From this point onwards chapters will be released individually as I finish them. While I will not have a set upload schedule, I will try to have a chapter released every week or two over the summer.

- Chapter 1 -

No no no! I'm going to be late!

Xavier flapped his wings as fast and as hard as he could, muscles straining under the immense pressure he was placing on them. The air slammed against him, as if it too were conspiring to make him miss his appointment.

Do I look too disheveled? Did I forget anything? his mind raced. No, it's too late to worry about that now!

Ever since he had been accepted for an interview for a cybersecurity position at ComCorp – an up-and-coming tech company and JSI's greatest rival – Xavier had been heaped with anxieties. What if he screwed this up? What if he just wasn't good enough for the job? What if there was someone else better for it than him?

Of all the days to sleep in…

He had been pacing around his room in a worried tizzy until well past midnight the night before. In hindsight, he should have anticipated that he'd be too tired to wake up on time. He'd barely had enough time to brush his teeth and grab his bag, and it hadn't helped that the SandWings living on the floor below him had come up to complain about his pacing the night before right as he was heading out.

"One of these days, you're going to wear a hole in the ceiling and fall right through!" one of them had said, a noticeable trace of concern in their voice.

Xavier's stomach grumbled, the aching emptiness of hunger snapping him back to the present. He'd just have to bear with it. Maybe they had a snack bar at the headquarters?

Focus Xavier! You've got more important things to worry about than food!

He soared north above the vast stretches of the Jade Range. Below him wound a narrow, twisting valley that descended deeper and deeper between looming cliffs on either side of it. There, within a wider pocket in the crevasse, stood the ComCorp headquarters.

It was an imposing building, to say the least. Dark rectangular plates and frames of metal were interspersed with vast sheets of glass to form a more than twenty-story tower that rose from the bottom of the rift, the signal towers at its pinnacle reaching just above the nearby hills. It looked like the secret lair of some cartoon supervillain; Xavier always wondered why ComCorp hadn't chosen a more open and accessible location for their headquarters. A bus ride there from inner Drakenon could take up to an hour!

He spiraled down toward the looming structure, landing atop a wide platform that capped one of the shorter sections of it. It was at about the same height as the nearby cliffs, even featuring a couple of connecting bridges that were just wide enough for a single dragon to walk along (they were mostly there for humans, after all).

Xavier clutched his bag closer to his chest and gazed up at the upper portion of the headquarters towering before him. Even without it being the full height of the structure it still looked intimidating. An ever-increasing number of green squares were spreading across his back and legs in a jumbled, disorganized pattern.

Come on Xavier, you can do this…

Hidden had told him such countless times. "You're the best programmer this side of the Jade Range!" he'd say. "They'd be crazy not to hire you!" His boundless optimism made everything sound so easy.

If only you had even a fraction of that confidence…

Xavier shook his head. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

It felt like iron chains were dragging behind him with each step closer to the headquarters' entrance. A couple passing humans in ComCorp uniforms cast him a curious look. Possible future coworkers? Was this going to be his first impression on the people he'd spend the rest of his life working with?

He nearly slammed his face right into the front door thinking about the two. He carefully gripped the handle – it took him a couple of tries to get his claws around it – and pulled.

THUNK!

He pushed, and the glass door swung open, beckoning him into the lavish upper lobby of ComCorp headquarters. Compared with the sleek, futuristic exterior of the building, the interior felt like stepping through time into a Great War era pub. The space was lit by a cozy, warm light. Red and black carpet covered the floor, with a few dark green couches of both dragon and human size set along the walls beneath countless photos of different research teams and their projects. Before him sat a curved desk carved of dark brown wood and trimmed in silver, a slim human dressed in a tight-fitting suit sitting behind it.

"Hm? And who might you be?" he asked, glancing over at Xavier from a tall, tall chair that put him at eye-level with the RainWing. Xavier kept waiting for it to fall over, yet it never did.

"Well?"

"Oh! Sorry…I um…I'm Xavier. I'm here for the um…for a position for a cybersecurity interv…I mean, an interview for a cybersecurity position."

Really nailing it with first impressions, aren't you?

"Ah, yes. Mr. Xavier. You're here early, aren't you?"

"Wait, what?"

"Your interview isn't scheduled for another hour."

It suddenly felt like the entire building was collapsing down upon him. It's at eleven. Not ten. He'd double and triple checked the time, and yet still had managed to forget it in his hurry that morning. He hadn't had anything to worry about after all! He almost let out a laugh at the sudden realization but caught himself before he did.

"You can wait here if you so desire. It is a rather long flight back to Drakenon after all." the receptionist continued, gesturing to one of the couches along the wall. If he was in any way amused or annoyed by Xavier's mistake, he didn't show it. Xavier was about to make his way over to one of them, when he spotted a bowl of peppermints on the table.

"Uh…may I…?"

"By all means."

He snatched up a mint and quickly popped it into his mouth. It wasn't much of a breakfast, but it'd have to do.

He plopped himself down on a couch in the corner of the reception room, trying his best to look as small and unassuming as possible without outright camouflaging. At first he tried to distract himself by sucking on the mint, but that only lasted for about ten minutes. That left him fifty minutes with nothing but his thoughts, the occasional passerby, and the pictures on the wall to keep him occupied. He hadn't even remembered to bring his laptop!

Will this make me look good, arriving early? he wondered. Or will they think I'm careless for getting the time wrong? What if I've messed this up already?

"Hey, are you alright?"

Xavier hadn't realized he'd started curling up into a ball on the couch. He quickly righted himself and looked up to see an IceWing standing before him. He was a bit tall, probably a couple meters taller than Xavier was, and wore a silver-trimmed forest green ComCorp uniform. He had light blueish purple scales and striking golden eyes that seemed to put Xavier at ease with their kind gaze alone. He was also quite handsome, though Xavier felt himself beginning to blush a little at the thought of this.

"I…yeah…I'm fine…" Xavier managed to say, trying his best to hide the discomfort that had been lingering over him for the past few days. The IceWing gave him a look, clearly not buying his obvious lie.

Xavier sighed. "No, I've got a job interview coming up, and I've been so stressed out about it that I accidentally came here an hour earlier than I should have!" It quickly occurred to him that he was dumping his personal issues on a complete stranger. He wasn't sure why, but there was something about the way this dragon looked at him that made him feel safe in saying such things.

The IceWing let out a brief chortle. "Ha, yeah, I know what you mean! I didn't get a wink of sleep before my interview here. You'd think with such quaint headquarters there'd be nothing to worry about, right?"

Xavier felt himself giggling a little at the IceWing's remark, his tension beginning to ease up a bit. The IceWing made a motion asking if he could sit next to Xavier, who slid aside on the couch to give him some more room.

"Ah, so, which of our little slices of knarl are ya gettin' yourself into? Don't tell me you're trying to join the marketing staff!" Xavier shook his head, and the IceWing nodded. "Yeah, you don't come across to me as one of those vultures," he continued.

"I'm hoping to join the cybersecurity team," Xavier explained.

A smile crossed the IceWing's snout. "Cybersecurity? What a coincidence!"

"You're a part of it?" Xavier asked. Why did he feel so suddenly elated at the prospect of that?

"Nah, I'm in data management. But our offices are right next door," the IceWing elaborated. "I'm Moose, by the way."

"Xavier."

Moose offered a talon and Xavier shook it. "Well Xavier, I guess I'll have to get used to seeing your face around here, won't I? Can't say I can complain there," he said with a bit of a cheeky grin.

It took Xavier a moment to notice the pink beginning to flare up on his scales. He quickly pushed it down, a wave of blueish grey taking its place as he was reminded of his interview.

"That's only if I get accepted …"

"Hey, don't sell yourself so short! I'm sure you'll get through just fine!" Moose responded. "And if not, then those smoke-breathers won't know what an amazing dragon they're missing out on!" He briefly glanced around, as if worried one of said smoke-breathers was walking right past.

A smile crept back across Xavier's snout, his scales shifting to a more soothing sky-blue shade. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but hearing Moose's encouragement was way more reassuring than Hidden's. Or perhaps he was sure. There were a lot of emotions flying around in him right then, and not all of them from the interview.

The two sat together for a while longer, Moose sharing all of the ins and outs of working at ComCorp, from where the closest restrooms were on his floor to which of the 3D-printed cookies at the snack bar tasted the best.

"And whatever you do, don't order the strawberry jam-filled cookies! I learned that myself the hard way…" Moose continued. He glanced over at a large digital clock set above the reception desk (a rather anachronistic piece compared with lobby's the old-fashioned decor).

"Aw moons, now I'm gonna be late!" he exclaimed. "Got a bit carried away there. It was worth it meetin' you though, Xavier." He gave the RainWing a warm smile, and Xavier smiled back.

"I loved talking with you too…I mean I love…um, I uh…" Xavier fumbled. Why was it so hard for him to say goodbye?

Come on, you know why.

"I hope I see you around!" was all he could say.

"I do too!" Moose replied. He disappeared into a hallway behind the reception desk, leaving Xavier internally strangling himself. Moose probably thought he was a complete dork now.

His self-deprecating thoughts were swiftly interrupted by the receptionist. "It's time for your interview, Mr. Xavier. The division manager is waiting for you in room 1904. It's just up the stairs and to the left."

Xavier leaped up, feeling strangely relieved to have the interview to distract him from Moose. He hadn't even realized time had flown by so fast! As he made his way past the reception desk and to the nearest stairwell, he realized that the anxiety he'd once had for the meeting had all but vanished.

Perhaps things would work out just fine.

Things were not working out just fine.

When Xavier had agreed to go on Hidden's little escapade into the bowels of JSI, he'd expected to get caught, and maybe even arrested. He had NOT expected to be hurdled into another universe aboard an interdimensional spaceship and entangled in a medieval military coup.

"Surrender yourself now, and maybe I'll make your death…"

The violent MudWing general's gloating was swiftly ended when Tancho leaped toward him faster than Xavier could blink and landed a punch right on his snout. Xavier flinched a little at the harsh snap that sounded through the hanger; that hit had definitely broken something.

Mere seconds later Tancho had knocked Numawani's weapon from his grip, though the former Chief of Defense refused to back down and the two locked into fierce talon-to-talon combat where neither seemed to have a clear advantage.

While all this took place Xavier stood almost perfectly still, like a statue, silently watching the violence unfolding before his eyes and not lifting a claw to stop it. He was petrified, terrified, his whole body covered in a rigid zigzag pattern of bright greens and yellows. What could he possibly do to help? He didn't know how to fight, and the raging warlord was less likely to listen to reason than Hidden on caffeine!

Besides, even if he did try something, he'd probably just get them into a bigger mess than they already were.

He thought he heard Hidden saying something to Ricky. It was probably nothing important. His focus was locked on the vicious dance of Tancho and Numawani. Would Tancho prevail and save them from this mad dragon? Or would Numawani succeed in killing them all?

Xavier was so focused on the fight that it came as quite a surprise when he felt a foreleg plow right into his neck. Before he knew it, he was being dragged by Hidden over to one of the shuttles, barely managing to let out a startled "What?!"

"Come on, I've got a plan!" Hidden exclaimed, dropping Xavier next to him as he started fiddling with the handle on one of the shuttle's doors. Those words instantly snapped Xavier back to his senses.

"Plan? What plan?!" he squawked, throat still a little sore from Hidden's foreleg. "Hidden, what are you doing?!"

"Helping Tancho!" Hidden grunted back as he yanked the shuttle door wide open. "Aha! Open's just like a car door!" He scurried inside, beckoning for Xavier to join him.

The RainWing hesitated. "How is this supposed to help Tancho exactly?" he asked, casting warry glances at the fight just meters away.

"We'll figure something out, just get in!" Hidden responded hurriedly. "Unless you want to be sitting out in the open where Numawani can get you!"

As much as Xavier hated to admit it, it did seem safer inside the shuttle. Of course, he wouldn't be in any danger at all had he not come on this trip to begin with. Why couldn't you have just stayed home and played Beatwave like normal?

Xavier stumbled over to the other side of the shuttle and pulled open the door. Stepping inside, he was surprised to find it shockingly similar to a typical truck cabin back in their world, albeit with a multitude of controls and screens that he couldn't make heads or tales of scattered across the dashboard.

He settled into his seat next to Hidden; it was a little stiff and could have used some more tail room. Hidden had already begun inspecting the controls, claws hovering worryingly close to the many buttons and switches.

"You're not actually planning on flying this thing, are you?" Xavier asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Of course! It shouldn't be too hard, right? Some of these look pretty similar to the controls on the vehicles back home…"

"The last vehicle you drove was a go-kart three years ago. And you crashed."

Hidden shuddered. "No need to bring that up again…"

Through the shuttle's windshield Xavier could make out the two MudWings, still locked in their fierce struggle. He winced at the sight of a few bleeding cuts on Tancho, though they didn't seem all that serious. Numawani on the other talon seemed to have no scratches on him, yet he was covered in so many bruises that he almost looked more like a NightWing than a MudWing. Still, Tancho couldn't keep this up forever, and Numawani showed no signs of backing down anytime soon.

Come on Tancho, you can do this!

"I think this is the ignition…" Hidden mumbled, Xavier missing his remark only to be startled yet again when the shuttle let out a low groan and lurched up from the hanger floor. Hidden pumped the air in his excitement. "Haha! Got it!"

"W-Wait Hidden! Are you sure this is the best idea?" Xavier sputtered, tightly clutching his seat and the dashboard as the shuttle lightly rocked in the air. They were only a meter or two off of the ground, but Xavier still couldn't help but feel a boiling anxiety wash over him.

Hidden for his part seemed not the least bit concerned about the affair. He gripped the steering stick of the shuttle and lightly pushed forward. The shuttle lurched once again, this time gliding across the hanger floor, right toward the two MudWings.

"Hidden? Hidden! Watch out!" Xavier screamed, just as the shuttle seemed ready to slam right into Tancho.

"I'm trying to stop it!" Hidden hollered back.

Moments before the bulky ship hit Tancho it suddenly halted, Hidden and Xavier nearly being thrown from their seats as a loud twang pierced through the hanger.

"Sorry!" Hidden shouted through the windshield, Tancho giving him an irritated, and then worried look.

Just as the two were righting themselves from the sudden stop, the shuttle began rapidly listing to the right. Xavier barely had time to register what was happening when he heard a loud thunk from the side of the ship, followed by a furious howl quickly disappearing out of the hanger.

"Was that…?" Xavier started.

A slight smirk began to cross Hidden's face. "Yep."

It took Xavier a moment to realize what had happened. The shuttle must have been hooked to the hanger floor by a docking tether, which Hidden had neglected to remove. They'd hit the end of that tether just before running into Tancho and had instead swung about right into Numawani. Xavier could almost laugh at how lucky they had been.

Unfortunately, their luck would very soon run out.

Not long after Numawani had been violently expelled from the Salvation, the great ship began to moan and rumble in a way Xavier could never forget. A sickening feeling began to form in his stomach as frightening memories of their first flight on the ship came rushing back to him. He looked to Hidden, about to tell him to land the shuttle quickly, only for the Salvation to rocket off before he could.

It all happened so fast. One moment they were floating leisurely above the hanger floor, the next they were dangling halfway out of it while a swirling, crackling vortex roared just behind them. The docking tether was strung taut ahead, faintly creaking as it was strained beyond its limits. Tancho sat a little ways away, watching on in horror.

"Hidden, do something!" Xavier shouted, clutching his seat so hard his claws began digging trenches through the tough upholstery.

"I'm trying! This thing won't budge!" Hidden shouted back, for once looking just as panicked as Xavier was.

The roar of the vortex seemed to grow ever louder as the shuttle inched further and further out of the hanger, docking tether stretching to its absolute limit. Xavier thought he spotted Ricky bolting into the hanger, but by then it was too late. The docking tether snapped, and the shuttle was flung off into the vortex, taking Xavier and Hidden with it.