Dragonback Series by Timothy Zahn

Jack Morgan 13 has a dragon on his back - literally. The warrior K'da species are symbiotes, can only live six hours without their humanoid host. Draycos 30s is the sole survivor of the three ships destroyed scouting for their refugees, and Jack is the only possible choice. They may be an odd couple, but together they're more than the sum of their parts... moreJack Morgan 13 has a dragon on his back - literally. The warrior K'da species are symbiotes, can only live six hours without their humanoid host. Draycos 30s is the sole survivor of the three ships destroyed scouting for their refugees, and Jack is the only possible choice. They may be an odd couple, but together they're more than the sum of their parts. They are destined to travel far and wide, facing many perils - human, alien, and other, as they seek justice and safety - Jack for himself, and Draycos for his people. less

Jack Morgan 14 aka Montana enlists with youngest trainees for Whinyard's Edge mercenaries, hired by Parprin daublite mining colony humans from "Agrist claim-jumpers", who in turn employ Shamshir mercs. Honorable warrior-poet Draycos 30ish hides as 2D tattoo on Jack's back, and encourages noble values while their space-ship Uncle Virge continues the tradition of his late selfish Uncle Virgil, con artist. Recruit Alison is expert, already has militia experience - and secrets... moreJack Morgan 14 aka Montana enlists with youngest trainees for Whinyard's Edge mercenaries, hired by Parprin daublite mining colony humans from "Agrist claim-jumpers", who in turn employ Shamshir mercs. Honorable warrior-poet Draycos 30ish hides as 2D tattoo on Jack's back, and encourages noble values while their space-ship Uncle Virge continues the tradition of his late selfish Uncle Virgil, con artist. Recruit Alison is expert, already has militia experience - and secrets. Somehow, the duo must track down who attacked Draycos' scout ships before the refugee ships arrive to be ambushed. less

Jack 14, with honorable K'da warrior-poet Draycos 30s, symbiote 2D dragon on host's back for six hours, hope their spaceship intelligence Uncle Virge (for dead inspirational selfish real Virgil) can convince the human slavemaster Grazen of the wealthy Choochook family in their Brummgan fortress, to buy the boy thief... moreJack 14, with honorable K'da warrior-poet Draycos 30s, symbiote 2D dragon on host's back for six hours, hope their spaceship intelligence Uncle Virge (for dead inspirational selfish real Virgil) can convince the human slavemaster Grazen of the wealthy Choochook family in their Brummgan fortress, to buy the boy thief. But a hotbox punishment, electrocuted "frypan" pen, taser-like pain prods, spoiled toddler "Your Thumbleness" who requires her demands (in her language, not his) obeyed immediately, fevered boy Noy who recalls every word the goldern dragon sang - ballads of bravery, and an skill demonstration auction attended by the "Snake Voice" aka Braxton's ousted Neverlin, add up to a danger requiring every bit of human ingenuity and warrior skill from the symbiotic heroes. less

The first three adventures in the Dragonback science fiction fantasy series from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Thrawn series.  Dragon and Thief: Young thief and con artist Jack Morgan is hiding out on an uninhabited planet after he’s falsely accused of a crime. But his solitude is interrupted when Draycos, a warrior whose reptilian race is being targeted for extinction, makes an emergency landing. The two will be able to survive, but only if they literally bond together . . moreThe first three adventures in the Dragonback science fiction fantasy series from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Thrawn series.  Dragon and Thief: Young thief and con artist Jack Morgan is hiding out on an uninhabited planet after he’s falsely accused of a crime. But his solitude is interrupted when Draycos, a warrior whose reptilian race is being targeted for extinction, makes an emergency landing. The two will be able to survive, but only if they literally bond together . . .  Dragon and Soldier: When all is well, Draycos looks like nothing more than a tattoo on Jack Morgan’s back. But when Jack’s threatened, the K’da warrior appears in his true, dragonlike form. Together they go undercover to investigate a mercenary outfit connected to the extermination of Draycos’s people, and it turns out Jack isn’t the only new recruit with a secret . . .  Dragon and Slave: Following a lead, Jack becomes a slave on a Brummga alien estate where he must find out all he can while under the cruel watch of a vicious slave master who has no problem killing the help. Fortunately, Draycos always has his back. less

Jack Morgan has had it rough. He was orphaned at three, then lost his Uncle Virgil ten years later. But the plucky fourteen-year-old didn't know what rough was until he met Draycos, sole survivor of an advance force of alien refugees that had been brutally ambushed over the world where Jack was in hiding from the authorities... moreJack Morgan has had it rough. He was orphaned at three, then lost his Uncle Virgil ten years later. But the plucky fourteen-year-old didn't know what rough was until he met Draycos, sole survivor of an advance force of alien refugees that had been brutally ambushed over the world where Jack was in hiding from the authorities. The K'da poet-warrior needed to bond with a host, or he would die; the reformed boy thief and con artist needed a friend, someone he could depend on as he tried to clear his name. Since then they've formed a unique team, determined to find and expose those responsible for the slaughter of Draycos's team.In the months since fate threw them together, they've been through a lot. But when Jack tries to hack the computer in an office of the notorious Malison Ring, their quest nearly ends in the jaws of that mercenary organization's trap.Luckily, Alison Kayna, a girl Jack had worked with as a reluctant mercenary for another outfit, comes to his rescue. Evading pursuit, they escape to the primitive world of Rho Scorvi, where she's planned a rendezvous with friends.But at the edge of Rho Scorvi's hundred-mile-wide forest, they make a shocking discovery: traveling with a group of the planet's native Erassvas is a small lost colony of Draycos's own race, the K'da. But unlike Draycos's people, these K'da--known as Phookas--are slow, lethargic, and unintelligent. When the Malison Ring tracks Jack's ship, the Essenay to Rho Scorvi, Jack realizes that unless he and Draycos and a reluctant Alison can lead the Phookas to safety in the forest, these unfortunate creatures will become the latest victims of the genocide that threatens to wipe out their entire race. Jack has already been a thief, a soldier, and a slave. Now he must become a herdsman, protecting the Phookas from danger as they travel deep into the unexplored forest. But even more importantly, he must protect from the mercenaries and Alison the dark secret of the herd and Jack's poet-warrior ally. Only if they succeed do they stand a chance of surviving Rho Scorvi to continue their quest . . . less

When orphan Jack Morgan 14 is dragged off by Golvins on planet Semaline because he smells like a Jupa (Judge-Paladin), golden Draycos, poet-warrior of K'da dragon symbiotes, tags along in the form of a back tattoo. Alison, host to newly intelligent K'da Taneem, is kidnapped by Braxton Universis mega-corporation renegade Neverlin and mercenary Colonel Frost to open a safe... moreWhen orphan Jack Morgan 14 is dragged off by Golvins on planet Semaline because he smells like a Jupa (Judge-Paladin), golden Draycos, poet-warrior of K'da dragon symbiotes, tags along in the form of a back tattoo. Alison, host to newly intelligent K'da Taneem, is kidnapped by Braxton Universis mega-corporation renegade Neverlin and mercenary Colonel Frost to open a safe.The villains who massacred Draycos' scout ships now want the destination of the refugee fleet of surviving K'da dragons and their Shontine hosts, to finish their genocide. Uncle Virge, the artificial intelligence based on Uncle Virgil, the swindler who raised Jack from the age of three, pilots their spaceship Essenay (sounds suspiciously like "S and A"), and keeps the secret of who Jack's parents were, and how they died. Danger everywhere, brains and cooperation required. less

Jack Morgan 14, and Draycos, poet/warrior K’da dragon hiding as tattoo on his back face Neverlin, who killed Jack’s parents and destroyed the scout fleet of which Draycos was the sole survivor. When their friend Alison is captured, Jack gives himself up, and Draycos is imprisoned too. How will the duo prevent both species' annihilation?