She was a Jedi Knight again.

That . . . that was something she was still getting used to, if she was being entirely honest with herself. She liked that she now had a more firm purpose in life, some guidelines to follow that didn't make her want to turn to the Dark side when the whole galaxy seemed against her. But it was something utterly alien from what she had known at the Academy on Coruscant. Something with less supervision, less rules and much more at stake should she manage to kriff it up. Not to mention she now had two Padawans of her own to look after now too, which wasn’t something she had ever envisioned for herself.

It almost felt weird to leave Dqar and not have someone or [i]something[/i] trying to kill her . . .

Mala was roused from her reveries by the shuttle entering Ilum’s atmosphere and quickly encountering turbulence. The weather had been terrible too when she’d visited Ilum all those years ago. She could feel the force energy emanating from the planet as they drew closer and closer to the Temple. 

Mala sat with her back to the wall of the shuttle. Her gloved hand went reflexively to her deeply scarred face, and she massaged it slowly, thumbs digging into the scar tissue. She could feel the maze of scar tissue itching through her gloves, rubbing against her hands through the black fabric. The aging Jedi let her head fall back against the rough metal of the bulkhead.

For years she had felt ashamed by her disfigurement and felt that it marked her, but in the end she’d accepted who she was now. In many ways it even helped with her new occupation. Where once she’d served as a General under the Old Republic, now Mala served as a teacher and mentor. Something she’d never imagined for herself again after losing her first apprentice, and the Order being hunted to near extinction. 

The shuttle touched down just then, she braced so as to avoid bonking her cranium against the bulkhead as they made another happy landing. Mala stood and walked towards the exit. As the shuttle door lowered, Mala smoothed out her uniform and pulled her gloves tighter over her hands. With the door lowered, Mala stepped from the shuttle ready to usher in a new era for the Jedi.

Mala had conversed with Reni on the Shuttle, and had shared her excitement to return to the sacred place. To Mala’s surprise, Reni didn’t share the same excitement. In fact, Reni held quite the opposite opinion on the Ilum Temple, loathing it as an arrogant relic of a bygone era. Mala had reminded Reni that the planet was one with the force, its core was formed of living kyber crystal. The Force had guided the hands of their forebears when crafting the Temple millenia ago. As children of the Force they had built the Temple using the planet’s topography and unique materials to create a place where the force-sensitive could truly be at one with the Force. Whether Reni believed Mala’s interpretation was a matter of debate, but a different perspective could never hurt. 

Mala stepped out into the deep snow, ready for what lay ahead. ”This place feels different,” Mala heard her Apprentice observe. 

”It’s the Force, right? It’s not like D’Qar. D’Qar felt quieter.”

Mala smiled approvingly. “Indeed my Padawan, this place is alive with the Force. This planet is a Force nexus, and a sacred location for the Jedi going back Millenia.”  

"So when do we get started? Varina got me all excited for this trip," Airus piped up. 

“Come along Padawans and stay close, the Gorgodons love to make a meal of stray Jedi.” Mala grinned maliciously as she trudged forward towards the Temple entrance.