Unbound Astronaut Shell

"I like your little hats!" Failsafe chirped to the trio of Ghosts as they coasted into the H.E.L.M. Then, in her dour monotone, "They make you look like severed astronaut heads, floating through space. So cool."

Ghost, Geppetto, and Glint fanned out, each casually scanning the interior of the defunct spacecraft. Even by crash-landing standards, it was a dingy mess.

Wiring sprung out of junction boxes, disordered and sparking. Most of the fittings had been ripped out by black market scavengers. Even the interior cameras, which Failsafe used for vision, were either vandalized or stolen. Glint let out a low frequency buzz of dismay.

"Thanks, Failsafe," Ghost replied, his voice straining to remain upbeat. "That's actually what we came to talk to you about. Shells, I mean."

"Yeah, this one's a wreck," Failsafe moaned. "But at least around here, I can listen to all the haggling and flatulence and laughing that makes humanity… alive!" her upbeat persona immediately asserted.

"We're impressed by your perseverance, Sister Failsafe," Geppetto said. "However, we regret the conditions that you've been forced to endure these past years."

"Especially after all you've done for the Vanguard," Glint added.

"In gratitude," Ghost said, "the Ghost Community Theater organized a collection to get you something."

He paused as the roar of a ship's engines filled the cabin. The now-flimsy structure rattled and shook as the ship landed somewhere nearby.

"Your very own jumpship!" Ghost announced. He projected a hologram of a Valkyrie-O5X ship. Glint and Geppetto projected holographic fireworks going off around it. The dim cabin was lit up by the colorful display.

"We'll transfer you over with full piloting authorization," Glint continued. "Now you can go anywhere you want!"

There was a long pause. "I've been around for thousands of years," Failsafe said, her chipper voice unusually quiet. "And in all that time, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you."

The trio of Ghosts let out an infrasonic harmony of delight.

A yell from outside suddenly punctured the moment. "Hey! Hurry up," Crow said. "I'm double-parked out here!"