[GZG] Knights of St John Re: Please ignore previous on Knights...

Sorry to cause confusion. The Knights of St John are also known as the 
Hospitilers or the Knights of Malta. They are still in existence today, 
with several affiliated groups in various countries. The Templars were 
the other main group of crusader knights. They 'officially' were put out

of business in the middle ages, although they are a favorite subject of 
rumors in conspiracy theory circles.

The Knights of St John (I refer to them as such since they are no longer

based on Malta and no longer run the hospital in Jerusalem) ran a small 
but powerful navy in the renaissance Mediterranean. They escorted 
(Christian) merchant shipping, attacked (Islamic) North African raiders,

and fought the expanding Ottoman Empire. Today they run hospital ships 
and conduct relief missions in war and famine zones.

My plans for them in the Tuffleyverse build on their current operations 
and their history. They will operate hospital ships evacuating 
casualties from war zones during the Solar Wars, and patrol shipping 
lanes against pirates, especially those with connections to the IF. Once

the Kra'vak War starts they see their sacred role as protecting humanity

and turn their small but potent force to striking Kra'vak incursions. I 
foresee a siege of their fortified base world analogous to the Turkish 
siege of Malta, and strikes at the Kra'vak lines of supply during the 
attack on Sol.

Diplomatically, I see them as officially neutral but not equally 
friendly with all human powers, and relations cut across the typical 
fault lines. Most friendly with the FSE. Good relations also, 
ironically, with the NSL, although the NSL sometimes complains about the

being too close to the FSE. Cordial, but not warm, relations with the 
NAC - still haven't quite gotten over the whole Church of England thing,

but some of their largest individual donors are NAC subjects. Fairly 
frosty relations with the ESU, and all but outright hostile with the IF.

(yes, I'm building an IF fleet).

I have some ideas for their forces. Ship designs based on FSE, but since

they go on long patrols with little chance for resupply they've replaced

many of the missiles with beams. Their forces are small, but highly 
trained and very high morale. Models are the new Brigade Euro-Fed ships 
as well as some older FSE ships bought before they started building 
their own designs.

Flag should be a white, eight-pointed (Maltese) cross on a red field, 
but I might alter it a bit so as not to conflict with the REAL 
organization. I'm doing this as a tribute to both the history and the 
current organization, and because it would fit nicely in the 
Tuffleyverse milieu, so I don't want to offend the of its members.

I'll send more details to Nyrath when I get a chance.

David Stokes
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