I could never be an astronaut. The whole spinning around til you puke part of the training pretty much cancels me out. I get carsick just riding in the back seat. But I have always dreamed of going into space. To see Earth from orbit would be the ultimate experience of a lifetime.

So when I was approached to join a colony on another planet, travelling on a luxury space liner, no motion sickness involved, of course I said yes. Well, not immediately. I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I did a lot of research on the company behind the offer. The Chiliad Corporation had recently made a  big push in space exploration research, and if the financial websites could be believed, they certainly had the money to fund an expedition to another planet.

At first, I thought I was the victim of some elaborate practical joke. I mean, come on, space travel? And why me? I am a nobody, with no particular set of skills. Why would I be recruited instead of someone with a PhD,or  a talent like carpentry or metal working? The minute the phrase ‘support personnel" left the recruiters mouth, I understood. Someone had to cook and clean up for all the smart and talented people now didn’t they? Being a space maid didn’t exactly fit into my fantasy of travelling to another planet.

My question of whats in it for me was met with a polite smile and a confidentiality agreement to sign. It took me all of 2 minutes to decide. If this was a prank, someone had gone to great lengths to make it believable. And what did I have to lose? Wasn’t like I had anything else going on in my life.

So I signed on the dotted line, took my fat information packet, and headed off to orientation.