User talk:Rose

Things I wonder about

1) Since Temeraire remembers being in the shell before he hatched, he presumably remembers his hatching as well. Are we ever going to hear from him *why* he picked Laurence out of the officers on deck, especially given that Laurence was not trying to attract his attention and that he peered into a few other men's faces before addressing Laurence?

My own theory is that since later on Temeraire identifies a woman who's frightened of him as being "simple, like Volly," most of the men on deck for his hatching were scared and therefore looked unintelligent to him. Laurence was too busy fretting to be scared, so he's the only one who struck Temeraire as being intelligent enough to be interesting to talk to.

Alternate theory: Temeraire's eye was caught by the golden epaulets worn by naval captains.

2) Is Iskierka's nose going to be out of joint if she learns that while she may have picked her own name, Temeraire picked his own captain?

3) What happened to the sword Temeraire gave Laurence in China? It seems to me that the last time we saw it was when Laurence used it to behead a boarder during the Battle of Jena-Auerstadt. It doesn't seem typical of Temeraire to lose track of a thing like that. Was it given to Lord and Lady Allendale along with the rest of Laurence's things after he was arrested?

4) Did the egg that Volly sired hatch in "Novembrer" 1807 as Volly said it was going to?

5) Did Riley end up bringing his son aboard the Allegiance for the trip to Australia or not? If he did, how did he persuade a wet nurse to come along for the 14-month trip to Australia and back, and how is he going to explain the wet nurse's presence to the Admiralty?

Think about it - the child was conceived in May 1807 at the earliest. At ten pounds, he can hardly have been premature. However, we know he was born before the Battle of Shoeburyness in early March 1808, so he must have been conceived in May and born in February. At the time the Allegiance sails for Australia, he can't be more than a few months old - and infant formula hasn't been invented yet.

6) Did Lily ever get the bound copy of the geometry discussion notes that Catherine promised her, and did it indeed have gold hinges?

7) Whatever happened to the Akhal-Teke egg that Temeraire & Co. brought back from Turkey?

8) The fact that Temeraire was hatched already knowing three languages appears to be considered unusual. Iskierka was hatched speaking English and she apparently learned Durzagh during her first few weeks of life, but did she also learn Turkish and German in the shell? Or is she the only Kazilik on the planet who doesn't speak Turkish?

9) Why did the Incans suddenly break off negotiations to trade a fire-breather's egg to the British in apx 1794?

10) The clipper ship route used by British merchant ships during the Age of Sail took advantage of the wind patterns in the southern hemisphere to go from Britain around the Cape of Good Hope westwards to Australia, then on westwards across the Pacific to South America, where after making Cape Horn they turned towards Britain. Given the wind patterns favouring the route from Australia to South America, will Temeraire and Laurence in fact spend much time in Australia, or will they be sent on to the Inca Empire to deal with some sort of emergency there?

11) Are there dragons in Australia and, if so, are they divergent from dragons elsewhere, similar to how mammalian fauna in Australia are divergent to mammalian fauna elsewhere?

12) What do the Chinese think of the British government's actions in imprisoning a Celestial and sentencing one of the Emperor's adopted sons to death? Has this made life difficult for Hammond and Staunton? If Temeraire and Laurence are setn to China to make explanations, what can Laurence possibly say in Britain's defense, esp. given that Temeraire will not be reluctant (at all) to voice his own disgust?

I wonder about this a lot. The British appear to cover up small misunderstandings like 'commandeering' their ships by Chinese officials but when Emperor's adopted son commits treason, instead of hushing things up, they sentence him to death. This has to have consequences. There must be a reason why Hammond and Barham bent over backwards to please Yongxing. It would be logical if sending Temeraire and Laurence to Australia destroyed the relations between Britain and China.Natli 13:30, 4 October 2008 (PDT)

13) Ferris is undoubtedly both now unhappy and an embarrassment to his wealthy family. Is it going to occur to him to strike a deal whereby they pay his passage to Australia - and perhaps send him an ongoing monthly allowance - in return for getting him out of public view in Britain? If so, is it also going to occur to him to bring along a crate of the latest books and scientific journals as a gift for Temeraire?

14) Is Perscitia's former captain going to try to make up to her and get her to take him back now that she's found a useful role in the Aerial Corps as a non-combattant tactics and weapons specialist?

He probably knows about it, such news travel fast. It would be really interesting to read about his reaction, but I don't think he would try to get her back. She still refuses to fight so she is useless to him. Of course, he might want to get a share of her treasure, but I don't think that Perscitia is so naive.Natli 13:30, 4 October 2008 (PDT)

15) Since the Allegiance is now headed for Australia with two dragons on board instead of one, presumably they don't have enough cows, sheep, etc., so Temeraire and Iskierka will have to fish for their suppers.

a) When a fire-breathing dragon dives in for a catch, does she get seawater inside her steam vents, and if so, what effect does this have?

b) Since Temeraire will undoubtedly refuse to leave Lawrence alone on board, aren't the poor Marines going to be terribly uncomfortable when their so-called "prisoner" keeps flying away on dragonback?

16) One of the eggs appears to be a courier-weight. Normally such a dragonet would be harnessed by a boy of perhaps 14, but I don't think even the Admiralty is going to want to ship a 14-year-old off to Australia as an independent captain (vs. as part of another captain's crew). On the other hand, few adult aviators are going to want to be sent off to Australia for the sake of harnessing a courier-weight. Only someone who's desperate for a dragon would be likely to be interested. So... is the third captain taken on at Gibraltar going to be Lt. Dayes?

If so, is he actually going to end up harnessing the dragonet? Or will it evade him and head for... Tharkay? Allen?

17) Is there going to be a prisoners' revolt on board the Allegiance, and if so, whose side is Temeraire going to take, given his dislike for putting humans and dragons in chains and also given that the majority of prisoners will have been shipped to Australia for comparatively minor crimes or, in the case of Irish prisoners, for political activities? Will Laurence end up having to negotiate between the two sides?

18) Are Temeraire and Laurence going to meet D'Arcy Wentworth in Australia? Wentworth "was acquitted of three charges of Highway Robbery [and] only narrowly escaped conviction of a fourth by declaring that he was moving to Botany Bay to serve as assistant surgeon to the colony. He arrived in June 1790 on the Second Fleet convict ship Neptune and not only served in this role, but was made Superintendent of Convicts on Norfolk Island, in Parramatta and Sydney... Around 1808, Wentworth played a significant role in the rebellion against and overthrow of William Bligh, then governor of the colony." See more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D'Arcy_Wentworth

Given that Laurence has voluntarily accepted transportation to Australia - he and Temeraire obviously could have gone to China or any number of other places instead - isn't Temeraire going to think it's horribly unfair that Laurence is technically a convict and Wentworth is not?

19) Is Hollin going to be able to persuade the dispatcher to adjust his route assignments so that he and Elsie can continue courting Miss Jemson?