Dragon And Slave: The Third Dragonback Adventure

Dragon and Slave: The Third Dragonback Adventure

Review"This start to a new SF adventure series from Hugo Award-winner Zahn will appeal to young readers . . . Zahn keeps the story moving at breakneck speed."--Publishers Weekly on Dragon and Thief"There's plenty of humor, and the adventure and danger levels crackle."--Booklist on Dragon and Soldier"A space opera for all ages."--Science Fiction Chronicle on Dragon and ThiefFourteen-year-old Jack Morgan has gone through a lot since he met Draycos, a dragon-like K'da warrior he saved when everyone else in Draycos' scout fleet was killed in an ambush. Ever since, Jack and Draycos, who slips onto Jack's back like a living tattoo, have been trying to track down the people responsible for the massacre.On the planet Brum-a-dum Jack gets hired to work on a plantation owned by a Brummga whose family has ties to mercenary groups. One of those groups might have been involved in the ambush.Jack's a terrific thief, and managed to do a passable imitation of a mercenary, but those talents don't help him much on the plantation. Here, he's just one of many slaves, with little hope of finding the information he came for. But that's not his biggest problem now. The slavemaster knows Jack's no ordinary slave, and has his eye on him. Jack, who's been in tight spots before, knows that can only mean trouble.On the heavily fortified grounds of the alien plantation, there's no way to get out, and nobody to help him. Nobody, that is, except Draycos. Jack can only hope that's enough.About the AuthorTimothy Zahn has written over twenty-five SF novels, including Dragon and Thief (an A.L.A. Best Book for Young Adults), Dragon and Soldier, and Dragon and Slave, the first three Dragonback novels, as well as Heir to the Empire, the all-time bestselling Star Wars spinoff novel.Winner of the Hugo Award, he lives in Oregon.Excerpt. ? Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Dragon and SlaveCHAPTER 1With a slight change in engine pitch, and a small ripple of vibration through the deck, the Essenay came off the ECHO stardrive.They had arrived at the planet Brum-a-dum.Stretched out on his belly on the dayroom floor, Draycos hunched himself up onto his front paws and looked around. Over by the wall, fourteen-year-old Jack Morgan was seated at the narrow table, his elbows on the edge, his chin propped up in his hands. He was peering down at the table's surface, moving his lips silently. Concentrating on his studies, the boy had apparently missed the fact that the Essenay had returned to normal space.Draycos turned his attention toward the camera/speaker/ microphone setup that allowed the ship's computer to monitor the room's activities. In the dark lens of the camera he caught a distorted glimpse of his own long, triangular head and the spiny crest starting between his glowing green eyes and extending down his long back. Like a dragon the size of a small tiger, Jack had said at their first meeting.The description had intrigued Draycos, and he'd spent several hours over the past two months researching the topic of dragons in the Essenay's library. Some of the stories he'dfound had been rather flattering. Others had definitely not been. "Well?" he called toward the camera."Well what?" Uncle Virge's voice came back, sounding grumpy."I thought perhaps you would like to announce our arrival," Draycos said mildly.Jack looked up from the table. "We're here?" he asked. "Uncle Virge?""Yes, we're here," the computerized voice confirmed reluctantly. "Don't get excited--I'm still scanning the area. That could take awhile."Jack threw a knowing look at Draycos. "Come on, Uncle Virge, quit stalling," the boy said. "We already know where the Chookoock family estate is. Just plot us a landing course and take us down.""It's not that simple, Jack lad," Uncle Virge protested. "There are airway lanes to be located, arrival procedures to be observed, Brummgan customs documents to be filed--""And you can do all of that with your eyes sh