Per 
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
I appreciate you all coming here on such short notice, and with barely any explanation. If you're here, that means you've already chosen to sign the necessary non-disclosure agreements - though the alternative to that choice was probably either demotion or termination.
Regardless, I welcome you all to the orientation session for MTF Sigma-9. My name is Kliment Ilyich, though officially you're to refer to me as Commander.
I'm seeing a lot of confused looks, so let me clear a few things. No, this isn't some form of disciplinary action - believe it or not, each and every one of you can, at any point, request to leave this room. You'll be amnesticised, of course, and returned to whatever occupation you previously held. The reason you were practically dragged here is because I have an important proposal to give to all of you - after hearing it, any further decisions are yours to make.
Yes, you are all being offered a position in the Foundation's newest task force, regardless of previous rank. Most of you were already part of some MTF or other, but there's quite a few security personnel here, and several researchers. One or two of you were even, up until this point, D-class. When selecting candidates, rank and occupation weren't really taken into account. You were all hand-picked based on your knowledge and skillsets. If you choose to enlist, you will all be granted the status of MTF operative. For the D-class, this means a permanent suspension of your monthly termination. For everyone else, it means that whatever you were working on previously will be handed over to someone equally qualified - replacements have already been selected.
Now, onto the main point - what exactly is Sigma-9? All of you must realize by now that the Foundation is by no means the only organization with an interest in the anomalous. Throughout our existence, we've come into contact with various so-called groups of interest - the Chaos Insurgency, the Serpent's Hand and the GOC, to name a few. Their goals have often brought them into conflict with the Foundation, for varying reasons. Ideology, religion, or just plain old greed. But what matters is that the Foundation faces constant opposition - the number of attacks, raids and infiltration's we've had to deal with over the years is difficult to quantify.
Task Forces already exist to deal with these. Nine-Tailed Fox and Hammer Down are our most obvious defenders, though there are numerous others. But in a way, that's part of the problem - all this time, the Foundation has been on the defensive. We've only instigated conflict with Groups of Interest which posed a serious, immediate threat to our continued existence, and those cases have been few and far between. Sigma-9 is here to turn things around. Our mission statement, in short, is war.
Yes, alright, I might be over-dramatizing. The purpose of Sigma-9 is to disrupt the operations of hostile Groups of Interest by any means necessary. Some of you may see overlaps with Delta-5. Rest assured, we will be working together with them if the occasion calls for it. But our job isn't Scip recovery. We'll be dealing with the… more hands-on side of things. Assassination, sabotage, clearance of hostiles. Warfare, essentially.
Now, before you start imagining yourself in the seat of an M1 Abrams, let me just clarify - we're not Hammer Down. We have neither the manpower nor the resources for indiscriminately blowing everything to pieces. The people you see in this room are, in essence, the entire task force. Imagine us as the Spec Ops of the Spec Ops. That said, the equipment we do get is going to be very high-end, and I've already requisitioned quite a bit of paratech. Some of you may be familiar with its usage, some may not - training will be allocated as necessary.
One more thing - we will not be indiscriminately attacking every group of interest. We serve to protect the Foundation, not turn it into a second GOC. As such, our operations will be focused specifically on those groups and organisations who are a direct threat to either maintaining the Masquerade, or continuing Foundation operations. For example, we won't be making any moves to attack the Serpent's Hand. Quite aside from our complete inability to access their base of operations, and the formidable defenses possessed by said base, the Hand have avoided active conflict with the Foundation for the most part. The Manna Charitable Foundation and AWCY aren't on our list either - we already have MTFs set up to deal with them, and their methods of interference have little to do with conventional warfare.
Now that I'm finished with my little monologue, are there any questions?
Yes, you in the D-class uniform.
Oh, I see. Sorry, I wasn't aware of the exact policy with regards to monthly termination. Well, I don't think that matters much - if you opt to leave, you won't remember anything I've said, and if you try to get violent here then you'll just be terminated on the spot. Plus, you currently have provisional Level 3 clearance just by being here, so no informational breaches have technically taken place.
Right, you in the back, with the glasses.
Ah, an excellent question. No, we will not have a fixed area of operation. Considering the scope of what we're trying to achieve, this Task Force will essentially go wherever GOI activity is at its highest. We have, however, managed to secure a semi-fixed home base, though its parameters are somewhat… unorthodox. I'll explain further once we actually arrive there.
Mister… Monroe, correct? I have looked over your files, though memorizing names hasn't really been a priority, considering that you still have the option to leave.
Right, so command of this unit will be primarily my responsibility. We'll have to answer to the regional director of our operational area at any given time, and of course we still follow orders from central command. Beyond that though, we will be free to select our own targets. Operational planning is also mostly up to us - beyond a few basic guidelines, we're free to engage in any way deemed necessary. As long as we get results, the higher ups should leave us alone, provided there isn't some major emergency we're called in for.
Now you in the front, with the colorful tie.
No, actually. I've already mentioned that the unit will be self-coordinated. As such, we will need a dedicated team to handle operational planning and overview, as well as the technical side of our mission - remote surveillance, mission control, that sort of thing. In fact, you have already been selected for inclusion into this team. You'll still receive combat training and will need to participate in a few missions directly, for the sake of perspective. However, you'll primarily be conducting logistical work back at base.
Right, anyone else?
No?
Well then. I'm giving you some time to make your decision - you're all free to use the Site's recreational facilities. Yes, that includes former D-class, though rest assured that Security will be keeping a close eye on you. Return here in half an hour, and we'll see who decides to take me up on my offer.
— — —
Right, I hope you've had time to rest and think. Everyone seems to be here, so we can start right away. It's quite simple, really - everyone who wants to leave, please raise your hands.
…
I see. Well then. Please make your way to the door in an orderly fashion, and follow the guards' directions.
Well, we're off to a good start. I had guessed that about twice as many would refuse. To those of you remaining - welcome to Sigma-9.
You all have four days of paid leave, starting tomorrow. Use this time to get everything in order, and pack whatever possessions you deem necessary. At the end of your leave, you will be contacted with further instructions.
That concludes the orientation. Thank you all for listening.
— — —
It gazed into the swirling depths, and smiled.
Alea iacta est.
