%%
%%
%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample are not allowed, and have been commented-out.
%%
%% Please don't uncomment anything without adding context.
%%
%%

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dragon_and_Thief_cover_4466.jpg]]

''Dragonback'' is a sci-fi series by Creator/TimothyZahn.

Jack Morgan is fourteen, has been framed for a crime involved with the biggest corporation this side of the Orion Arm, and is very, ''very'' alone. With the exception of his uncle Virge, a AI emulating his late Uncle Virgil, he is completely isolated. That is, until a fierce {{space battle}} occurs right above his head. When the scuffle ends in a spectacular crash for one of the ships, Jack explores the wreckage to encounters the {{sole survivor}} - a K'da {{Warrior Poet}} named Draycos. After escaping the landing party of the mysterious other fleet in the aforementioned {{space battle}}, the pair come to an agreement (albeit a reluctant one on the part of Uncle Virge, with his self centered outlook). Draycos would do his best to help clear Jack's name. In return, Jack would help Draycos save his race from a planned genocide.
----
!!This series contains examples of:
* AbsurdlySharpClaws: K'da claws are sharp enough to cut through ''metal''. And not just slash through it either; at one point Draycos uses this ability to carve a precise hole in a shuttle's hull as sabotage.
%% * ActionGirl: Alison [[spoiler:and Taneem.]]
%% * AirVentPassageway: Even spaceships can't resist making man-sized vents.
* AndroclesLion: A variation. Draycos takes the time to spare the life of a mercenary in the first book, which Jack - used to the NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished thinking of Uncle Virgil - is confused by. Draycos says he did it just because it was the right thing to do and he does not expect the mercenary to be grateful if they ever meet again. Three books later, he isn't - but he is a recognisable face in a mercenary uniform at a slave auction, meaning Jack can identify which group of mercenaries were involved in the first book.
* CatchPhrase:
** Jack says "Skip it." when Earth slang goes over Dracyos's head.
** Draycos saying "I am a poet-warrior of the K'da," as a BadassBoast when Jack asks if he can really do some feat or other.
* ChekhovsSkill: Draycos' poetry. At one point he needs to remember the name of a ship after seeing it written despite not being able to read the English alphabet yet. He does it by creating a poem that lets him remember the individual shapes of each letter in order and then recites it to Jack so he can figure out what the letters read.
* ChildSoldiers: One book has Jack fall in with a mercenary outfit that has a number of kids among its ranks. They are indeed at one point taken into battle.
%% * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Neverlin. [[spoiler:Not Braxton, however. He even joins in the final battle.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Jack and Alison, who snark at each other often. Draycos can sneak some subtle snarking in as well.
%% * DeathRay: Even called the Death.
%% * EnfantTerrible: Her Thumbleness.
* FoodChains: ''Panjan'' Gazen tries to give Jack food laced with a "squatter poison" so that he would be completely dependent on whoever buys him for the antidote he would need for survival.
%% * HonestCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Braxton]].
* HumansAreSpecial: Humans turn out to be better hosts for the K'da than any other race. This is because [[spoiler:Earth is the K'da's original homeworld and humans were their original hosts]]. [[spoiler: Jack and Draycos actually develop telepathy other unique abilities because of this.]]
%% * MasterActor: Jack, to the point it creeps out his friends.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Draycos has a habit of leaping on and off Jack unexpectedly. Justified in the sense that he has to be near his host to survive past six hours.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: The K'da might be a dragon race, though they don't breath fire or have wings to fly. What more than makes up for it is their ability to cling to hosts like tattoos, as they can only last six hours alone before dying. In addition, they can see through thin walls. Draycos even lampshades inside one book that both qualities would be useful to have.
%% * PardonMyKlingon: Frunge!
%% * ThePlan: Tons of them.
%% * PosthumousCharacter: Jake's parents, [[spoiler:Uncle Virgil]].
* PowerTattoo: Draycos's two-dimensional form resembles a tattoo when he’s attached to Jack.
* PretentiousLatinMotto: More like Pretentious Latin Ship Name, but Neverlin's personal ship is called the ''Advocatus Diaboli'', which translates to "Devil's Advocate."
* TheReveal: Being a Zahn novel there are several. One early one is that [[spoiler:Jack is living alone, his uncle and guardian is dead, and the 'Uncle Virge' he talks to is just a computer AI that mimics his uncle's personality]].
* TrappedInVillainy: Jack Morgan wants to be ReformedCriminal, but his Uncle wants him to carry on the thieving business and his missions with Draycos requires such skills.
%% * SssssnakeTalk: Draycos's voice has been described as snake-like, though he's a protagonist.
* TheSymbiote: The K'da. Basically a tiger-sized dragon that can turn into a tattoo, and ''must'' do so at least once every six hours. The K'da gets a host, the host gets a powerful guardian, and both get the other's companionship.
* ThemedAliases: Jack Morgan always uses aliases beginning with the letter M, to make it easier to remember.
%% * TomatoSurprise: Not so surprising, though, if [[spoiler:you know what *Dhghem meant.]]
* UnusualEuphemism: Alison uses "Mother-of-pearl!" as a GoshDangItToHeck version of "Mother-of-God!" (which she slips into at times when ''really'' startled).
* WarriorPoet: Dryacos still creates poems while being a warrior; the poems have become plot points at times.

----