Over the last few days, Overseer Tectus had been searching and finding those that she knew would be willing to serve her in this militia-equivalent group she was forming and commanding them to come here, within the Tower. It, and the area around it, would serve as their base of operations - a fitting place, she thought. It was where she had awoken, where she had frequented in the old days, and was defensible - a good view of the are around would warn of approaching invaders and attackers. She would have to get a sentry to guard the peak, or create a rotating detail to be shared among the soldiers.

Anyways, now the day had come and she expected them all to gather here. The opening of the Tower was wide enough for even the biggest of them to pass through, although that wasn't much of a problem, as most were quiet small, relatively. Tectus awaited them against the wall of the bottom floor, and once they had all gathered, or, at least, most of them, she would begin.

"Welcome! Thank you for coming and thank you for your loyalty - it will be rewarded as we move forward. You know why you are here. This Nest has fallen into disrepair - it had a purpose once, a purpose I remember well! And while there are attempts to rekindle that purpose, it hasn't been enough! Enemies bite at our heels, Order seeks to disrupt our Chaos, and the abandoned environment falls further and further into emptiness and futility! If these caves become any more obsolete, our Creator will not hesitate to wipe us from existence. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN! You have all been selected and chosen by me to AID in this - we will not be destroyed! We will rise again and repurpose these caves in this new age! No enemies will tear us further down, Order will be stamped out of every crevice and hole, and we will rebuild until these caves are returned to their former glory!"

She paused, allowing them to digest the first part of her speech, or, hopefully, let out cries and yells of agreement and excitement.

"Our Hand, Miss Aethril, expects a lot from us - it is because of her that we are gathering like this! And Master Vargas has agreed to lend us his assistance when it is needed - and we will do the same for his Forge! We are allies working towards the same goal. And what IS our first goal?" Here she raised a claw and stamped it on the ground. "The DESTRUCTION of Order! The infestation has held its claws in these caves for far too long! We have done good work in Eridanus already, but there is more that remains, and Gemini as well! Not only does it make these caves neigh inaccessible, and destroys its natural beauty, but also endangers any that cross its path! It robs you of your autonomy, your free thought, and forces you into conformity, whether you agree with their plans or not. Until you are nothing more but a white-eyed puppet, never resting until all the caves are enslaved! This evil MUST be driven out before it makes things any worse!"

She took a deep breath. "That is our first mission - drive out the surface infestation. But our first order of business is this - we are a unit, now, and we must know to work together and trust in each other. Many of you do not know each other - now is the time to introduce yourselves, your abilities, and what you intend to bring to the table. And! Any ideas you have for future endeavors of this Task Force."

She raised a claw, then, and gestured forward - it was their turn to speak, now that her speech was through.

This is the group formation thread for the Task Force! While it it marked as AW, please do not have your character wander in randomly. If we haven't spoken previously about them joining the group, you can say they were invited off-screen by Tectus. Anyone that joins this thread will be added to the group!

@Moros @Vesuvianite T-One @Bauxite-T-One @Dravite @Chromite T-One

Chromite T-One listened intently. When Tectus paused, it didn't quite cheer, but it did click its mandibles a few times. That seemed to be approval, or even enthusiasm, but the little insectoid assassin child seemed to want to remain reserved and professional for the setting.

It had followed Tectus with observant obedience, with a paranoid eye to their surroundings. This had no basis in experience. It had never in its life been ambushed, unless one counted Tectus's appearance at its hatching--but it seemed to, for now, have assigned itself as Tectus's loyal bodyguard. Despite being maybe a quarter of her size, if that.

As she continued her speech, the plates along its neck rose, as though it had goosebumps, or perhaps was prickling up in pride. It chittered softly, and held itself upright. "I will serve, Overm-" It paused, mandibles slamming shut.

No! It couldn't embarrass itself--and her! Not now!

Slowly, it did its best: "Over. See. Mo..." Not Mom! Not in public! "...ctus." It looked around, blinked, and cleared a chitinous throat before raising its voice as if to wipe its screwups away: "For the Task Force!"

It waited until the hype had died away, if there was any aside from its own, before introducing itself as requested. "I am Chromite-T-One. I serve," it said simply, mandibles clacking in intense enthusiasm.

Moros perches on crystal, watching her master with eager eyes and ears. Her antennae flick as she takes in every word, every little bit of her glorious purpose. I will serve you! I will make you proud! No compulsion or power would take her away from Tectus - she'd sworn herself to the Overseer moments after hatching.

And certainly not the stain of that wretched Order.

But then Tectus turns the floor to those gathered. Moros has not met any of them yet, and it seems to be time for introductions. These are her equals, are they not? Chromite is the first - and then she remembers. Tectus's voice in a memory declares boldy, "...names must be earned!" Even if she knows her name in her heart, she must not speak out of turn.

She'd flutter down, now composed, to land on a stone that is conveniently a good height to address her fellows from. And then her magic would snake out, carrying her words to everyone."I am Bloodstone T-One. I serve as eyes and ears, carrying secrets. What I know, the Overseer will know."

It was one of the first to arrive, mostly by virtue of being Tectus's spawn. It had waited rather impatiently for everyone else to show up, occasionally asking Tectus how much longer it would take and otherwise just sort of aimlessly walking around and bugging whoever was present.

When (FINALLY!) everyone had arrived, it sat down attentively and prepared to listen. But then Tectus started to speak and oh. Wow. That's a lot of words.

It was trying its best to pay attention- it really was! But it was also a child with a limited vocabulary and a VERY limited attention span. But it got the gist of things. They were all here for a purpose- to restore the nest's purpose, to restore Chaos while destroying Order. And then a bunch of names it didn't know the faces to, and the looming threat of utter destruction it was too distracted to get traumatized by. But one thing- the very beginning of the speech- lingered in the vesuvianite's mind.

Purpose, Purpose, Purpose.

What was its purpose? To do all those things Tectus said, just like everyone else here. But what about the Vesuvianite specifically? There were things it liked to do- hunt rats, tussle with it's siblings, explore Orion's many ruined structures- but were any of those as grand as a purpose?

"I'm Vesuvianite T-One." It started. But what about its abilities? Its role here? Its purpose?"...and I will help the best I can." A good enough start. Maybe.

She walked in and sat down, curling her tail around herself as she listened, head up and attention solely on the leader of the group. They had met before, though their interaction wasn't anything to make a spectacle about. An offer was given and accepted, and it was as simple as that.

She glanced over to the others as they introduced themselves before attention fell on her and she dipped her head in greeting, her voice gentle but firm as she spoke. I was given the name Onyx T-One and I can scout and I use lightning. That was pretty much it and would settle herself back down, flicking her gaze over to the next.

Bauxite's eyes swept over the crowd judgingly as it trotted forward, false face held high to his only true superior. And was going to change one day. She would be foolish not to know it herself.

He sat with his... Family. As was unfortunately customary. His stance was rigid with discomfort more than discipline.

He mulled over Tectus' instruction, momentarily unsure on what to say. He could lie, if he could come up with one - or her could be truthful with himself and others. That was respect, no? Not that he owed them any. They were nothing. Motes of dust in his vision.

"Bauxite-T-One. I am better." Better than all of this.

He hadn't learned subtlety yet, unfortunately.