The next few hours went by as the rig continued on its way, giving Gurminder time to think. He only occasionally monitored the controls while the transport drove in silence over the flat sandy planitia roadway for a while. He was considering what he was going to say to Varlamov, the right words that would convince the man that this wasn’t his idea, that he hadn’t been careless, and how to ensure that the Rusclan headman didn’t find out that Tory had seen the cargo he was carrying. He wasn’t quite sure who would suffer most from that admission, him or the girl. Honestly, Gurminder didn’t think the big man would think twice about killing any newer if he felt there would be some advantage in it for him. It would probably be better to discuss it with Mina, the man’s daughter first.  She might be able to smooth it over with her father if he was convincing enough.

More than a couple times he glanced across the cockpit at Tory, but she seemed content right now to keep her mouth shut. She had pulled out a bar to munch on, even offered one to him. A kid she might be, not to mention a newer, but she had at least made her break for it prepared.

Soon enough, however, questions started popping up in his head. Most of the Earthers he’d met or worked didn’t have the kind of issues with life on this planet. Many were happy to be included in the development of their new home, dismissing the original inhabitants all together as they claimed all the territory the bornhere clans had explored. Newlanders to a man or woman singularly self-centered, they didn’t care about the Martians who had toughed it out for three generations before Earth decided they wanted to colonize Mars again. When he thought about it, he’d never personally ever met anyone from Earth who actually said they hated it life on Mars and wanted to go back to their ruined home. Almost all had claimed Earth was a doomed world, and that Mars was the future for Mankind. Not this girl.

She acted like she’d been kidnapped by her own parents.

To be fair Gurminder hadn’t come across many newlander kids directly. He turned back to Tory who was staring at him now.

“Why do you want to go back to Earth?” he asked, “Most of your people seem excited to be here. Or at least they think it’s some noble sacrifice they’ve made to come here to make this their new home.”

She turned and stared at him, her eyes seeming to peer directly into his head. It was a little unnerving.

“Most weren’t forced, and almost everyone else has drunk the koolaid.” she told him. “You know they had non-stop videos we all had to watch all the way here, right.”

“Um.. not exactly,” he told her. “At least not that anyone has told me. Drunk the koolaid? What does that even mean?”

She smirked at him.

“Don’t hang around many of us, do you?” she said.

“The Corps don’t like that much mixing between us and your lot,” he told her. “Didn’t they tell you much about the bornhere clans?”

“Well, you all proved that we could survive here,” she stated. “And that you all think you own the place and need to realize that Mars belongs to all humanity, not just a handful of troublemakers who think the planet belongs to you because you were here first.”

 Gurminder snorted.

“No nation may claim Mars,” Tory quoted. “I guess that means even a Martian one, right?”

“So you newlanders claim,” he told her. “But really, why do you want to go back home so bad, especially if your parents are here?”

“I had a life on Earth. Friends. Things. I belonged there.  Have you ever been to Earth?”

He scowled at her.  She had to know he couldn’t go to Earth.

“No,” he said, “I wouldn’t want to go there even if I could. They’ve had to have taught you Martians can’t go to Earth.”

No way he couldn’t survive there, having grown up under Martian conditions, the gravity would be crushing, then there was the pollution and all the diseases Earth was famous for. No. Never. But-

“You’re not even curious about it at all?”

She seemed surprised.

“Curious sure,” he replied. “Earth is the mother planet, but I’m a Martian. This is my home. It’s all I have.”

All he would ever have.

“Everyone on the ship that brought us here complained about how bad Earth is now. They said it’s all used up and the environment is ruined, poisoned” Tory said, “But it’s not bad. Not like this, this planet is a prison.”