Order of the White Star/secret

All the knights of the order had psionic powers, being open to any Imperial knight with psionic powers. This was the reason why Paula II moved against the order in 824 (the order to suppress the individual chapters went out in 823, but were implemented at roughly the same time in 824 to minimize the risk that some chapters might be tipped off in advance). Some of the order’s members were tried for “abuse of psionic powers” and given life sentences. Others simply disappeared without a trace. Even though the knights had been aware that public sentiment were growing increasingly hostile to psionics, they had never believed that their own loyalty would be called into question.

Nowadays the order is only mentioned in the most comprehensive library data collections. Many have never heard of it. Conspiracy theorists believe that some of the knights went underground and preserved the order by secretly recruiting psionically gifted individuals and training them to be their successors. Some say that the order still is loyal to the Imperium, but now acts on its own initiative. Others say that the order reestablished contact with one of Paula’s successors and nowadays secretly receive directions and funds from untraceable sources that ultimately lead all the way up to the Emperor. Others again say that the order has turned against the Imperium due to the betrayal and that they are now working for the Zhodani or the Sword Worlds (one variant of the latter version has the Sword Worlds somehow inducing Arbellatra to set up the order in the first place, citing the symbol of the order as evidence for this).