Last time, we took a look at Destiny's mysterious time traveling robots. This week let's take a loot at the large, militaristic Cabal. Once again there may be a few spoilers here, if you're trying to avoid those... well, you've been warned. :)

The Facts:

"It's been years since they first made their presence known at the Twilight Gap. While early reports have them centered on or around Mars, the true might of the Cabal is still wrapped in speculation."

Few Guardians have faced Cabal and lived to tell the tale. They are a professional military operation. On every front we have found them on the march, they have already dug in and ringed their installations with razor wire. Now, it seems they've turned their eyes towards us.

These icons mark the territory of the Sand Eaters: a brutally efficient legion of hardened soldiers. Their emblems are a warning: this land has been claimed by the Cabal and will be defended until the last of their legion falls. That’s an outcome we can all get behind.

We knew for a space sci-fi kind of game we needed the big, huge, militaristic empire kind of theme. They definitely fit that. They have huge capital ships and giant tanks. Their bodies are huge, their armor is huge, and their guns are huge. So they might just go and take over a planet by force, just kind of roll over it. They definitely are coming to the solar system and setting up these bases and trying to take over by force.

We definitely wanted big, heavy space marine kind of look so that’s why you have the heavy armor, almost an animalistic feel to their armor designs. When they take off their helmet they’re big lumbering space rhinos. They come from a warm, humid climate so they have to keep wet inside their suits. They’re basically big beasts. We joked for a while about lining the inside of their spaceships with troughs so they were like horses. We wanted their ships to be basically space barns. I don’t know if you’ll find hay on the ground, but you want that feel. I don’t know if we’re actually going to end up doing that.

They’re gruff but they’re really ordered as well. They have a hierarchical military order to them. It’s sort of that back and forth of the beasts that are really gruff and aggressive mixed with that kind of order is kind of a cool thing to play with.

[Their structures are] massive, metal, and industrial. There will be black smoke pouring out of them. There will be oil streaking down the sides of the facades -- these monolithic industrial military structures.

The Cabal’s occupation of Mars is just one piece of their vast empire. These war beasts are tough, but they can’t survive Mars’ blistering environments without their climate-controlled armor. Blast off their helmets and they’re done for.

Cabal Substance: We believe the Cabal use this strange oily substance in everything: their vehicles, armor, and even their heavy artillery. For all we know they eat the stuff. We’ve tried to synthesize it in a lab, but can’t crack its chemical composition.

Phalanx are shield-carrying infantry that act as a mobile defensive front, holding ground or pushing forward at will. Their shields can withstand most conventional firearms. Flank them, or you’re just wasting ammo.

Legionaries are frontline soldiers who leap into battle like they’re hungry for it. Their heavy armor and heavier weapons can overwhelm even the bravest Guardians.

Centurions serve as Cabal field commanders and special ops troops. Their combat skills and leadership are unmatched, and their considerable talent for destruction is enhanced by advanced armor and extreme firepower.

Smaller than their comrades Psions make up for their small size with their big brains. They use extraordinary mental powers to combat enemies, and pilot the ships that bring Cabal armies to and from Mars.

Initial reports assumed these were shells for large-scale artillery, but subsequent scouting has painted a more terrifying picture. They’re now believed to be powerful explosives for mining and engineering operations. They aren’t giant bullets: they’re planet-crackers.

The fact that Phobos no longer holds its original orbit is a testament to the Cabal’s might. If they are capable of altering lunar orbits, what other incredible feats of planetary engineering could the Cabal achieve?

A new Cabal force has unleashed powerful Psion Flayers to seize control of the old Martian Warmind. Face this new threat and secure what remains of the ancient network.

Clear out the Cabal occupying the lost city of Freehold and explore what remains.

Just beyond their warbase, Valus Ta'aurc, Fleet Commander of the Cabal Siege Dancers, hides in an Imperial Land Tank. Fight through his guard and stop this terror before he destroys all of Freehold.

Survive the military power of the Cabal and find the Gate to the Black Garden.

Seize control of the Black Garden Spire held behind the wall of the Cabal Warbase and wake the Gate Lord's Eye.

Informed Supposition:

- Our first meeting with the Cabal was at the Twilight Gap. Long ago I thought that would be maybe a dead zone above earth, or some scenic vista on a far away world that looked especially awesome at twilight. No. It is an area in the mountains with direct view of The Traveler and The City! That the Cabal got that close to us makes one wonder what The Traveler does to protect us. Did the Cabal try to assault The City but were unable to penetrate some sort of shield projected by The Traveler? Did The Traveler block air access while seemingly unkilable Guardians tore through Cabal forces? Obviously, the Cabal retreated since they aren't around in our time. So an early victory for The City then?

- Everything we see from the Cabal is militaristic. Even their buildings are militarized. This raises quite a few questions:

• Are the Cabal always this militaristic or are we just seeing... you know... their military in action? You get the sense from the Vex, Hive, and Fallen that what we see is all of what they (now?) are. Might the Cabal be our one enemy who isn't inherently evil, merely expansionistic?
  
• Either way, why have the Cabal attacked our solar system? Us? Is Humanity even important to them or is it all about The Traveler? They made an early play against The City, but was the battle at the Twilight Gap even about The City at all?
  
• Presumably we aren't fighting the entirety of the Cabal military on Mars. Are they engaged in battles elsewhere? If so, who are they also fighting? One would think their intense militarization didn't happen out of the blue. Could the space pirate-y Fallen have harassed them in the past? Or the Hive? Or the Vex?

- Why did the Cabal move Phobos closer in its Martian orbit? Are they using it for a military base? Could moving the moon closer have some sort of environmental effect on Mars they find desirable? Did they do it because it is pretty hanging so close in the sky? Did they do anything similar with Deimos?

- Once again we see the mysterious "Black Garden" playing heavily in leaked mission descriptions. It sounds like the Cabal found and at least partially secured this area. What significance is it to them? They obviously know something that we don't, but what?

- We know we are not in communication with the Vex and it seems unlikely that the Hive or Fallen are returning our calls, but what about the Cabal? As a professional military organization are they open to peace negotiations? Cease fires? Surrenders? It'd be nice to communicate with the aliens attacking us after Humanity's 30+ years of no communications with the Covenant in Halo.

- The Cabal have brought large "planet cracker" explosives to Mars. Are these to literally crack the planet... destroying it? Or are they nothing quite so dramatic and are only using power explosives for excavation? We know there are some Vex structures buried beneath Mars. Could the seemingly important Black Garden also be underground?

Rampant Speculation

- The Cabal we are fighting are said to be part of a larger empire. Have they done this kind of thing before? Swept into a solar system and secured some prize? There was some speculation that The Darkness fractured and scattered the Fallen, but maybe it was just the Cabal instead? It would be neat if the Cabal and other enemy races have a history that didn't involve us humans.

- Have the Cabal been touched by The Darkness? The Hive obviously have been, but so far we haven't seen much to link the Cabal to The Traveler's ancient enemy. Maybe the Cabal fight us because we happen to be in their way and no other reason? Perhaps some sort of alliance can be formed with them once The Darkness does arrive?

- Could the Cabal have already stood against The Darkness? Maybe they want The Traveler for good reasons instead of bad ones? It would be neat if Humanity was hurting the greater good by desperately clinging to its safe, protected position in The City when giving up The Traveler to the more experienced Cabal might actually be the best option. If that were the case though surely the Cabal would try to tell us instead of fighting us, right?

- Maybe this should have been asked about each race, but what do the Cabal call themselves? "The Cabal" somehow doesn't quite sound like a name they would take willingly.

- Some of the Cabal's massive structures are on tank treads. Will we ever get to see one move?

- If we beat the current force of Cabal in our solar system will a larger force come in their defense? If so, how long would it take? Our Jumpship can take us to points in our solar system quickly enough, but the distances between star systems are much greater. Might we be able to buy ourselves a few years or decades of peace? Can the Cabal in our system even communicate back home to their empire?

Thats all for this week... Actually, that's all, period. The time for prerelease speculation is at an end and so is this series. I had a lot of fun pulling together the Facts, Informed Supposition, and Random Speculation for you all. Hopefully you enjoyed it too.

Next Week TUESDAY:

But until then, as always:

All Speculation Saturdays:
Speculation Saturday #1: The Golden Age
Speculation Saturday #2: The Fall
Speculation Saturday #3: The Fallen
Speculation Saturday #4: The City
Speculation Saturday #5: The Gameplay
Speculation Saturday #6: What's New?
Speculation Saturday #7: The Hive
Speculation Saturday #8: The Vex
Speculation Saturday #9: The Cabal