Again, Tina, leavemethewhite.com screencaps. If anything can get you details pics, it's that site.

Cybersnark has a point re: Operatives being "independent contractors"...they could be hired and trained separately from any established Parliamentary program or office and simply hired by Parliament to do a job. Certainly not every issue that faces Alliance Parliament would warrant the need for a trouble shooter like the Operative was...so it would probably be more cost-effective to have them only used when truly needed;)

BEB

How can an Operative be an indie contractor: easily.

"Operative" just means "one who operates on behalf of." Just like "agent," for that matter. All it means is that the Parliament signs his paycheques.

Theo ("P. Erative") could have been trained by another highly-powerful organization (Blue Sun, permaybehaps?) and then sold, given, or traded to the Parliament (in exchange for. . . other perks).

This would also serve to give the Parliament plausible deniability of anything that was discovered about the Operatives or how they are made/trained.

You know, I trust the RPG book less and less every time someone quotes it. How can "An Operative of the Parilament" be an independent contractor?
Anyway, in terms of your costume/screencap dilema, I would suggest leavemethewhite.com; they are excellent.