Addison had sent word that things were falling into place. She had found them a three bedroom apartment, which was something that was a complete luxury on the Nexus. It was easy to find though, since not many of those units had been taken due to not many actual families living here yet. Barely any of the two room apartments had even been taken for that matter, but Addison had seen that Sahuna was with them, and figured she would likely be there for some time. This would allow them to have the necessary space for everyone to live comfortably without having to arrange for more than one apartment. It would also mean that they would be on a relatively empty floor, granting them privacy, which was another benefit.
She may have received a few questioning glances from the team members she was delegating that particular task to in order to have it prepared in such a rush. All of them wondering why such lavish living arrangements would be necessary, especially knowing that they were to be given out for free as part of the Nexus employment agreement. Even if Sara wasn't technically the pathfinder anymore, she was still on the payroll, which had meant that she was entitled to it, not to mention the fact that she had earned it even by Addison's standards.
Foster had been sure to take on the tasks of finding some basic baby supplies, and having them shipped to the apartment by herself. That really would have raised some eyebrows. Luckily they had prepackaged essentials in boxes already prepared for individuals, making it easy and discreet to have them delivered. It would leave some work for Jaal to do when they got settled to set up a crib, but Addison was sure that they would all appreciate the secrecy rather than the convenience of having someone else set it up for them. She did however, make sure that it had all of the other basic furnishings that they would require.
Lexi had been easy enough to arrange for in the end as well. There weren't many doctors taking up places in the Nexus Hospital yet either, and she found an empty office with a cott for the time being. She would have someone else arrange for a real living space, but Lexi was less of a rush in that regard, and at least the office provided something for her to have a meager living arrangement for the time being. It was spacious enough that she would even be able to have her own practice after the news got out, and until then, Addison had arranged to make sure that she had all the privileges she needed in order to help at the hospital as much as she liked.
Addison had also arranged for Kandros to escort them to the apartment personally, with a few other trusted guards. She had told them to wait for the night cycle to begin, so hopefully no one would notice anything. She didn't want the news getting out before an official statement was made. Rumours only created pandemonium, and no one needed that at the moment.
As the hours had passed, Jaal had packed everything of theirs that they would need immediately. Mostly their clothes and toiletries, and whatever supplies they had already gotten for Toivos. That and their hamster, "Mr. Ham" was probably all they would be taking right away. As Jaal moved his cage, he mused over the hamster's quite literal name. He was suddenly glad that he had been the one to come up with something for their son, worrying for Sara's lack of creativity, and what she may have thought of.
There wasn't too much else to pack. Being on a starship didn't leave one with many possessions, which made it easier. Mostly their favourite weapons, especially Jaal's rifle, and some other keepsakes. Sara had collected a decent assortment of model ships that she seemed to have grown quite a liking for. He and Sara had even spent a good amount of their vacation finally building some of the ones she had stowed away for down time.
It was something they both ended up enjoying. It allowed Jaal to be able to be meticulous putting them together, how he often liked to do with things, though it was different not having to take it apart to figure out in the first place. He still never looked at the directions though. He preferred the hands-on approach. It just wasn't fun if there was something telling you how to do everything.
It had been an easy task for them to bond over though, and the models had become important to the both of them. Jaal could easily see the walls of their new home proudly displaying them. They would be a way of taking a piece of the Tempest with them. He had even begun to envision a future where Toivos would be included in the endeavour. It would be a way for Jaal to share his curiosity for how things were made and worked without being so destructive as he had been in his own youth.
Jaal had neatly packed everything they wouldn't need right away into some crates that would likely be picked up by someone to deliver to their apartment in less of a rush.
Kandros had given them a call that his team was on their way, giving Sara and Jaal some warning so they could share a moment alone together in their room. It was their chance to say goodbye while they waited. They both knew they had to let it go, but the Tempest would always be special to them.
It's where their species had broken down walls, showing a commitment to develop trust. It's where they had fallen in love. It was the first place they had called home together. It's where they had gotten engaged, and even technically the first place that they had brought their son home to, however short that ended up being, (and of course not entirely in that order). But not only that. It was where Sara had made her family. Not just with Jaal, and now Toivos, but with all of her crew. It was bittersweet. It felt like she was saying goodbye, even though she knew that wasn't really true.
Scott and Cora decided that they wanted to escort them to their new home as well, and had been patiently waiting outside for them to finish. It wasn't that they didn't trust Kandros. They were just being the overprotective siblings. Of course Sara and Jaal were capable of protecting themselves should anything happen, not to mention Sahuna with her resistance training, but Sara was still sore and recovering. Toivos may have been less than 4 pounds, but it had still been enough to do some minor damage, which left her to be much slower walking around than she was used to. Jaal would also be holding Toivos for this reason, leaving them more or less unprotected.
Security reasons aside, Scott wanted to give a proper goodbye. He was slightly upset having to leave Sara again so soon. He had only just joined her team a few months back after he was deemed fit for service. Especially after Sara's disastrous start in Heleus, and having already felt guilt for her having to go through it alone, he was saddened to think that he wouldn't be around as easily during such an important time in her life.
Cora had also become like a sister to Sara. She wasn't willing to go unless she knew that Sara was settled safely, because as far as Cora was concerned, she was still the second in command until everything was said and done. Things may not have started off that easily between the two of them. Cora had been bitter about Alec's decision to make Sara the pathfinder, but the more that they had served together, they had both found a mutual respect for each other. Cora had learned some valuable lessons about needing to make her own path in life, and Sara had needed more guidance about structure and cohesiveness. They had balanced each other out, and had easily become each other's sounding boards.
Cora had almost seemed to be somewhat nervous of the prospect of becoming pathfinder now. After saving the Leusinia, Cora had feared that she may have never been cut out for leadership after all, always looking for a plan to follow. Being that plan for other people to follow had been more of an overwhelming thought ever since then, but Sara had already reassured her that she would be ready. And if nothing else, Scott would be there for her now, not to mention the rest of the team, minus Lexi. Cora wouldn't be alone just like Sara hadn't been.
After Kandros finally arrived, Cora had come to find them. Sara wiped away a tear as they left the room, heading towards the loading bay. Her start in Heleus hadn't been easy in the least, but she had grown accustomed to what her life had become. She had felt fulfilled, and like she had finally found a purpose, as difficult as it had been. She knew she'd be able to find those things again, but it didn't mean that moving on wouldn't be hard.
Kandros came up the ramp to greet them to make sure everyone was situated.
"Hey, Ryder. I heard you had some precious cargo needing some transport."
She thumbed away a last tear and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you could call him that."
He got a good look at the baby for a moment. "Congratulations, you two," he said, addressing the new parents. "I guess things are about to get pretty interesting around here, aren't they?."
"I would say they have already gotten pretty interesting, but you are likely right about that," Jaal replied, jovially.
"Alright, well if you're ready to go, we should probably try to get out of here while he's still sleeping."
"Yes, that is probably for the best," Jaal agreed, as he tried to tuck Toivos under his rofjinn as much as possible, while still holding him comfortably enough, and not totally covering his face, which was signal enough for everyone to start moving.
Sara took more of a moment to look back at the loading bay. The Nomad being perched up on the hydraulic lift, being displayed in all of its banged up glory. A metaphor for the state of things. Still a powerful machine even after everything that it's been put through. Everyone's start here had been difficult and bleak at times, but they had all gotten through it together. She had shared so many memories here.
Cora came up behind her, resting her hand on Sara's back gently making sure she was okay.
"Are you ready?," she asked.
Sara turned to look ahead of her again, to see Jaal starting to head down the ramp, looking back to her, making sure that she was okay. She may be leaving the Tempest behind, but her memories were her own, and they would be there forever. She was sure SAM could even help her with that endeavor should she ever have a hard time with things. He may not be as connected as he once was, but he was still a part of her and likely always would be, and he shared most of those memories too.
Now was the time to be looking forward. She could see her future in front of her. It wasn't anything that she ever would have expected. A family was something that had always been on the table for her, sure, but this had been a surprise in so many ways. It had been an answer to prayers never thought out loud, and welcomed so intensely that the elation of the past few days had helped quiet any doubts or fears. She had the love of her life right beside her, more supportive than he had ever been, which was saying a lot because he had never been anything but supportive in the first place. She had a son that she never knew she could love so much without even knowing of his existence a few days prior. Now was the time to be making new memories. She could be more than okay with that.
"Yeah. Let's go," she said quietly to Cora as she caught up to Jaal and held the hand that he had free. This was where she was meant to be.