Running behind myself, Harriet wrote (about Arlen):
> She says she's an officer.
> Possibility: A bright young cadet is told "Kill Blake and smoke out his
> rebels, and there's an instant promotion for you."
> She's done it (with a little help from his friends), so she assumes the
> promotion.
I can't see them using a cadet for such an important job. They'd want a
fully trained undercover officer. They don't want an untrained cadet who
might mess up, get caught and give away that the Federation is hard on
Blake's heels.
Cadets are cadets for a reason; they are being trained to be future officers.
So I can't see the Federation "wasting" a cadet by throwing him/her into a
situation for which she/he isn't prepared, either. My knowledge of the
military is pretty spotty beyond a certain amount of knowledge about the
present day U.S., but officers (here) are trained beyond the basics of
military academies and/or OCS before they are given the type of
responsibility Arlen has on GP. So I don't even think Arlen is a fresh-faced
newly commissioned officer. She's been around, and she's proven herself to
be brave, reliable, resilient, and clever. (IMO)
Carol