Speculation Saturday #2: The Fall (Destiny)

by Durandal, Monday, September 02, 2013, 17:43 (4100 days ago) @ Ragashingo

The damage to the Traveler seems largely to be on the bottom half, the area most likely subject to attack from the ground. It seems there could be something to the last stand having been primarily involving ground forces. I cannot imagine such a mighty force that can do so much damage being destroyed without a trace. We've seen the ruins of human war machines in several pictures, but not other races. Why?

If there was some massive civil war, why would the Traveler bother to intervene? Why now, and not at the other times human forces have battled during the Golden Age?

I prefer the idea of an outside power opposing the rise of humanity and the Traveler's mysterious aims in aiding us. Clearly, the galaxy is not devoid of life. If the various alien races are scavenging the ruins of humanity, for centuries if the quotes are accurate, then they cannot be sufficiently powerful in their own right. Otherwise the ability to mastermind the destruction of a solar system filled with people implies that they would have the resources to strip the conquered planets of everything of value in a relatively short time.

My thought is the current forces arrayed against humanity are the vultures of the universe, following along in the wake of the lion and stealing the scraps left behind.

So the real enemy has yet to reveal themselves. Yet from the art we've seen so far, we can deduce the following:

1. The enemy targeted humanity specifically, not caring about abandoned ships, cities, war material etc.
2. Humans thought they could escape via conventional (for the time) colony ships.
3. Humans fought using conventional weapons, i.e. tanks, planes, guns which only works if the enemy is somewhat susceptible to said weapons.
4. The fall took long enough that the great wall in old russia could be built, and was considered a viable defense.
5. Humans tried to escape from Earth, yet the last known survivors are on Earth with the Traveler.
6. There is no debris from the force that engaged Humanity and the Traveler. Otherwise we would know more about them.

It would seem then that the enemy, for whatever reason liked to deploy units from orbit to the ground and did not engage in mass orbital bombardment, or maybe used WMDs sparingly (the cars outside old russia could have been hit by neutron bombs).