The method of Joining the Colonial Fleet is important for character history as well as future development. For characters who joined before the war began, one's path into the service may have an impact on their future and it certainly has left its mark on their pre-RP history. Civilian characters that intend to sign up to fight have a more practical need to know what they will be goining through.
Joining the Fleet Pre-war[]
Enlisted[]
For nearly all enlisted service-members, their career began in a simple recruiting office where they signed some paperwork and officially enlisted. Most enlist at a young age, often right after completing highschool (or the equivalent) at the age of 18 or even 17. The military screens for the mentally unstable and those with other medical disabilities would bar them from service but for the most part anyone with a pulse is accepted at least into the early phases. Depending on whether a new recruit is going into the Colonial Fleet itself or the Marine Corps, their processing and training will vary but generally it will involve approximately nine weeks of basic training followed by advanced training in your specialization after that (which will vary).
Officers[]
There are four ways to become a commissioned officer:
Appointment/Battlefield Commission[]
Occasionally, an enlisted person will demonstrate immense talent and potential and earn a promotion up into the officer ranks. This may occur during peace time for the exceptionally talented but is more common during time of war when the need for officers is great and the ability for potential leaders to temporarily leave the service and attend a school is not a viable option.
These "mustangs" thus enter the commissioned ranks with the perspective of their earlier experience. They also, however, often lack any formal education, military or even civilian. In most instances, such officers will be barred from promotion into the senior commissioned ranks until they attend a formal school.
Officer Candidate School[]
OCS is a program both for civilians and enlisted personnel interested in becoming commissioned officers. It is a several month long course that evaluates and trains the candidates in addition to a general basic training program.
OCS officers are not necessarily barred from higher promotion like battle field commissions are, but their chances of promotion into the senior ranks is generally less common than the two groups below.
Formerly enlisted members who complete OCS are also called "mustangs".
Officer Training through a Civilian College[]
The third option is to attend a regular four year civilian college while also participating in an officer training program (generally this goes along with a military scholarship for your education). Over the course of these four years of study, the officer in training will take a few military courses as well as participating in several training events spaced out over the course of the years.
These officers tend to have a leg up over regular OCS officers, if only due to their college education.
Military Academy[]
The military academies are the most prestigious means of becoming a commissioned officer and will generally open the most doors for advancement for their graduates. A military academy expands upon the four year program of the civilian institutions creating a lengthy training program combined with rigorous academic courses. All other things being equal, graduates of an academy are the more likely than other officers to be promoted quickly through the junior ranks and to eventually make it into the senior ranks, command of ships, and eventually even the admiralty.
Joining the Fleet Now[]
The Fleet has no military academy, colleges, recruitment officers, or anything else like that, but the demand for new soldiers has never been higher. For those interested in volunteering to serve, one should speak with the captain of their ship (or the captain's designate for larger vessels) and the candidate's application will then be sent to Hyperion. Upon approval, candidates will be transferred over to the flag ship to join a cohort of other new recruits.
Training is somewhat abbreviated due to the needs of the Fleet imposing time restraints and the simple lack of facilities for full and effective training. More emphasis is placed on combat effectiveness than on formalities. Discipline and fitness are still important but also take a backseat. Much training occurs aboard the Hyperion itself either in small private groups, doing PT through the corridors or in the gyms, spending time at the shooting range, or drilling with ship equipment. AH-33 is often the site of one's final test for abbreviated basic training. This is then generally followed by on-the-job training at one's new department as an apprentice rather than formal advanced training.
Most recruits will not be slated for officer training, new officers generally coming as promotions through the enlisted ranks now. The only notable exception is pilot recruits who will all become officers upon completing their training.