Who Is Tai Rade?
( / tie rah-day / )
Tai is a bridge.
A funky concept, perhaps, but it works. If our fiction becomes our reality, which we’ve seen time and again that it does, why not a bridge between the two? An intermediate connection, bridging our imagination with what’s real.
That’s Tai.
Thee influencer for Space Age 2.0.
(So you know, she sends a short email each Friday recapping the week in space.)
Tai ensures we don't dismiss the vital actions being taken right now, around the world, in the pursuit of space. She beats the drum for the Forty Suns mission. A mission with two parts:
Part 1)
To unite the focus of humanity toward common extraplanetary goals that create an ever-improving future, by building upon the things we hold in common despite the things we hold different.
Part 2)
To maintain focus on these pursuits, to ensure they do not slip, that they are not forgotten, that they remain at the forefront of our collective minds.
Her abiding passion is to stoke the fires of progress. To be the voice of what’s happening on Earth in the pursuit of Space Age 2.0.
Yes, you say, but who is she?
A former Space Marine, by her own claim. Tai is a no-nonsense girl with a second chance, and she’s not about to waste it.
Background
Before Forty Suns Tai was part of a special Marine cadre attached to the Fifth Fleet at Proxima B, where she saw much frontline action.
Proxima B is a little backwater world not far from our own.
Her cadre was a small unit with a big heart, and was often called upon to do the impossible. As such, though young, Tai is a seasoned Marine.
During one particular CQB (Close Quarters Battle) something happened, something weird, something she has no good recollection of, and … next thing she knew she was here. On Earth.
Not long after that she teamed up with Forty Suns.
However she came to be here she’s seen enough, she knows too much, and she’s doing what she can to light a fire under our asses and make sure we don’t fall down the same dark path as her world (see The Urgency below).
The Urgency
Tai may not be from around here, but her take on Earth’s space future is worth paying attention to.
Proxima B, from where she hails, is more advanced than Earth, but not by much. According to her, if you imagine Earth made it 30-50 more years developing advanced tech, while using it mostly to wage war, you’d have an idea of the sort of dystopian reality she comes from. Basically, take any of our bleakest cyberpunk noir fiction (again, according to her), extrapolate it onto another society, and that’s Proxima B.
Pretty much a sh*t-show.
With Earth – in whatever way she came to be here – she sees new hope. Hope she never had. So forgive her if she pushes us to do more. In her opinion we can avoid the same horrible existence.
But only if we start paying attention.
Only if we take action.
Or, if we ourselves don’t take action, that we support those who are. Those actively forging our space future.
Tai says we need to:
- Believe in that space future.
- Show others we believe humanity has a future in space.
- Remind them they're part of that future too.
She found us. We’re glad she did.
A Q&A with Tai Rade
Excerpted from a brief interview to get to know Tai better:
Q: How did you get here?
A (Tai): No idea.
Q: But you’re not from Earth, right? You’re from …
A: Proxima B.
Q: And there are humans there? Like us?
A: Clearly.
Q: How are there humans on Proxima B?
A: How are there humans on Earth?
Q: But you are human, right?
A: Same as you. Except maybe I don’t ask so many dumb questions.
Q: Well, I hope this isn’t another dumb one, but how do you speak English?
A: No idea. And that one actually isn’t.
Q: Thanks. Tell us about your role with the Space Marines.
A: I’ve said it before, I’m a sergeant. No special role.
Q: Can you at least tell us what you did?
A: I was crew chief for a BFG unit.
Q: So, Sarge ... Is it okay if I call you Sarge?
A: I prefer not.
Q: Fair enough. As an ex-Space Marine –
A: Former.
Q: Former Space Marine, how are you adjusting?
A: Just fine. But there’s not a lot of time.
Q: On that, what’s your obsession with space?
A: Why aren’t you obsessed? You should be. You think you’re safe with a one-world option?
Q: Had the people of Proxima B made it to space?
A: We took the wrong path. When we were where you are now, we kept fighting. We never ended up with more than a few space stations and a few basic moon bases – where we kept fighting, by the way.
Q: So you guys had a lot of advanced weapons?
A: Don’t sound so excited. We focused exclusively on weapons so, yeah, we could kick your ass. Earth wouldn’t stand a chance. Trouble is, we’ve been pretty much kicking our own asses for so long our world is mostly screwed.
Q: But war is just part of human history.
A: Not as a full-time career. You can’t be fighting all the time. Listen, no one’s saying total peace is the way. But there will be plenty of time for space wars, cold wars, trade wars, star wars, race wars, culture wars, cola wars and other wars, trust me, so maybe, for now, at least for a little while, it’s time to put the slap-fighting on hold and be nice. Focus on setting up that next playing field. We didn’t. You guys still can. Otherwise, if you lose the only one you have, it’s pretty much game over.
Q: If you could go back and advocate for the same thing on your own world, say, thirty years ago, would you?
A: I don’t have that option. I’m here, I see where we went wrong, and I’m going to correct it before Earth makes the same mistakes.
Q: By making sure we keep our eyes on the prize?
A: And stop doing stupid shit.
Q: Final comments?
A: Look around. These are your people. Love them or hate them, this is your team. Team Earth. Word of advice, it would be wise to start figuring out how to love them. Team Proxima B, what you call my star system, ain’t doing so hot. Much as you like to think otherwise, Team Earth isn’t that bad off. Yet. There’s still hope for you guys. Team Earth can make it. But only if you make cooperation – and space; for god's sake space – a priority.
Q: And stop doing stupid shit?
A: And stop doing stupid shit.
__
Hope
Tai has hope, and with Forty Suns she sees a way.
"There's more good here than ever existed on my world, with every opportunity to make it better.
"You people of Earth -- and yes, I know 'you people of Earth' sounds weird to hear; trust me, it sounds even weirder to say -- hold within you the potentially unlimited promise to make an extraplanetary existence a reality. To bring change. Improvement. To make better the things that are good, to correct the things that aren’t.
"We wasted that chance. You don't have to."
Simplifying The Forty Suns Concept: The Analogy
© Copyright Forty Suns. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.