Peggy/Garrus/Natasha
I'm surprised. Her vocabulary's typically more colorful than mine, but I agree with all your points. No time's better than now.
Your call. People would know if they're qualified or not, I guess, since we're ideally looking for people who know how this place ticks, and have had enough time to flesh out whatever dream-related skill they inherited. Though I'm not above offering firearm training for those who'd like to learn, either.