  The environment of high-mass X-ray binaries can be characterized either by
the SNR that forms these systems, or by the wind from the companion massive
star. These regions should be tenuous but very hot, and surrounded by a dense
and cold shocked ISM shell. The interaction between the jet and such a complex
medium, also affected by the system proper motion, can lead to very different
jet termination structures. The evolution of the jet termination regions during
the life of a high-mass microquasar is simulated to improve the present
understanding of these structures. Also, the evolving emission characteristics
are modeled to inform potential observational campaigns for this class of
object. We have performed 2D numerical simulations of jets propagating in
different scenarios, corresponding to different epochs after the formation of
the high-mass X-ray binary, using the code Ratpenat. We have also made simple
estimates of the non-thermal emission that could be produced in the jet
termination regions. We find that, in the way through the hot and tenuous
medium of the shocked wind/SNR ejecta, the jet suffers recollimation shocks in
which it loses part of its thrust and ends in a strong shock inflating a hot
cocoon. The jet head propagates with a speed similar to the medium sound speed,
until it eventually reaches the denser and colder shocked ISM and the
unperturbed ISM later on. In these last stages of evolution, the jet is
significantly slowed down and can be disrupted. For relatively old sources, the
microquasar peculiar velocity becomes important, leading to complete jet
destruction. Extended non-thermal radiation can be generated in the jet
termination regions, being hard X-rays and TeV photons the best suited
wavelengths to observe these structures.
