Leia closed her eyes and did not sigh. She could do this. She had seen her home world's destruction. She could survive celebrating its rebirth, such as it was.
Over the course of millions of years, gravitational forces would have accumulated the tightly packed debris that remained of Alderaan into a new planet. Technology could accelerate that process. The New Republic had decided that, for symbolism's sake, it should.
Leia had recused herself to avoid controversy, but she would have voted against it.
This new Alderaan consisted of approximately the same stuff as her planet. However, a planet was more than a collection of atoms. The remade world had little in the way of contours. No tectonic activity to drive rifts and pile up mountain ranges, nowhere near enough water to fill oceans. The ecosystems were irretrievably lost, even as scientists searched the galaxy's collections for native genetic material. Its people and cultures: overwhelmingly destroyed.
Perhaps Leia should have made her excuses. Rebuilding the Republic was a monumental effort, so who could blame her if she failed to find the time to visit a dead world? Quite a few people unfortunately, if usually not in very good faith.
She supposed it was her duty. Besides, they were preparing to land, so there was no backing out now.
The ship soared through the field that held in the atmosphere. Whether New Alderaan should have one had been another debate. Yes, obviously, had been one side. The nays came up with more reasons. A breathable atmosphere was yet another engineering feat, read expense. The lack of an atmosphere would have allowed the surface to remain in pristine condition, like a museum. But what was there even to protect? (And an atmosphere, while allowing erosion, shielded against meteor impacts. There was still plenty of debris in decaying orbits.) In the end, those favouring air had won, allowing many worlds to donate a symbolic amount. The vast majority of the atmosphere would however be manufactured here. That process would take decades, if not centuries, but pockets could be made liveable far sooner.
When the door hissed open, Leia took a deep breath of the debated air. "It won't be so bad," she whispered. No one was going to die here. She had witnessed so much death.
Leia stepped out, placing her first foot on this world. She felt light, probably because the planet was only about two thirds of the mass of her Alderaan. It really wasn't so bad.
This would never be her home. What was lost could not be replaced. But it could be a nexus of memory, a promise to the future, and a home for others.
The End