The most significant example of such a phenomenon is the Duchy of Thompsonshire, a group of settlements and outposts that encompass the Amicitia stellar system. While technically under YellowApplan jurisdiction and subject to the laws of YellowApple, Inc., Thompsonshire has maintained and asserted relative autonomy, and faces the possibility of gradually becoming an politically-sovereign nation by repaying YellowApple, Inc. for lost assets (emulating the means by which several formerly-YellowApplan localities became sovereign nations, most notably Scat-Land and the United Socialist States of Marxist Equines; unlike those examples, however, which receive military protection from YellowApple, Inc., Thompsonshire already possesses a formal military force as detailed below).
The government of the Duchy of Thompsonshire is a parliamentary monarchy, led by a Duke or Duchess (currently, Duke Hilmar Prästost) and a bicameral parliament with representatives from each of the "counties" (usually implemented as planets, moons, groups of asteroids/planetoids, etc.) which in turn consist of various "baronies" (implemented as groups of economically and/or socially interdependent population centers - usually a city and its peripheral settlements, or a group of towns/settlements/outposts). The Duke/Duchess serves as the commander-in-chief of the Order of Amicitia, the Duchy of Thompsonshire's elite military organization and the subject of this discussion of YellowApplan knighthood.
The Order of Amicitia provides the Duchy's "Aerospace Cavalry", an aerospace fighter force which is piloted by Knights, each of whom simultaneously command and train between one and three Squires for eventual Knighthood. Knights are appointed ("knighted") by the Duke himself, usually by promotion from Squire (upon the retirement, death, or capture of the Knight he/she served). Squires are, in turn, recruited from the militias of various baronies within the Duchy (said militias, on another note, consisting the Defenders of the Duchy, Thompsonshire's larger but less-noble formal military organization), mercenary guilds within the Duchy's jurisdiction, or even civilians who demonstrate excellent flying skill. Unlike the feudal knights upon which the Order of Amicitia is modeled, the Order's Knights and Squires may be of any species/race, gender, or social caste, so long as they are capable combat pilots; female Knights and Squires, while not as common as their male counterparts, are neither unusual nor taboo. The only formal requirement for Knighthood (and - consequently - recruitment as a Squire) is to be a resident and citizen of the Duchy at the time of recruitment; thus, it's not unheard of for ace pilots in the YellowApple Aerospace Defense Corps to be recruited as Squires and eventual Knights.
Knights and Squires pilot aerospace fighters in battle. The fighter platform of choice for the Order of Amicitia is the once-experimental YellowApple, Inc. X02-AF03 Aerospace Fighter Platform, one of several candidates for YellowApple, Inc.'s "third generation" of aerospace fighters; while the X02-AF03 platform was not selected by YellowApple, Inc. (which instead favored the X01-AF03 platform due to its improved capability for atmospheric operations, and thus based its current fighters on the X01-AF03 platform), Amicus Aeroworks (a research-oriented subsidiary of YellowApple, Inc. based in the Amicitia stellar system and - thus - in the Duchy of Thompsonshire) utilized the X02-AF03 platform instead and optimized it for use by the Order of Amicitia, renaming it the "Order of Amicitia Aerospace Cavalry Platform" and creating four fighter models based upon that platform: the "Aerospace Cavalry Lancer" (OA-ACF01L), the "Aerospace Cavalry Bomber" (OA-ACF01B), the "Aerospace Cavalry Interceptor" (OA-ACF01I), and the "Aerospace Cavalry Scout" (OA-ACF01S), each of which is detailed below.
While Knights and Squires primarily battle in the skies, there are occasions where they must fight on foot - such as the rare event in which their fighters are shot down, or if they are otherwise attacked while not aboard their "steeds". Thus, both Knights and Squires must be able to hold their own in both melee and ranged combat. Knights are typically trained in hand-to-hand, blade-and-shield, pistol-and-blade, and pistol-and-shield combat, depending on their preferences; this training is thus passed on to Squires. Knights vary on their preferences in armor and weaponry for extra-vehicular combat - preferences which, too, are conveyed to their Squires - but most typically wear some sort of full-body armor (generally doubling as a flight suit; thus, such armor tends to be environmentally-sealable) and are frequently equipped with a pistol or submachine gun, a compact shield, and some form of compact blade.
Since Knights are classified as nobles upon acquisition of Knighthood, they are entitled to the ownership of land within the barony of their choice - typically, the Knight's home barony. Knights and Squires alike are paid handsomely for their service, both in established contractual wages and - most attractively - in spoils of battle (primarily captured ships/goods and/or monetary reimbursements for debris submitted for salvage); since daily living expenses and equipment costs are typically paid for while in active service, it's common for Squires and Knights to save their earnings for eventual retirement, or to invest those earnings in an investment portfolio or his/her own future small business (or that of a spouse or other family member) as a means of livelihood after his/her active service is complete. Many Knights will hire support staff for equipment maintenance and clerical assistance beyond that provided by Squires as part of training; these often take the form of Pages - young men and women not yet old enough for actual combat, but still benefit from the training opportunities presented by apprenticeship under the command of Knights and Squires in exchange for basic labor. Older Knights - as they retire - are occasionally laterally-transferred into the Defenders of the Duchy as commanders, or are assigned to training-only positions in the Order and/or Defenders.
Nearly all residents of the Duchy - even commoners - each possess a unique heraldic symbol. As an extension and evolution of heraldry characteristic of Medieval Europe and Asia, Thompsonshire heraldry serves as a means of unique identification with significance equal to - if not greater than - that of one's name. Individuals' heraldic symbols are composed from those of their ancestors and birthplaces, in addition to components indicating places of residence, occupations, skills, honors, affiliations, and even spouses and children throughout one's personal history - thus effectively serving as an elaborate graphical résumé and concise biography. While the construction of such heraldic symbols is beyond the scope of this document, it is important to note, since membership in the Order of Amicitia as a Knight or Squire permits one to include the Order's symbol - in addition to that of one's specific lineage of knighthood - into his/her own symbol, thus allowing a Squire or Knight to denote the Order's role in shaping his/her identity.
