Beyond - Legends Muggle Among Magicians (What if Jaina wasn't Force-sensitive?; NJO AU) On hiatus

Title: Muggle Among Magicians
Author: Lady_Tahiri
Genre: Drama, Romance
Timeframe: NJO
Characters: K/J, J/TK, A/T, H/L, L/M say that three times fast
Disclaimer: George Lucas owns the lot of it.
A/N: There Will Be Mush. That is a promise. It might be a while getting here, though. Also, I took some liberties with the ages of the Solo children.

This is basically an excuse to rewrite the NJO. I am eternally grateful to my beta, Iverna, for her tireless proofreading work, insight, and encouragement.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Muggle Among Magicians


?Have you ever asked yourself why you were born with the ability to touch the Force? Why our family and not someone else?s? Why the Skywalkers and not the Antilles? And why all of us? Why didn?t Jaina take after Dad? Why were all three of Han and Leia?s kids born with this ability as opposed to only one or two of us??
~Anakin Solo in "Fragile" by pregnantpadme


Prologue
Midnight?s Children


23 ABY

The party was in full swing, the drinks were flowing freely, the grownups were telling lame jokes and the kids were nowhere in sight ? which usually meant they were up to no good. Lando Calrissian was making a killing at the sabaac table. A golden protocol droid hovered nearby with a tray of hors d?oeuvres; he was largely ignored by the guests.

The Solos? Eastport apartment faced west, offering a breathtaking view of Coruscant?s sunset. Today, however, there was no one to enjoy it except an angry fourteen-year-old girl who was scuffing her boots against the railing. The party was being held in her brothers? honor.

She had almost gotten used to having them back. For the past month she, Jacen, Anakin and their friend Zekk had gone exploring every day in Coruscant?s underbelly, a region with which Zekk was intimately familiar. It had seemed like old times again. There were no classes to attend, no homework to hand in. The Solo kids were a unit. They did everything together, from sneaking into nightclubs to pounding on the door of the refresher when one or the other of them was taking too long inside. Jaina remembered being ten years old and invincible, flanked by a brother on each side, and how the whole galaxy seemed to lay glittering at their feet.

That all changed when Uncle Luke took Jacen and Anakin to the Academy.

The worst part was that she couldn?t even stay properly mad at Uncle Luke. If it had been somebody else running a special school for Jedi that stole her brothers away for seven months out of twelve, Jaina Solo would have raised hell. She would not have rested until she got them back. As a small child, she had been forced to spend enough time apart from her parents that she bitterly resented anyone who tried to break up her family. But what could you do when it was your own uncle?s lifelong dream at stake? It wasn?t fair to blame Luke for wanting to revive the Jedi Order. It was equally unfair to blame her mother, through whom the genes had passed, or her brothers themselves, who seemed on the whole delighted with Yavin Four. They sensed Jaina?s reservations and spoke little of the Academy, but even so she felt a stab of jealousy every time she caught a reference to ?Lowie? or ?Tenel Ka.?

She might have been tempted to blame her father, if it wasn?t for the one night when he sat her down and told her very solemnly how thankful he was for her, how alone he had felt in the early days before the twins came along, when it had been just him, Luke, Leia and a boatload of Force-sensitives. ?I love your mom and uncle but ? It was like being under siege,? Han had explained. ?I felt so alone. You can?t even imagine.?

She was pretty sure, now, that she could. She tossed one chestnut brown braid over her shoulder and waited for the stars to come out.

She thought it might be Jacen who found her ? it usually was ? but she could tell by the sound of the measured tread behind her that it wasn?t.

?What are you doing out

 

Oooohhhh, Great job, I love it so far!

What an interesting twist, I can't wait to see where you take it, and for the mush, of course!

If you start a pm list, please add me.

 

Exciting! Can't wait to see this continued. I like the way you're establishing the characters. Good to see all my favorite YJK people are here, especially *ahem* Zekk. Very good job writing Jaina without her Force talents. I think her reaction is very true to her personality. Looking forward to seeing more of this.

 

With such a cute title I thought aha! PT tale LOL

This looks fabulous -- I love NJO rewrites.

The opening quote from Fragile --

K/J -- oops! Not J/J?

Even with sugar on top?

I'd love PMs for updates if you're making a list?

 

You started it! Awesomeness!!!!!

?Mirax?s. Don?t tell anyone but I wouldn?t touch your mom?s ryshcate with a ten-foot pole.?

?Me neither.?

Loved this little moment of bonding between Luke and Jaina... nothing brings people closer together than food.

And... can I just say wow? Because Luke brings up some very good points about the differences. And so does Jaina.


Good, good start. (And I'd love PM updates if you're keeping a list.)

 

It's up! Fantastic.

I really like that Jaina is able, if slightly unwilling, to confide in Luke like that. I like that it shows a closeness between them and, on a larger scale, acts as a representation of the family as a whole. That's always one of my favorite parts about the Skywalker/Solo clan and something I wish we saw more of in the EU, even before these past recent years.

One of the children of the second generation not having Force sensitivity, on either side, is something I've never even thought about before. It's especially interesting that you take it one step farther and make it one of the twins. I'm looking forward to seeing Jaina evolve as she grows and experiences.

 

Well, for all that my mind is pretty twisted it never came up with the idea of having one of them be a norm. This is great, and I really love you're writing. Can't wait for more. Pleaseadd me to the PM list if you have one?

TWIN_SABER

 

I think this is the first fanfic that has Jaina being non-Force sensitive. I feel sorry for Jaina being left at home while Jacen, Anakin, and now Zekk leave. That has to suck.
I look forward to more of this story. Please add me to the pm list.

 

Yaaay, you posted it! I'm really excited to see this play out.

I still love that line about the ryshcate. Haha, poor Leia. And poor everyone else who doesn't want to hurt her feelings! *lol*

I also love how you worked the "everybody is going away" line from the Allston books (forget which one), by the way. Nice!

I'd like to sign up for the PM list, too, although you can just email me or something if that's easier.

 

This looks very interesting! Nice premise - and wonderful scene with Luke & Jaina. Indeed, SW sometimes becomes to Jedi-centric! I can't wait to see what you'll do with this! Please add me to the PM list if you have one.

 

Bea: *is apparently going back to her stalker/creeper-ish ways*

I read the top quote and I was like hmm...that sounds familiar. Oh, it's Elle's quote. Wait, who's writing this fic? *scrolls up* LT?! Oh kriff!


Leia sounds like she's as good of a cook as my own mother. Poor Jaina without the Force. But she'll stick kick ass, that's for sure.

You know the drill: add me to the list?

Peace,
Bea

 

Very interesting concept and one I'd love to see play out. If there is a PM list, could I be added?

 

Great start!

I really like this. I never thought I could think of Jaina without her Force-sensitivity. But you made it really realistic and I was drawn in.

Please add me to the PM list!

 

You know what I hate about new stories?

I always want more, now!

Great concept and I really loved how you portrayed Jaina. Awesome!

(p.s. Do you have a PM list?)

 

Thank you for all the feedback! Please continue to leave some love. I really enjoy writing this story and I'm glad you all enjoyed reading it.



Kailene

Oooohhhh, Great job, I love it so far!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

What an interesting twist, I can't wait to see where you take it, and for the mush, of course!
*cracks knuckles* Working on it right now, I am. The mush will be glorious. As long as you don?t mind wading through some angst first.

Lonewolf

Exciting! Can't wait to see this continued.
Aww thanks. Good to have you.

I like the way you're establishing the characters. Good to see all my favorite YJK people are here, especially *ahem* Zekk.
I am actually doing a speed-read of the YJK right now as I?ve never read them before, so hopefully nobody will be wildly out of character.

Very good job writing Jaina without her Force talents. I think her reaction is very true to her personality. Looking forward to seeing more of this.
Thank you, I actually found that Jaina was the easiest of the Solo kids to imagine without the Force.

Jade_eyes

With such a cute title I thought aha! PT tale LOL
Haha what kind of special treat is a PT tale?

This looks fabulous -- I love NJO rewrites.
Thanks! They?re so much fun.

The opening quote from Fragile
Ah yes this plot bunny has been bouncing around for some time. When I got to that scene in Fragile I was like ?preggers must be a mindreader? lol.

K/J -- oops! Not J/J? Even with sugar on top?
There Will Be Jag. Can?t promise that there will be J/J though.

Daena

You started it! Awesomeness!!!!!
Good to see you!!

Loved this little moment of bonding between Luke and Jaina... nothing brings people closer together than food.
It?s true! For some reason the idea of Leia as an incompetent cook cracks me up. Probably because she?s so competent at everything else.

And... can I just say wow? Because Luke brings up some very good points about the differences. And so does Jaina.
Thank you! The prologue was supposed to set things up and I?m glad to hear that you found it interesting.

Bri

I really like that Jaina is able, if slightly unwilling, to confide in Luke like that. I like that it shows a closeness between them and, on a larger scale, acts as a representation of the family as a whole. That's always one of my favorite parts about the Skywalker/Solo clan and something I wish we saw more of in the EU, even before these past recent years.
Luke is very good at getting young people to open up to him, isn?t he? I think that?s part of the reason he was so successful at running a school for so many years. He manages not to provoke that knee-jerk ?Oh, kriff, not another heart-to-heart? reaction that seems to be hardwired into adolescents? psyches.

One of the children of the second generation not having Force sensitivity, on either side, is something I've never even thought about before. It's especially interesting that you take it one step farther and make it one of the twins. I'm looking forward to seeing Jaina evolve as she grows and experiences.
Thanks for reading, Bri. It?s always good to have you and I hope I do Jaina justice.

Twin_Saber

Well, for all that my mind is pretty twisted it never came up with the idea of having one of them be a norm.
Really? I would think more people would have thought of it. It seems like such a soap-operaish twist.

This is great, and I really love you're writing. Can't wait for more.
Thanks!

jaina-fett

I think this is the first fanfic that has Jaina being non-Force sensitive. I feel sorry for Jaina being left at home while Jacen, Anakin, and now Zekk leave. That has to suck.
I know, poor Jaina. But she takes the bull by the horns and tries to wrangle her way into the Academy. Poor, poor Jaina.

I look forward to more of this story.
Thanks for reading!

Iverna

Yaaay, you posted it! I'm really excited to see this play out.
Me t

 

Chapter One
Lando?s Folly

27 ABY

Of all the worlds Jaina had ever visited, Dubrillion had to be the most ostentatiously expressive of its own particular character. It bore the mark of its maker. Lando was written in the reflective planes of the high, clustered towers; in the alabaster curve of the spiral corridors sweeping out from the starport?s central hanger; but most of all in the giant scoreboard mounted atop the tallest building on the planet, its blazing red letters proclaiming the names of those individuals who currently held the record for running the asteroid belt known as Lando?s Folly.

There was a gap of more than two minutes between the top two pilots.

Jaina?s brothers were gaping openly at the board, and out of the corner of her eye she saw her father elbow Chewie, who gave a noncommittal grunt. A slight frown puckered her mother?s brow. Like Jaina, she had known it was inevitable ever since Uncle Luke had proposed the destination. Jacen and Anakin were going to turn this into another contest in their ongoing not-so-friendly rivalry. At stake was the role of the Jedi and the ultimate purpose of the Force. Only a pair of teenage boys could turn a philosophical impasse into an opportunity to fly the pants off each other.

Jaina caught her aunt?s eye. At Mara?s nod of assent, Jaina turned and walked away from her family, who were listening with half an ear to Lando?s tour guide spiel even as they mentally wagered on the outcome of the competition. When they finally noticed her absence, Mara would step in with a perfectly reasonable explanation. Meanwhile Jaina had work to do. There were two things in the galaxy that Jaina Solo was good at. One of them was flying. For the sake of her own healthy ego, if not for the sake of saving her brothers from a fruitless debate, she was not going to let either of them win this round.

There was a steady stream of freighters lifting off from the spaceport, although in daylight only the silhouette of Dubrillion?s sister planet, Destrillion, was visible overhead. When the Millennium Falcon had arrived in system, Jaina had noted that the two planets were comparable in size and described almost identical orbits about the primary. If not for the fact that the one boasted clear blue skies while the other?s atmosphere was occluded by a noxious brown cloud of pollutants, they could have been twins. There?s more to twins than meets the eye, she decided.

She had wanted to bring her own X-wing. She hadn?t understood why Aunt Mara had vetoed her request almost immediately, or why Uncle Luke had gone along with it, and the nugget of that annoyance had been gnawing away at her until they dropped out of hyperspace beside the Jade Sabre to discover that Anakin was not there. Mara had fed Artoo the wrong coordinates, Uncle Luke had explained airily. A little test. And Leia had bitten her lip because even though Anakin was her baby he was Mara?s apprentice now. He was perfectly capable of reaching out with the Force to pinpoint a mob of his relatives sitting not five parsecs away, and sure enough before Leia even had time to voice her tentative concern Anakin was there. Jaina could hear his grin echoing through the comm unit as he complained that Aunt Mara was getting soft in her old age.

It was, in truth, a peculiar way to go on a trip. There were the things they said out loud to each other and then there were the things that nobody talked about, things that simmered nonetheless beneath the innocuous dinner table conversations and the games of dejarik. Jaina wondered if Uncle Luke and Aunt Mara had experienced the same phenomenon on the Jade Sabre. Maybe not. Maybe, being married on top of being Jedi Masters, there weren?t any barriers to communication. But Jaina doubted it. She thought about how Jacen was sixteen going on sixty, how Anakin had caught the ?save-the-galaxy-singlehandedly? syndrome, how Aunt Mara?s already precarious health had taken a nosedive after accompanying Leia to Rhommamool. She thought about how her father?s

 

Great job!

 

Wow! Excellent writing and characterizations all around! And an excellent cliffhanger

 

Wow, nicely done. Good to know that Jaina without the Force is still Jaina.

 

Awesome sequence. I always loved Landos folly.

Excellant description of Jaina.

 

Wow. It is so weird to see Jaina away from the attention. It's like her family have the lime light on the boys and Jaina kind of has to prove herself.

Great update though. The characterisations are precise.

 

Wow. It is so weird to see Jaina away from the attention. It's like her family have the lime light on the boys and Jaina kind of has to prove herself.

Great update though. The characterisations are precise.

 

Only a pair of teenage boys could turn a philosophical impasse into an opportunity to fly the pants off each other.

As if they needed an excuse...

"You?re forgetting to breathe,? he whispered into her hair.

She snorted. ?And you?re making a scene. I can stand just fine.?

Awwww...

And... omph... evil cliffie!


Good chapter.

 

Tis truly my pleasure to be aboard for the ride! It's almost like a trip down memory lane, but with a fresh new twist.

*totally snagging spot in line*

Edit: Reply!

While I like the idea of Anakin as Mara's apprentice and how they seem to work really well together, what I like most about this segment is how you still portray Mara and Jaina as being close. I loved that they were made M/A in VP and it's something that I wish we'd seem more of from then on, even within the NJO itself. It never really seemed to come up very often after that, let alone anything meaningful happening between the two of them, and here you've managed to take that entire scenario out of the equation and give it a vastly EU setting and still portray them as being quite close. At least, that's how it reads to me.

You write all the relationships between the characters as being feeling very natural and tight knit, actually. It doesn't feel forced or contrite, like when Anakin gets Mara the chair, or Mara playing Jaina's co-conspirator when she runs off, or the way Luke is at once casual and protective of Mara. Augh, that damn disease. Anyway, I just wanted to say I appreciate your efforts in keeping them all in character and grounded.

And what a cliffie! Here's to hoping that both Mara and Jaina come out okay!

 

You know, now that Jaina isn't Force sensitive, Jacen and Anakin's rivalry is really annoying. Loved the update, although you ended it on a cliffhanger.
I am looking forward to more updates.