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Castle looked down at the holographic planetary model, a curious glint in his eyes as he listened to the announcement from the bridge. It certainly didn't seem like the lush garden world one would've expected from a place that was supposedly like Earth. Artemie was right in that regard; Earthlike, but not lush. Still, he figured that the newly christened Kitezh was still a garden world in some respects-- just that it was a 'zen garden', rather than 'flower garden'. He pondered this as he made his way to the hangar where the others were setting up.

There was a myriad assembly of Orbitals here. Some were newer, cutting-edge models. Others were older, potentially obsolete ones. Some appeared humanoid, while others seemed to be more animalistic in appearance. Some bore multiple weapon ports, and some only carried what was necessary. Whatever they looked like, each Orbital was similar to each other in a single way: these machines and their pilots were here for a reason. Each one had a role to play, and each pilot was likely skilled enough to carry their weight and then some. Soon, the group split up, each one moving to their own Orbitals to perform pre-launch checks and prepare for combat conditions.

Holden was no different.

Castle made a beeline for the towering goliath of deep blues and greys. The Ajax seemed to be in excellent condition, as evidenced by the newly-refurbished slabs of armor and freshly-replaced barrels that were now in place. A few crewmen were in the process of loading the Orbital's backpack with munitions, and a few were making sure the thrusters were up to snuff. Holden took a moment or two to admire this sight, before strolling up to the woman who was at the head of it all.

[color=#239C89]"Miss MacKenzie!"[/color] Holden grinned. [color=#239C89]"How's the Ajax holding?"[/color]

[color=#6eafff]"Better than ever, boss."[/color]

Caitlin MacKenzie was a part of the engineering core who worked on maintaining the Orbitals of the Saturn Defense Force. Despite being among the youngest of her peers, she was a rising star and a whiz with a wrench who quickly became in charge of maintaining an Orbital of her own, which just happened to be Holden's RGM-96X. Where the Ajax went, so did she. After the man's retirement, she signed on as a representative of Dodekatheon Industries, which put her at the top of the potential list of candidates for the crew who would maintain his Orbital.

And neither of them would have it any other way.

[color=#239C89]"...I'm not your boss anymore, you know. We're co-workers now. You don't have to keep calling me that."[/color]

[color=#6eafff]"Sure, and you don't have to call me 'Miss Mackenzie' anymore either."[/color] She rolled her eyes at the hypocrisy of his statement.

[color=#239C89]"Hah. Not happening."[/color]

[color=#6eafff]"Worth a shot."[/color] She commented. [color=#6eafff]"The Ajax is all ready for ya. Even spent some extra time making sure he looks good as new!"[/color]

[color=#239C89]"I noticed."[/color] Holden nodded in approval as he put a hand on the Orbital's hull. [color=#239C89]"Good work."[/color]

With that, he put on his EVA helmet, the suit quickly sealing and pressurizing with a sharp hiss. SDF Flight Suits doubled as both an EVA suit and an armored battlesuit, in case a pilot had to enter ground operations for whatever reason. Holden figured the environment down there would've been breathable enough even without the need for breathing apparatuses, but it was better safe than sorry. Castle ascended the nearby ladder and moved towards the Orbital's cockpit through a passage near the top of the backpack.

The door opened with a groan as the hydraulics opened the blast doors aside. Holden marched forward proudly and took a seat at the controls. After putting on the seatbelt and safety harness, the man began flicking through the various switches and buttons as he began running system diagnostics. He knew the risks of going down there-- of facing an unknown alien threat that is, in all likeliness, more advanced than anything humanity had ever seen.

...or the place could just be nothing but dust and rocks, but what are the odds of that?

[color=#6eafff]"All systems nominal..."[/color] Cait said. [color=#6eafff]"...try not to scratch the new paint job too much."[/color]

Castle chuckled a bit at that.

[color=#239C89]"I'll try."[/color]