Order of the Silver Hand

The Order of the Silver Hand is a minor order created by the Cardinal Volkov of the Argent Shroud to protect the convent on the industrial world known as Vakaria, located near the border between Segmentum Tempestus and Ultima Segmentum, near the warp storm known as the Vortex of Despair. Due to the everpresent threat of Chaos invasion, the order was meant to be well armed and trained, while also unquestionably devout to the Emperor.

The order was later forced to evacuate the planet due to overwhelming Chaos invasion and relocate to their new homeworld on planet Zoyra, which is part of the Europan Planetary Federation, a small and independent, yet still faithful stellar empire.

Early years
With the increasing presence of Chaos forces in the area, Cardinal Volkov called for a creation of an Order Militant, that would protect the Vakarian convent. The Ecclesiarchs agreed and several years later, first female recruits, mostly native Vakarians joined the ranks of the new, Adepta Sororitas order. They received superior training and were well supplied with weapons and vehicles, yet the numbers still lacked. From planned twelve thousand Sororitas, the total number never got over eight thousand. The cause was a lack of interest and poor living conditions of the general population, that rather worked in factories to support their families. The governor did not care.

Invasion and Departure
Several decades later, blood-red ships emerged from the warp and launched an assault against Vakaria. The planetary governor was incompetent and did not care about the population, thus the PDF forces were underequipped, undertrained and generally badly organized, so the invasion was more or less unopposed. Some commanders organized ad-hoc groups to defend some crucial installations but were helpless against the hordes of Chaos militiamen. The sisters tried to put up a fight against the hordes of invaders, and effectively, but whenever they encountered a group of Chaos Space Marines, it usually didn't end that well. The governor himself, being both incompetent and cowardly, left the planet in his own personal shuttle. With the fight being hopeless, both the PDF and sisters retreated into more remote areas, regrouped and planned.

Several weeks later, the plan was finished all things prepared. The sisters will launch an all-out mobile assault against the starport, hoping to punch through and get to the shuttles. Remnants of the local PDF were to support them with the few IFVs, tanks and artillery pieces they still had, all while gathering as much civilian population as possible along the way. Meanwhile, the Angel of Astraea, the only Imperial ship on orbit, would get into position and when the last shuttle lands, she will depart. The action as a whole was successful, but the resistance was greater than expected and a large number of brave men and women died that day. Survivors were evacuated into orbit and departed towards the nearest known Imperial planet, Europa Prime.

The ship's warp engines were damaged and the Navigator killed, so she could make only short, blind jumps through the warp. It took them sixteen years on a cramped ship and one pirate attack before they crossed the Nebula and docked on the Torus.

New home
Upon arrival, they were greeted well, however, something felt wrong. The ecclesiarchs found out that the Europa had segregated from the Imperium. The ecclesiarchs threatened and intimidated the Europans and a shootout almost broke out, but then Alexandra, a living saint herself intervened and negotiated the terms of their stay. The Emperor's light still shines in this system, after all, and people needed guidance.

The covent was re-established, mostly in the same way as it was back on Vakaria, only with some limitations over power and autonomy, to ensure it can't become too influential and will remain responsible to the Federative Council, a highest governing body of the Europan Federation. They chose Zoyra as their new homeworld, as it is a place of tranquility and harmony.

Organization & Doctrine
The ranks of the order are divided into several branches, each specializing in one of the tactics while being trained in the other ones as well, yet less so. Repentia units and Penitent engines are almost non-existent within the order, as well as Arco-flagellants.
 * Suppression squads specialize in holding the line or performing slow, grinding advance. They have larger percentage of Retributor squads, compared to other branches, to lay down a massive volume of fire to keep the enemy pinned down. Immolator IFV and the Exorcist MLRS is their favorite choice when it comes to vehicles.
 * Mobile Warfare units specialize in usage of armored vehicles in combat, most frequently the Immolator IFVs, Repressor APCs, and Exorcist MLRS', along with several more, custom made designs comparable to Vindicators and Predators used by the Adeptus Astartes. Their role is either to punch through the line and overwhelm the enemy or outmaneuver the enemy and strike from flanks.
 * Surgical strike units, as the name implies, are trained in rapid deployment, assassination or sabotage missions. They are almost exclusively composed of highly mobile Serafim units, with the rest being mostly Celestians, Dominions, and air assets as transports, air-superiority fighters, and fighter-bombers. Several are known to be in the Death Cult, yet this information was not confirmed.
 * Homeland Security serve as safety patrols, honor guard, stationary guards, bodyguards of VIP personnel and even as a riot control if necessary. They are trained in the usage of both lethal and non-lethal force alike and the emphasis is laid on threat assessment and recognition of a potential attacker. This branch is known to deploy dedicated close-combat units.

In case of deployment, Sororitas will rarely operate on their own, so they frequently exercise alongside the Guard units to maximize their combat potential. Training alongside the Skitarii Legions from Ostrakan is rare, though. Thanks to close ties between all Europan institutions, the Order is supplied with several unique designs, ranging from locally produced Boltgun, through additional armor for Rhino-chassis, to Ostrakan-pattern Exorcist or the power armor they wear.

Notable Members

 * Saint Beltaine - The living saint and the Parton herself. Her former whereabouts are not known, yet Volkov had visions about her, so he made her a Patron of the new order. She appeared for the first time during the fight for the spaceport, descending from the skies like a blazing meteor right into the thickest fighting, striking dozens of heretics with her red-hot sword, blazing with Emperor's fury. She stayed with them ever since.
 * Canoness Yekaterina (KIA) - Predecessor of the current canoness, she fell on Vakaria. She insisted on being the very last living person to board the shuttle, but unfortunately, a hail of Heavy Bolter fire struck her down before she had a chance to get inside.
 * Sister Skylar - Now an old lady doing charity, she was a Retributor squad leader and was the very first of the Sororitas to enter the pirate base. Her squad also pushed through the areas with the fiercest resistance and suffered only two casualties.

Deployments

 * Defence of Vakaria (Crushing defeat) - The Sororitas were defending the city, along with local PDF elements, yet due to poor organization of the PDF, low numbers of the Adepta Sororitas and overwhelming numbers of the Archenemy, the battle was lost and Imperial forces have withdrawn from the major population centers. Casualties among the defenders were estimated to reach nearly 74% of all military personnel.
 * Evacuation of Vakaria (Minor victory) - After regrouping, the remaining Imperial forces gathered in one place and launched a desperate all-out assault against the main starport in order to get off the planet. The assault is considered as successful, as the landing zones were seized, suffering only a 32% casualty rate among the remaining forces. This number would be compensated by the number of civilians collected along the way to the starport and evacuated off the planet. Among them were some interesting individuals, too.
 * Battle of the Pirate's den (Decisive Victory) - The Sororitas were deployed along with the Guard forces in the final battle for the pirate station. Suppression units were deployed to lead the advance throughout the main corridors, relentlessly marching forwards while mercilessly gunning down everything that posed a threat with concentrated Heavy Bolter fire, while the Guard squads provided fire support and secured the flanks. Casualty rate amongst the Sororitas was little over 11%.