Sovereign Military Order of Malta (Solar Wars)

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta is an independent non-country organisation that operates a sizeable fleet of military and disaster relief spaceships, engaging in anti-pirate and naval security operations, as well as disaster relief and refugee relocation operations throughout the solar system. Primarily funded through international donations and a large state banking business, the Order of Malta (as it is colloquially known) is independent of any government and, in effect, acts as a separate international entity outside of the legal jurisdiction of other nations but within international law. Like the Alliance of Arab Mining Guilds, it falls into the category of non-state sovereign entity.

The Order is generally made up of citizens and non-citizen volunteers. Citizens of the Order come from all over the solar system but must be Catholic and regularly participate in the religious services and duties of the Order. Family of the Order are not granted citizenship but immediate family may be considered under the protection of the Order. The Order is divided into 5 main branches (military, hospitaller, financial, religious, and general staff) with the first 3 of primary importance and the latter 2 considered auxiliary branches.

The Order is often contrasted with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (a non-governmental volunteer aid organisation) as the latter is not sovereign and in addition to being composed of many distinct Societies based in and subject to the unique laws of various countries, it strictly does not engage in any military activity. The Order is notable for having a limited presence on-world in Earth and Mars, primarily focusing on space piracy and disaster relief while medical and humanitarian aid efforts on both inner worlds are generally covered by the IRCRCM. Attempts at forming an Islamic counterpart to the Order of Malta have been attempted but these are generally shot down by Islamic authorities as monasticism is commonly frowned upon in Islam.

Miscellaneous Information

 * Population:
 * Citizens: 680,000 (the Order recognises dual citizenship, most citizens are also citizens of other countries)
 * Volunteers: 63,000
 * Demonym: Knight of Malta
 * Currency: Maltese Scudo
 * Religion: Catholicism

Government
As the Order of Malta is not a conventional country, its government is not organised and does not function according to conventional political doctrine. The Order has five main service branches, the religious branch, the military branch, the hospitaller branch, the financial branch, and the general staff. Of the five, the military and hospitaller branches make up the vast majority of citizens and are considered the primary branches of the Order with the financial branch considered a mid-level branch, while the other two are considered auxiliary branches that act in supporting roles.
 * Prince and Grand Master of the Order: The Grand Master is the supreme head of the Order of Malta and is elected from the ranks of the Order for continuous service until aged 77. The Grand Master is head of state but wields considerable influence as he/she is the head of the Sovereign Council, the government of the Order. He/she is elected by the Chapter General and is the commander-in-chief of the Military Corps of the Order of Malta.
 * Sovereign Council: The government of the Order, the Sovereign Council is elected by the Chapter General every 5 years and consists of 6 general-purpose members and 4 High Officers: Grand Commander, Grand Chancellor, Receiver of the Common Treasure, and Grand Hospitaller. The Grand Commander is the highest religious leader of the Order and oversees the Order's religious affairs. The Grand Commander is considered next-in-line for commander-in-chief if the Grand Master cannot perform his/her duties. The Grand Chancellor is head of the executive and handles both interior and foreign affairs. The Receiver of the Common Treasure handles the Order's finances and overseas its extensive banking services. The Grand Hospitaller is head of the Order's hospitaller services and overseas humanitarian efforts.
 * Chapter General: The legislative body of the Order, the Chapter General is made up of the members of the Sovereign Council, the Grand Priors, the Generals of the Military, the Officers of the Bank of the Order of Malta, and 15 elected representatives of the citizens of the Order. They meet at least once a year to deliberate over matters of the Order, as well as to elect a new Sovereign Council every 5 years.
 * Grand Court of Justice: The supreme court of the Order, the Grand Court is made of 7 justices elected by the Chapter General. The Order of Malta practices an inquisitorial judicial system under the Order's own civil law.

Military Corps
Generally known as Armed Knights of the Order, the troops of the Military Corps of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta are highly-trained and engage in anti-pirate and naval security operations throughout the solar system. Each sector of the solar system has its own fleet of Navy ships and division of the Regimental Infantry and is commanded by a Sector Admiral and/or Sector General.
 * Navy of the Order of Malta: Consisting of around 150,000 personnel, the navy operates over 400 ships in addition to 800 smaller fightercraft.
 * Regimental Infantry: Consisting of around 100,000 personnel, the infantry serves aboard Navy ships and operates various infantry bases around the solar system. Many Infantry units are contracted out as security forces for non-governmental colonies in the solar system.