My second inkling of suspicion when playing The Coming War was Zavala's pondering statement in the cutscene at the end of the mission. "It's not like the Queen to attack a superior force..." The fleet and power of a practically immortal god versus the fleet and power of an Awoken Queen; Mara is seemingly outmatched. She would have known this too, thanks to her partners in crime. So why did she attack? Well, the battle wasn't all it seemed. First off, the making purpose Awoken's attack was to simply slow down Oryx. The martyrdom of a majority of the Awoken fleet would alert the City to the massive danger Oryx presented. The destruction of his entire fleet, bar the Dreadnaught, seriously decreased his firepower. But while the Queen may seem aloof and uncaring, it's not like her to sacrifice hundreds, if not thousands of her people to simply help the City. Then what was the Queen's true purpose? We can glean many clues from the Coven card. [quote]The chamber was dark. The seven of them were rarely in a room together anymore, but this was the eve of their greatest journey, a plan that overcame death and spanned universes. They were all connected in trance, communing as the ancients did. Speaking would tip their hand to the Harbinger Minds they kept here, trophies from an ageless war, and weapons in the right hands. “Oryx could kill her, if she holds on too long.” Sedia offered through the silence, fearing what was to come. “We took an oath long ago, obedience even in the face of defeat.” Nascia despised fear. “Only a defeat here, now. Not there, then.” Illyn wandered between the two sides of three. The amulet around her neck marked Illyn as the coven’s mother, granting her visions beyond the veil, places only the Queen could go. “So we hope.” Kalli had long sought the power of the amulet, but Techeuns are taught not to desire. “Our Queen awaits.” Lissyl attempted to end the challenges. There was little time and a war to fight. “So now the decision is nigh. The Harbingers, which to prepare?” Shuro was determined to see this all through. Excitement was taught to be kept at bay. “We cannot send them all.” Portia reminded. “All but one, the oldest. It stays with us. Sedia, Kalli, Shuro, take the children, tell her they are to be planted into a dead thing to have children of their own.” A plan hid behind Illyn’s eyes, but Techeuns do not share their eyes with others. “What if they are not wise enough for the Dreadnaught?” Illyn turned back to the source. “Sedia, do you not have faith in our Queen?”[/quote] Much like Anon, I believe the Harbingers are Vex-related. Calling them Minds outright, as well as revealing they are trophies of an "ageless" war gives away some clues. The Coven are speaking in their heads amongst eachother so as to not alert the Harbingers to the plan. These superweapons, while they can be controlled by the Queen and the Techeuns, are obviously still very powerful and very dangerous, kept imprisoned it seems. But they're not just superweapons. They're living. The Coven leader, Illyn, sends Sedia, Shuro, and Kalli to the Queen to execute her plan, as well as all the Harbingers except one. The oldest stays in the Reef. Let's back up a second, there's an important fact here: the Harbingers that were unleashed upon the Dreadnaught weren't supposed to destroy it. Unlike Ceres and the Wolves, who experience their full power, they were not intended to destroy the Dreadnaught (they couldn't have anyway). The Harbingers were sent to [i]seed[/i] the Dreadnaught. To plant themselves inside and reproduce, to make their own children. The Dreadnaught would be turned into a breeding ground for the Harbingers. But there is another hidden component to their plan. Look to the first paragraph of the card: the plan spans universes and [i]overcomes death[/i]. And yes, I know what you're thinking. Mara Sov is not Savathûn, she doesn't use her throne world to overcome death, and the Awoken Coven is not Savathûn's High Coven. Yes, Savathûn has infiltrated civilizations before, but think. Why would she help us find the Black Garden? By destroying the Heart, we bolstered the Traveler, Savathûn's greatest enemy. I could go on about the non-existent connection between Mara and Savathûn, but I won't. My final piece of grimoire is from the Aftermath card. [quote]“[b][i]Do not fear, brother. This was the only choice I had.”[/i][/b] The sound of her voice ripped him from sleep. He jumped up; his ship was still contained in its protective sphere. He tried to retract the shield, but it was locked to its initiation time. He couldn’t remember activating it. Then he remembered the battle. That blast. ... The Techeuns should’ve known what the Dreadnaught could do. Must’ve known. Did they not feel what he felt? Hear what he heard? And that damn Ketch, it wasn’t protected. They had to know that. All to deploy the Harbingers. They barely got a foothold before the weapon was fired. ... The countdown to the shield’s deactivation pulsed. He tried again, to home in on her, to find if she truly gave herself for this battle. He felt close to something, a hum of starlight, then shield deactivation broke his focus. ... “Begin repairs on the ship immediately. Something has gone missing and you will help me find it.”[/quote] First off, Uldren hears an echo of his sister's voice. She reassures him. He has experienced some of the Techeuns's power: they should have known, must have known what the Dreadnaught could do. And they did. When trying to find her, he feels a faint hum of starlight. He senses a part of her. From Ghost Fragment: The Reef 2, we know Awoken can sense eachother; the Queen has amplified this power to communicate with any other Awoken. And thus she sends a message to Uldren. Awoken are born of starlight and dark, their soul suspended halfway in between. The Queen is still out there Guardians, and Uldren knows it. And so he leaves a message for her. [quote]"I leave this in our usual location. Knowing these files have not been touched since that day, I doubt this will be of assistance. But just in case... Please Mara, reach out. Contact Petra, contact me. If you can." -Audio file, Royal data vault, timestamp four days after the battle at Saturn.[/quote] Whether or not the Queen still had a physical body, she's still alive in some form. Uldren knows it.