The Cabal. Probably the most interesting alien race that operates in the Solar System, and my personal favorite. Maybe they do not exist from millions of years as the Hive, or they can’t control time as the Vex do. But for sure they hide secrets we don’t want to discover. Here is my theory about them and why they are in the Solar System. We do not know pretty much anything, about the Cabal. Where they came from, why are they here, why the stay on Mars even though they could easily defeat humanity and conquer Earth. All that we know is that they are part of a huge Empire, light-years wide, that includes several planetary systems throughout the galaxy, probably an Empire that is populated by different species, as the presence of the Psions in their army may suggest. The cabal are the most recent invader of the Solar System. The first contact occurred when the City had just developed interplanetary jumpships. Two guardians (said to be the warlock Praedyth and the hunter Pahanin) went to Mars to explore the long-lost planet, and they found an entire army waiting for them. Unlike the other alien species, that one was capable of planning advance tactics and battle strategies, to counter the ability of the guardians to resurrect. Eventually they did win, but they had to fight the Cabal for a day and a night to end the battle. Activities, Crimson Days [quote]The Sand Eaters came in force. The Centurions jumped into range before the Guardians could react. The steps of the Colossus shook the ground. The Phalanx’s shields created a wall that no weapon could penetrate, and the Legionaries moved in for the kill. Faced with certain destruction, the Guardians did the only thing they could. They fought. Back to back, they battled the Cabal for a day and a night. Black oil soaked into the sands until the ground was slick with death. The shields and armor of the dead littered the battlefield, but still the Cabal came.[/quote] All of a sudden, the Vanguard find itself to fight a new, dangerous threat. In a very short time, the Cabal conquered all Mars, and imposed a no-fly zone near the planet’s space. The surface was also inaccessible for the City (Exclusion Zone), and only the bravest and most reckless guardians dared exploring their territory. These missions were vital for the City, because they were the only way to gather more information about the cabal and their hierarchy. Since then, we made progresses but we have a lot more yet to discover. The Cabal are a warrior race. The survival of their Empire is based on war. They need to constantly conquer new planets, and find more resources, otherwise their society would collapse. They could not keep down rebellions, an event that would happen for sure in an Empire so wide. Also their army will lose power due to the lack of supplies and reinforcements, and the chain of command would broke. The end of the Empire. This aspect of their society is shared with the Hive: they also have to continuously kill other living beings, or their worm parasite will devour them from within. Oryx itself feared that, so he created the hive hierarchy to ensure himself a copious amount of “death”, as he calls it. Back to the Cabal, we know their home world has a much stronger gravity than Earth or Mars, so they have to wear a special pressurized armor that replicates it. This gravity explain their physiognomy, why they are so large and tough, more resistant than other alien species. Also this species lives longer that humanity, probably around hundreds of years. We do not know if this applies to Psions as well. The army is composed of different unites, each one specialized in a different sector. It seems that all the soldiers belongs to the same species, apart from the Psions. These hyper-intelligent creatures live and work side by side with the Cabal, working as engineers, tactical advisors, infiltration units and so on. We do not know why this relationship between them exist. They may be a conquered species that was assimilated in the Cabal’ society, or they are working as mercenaries for the Cabal Empire. Another possibility is that they are from the same species, but the Psions developed different characteristics, due to different living condition or special genetic-engineering treatments before they were even born. Moving on to the structure of the army, the Cabal’s hierarchy is based on the chain of command. The higher officers are in charge of their legions, but they must obey to the orders of the High Cabal Command, that received directives from the Emperor Himself. They also have to maintain the discipline among their soldiers, to avoid mutinies, even with drastic measures. The highest rank known to the City is “Primus”. This commanders have the highest authority in their Legion, and respond to the Empire itself. After them there are the “Valus”. They have less power, but they can be put in command if they proved themselves worthy, such as Valus Ta’aurc. Lastly there are “Val” and “Bracus”. These lower ranks are usually assigned to commanders of Squads or Maniples, rarely even Centuries. Currently, there are five Legion of the Cabal Empire in the Solar System (I’m not including the Broken Legion of Valus Trau’ug, because it’s not acknowledge by the Empire). The “Sand Eaters”, the biggest one, is major objective is to maintain Cabal’s control on Mars. The “Dust Giants”, a selected Legion used to counter attacks by Vex and Guardians and reinforce other Cabal units. The “Siege Dancers”, the elite Legion that operates more independently, studying the relics of humanity’s “Golden Age” and the Vex presence on Mars. The Blind Legion is the most mysterious one. It does not operate with other Cabal units, in fact it is only concerned about the Vex structures on Mars. Because of this interested they even went to Mercury to study the Vex, establishing the infamous Vertigo Base. It seems that this Legion does not follow the direction of the High Cabal Command. Maybe it is a separated unit, that takes order from the Emperor Himself, and need to study the Vex, or it has other unknown objectives. Lastly there are the “Skyburners”. This recently discovered Legion was found near Phobos, with its headquarters at Korus Base. It arrived after the other ones, probably sent after the breach in the Exclusion Zone, that led to a much more frequent presence of the City on Mars and the defeat of numerous Cabal commanders. It seemed they were stronger enough to attack Earth, even tough the Dead Orbit assured that was not their intention. However, after the arrival of Oryx, this Legion was ordered to assault the Dreadnaught and gathered as much information as possible about the Hive. It failed, losing all their chief commanders and leaving the entire Cabal fleet in the Solar System without high-ranked officers. The Empire will have to respond harshly. All the Legions have different objectives. However, they shared the same, deep loyalty to the Empire. At least, on the surface. In fact it seems that some Cabal do not really like to take orders from a far away Emperor, that some of them may have never seen. Cabal, Ghost Fragment: Cabal [quote]There is a vast Empire behind these creatures, many star systems away. Some pledge allegiance to that far Empire, obeying their ancient marching orders. Some do not. They disagree among themselves about the answers. I wish arguing Cabal on no one. They slam their plated bodies into each other with horrendous roars. Intelligence gathering has never been so painful.[/quote] This can be explained if we considered the fact that the Cabal Empire is probably thousands-years old, spread over many thousands of light-years. And for a member of the army, trapped on a little red planet at the extreme border of the Empire, this must be quite annoying. However, deserters are very rare among the Cabal. Indeed it is something considered worse than death, to betray the Empire. Those who try (like Valus Trau’ug) are forever abandoned and forgotten by the High Cabal Command, having no opportunity to redeem themselves. Cabal, Ghost Fragment: Cabal 3 [quote] “It’s the mission I’ve been given. I will use what I have.” “Mutiny,” Tlu’urn whispers. “You should mutiny.” Oh, to mutiny. To be like Valus Trau’ug, who took his Broken Legion against the Reef — and failed, failed utterly. Duty is victory. Mutiny is worse than death. Even if death seems certain. “No,” Ta’aun says. And that’s that.[/quote] That’s why all the commanders fight side by side with regular soldiers. They are on the front of battle, risking their lives to complete the mission. They do not remain in the rears, leading their troops from a safe place, as it’s done in most of the armies. They are the first who goes into battle, directly attacking the enemy. They know they could die, but it is better than the possibility to be called traitor. Why does such a psychological behavior exist? It’s because a battle lost is not only bad for the soldiers that have fought it, but also for the all the Empire. Losing fights also means resources wasted, and such a large Empire cannot afford that. They need to win with every mean possibile, even if the price the highest one, death. Link to part 2: https://www.bungie.net/it/Forums/Post/212146432