked Masha appeared on the threshold. Apparently, a wide yawn, the girl is still not fully awake

- Oh! And what are you doing here? - brunette embarrassed and covered bare places.

- Hmmm ... We are discussing the process of the deed! - could not resist a joke blonde.

- Um ... - the brunette girl thought suspiciously and returned the joke - I think you're adults here, you better just have sex.

- No no! - waved Sveta's hands - We have a serious discussion! Do you know that they raise children in banks?

- He said something like that ... I also want to listen! - Masha became interested, went inside and sat down next to her friend, crossing her delicious legs.

- Um ... Well, technically, these are plastic bags with artificial blood and umbilical cord. - Alexey said the tone of the speaker, pointedly looking away.

“Fe ...” the girls grimaced at the clarification, but did not interrupt the guy.

- When at my station someone starts a child - he or she takes any genes, crosses as in normal fertilization. After that makes the selected genetic modifications. The resulting egg cell grows weekly in a test tube to a full embryo, undergoing various tests, and then implanted in an artificial womb. The womb is placed in the anti-overload unit and there, under strict control, the embryo grows until the ninth month. Then the womb is pulled out, ripped apart, the umbilical cord is cut, the neural interface is implanted - and the child is ready!

- Genetic modifications ... So it means that you are all mutants - right? - clarified the blonde doctor.

- Yes. I myself so grown. I have a dozen changes, such as radiation resistance or negligible aging. Only shhh ... Don't tell anyone on earth about this! - whispered the guy.

- Hee hee! We would have burned you right away. - Masha nervously remarked - A negligible aging ... How old are you now living out?

- It's hard to say, the set of modifications is different for everyone. For example, I am already sixty five.

- You're kidding! You do not give thirty! - the girls were surprised.

- I have a standard telomerase regeneration. There are more advanced views ...

- This is some kind of madness ... And how can you have children like normal people?

- We are able. But most women prefer not to experience pregnancy. Besides, if a lonely man wants to have a child, what choice can he have besides an MBA?

“God, this is just a nightmare ...” the brunette mumbled, covering her face with her hand. A friend supported a silent nod.

“Is that too ... disgusting for you?”

- This is ... Yes, for earthlings all this is really disgusting. - recognized Light.

- Especially the idea that a lonely man can make a child! - Masha added.

- But no one will force you to have children that way.

“Okay ... Frankly, we expected a lot more ... horrible things.”

- Yeah. You do not even eat babies to get stem cells.

- Stem cells and organs for transplantation are grown separately from the patient's cells. - disown the guy. - In general, if you are interested in medicine, I have an initial honey-course. Interesting?

- Um ... Somehow not. - said the former operator radar

- And I would have looked. - the former ship's doctor agreed.

- For Masha there is a course on programming radar or astronavigation. - suggested the captain.

- Yes, it suits me better! - she agreed.

All four lodgments were equipped with primitive means of virtual reality in the form of glasses, headphones and gloves. Of course, this doesn’t come close to implants, but it will do for primary education.

Alex laid the girls on the lodgements, put glasses on them, gave access to the ship's information systems and showed how to launch training programs. Then the captain went to his place and launched the continuation of the course on ion-explosive engines. Ahead was six hours of training, workout and sleep.

- Well, how are you? - Masha asked her friend waking up from virtual sleep.

- This is much better than boring lectures! - stretched on the lodgement of Light.

- And Alex seems to fall asleep again. - the girl pointed to a naked guy with glasses.

- Why did you decide so?

- Well, he is without headphones and does not respond to my words.

- Ha! No, he's just in the virtual. I just went through this topic on the course.

- Interesting ... And what prevents him from hearing me?

- Neuroimplant is connected to the auditory, optic nerve and spinal cord and can replace the auditory, part of the tactile and visual impulses with artificial ones.If you add more points, he will not feel anything at all ...

- Kick! And if someone chooses and, for example, draws him a mustache?

- Hm I do not know. - the girls looked at the fixed guy.