CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Naturally, the Praxic Order is concerned with the proliferation of reality-altering technology.

But the Order's mandate is not the protection of the City. Or even humanity. It's to combat the agents of Darkness. Until the Vex fall within those parameters, the Order respectfully declines.

Sorry, Ikora. I tried.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Normally I wouldn't get out of bed to track Cabal activity, but the Hidden are reporting a new sect at work on Mars. Their livery and weapons are fresh, and they're doing brisk trade with the local gangs. Not within our purview… I know. But it bears watching.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
According to Omar Saint Croix, this new faction of Cabal are big players in the Martian arms trade. They have guns and armor for sale beyond the usual refurbished Red Legion junk. Someone out there with real manufacturing clout is behind them. To what end, I'm not sure yet.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
I know the Martian Cabal isn't a sanctioned target, but mark my words: it's only a matter of time. Nobody stockpiles this much gear without hedging against Guardian interference. They'll want paracausal weapons sooner or later. And by the time we see them in the field, it'll be too late.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
I told you it was only a matter of time before this new Cabal faction went after paracausal weapons… and here we are. A hit squad wearing their livery mugged Xur in the Winding Cove. Cased him until all the Guardians left, then gave him the old Dark Age stick-up.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Here's the inventory of everything stolen from Xur:
(1) Bad Juju
(1) Malfeasance
(1) Ruinous Effigy
(1) Flight records
Left all the Strange Coins, Glimmer and standard gear. Clearly knew what they were after. This won't be their last attempt to secure advanced weaponry.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
After reviewing the Xur case file, something sticks out: the flight data. They didn't just want the weapons, they wanted to know where he got them. They wanted his contacts. Looking back, that might have been the real target of all along.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Looks like I was right about the flight records being the real target of Xur's stick-up. Intercepted comms from an unidentified Cabal ship included references Xur's Dominion and Eternity. The message repeats nine times. Somebody's trying to make contact.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
I think the renegade Cabal are making headway. Our undercovers on Mars report their lieutenants out trading for samples of periodic elements, most of them benign. Tungsten, Iodine, Ytterbium, Neodymium, the list goes on. And not in quantities useful for manufacturing, either. Something's up.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
I put out feelers with the Fallen mob in Tharsis. Rumor is the Cabal have their Psion engineers building a cipher device using periodic elements as its key. Not the words for the elements, but the elements themselves. They have to be getting outside help. And I mean waaaay outside.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
The Hidden listening post on Mars reports a spike in local comms traffic. Whatever the Cabal were hoping to gain from Xur's flight records and their elemental cipher, it seems to have worked. We still don't know who's backing the Martian faction, but they've got big plans.

CORMORANT-LEVEL ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FOLLOWS:
Our agents have been making indirect inquiries to the other gangs in Tharsis. Word is the Cabal are looking for the Drifter, and more specifically, the Derelict. I get the feeling Drifter stepped in something rancid, and he's about to track it all over our carpet. Where is that scumbag?