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Author: Sharrukin

Alan Carter

Alan Carter

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Alan Carter (150 points)

Alan Carter is in his early 30s, with boyishly handsome features, light brown hair, and bright blue eyes.

  • ST 10 [0]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0].
  • Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 10 [0].
  • Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9.
  • 5’ 6”; 160 lbs.

Social Background

  • TL: 9 [0].
  • CF: Western [0].
  • Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages

  • Fearlessness 5 [10]; Military Rank (World Space Commission) 4 [20].

Disadvantages

  • Code of Honor (Soldier’s) [-10]; Honesty (12 or less, *1) [-10]; Overconfidence (12 or less, *1) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Large Group; Moonbase Alpha Inhabitants) [-10]; Truthfulness (12 or less, *1) [-5].
  • Quirks: “Send me in, Commander!”; Aromantic (lost love); Cocky demeanor; Congenial; Proud. [‑5]

Skills

Astronomy/TL9 (Observational) (A) IQ-1 [1]-11; Beam Weapons/TL9 (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-14; Beam Weapons/TL9 (Rifle) (E) DX [1]-14; Brawling (E) DX [1]-14; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-13; Computer Operation/TL9 (E) IQ [1]-12; Driving/TL9 (Automobile) (A) DX-1 [1]-13; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Communications) (A) IQ [2]-12; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Force Shields) (A) IQ [2]-12; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-12; Electronics Repair/TL9 (Communications) (A) IQ [2]-12; Electronics Repair/TL9 (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-12; Engineer/TL9 (Spaceship) (H) IQ-1 [2]-11; Free Fall (A) DX [2]-14; Gunner/TL9 (Beams) (E) DX [1]-14; Leadership (A) IQ [2]-12; Mathematics/TL9 (Applied) (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; Navigation/TL9 (Space) (A) IQ [2]-12; Piloting/TL9 (Aerospace) (A) DX [2]-14; Piloting/TL9 (High-Performance Spacecraft) (A) DX+1 [4]-15; Piloting/TL9 (Light Airplane) (A) DX-1 [1]-13; Riding (Equines) (A) DX-1 [1]-13; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ [1]-12; Shiphandling/TL9 (Spaceship) (H) IQ [3]-12; Spacer/TL9 (E) IQ [1]-12; Survival (Plains) (A) Per [2]-12; Swimming (E) HT [1]-10; Tactics (H) IQ-2 [1]-10; Vacc Suit/TL9 (A) DX-1 [1]-13.

Biographical Information

Alan Carter was born in 2016 in Sydney, Australia. He grew up on an Australian cattle ranch, where he spent most of his time outdoors and on horseback. From an early age he demonstrated talent as a pilot, earning his license as a pre-teenager and flying his family’s light aircraft all over the country.

In 2034, Carter joined the Royal Australian Air Force, serving in the Pacific War and flying many combat missions. After the war he applied for an astronaut’s position with the US/Australian Space Cooperation Program, later serving in the World Space Commission. He advanced quickly, commanding the third manned Mars expedition in 2047. Early in 2049 he was assigned to Moonbase Alpha as the Reconnaissance Section lead, and was the lead candidate for command of the upcoming Meta expedition.

Carter is a superb athlete and pilot, a natural-born adventurer who is proud of his abilities. He insists on being the first to venture into any dangerous situation, and he has the skills and the sheer courage to survive them.

Although Carter is widely respected and admired among the Moonbase Alpha crew, he is not known to have any interest in romantic relationships; female (and male) crew members who sound him out are all politely rebuffed. In fact, Carter was bitterly heartbroken in his youth, when a young woman he passionately loved was killed in a terrorist attack. Unwilling to risk such a loss again, Carter has transferred his passions to adventure, flying, and protecting his friends and colleagues.

Paul Morrow

Paul Morrow

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Paul Morrow (150 points)

Paul Morrow is in his early 30s, with handsome features, light brown hair, and brown eyes.

  • ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 12 [20].
  • Damage 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 12 [0].
  • Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9.
  • 6’ even; 165 lbs.

Social Background

  • TL: 9 [0].
  • CF: Western [0].
  • Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages

  • Military Rank (World Space Commission) 4 [20].

Disadvantages

  • Gregarious [-10]; Honesty (12 or less, *1) [-10]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Small Group; Friends and current love interest) [-5].
  • Quirks: Fond of playing the guitar; Homesick for Earth; Mild womanizer; Outspoken; Responsive. [‑5]

Skills

Accounting (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Administration (A) IQ+1 [4]-14; Astronomy/TL9 (Observational) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Beam Weapons/TL9 (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]-13; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]-14; Computer Operation/TL9 (E) IQ+1 [2]-14; Computer Programming/TL9 (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Driving/TL9 (Automobile) (A) DX-1 [1]-11; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Communications) (A) IQ [2]-13; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Security) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Electronics Operation/TL9 (Sensors) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Free Fall (A) DX [2]-12; Gunner/TL9 (Beams) (E) DX [1]-12; Leadership (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Musical Instrument (Guitar) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Navigation/TL9 (Space) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Piloting/TL9 (High-Performance Spacecraft) (A) DX+1 [4]-13; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ [1]-13; Shiphandling/TL9 (Spaceship) (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Spacer/TL9 (E) IQ [1]-13; Survival (Plains) (A) Per-1 [1]-12; Vacc Suit/TL9 (A) DX [2]-12.

Biographical Information

Paul Morrow was born in 2017 in London, in the United Kingdom. As a young man, he studied administration and data science at the Imperial College London. In his spare hours, he pursued music, women, and the occasional brawl in London’s pubs. Even so, by 2039 he earned a master’s degree with distinction. A lifelong interest in the space program led him to apply for a position with the new World Space Commission.

Morrow was first posted to Moonbase Alpha in 2043 as a senior administrator. By 2049, he had been promoted to Main Mission Controller, essentially the base’s second-in-command, serving first under Anton Gorski and then under John Koenig.

Morrow is a competent administrator, technician, and pilot. Despite his para-military position, he has the demeanor of a lifelong civilian. He has a habit of speaking his mind, and has more than once come into direct conflict with Commander Koenig. Even so, he is a valued member of the command staff, and the Commander relies on him in a crisis.

Morrow has settled down considerably since his wild days of youth, although he still enjoys playing cards or chess or making music. He is often engaged in a polite and discreet pursuit of one or another female colleague. Under the surface, he finds existence on the runaway Moon to be stifling and alienating. He is often homesick for Earth. Whenever the Moon passes an even remotely hospitable world, he is often a strong advocate for Operation Exodus – the abandonment of Alpha for a new settlement.

Planning for June 2023

Planning for June 2023

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May was a big month at my day job, which left me short of spoons for creative work. I didn’t hit my objectives for Architect of Worlds, so that book is a bit behind its notional schedule. I did manage to redesign a major step in the design sequence and get about ten pages total laid out, so progress didn’t halt entirely. Meanwhile, I managed to post two book reviews last month.

I still have some research-and-revision work to do on the last few steps in the design sequence, although I did make a big chunk of progress on that in May as well. In particular, I think I see ways to simplify the math for measuring greenhouse effect due to carbon dioxide, and that should streamline a couple of steps as well as possibly improve the accuracy of the model. Meanwhile, Step Thirty-Two of the current draft sequence is kind of a mess, so I hope to get it cleaned up a bit before finishing the layout for that section of the book.

So here’s the plan for June:

  • Top Priority:
    • Architect of Worlds: Complete revisions for the mini-models for a world’s atmospheric greenhouse effect, specifically for Step Thirty of the design sequence.
    • Architect of Worlds: Extensively revise Step Thirty-Two of the design sequence (variations in local climate).
    • Architect of Worlds: Continue work to design and lay out the finished book. Plan to finish through page 132 (out of approximately 180), or the end of the Designing World Surface Conditions section. May continue past that point if time remains in the month.
  • Second Priority:
    • Danassos: Continue work on the new draft of Twice-Crowned.
    • Danassos: Rebuild the alternate-historical timeline.
    • Human Destiny: Continue compiling material for the eventual Atlas of the Human Protectorate.
    • Human Destiny: Produce a map of late 23rd-century Mars for the Atlas.

As far as releases for my patrons are concerned: I expect a free update of the growing Architect release draft, and that’s about it. As in May, I may write another chapter or two of Twice-Crowned, but I don’t expect to produce enough new material to justify a charged release.

As a side note, I’m getting close to a decision as to whether to set up an LLC to publish under, rather than publishing simply under my byline. That’s a straightforward process, but there are a lot of steps and some expense involved, so I’ve been considering it carefully. May have an announcement about that sometime this month.

Review: Silk Road Centurion, by Scott Forbes Crawford

Review: Silk Road Centurion, by Scott Forbes Crawford

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Silk Road Centurion by Scott Forbes Crawford

Overall Rating: **** (4 stars)

Silk Road Centurion is a flawed but very engaging historical novel, centered around the clash of two great ancient cultures.

Manius Titinius is a Roman centurion in the army of Marcus Licinius Crassus, in the mid-first century BCE. At the beginning of our story, he is on detached duty, scouting for the army and trying to discover the whereabouts and intentions of the Parthian army. Unfortunately, he learns too late that Crassus is marching into a trap. He is captured by the enemy before he can make a warning, and it’s implied that the result is the disastrous Battle of Carrhae, in which Crassus was decisively defeated and his legions lost.

Manius himself becomes a slave. He is taken far to the east, changing hands several times, until he comes into the possession of a tribe of steppe barbarians. These people call themselves the Kets, but they are known to history as the Xiongnu, a people of deep Central Asia. Along the way, Manius comes into contact with Chinese people, at first captives like himself, later free Chinese living on the frontier of the Han Dynasty empire. He learns to speak Chinese, learns something of Chinese customs, and is (grudgingly) accepted among them. Eventually he is forced to fight to defend his new friends against the Xiongnu.

As with any historical novel, the quality of the author’s research is important. I certainly had no concerns regarding that element of Silk Road Centurion. The very premise of the novel is drawn from well-grounded historical speculation. It’s long been suspected (although never proven) that some survivors of the disaster at Carrhae may have been sold into slavery, living out their lives somewhere along the Silk Road routes as far east as China. Manius is very plausible as an educated, skilled Roman officer of the late Republic; his beliefs and behaviors all fit what I’ve learned of the period. I’m less of an expert in Han Dynasty society, but the details of the people who take Manius in all seem very plausible too.

I much appreciated that Manius has realistic limits and flaws. Too many stories involving a protagonist accepted into an alien culture fall into the trap of making him almost superhuman. Manius does have one heroic trait – he is stubborn and determined to an astonishing degree – but otherwise he is all too human. He isn’t better at being Chinese than the Chinese who take him in, he isn’t a more effective warrior, he doesn’t convince them to make him their leader, and he doesn’t win the affections of the leading lady. His collision with Chinese culture is entirely believable.

Overall, the story was very engaging and I had no difficulty finishing the novel. Viewpoint discipline was very good, with the story told almost entirely in third-person close from Manius’s perspective.

The one quarrel I had with Silk Road Centurion is that it really needed at least one more copy- and line-editing pass. There were typos and editing gaps, and in particular Mr. Crawford tends to drop into very modern slang now and then. It was enough to distract me from the narrative more than once. If the overall story hadn’t been so interesting, I might not have been able to finish it.

Even so, this is a very good and readable novel about a little-visited corner of human history. I enjoyed it, and I’m intrigued to see what Mr. Crawford works on next. Highly recommended.

Review: The Starved God, by Thomas Norford

Review: The Starved God, by Thomas Norford

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The Starved God by Thomas Norford

Overall Rating: **** (4 stars)

The Starved God is a story of exploration and violent death, set in a world where humanity has diverged into multiple antagonistic species.

Our protagonist, Canna Dawn, is an amateur naturalist, living in the community of Riverbend. What we see of Canna and his people is both familiar and strange. They seem to be human, but it soon becomes clear that there are some odd elements to their biology and way of life. It also turns out that there are several different human species, all of them significantly different from each other, and none of them exactly like us. Riverbend and the kingdom around it seem to be at an early Nineteenth Century level of development, but they are oddly advanced in some ways and lagging in others. The world itself seems very Earthlike, but its geography is strange . . . and the planet is encircled by a prominent set of rings.

Soon, Canna is recruited for an expedition led by the sea-captain Skuld Heel. Captain Skuld has been commissioned to cross the ocean and explore lands at the very edge of human knowledge. He needs a naturalist to help him catalogue the plants and animals they find . . . and to evaluate the distant lands for colonization and exploitation. Canna isn’t eager to leave Riverbend, but he is soon forced to go. The things he learns along the way will have profound implications for him and his people.

The prose style here is quite clean, with very few copy-editing errors. Viewpoint discipline is decent; some passages are told from the perspective of different characters, but the result is clear and easy to follow. The reader will be pulled along by the desire to solve the mysteries posed by the narrative – is this story set on Earth? If it is, how did things get so strange? How will Canna and the other characters cope with the discoveries they make? The story kept me engaged from start to finish.

The world-building here is solid, the strangeness of the setting well-motivated and well-described. Some of its features were a trifle too derivative for my taste. For example, it won’t take too long for the reader to realize the exact Earthly-historical analogue for Canna’s adventure. (It doesn’t help that even Canna’s initials point directly to his real-world inspiration.) The world is grounded in ideas from evolutionary biology and cognitive science, but there aren’t a lot of surprises here.

Meanwhile, late in the story Mr. Norford succumbs to one of the terrible temptations that present themselves to any author engaged in rich world-building. For most of the narrative, he does a fine job of sticking to Canna’s viewpoint, allowing us to watch our hero unravel the world’s mysteries through observation and deduction. Then, close to the climax, the story abruptly drops out of “showing” mode and into a big chunk of exposition in “telling” mode. All the answers are dropped into our lap by a genuine deus ex machina. The overall sense is that of a high-concept, big-ideas, deep-world-building story that doesn’t quite stick the landing.

Still, this is a very well-crafted and intriguing story with lots of lovely scenery and clear sequel hooks. I enjoyed it, and I’m very interested to see what Mr. Norford works on next. Highly recommended.

Status Report (21 May 2023)

Status Report (21 May 2023)

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Things are moving along, if not as quickly as I might have liked.

As of today, I’ve finished initial layout for Architect of Worlds through Step Twenty-Seven in the design sequence (world albedo). At this point I need to do a little research and possibly reworking of the mini-model for atmospheric greenhouse effect. Once that’s done, I think I’ll be able to finish editorial work on the next few steps in the design sequence, and get those laid out in the interim draft. Probably won’t be able to get all the way to the end this month, but we’ll see.

Meanwhile, I need to write up two book reviews and get those posted before the end of May.

Some of my time has been taken up by a Muse-inspired side trip. I’ve been binge-watching the entire Star Wars continuity – the current canon, not the pre-Disney “Legends” canon. Kind of kicking myself for not having picked up on that earlier. The theatrical films are, of course, something of a muddle. On the other hand, the animated shows and the Disney+ mini-series have been superb. The experience has been tickling my world-building brain something fierce.

The concept that’s taken up residence in my head involves a kind of “alternate history” of the Skywalker Saga, with the (overt) point of divergence that Qui-Gon Jinn survives the Battle of Theed and lives to take Anakin Skywalker on as his student. I’m also indulging in some rampant speculation about the motives that Sheev Palpatine might have had for his decades-long campaign to subvert and take over the Galactic Republic. I may end up with a pretty solid outline for a divergent Star Wars RPG campaign, although actually running it for players (or writing a fan-fiction series on the premise) is probably out of the question. I’ll probably write it up here as time permits, rather like the Space: 2049 material I’ve been playing with at odd moments.

Don’t worry. Architect and my other top-shelf projects aren’t going to be neglected. Much.

For my patrons, I think you can expect to see a free-update of the Architect partial draft, with as much new material as I’ve been able to edit and lay out in May. No charged release for this month.

Planning for May 2023

Planning for May 2023

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I was able to stay more or less on track throughout the month of April. I didn’t quite reach my original objective for Architect of Worlds book design and layout, but I did get a substantial chunk of work finished. I also managed to get to the end of Part Two of Twice-Crowned. A lot of items were done without me having to rush down to the wire at the end of the month, too – for example, I got April’s book review published quite early. I do seem to have mastered the skill of sticking to the big projects well enough to continue making significant progress.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m planning to do some work on the actual content of Architect before I get back to layout, so that’s a high-priority item for the month of May. Otherwise the plan for this month is going to look a lot like the one for April:

  • Top Priority:
    • Architect of Worlds: Review and possibly revise the mini-model for a world’s internal heat budget, specifically for Step Twenty-Four of the design sequence.
    • Architect of Worlds: Review and possibly revise the mini-models for a world’s atmospheric greenhouse effect, specifically for Step Thirty of the design sequence.
    • Architect of Worlds: Continue work to design and lay out the finished book. Tentatively plan to finish through page 132 (out of approximately 180), or the end of the Designing World Surface Conditions section.
  • Second Priority:
    • Danassos: Continue work on the new draft of Twice-Crowned.
    • Danassos: Rebuild the alternate-historical timeline.
    • Human Destiny: Continue compiling material for the eventual Atlas of the Human Protectorate.
    • Human Destiny: Produce a map of late 23rd-century Mars for the Atlas.

As far as releases for my patrons are concerned: I expect a free update of the growing Architect release draft, and that’s about it. I may write another chapter or two of Twice-Crowned, but I don’t expect to produce enough new material to justify a charged release. Slow but persistent progress is the order of the day.

Status Report (27 April 2023)

Status Report (27 April 2023)

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Small course correction, with respect to Architect of Worlds.

A few minutes ago, I sent this month’s incremental update of the book design to my patrons. That’s a few days early and about 12 pages short of the goal I set for myself at the beginning of April.

The reason is that I just reached Step Twenty-Four in the main design sequence. That’s the step in which you determine the current geophysical parameters for a world under development – status of the world’s lithosphere, whether or not it has active plate tectonics, that sort of thing. The issue is that there are a couple really thorny bits of math in that step, probably the ugliest formulae anywhere in the previous draft. I’m also not entirely confident in the accuracy of the mini-model for that step. So I’d like to pause the layout long enough to do a bit of research, maybe develop a new mini-model, and simplify the procedure so it’s not as ugly and ill-polished.

While I’m at it, I also have similar concerns about some of the later steps, especially where we figure out how much greenhouse effect a world gets from its atmosphere based on its composition. I’m actually very happy with the way that procedure fits together overall – it models the evolution of an Earthlike world’s atmosphere very elegantly. However, the actual mini-model for greenhouse effect is again both ugly and not one I’m 100% confident in. So that might get some attention too.

So I’m going to set aside layout work on Architect for at least a few days, while I go off and do some of that redevelopment. In the meantime, I’m just one chapter away from the point in Twice-Crowned at which I was thinking another charged release of the interim draft for my patrons might be appropriate. So the last few days of April, I’m going to spend mostly on getting that chapter written and polishing up the last chunk of new material. Patrons should look for a charged release there, probably sometime on Sunday if all goes according to plan.

I also have another “bonus” book review I want to publish this month, but that will have to wait until I’m sure I can get this chunk of Twice-Crowned whipped into shape on time. if that doesn’t work out, at least I have a review ready to go early in May.

Review: Obelisks: Ashes, by Ari Marmell

Review: Obelisks: Ashes, by Ari Marmell

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Obelisks: Ashes by Ari Marmell

Overall Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Obelisks: Ashes is the second volume of a duology, set after the world falls into a very unusual apocalypse.

In the previous volume, Obelisks: Dust, the crew of the International Space Station awakened one day to find themselves orbiting a shockingly changed Earth. Making their way back to the surface, they find most of the human species is simply gone, driven to madness and suicide by the mysterious obelisks which have suddenly appeared throughout the landscape. Even to catch a glimpse of one of the obelisks is to risk losing one’s mind, or worse. Only a few people have managed to survive in the wasteland that was once the state of Texas.

Our protagonist, once again, is Flight Engineer Cynthia Han. In the first book, Cynthia struggled simply to survive and help a few others, while fighting through a steadily progressing terminal illness. Now she has found other groups of survivors, including a large (and very well-armed) group which has its own sinister plans for the transformed world. With her own personal clock running out, Cynthia and her friends must solve the mystery of the obelisks, and see if they can secure a future for any human beings at all.

The first volume of this story was pegged as horror, but this second volume ventures into cosmic horror of Lovecraftian scope. Cynthia is a clever and determined woman, but she’s up against a plot billions of years deep that stretches far out into the depths of space. Her story remains difficult and bleak, and it’s not one that promises easy victories.

The first volume was mostly about setting up mysteries and plots, and this volume is mostly about resolving them. The suspense remains at a high level throughout, with reversals and surprises every few scenes. The conclusion is satisfying and wraps up all of the relevant plot threads, although it leaves the door cracked open for a sequel.

The prose style here is very clean. I caught one or two minor copy-editing errors this time, but not enough to pull me out of the narrative. Viewpoint discipline is good; there is a bit more shifting of viewpoint than in the first volume, but it’s all clear and well-marked. There’s a bit more exposition as well, but by and large it’s still embedded in dialogue and character action. Mr. Marmell’s form remains very good.

The story merits one clear content warning, over and above the general bleakness and violence of the plot. A supporting character proves to be in the grip of a pedophilic disorder, an element of his character that was foreshadowed in the first volume, but not made clear until now. His scenes in this volume can be disturbing to read, although – to be clear – they are not sexually explicit. Also, to be fair, the author isn’t using this narrative move simply for shock value; it does play a clear role in the plot.

As with the first volume, I tore through this story in a single sitting, and now I’m interested to see what else Mr. Marmell might be working on in the future. Very highly recommended.

An Insight into the Galilean Moons

An Insight into the Galilean Moons

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Here’s a neat little bit of “new science” that I might be able to quickly build into Architect of Worlds while I continue editing and laying out the release draft.

The idea is that Jupiter, just after its formation, was probably much more luminous than it is today due to its heat of accretion. Its luminosity might have been as high as about 0.00001 times the current solar level. That doesn’t sound like much, but with the Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto) orbiting so close to the young, hot Jupiter, they would have undergone a period of extreme heating. It wouldn’t have lasted long – Jupiter would have cooled off and ceased to radiate so enthusiastically – but it seems to have been enough to drive off a lot of water ice and other volatiles.

Notice that Io, the closest to Jupiter, is almost free of water ice to this day. Which makes sense – in its first few million years, Io would have been getting over 30 times as much irradiation from Jupiter as it currently gets from the Sun. More than enough to melt and then boil water ices, and then drive the resulting water vapor into space. For Europa and Ganymede the effect wouldn’t have been as pronounced, which is why those moons still have plenty of ice today.

At present, the Architect of Worlds design sequence has a weird kludge in place to differentiate Io-like from Europa-like or Ganymede-like gas giant moons. It shouldn’t be too difficult to replace that with a rough estimate of a gas giant primary’s early luminosity, which (when taken with the moon’s orbital radius) will indicate how much irradiation the moon got early in its history. Particularly important for super-Jupiters, which we’ve already observed plenty of and for which the design sequence certainly allows.

I think I may also rearrange some text between Steps Sixteen (world density and surface gravity) and Seventeen (placing moons). Right now that’s the only place in the design sequence where you implicitly have to back up a step – after you place a moon in Seventeen, you may want to go back to Sixteen to determine its density and so on. Easy enough to move some of the pertinent text forward, so you can figure out a moon’s properties in the same step when you place it. That’ll also allow me to insert the new computation at a convenient place in the sequence.

A popular-science article on this result is here: Baby Jupiter glowed so brightly it might have desiccated its moon. The research paper involved, with references to other relevant work, is here: The effect of Jupiter’s early luminosity on the Galilean satellites.