Clash of the Chosen

Clash of the Chosen was a conflict between the Vanguard and the Imperial Cabal after Empress Caiatl entered the Sol System seeking to bring the Red Legion back into the Cabal Empire and convince Humanity to become her vassals for war against the Hive and Darkness. Both sides sought to prevent the conflict from erupting in open war through a series of Rite of Provings, resulting in one final rite between the Chosen champions of both sides to determine who dictated the terms of a treaty.

Failed Negotiations
In the aftermath of the fall of the Cabal's homeworld and capital Torobatl, Empress Caiatl sought to gather the full remaining strength of the Cabal Empire by reclaiming the Red Legion from the Sol System. She also sought to bring Humanity and its Guardians into the Cabal Empire as full citizens to combine their strength against the Hive and Darkness. Commander Zavala and his advisor Osiris met with the Empress to discuss terms, but refused to bow before her. Zavala subsequently ordered a strike against Commander Dracus, a war criminal who aspired to become part of Caiatl's War Council, on Nessus near a recently deployed Imperial Land Tank Halphas Electus in order to secure information on what the Cabal's plans were.

The Vanguard put together a task force commanded by Lord Saladin Forge to combat the Cabal incursions and prevent them from reforming a command structure in the Sol System. Osiris joined the task force and brought in Crow as a recon expert, while Amanda Holliday was in charge of air support. The task force began gathering evidence on the Cabal's plans and how best to combat them, determining that disrupting the Rites of Proving that Caiatl was using to form her War Council could prevent a full-scale war from erupting. Saladin opposed this strategy, instead advocating for escalating the conflict and wiping out the Cabal entirely. Zavala refused to consider escalation as an option, arguing that the Vanguard could not fight such a war without heavy casualties leaving them vulnerable to the other foes.

Battle for the Cosmodrome
The Cabal soon opened a new front in their war when they sought revenge against the Hive for the fall of their homeworld Torobatl. Val Ma'rag sought vengeance and a place on Caiatl's War Council by assaulting the Hive nests in the abandoned Cosmodrome of Old Russia on Earth. Establishing a makeshift firebase in the ruins of the Lunar Complex, Ma'rag led his forces into the Hive warrens before being surrounded in Skywatch. The Vanguard's attention was drawn by the Cabal's presence on Earth and they sent in a team to eliminate Ma'rag. Although the Val was defeated, the Cabal continued to reinforce their position in the Cosmodrome to destroy the Hive.

With the continued presence of the Cabal and Hive threatening Vanguard control of the region, Shaw Han was tasked by Zavala to keep the region secured, as it remained a key source of new Guardians found by Ghosts. He was provided with Redjacks to help defend their holdings. During a battle in the Mothyards, Shaw's lines were pushed back as the Cabal established entrenched machine gun positions and repeatedly charged his defensive positions. He requested reinforcements from the Vanguard, resulting in Saladin himself arriving to aid Shaw with Amanda providing air support. The two Guardians held the line while Amanda launched the Titan Siegfried from her jumpship to smash into the Cabal's fortifications with the Fist of Havoc.

List of appearances

 * Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen