Continued . . .
Even though she never really did forgive her father, or forget what he did, every world that she took from the Empire would help ease the pain of her memories.
The Bakuran mission was a success, and Leia was assigned more and more missions as an ambassador to planets of the galaxy that had been under Imperial rule. Leia used all her diplomatic courtesies, often aided by C-3P0, to keep any hostility at a low level. She and the other members of the Provisional Council knew how fragile and tenuous was the balance of power.
The Alliance High Command finally convened a Constitutional Convention to establish a second Galactic Republic, and a provisional government was created. This Provisional Council included Chief Councilor Mon Mothma, Commander in Chief Admiral Ackbar, Bothan Councilor Borsk Fey'lya, Alderaan Councilor Leia Organa, and others. Mon Mothma saw their main task "to become the New Republic in fact as well as name."
A smaller group, the Inner Council, consisted of no one but Mothma, Ackbar, Fey'lya and Leia. While the Provisional Council was trying to deal with its political issues and struggles, the war against the Empire was still skirmishing on the outer edges of the galaxy --and sometimes in the heart of it. The Inner Council helped make the immediate, day-to-day decisions facing the New Republic.
Eventually the New Republic Council decided to move its headquarters to Imperial City on Coruscant, once the seat of Emperor Palpatine. There, Leia and Han finally had a chance to reconcile their feelings for each other when Hapan Prince Isolder arrived on Coruscant, bearing gifts from the sixty-three worlds of the Hapan cluster. The dashing and handsome prince asked for Leia's hand in marriage, and she considered the request; an earlier visit to Hapes had reminded her very much of Alderaan, and Isolder was stable and charming.
Of course, Han wasn't about to give up without a fight, and he kidnapped Leia and took her to Dathomir, a planet he had won in a card game. But Han's schemes always took wrong turns. His romantic overture was interrupted by a war between two clans of Force-wielding Nightsisters. However, by the time Luke and Isolder joined the battle and helped win it, Leia had decided she was better off with the roguish scoundrel.
One of the most pressing issues to face the Council was the appearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fleet. Leia was instrumental in bringing the Noghri out of service to the Empire and into the New Republic, and in inviting Garm Bel Iblis and his forces to rejoin the Alliance. She also helped Luke and Mara Jade destroy the mad Jedi clone Joruus C'Baoth.
As she dealt with her dozens of Council meetings, Leia tried to train her Jedi powers with Luke. She had little time for Jedi training, though.
After surviving Imperial forces drove the New Republic off Coruscant, the New Republic placed their temporary headquarters on the Fifth Moon of Da Soocha in the Cyax system.
Leia had to deal with the clone of the Emperor, and his seeming corruption of Luke. On the way to help her brother, Leia and Han visited Nar Shaddaa, where Leia was recognized as a Jedi by Vima-Da-Boda and given an ancient lightsaber.
The clone tried to corrupt Leia as well, knowing that her Force powers were strong indeed. Her will was stronger, though, and she escaped, taking Palpatine's Jedi Holocron with her. Later, she returned to Luke's side, and joined her will with his to defeat the cloned Emperor.
Soon after, Leia and Han returned to Nar Shaddaa to find Vima-Da-Boda. Later, on New Alderaan, she helped defend a New Republic settlement from another Dark Sider attack before returning to the Republic's temporary base on the abandoned floating space city of Nespis VIII.
Within months, the Alliance won back the Imperial City on Coruscant, and the New Republic Council resumed their attempts of restructuring a galactic government.
As time progressed, Leia accepted more and more responsibilites in the provisional government. She remained the voice of reason, often supporting decisions of Mon Mothma or Admiral Ackbar above others. Luke eventually went off to Yavin Four to build a new Jedi academy, while his sister became the minister of state, the most important diplomat in the New Republic.
Over the following year, Leia had many crises to deal with. Mon Mothma was dying of a mysterious wasting disease, and her protegee gained even more duties. Also, Han was missing on his diplomatic mission to Kessel.
Disasters continued to strike. Leia and Ackbar travelled to Vortex for an important diplomatic meeting; the Mon Calamari ended up crashing his B-Wing fighter into the Vors' crystalline Cathedral of the Winds. Disgraced, he resigned. Without Mothma or Ackbar, Leia was the sole voice of reason when Imperial Admiral Daala and her forces emerged from the black-hole cluster known as the Maw. As if things weren't bad enough, Luke was comatose on Yavin Four, his spirit gone from his body.
Things began to turn around as Leia brought disparate elements of the galaxy together. She helped clear Ackbar of blame in the Vortex incident. She was with Luke's Jedi trainees as they used their combined Force powers to destroy the spirit of Dark Lord of the Sith Exar Kun. She brought the Jedi initiate Cilghal to Coruscant to attempt to heal Mon Mothma, but she had already died.
Before she died, Mon Mothma had already tendered her resignation to the Council, and had chosen Leia as her replacement as chief of state. Even as the Republic's leader, though, Leia refused to compromise her time with her family. A vacation on Ithor became a search for the lost children of the Jedi on Plawell and a battle against Roganda Ismaren and her son Irek, who planned to use Leia as a valuable pawn in their plans to build a new Empire.