Jeremy Rankin

by simply-irenic

## Biography

### Early Years

Jeremy Rankin came from the Rankin family and a long line of Aerial Corps captains. A younger son of the Earl of Kensington, Rankin is a tall, blond man, always impeccably dressed and with a gentleman's manners to those he considered his social peers.

Rankin's mother insisted on keeping him at home longer than usual for young aviator candidates. His grandfather had been the first captain for Celeritas and his uncle had apparently been the second, so it was assumed that he would automatically inherit the post.

However, Celeritas could not tolerate him and left active service for a captainless training position. Celeritas blamed Rankin's upbringing for giving him "strange notions" and thought that "he ought never have been been an aviator, much less a captain", but did not fully state his objections. Rankin was reassigned to courier duty at the age of 12, harnessing a Winchester named Levitas. His treatment of Levitas alternats between abuse and neglect.

#### Loch Laggan covert

Captain Rankin initially befriends William Laurence after Laurence was treated coldly by other aviators. Laurence notices that Rankin was similarly ostracized, and believed Rankin's noble birth was the cause. However, once Laurence discovers that Rankin's treatment of Levitas is the reason for his unpopularity, he regrets befriending Rankin and distance himself from him.

Rankin does prove himself useful by advising Laurence on where to buy jewelry for Temeraire in Edinburgh. He tells Laurence that it is amazing how jewelry restores a dragon's spirits, saying that whenever his beast became sulky, he would bring him a bauble "and he is at once all happiness again; just like a temperamental mistress." Levitas is never seen proudly displaying any precious gifts from his captain, so it is unknown what Rankin actually gave him.

#### Dover covert

“Laurence, what in God’s name—” Lenton said in astonishment, rising to his feet.

After Levitas dies at the Dover covert from an injury following a reconnaissance mission, Admiral Lenton chose to send Hollin - on Laurence's recommendation - to harness a Winchester about to hatch rather than to place another dragon in Rankin's hands.

#### Australia

Rankin is sent to New South Wales and given the command of an egg. He arrives on the HMS Beatrice within a few weeks after Laurence and Temeraire arrives on the Allegiance, and at first refuses to speak to Laurence. Jane Roland sent a letter to Laurence on the *Beatrice* in which she said that Rankin only got the chance at another egg because of his family's political influence, and that she rather hope he would drown in transit. She suggested giving him the first egg they had out of Arkady's feral band since he has experience with them in the field.

The egg hatched into Caesar, who (like his sire, Arkady) wanted a very rich captain, so Rankin suite him fine. Ironically enough, Rankin's relationship with his new dragon is much healthier, as they are of similar temperaments.

Conversely, Rankin immediately decides that Tharkay is his social inferior and seldom deigned to speak directly to him or even use his name, scornfully referring to him only as a "Chinaman".

Rankin and Caesar accompany Laurence's and Temeraire's expedition to find a pass from Sydney through the Blue Mountains. When one of the two remaining eggs is stolen, the expedition is prolonged to pursue the thieves in hopes of retrieving the egg before it hatches.

During the pursuit, the third egg hatches. At first, Rankin tries to give priority to Drewmore and Blincoln, who had come with him on the *Beatrice*. Both men have seniority to Forthing, whom Laurence and Granby had previously agreed was a better candidate, but Granby isn't present to enforce the decision and Laurence has no military standing.

The egg hatched out a sickly-looking dragonet who could not fly at birth. None of Rankin's aviators (nor Forthing) wanted to harness it. Rankin wanted to kill it, as was traditionally done for such hatchlings, but Laurence argued against this and asked Temeraire to feed the dragonet. By this point of the conversation, Demane had harnessed the dragonet with his belt and named him Kulingile.

Rankin had no more respect for Demane than for Tharkay, He refused to accept Demane's previous or present status as an officer, scoffing that Laurence's "personal servant" had "made a pet of the creature" and that neither of them had any place in the Aerial Corps.

On their eventual return to Sydney, Rankin wants to lead Caesar against a perceived rebellion by the New South Wales Corps, even after the altercation ends. Laurence and Temeraire stopes him, incurring his anger.

Laurence expectes Rankin to leave with Governor Macquarie, who had been deposed like his predecessor William Bligh and wanted to take any loyalist officers to India. The new self-proclaimed First Minister of Australia, John Macarthur, persuades Rankin (via Caesar) to stay as nominal commander of the Sydney covert.

## References

1. ↑ Novik, Naomi. His Majesty's Dragon: A Novel of Temeraire (p. 310). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.