The Elders—a group of old men in charge—held a closed-door conference on ‘The State of Things.’


    A younger consultant joined. “Our population’s dwindling, and we can’t make reasonable human-mimicking robotic facsimiles to account for our low labor output.”


    “What do you suggest?” asked an elder.


    “Cloning …” answered the consultant.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    “Human cloning? Why, that’s … heretical!” said a High Priest.


    “We may have to set aside our old beliefs,” replied another elder.


    “Gentlemen, I’m sorry to tell you, we need females!” said the consultant.


    “Never going to happen.” The High Priest shook his head. “We’re here because of the Martian Mandate — all those ‘suspected of misogynism’ or ‘known to be incels’ are immediately migrated to Mars.”


    “Right, because One Earth chose to elect ‘them.’” An elder scoffed.


    “Maybe you all deserve it …” muttered the consultant.


    “I know you’re new, and you claim to be unjustly sentenced, but are you a feminist?” asked the High Priest. “Those are words of high treason around here!”