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It felt to be behind the controls again. Fifteen years of cryosleep had not numbed his senses, nor his desire to be behind the wheel. As the veritable procession of metal colossi sauntered up to the catapults, Castle could feel the rumblings of their footsteps, even from within his own Orbital. He briefly wondered what it was like for the people in the hangar right now, to see this happening-- to feel these vibrations as these pilots left the relative safety of the ship and onto unknown and uncharted territory.

Castle grinned. This was his duty, and he found no small satisfaction in performing it.

The Ajax joined the line of machines near the catapults. Starstrike. Outrider. Michael. Bedwyr. Aurora. Each one marked as a 'friendly' thanks to the Diomedes' IFF indicators. The Greek Hero of Myth followed behind the Aurora as they prepared for launch. This wasn't a combat drop straight into a hot zone, but it very well might be. Who knows what was down there? 

<<[color=f26522]This is Stojanovic. I'm headed out.[/color]>>

The Bedwyr was first. It launched at supersonic speed, only further amplified by the roar of its engines. Stojanović was a man of spectacle, it seemed.

<<[color=aquamarine][i]Launching.[/i][/color]>>

The Aurora was second. It let the force of the catapult carry it downwards, before hitting the ion thrusters. It looked like Jacira didn't intend on slowing down either.

The Ajax put a metal hand on the heat shield as if confirming its presence. On blasted moons without an atmosphere, the Adamantine Armor Plating was typically enough to function on its own-- a point in the Ajax's favor. Here, though? It would be necessary, lest the Orbital turn from the Ajax into the Icarus. The pilot locked his machine into place, before taking a deep breath.

<<[color=#239C89]Initiating descent. See you all planetside.[/color]>>

With that, the Ajax disappeared in an instant. It was hard to imagine that nearly eighty tons of metal, composite, and ordnance could move that quickly, but there it went. Holden grit his teeth as the sheer inertia of the fall pushed him against his seat. This wasn't his first orbital drop, far from it-- but there weren't exactly many planets with an atmosphere like Kitezh's. As the blood rushed to his head, the man hit a switch, prompting a small burst from the Ajax's lower thrusters.

Compared to the Bedwyr or the Aurora, the Ajax was... cumbersome. It was too heavy and too bulky to ever hope to keep up in terms of agility. However, with help from the Talaria Jump Jets, the Orbital could, at the very least, stay in relative proximity of the duo-- provided that they don't start trying to shake him. It wouldn't do to be separated from one another before reaching the LZ, so this helped keep their groupings nice and tight. He was certain that the other, more agile Orbitals could follow him just fine.

<<[color=#239C89]Castle Two-One to all units. Forming drop convoy right behind the Aurora. Ground units, fall in line behind me.[/color]>>

Castle didn't actually have any jurisdiction or command over his fellow pilots, and he knew it-- it just happened to be his habits from the military kicking in. Still, if they did maintain groupings, it would be more convenient for everyone, so he didn't think on it too hard.