Empress Caiatl

"Vex encryption. Unbreakable? Ha, so they say."This article does not have enough inline references. You can help Destinypedia by adding citations.
For more information, see the citation policy.

Character

Empress

Empress Caiatl
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Princess-Imperial Heir Apparent Her Royal Tuskiness Caiatlkel
Homeworld:	Torobatl
Species:	Cabal
Gender:	Female
Height:	9'10
Eye color:	Orange
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Cabal Empire Imperial Cabal
Rank:	Empress
Notable info:	Daughter of former Emperor Calus Co-conspirator of the Midnight Coup

Princess

Caiatl, Princess-Imperial
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Princess-Imperial Heir Apparent
Homeworld:	Torobatl
Species:	Cabal
Gender:	Female
Height:	9'10
Eye color:	Orange
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Cabal Empire Imperial Cabal Red Legion (Formerly) Emperor Calus (Formerly)
Rank:	Cabal Heir (Princess)
Notable info:	Daughter of former Emperor Calus Co-conspirator of the Midnight Coup Confidant to Umun'arath

Gameplay

Empress Caiatl
Biographical information
Species:	Cabal
Faction:	Imperial Cabal
Rank:	Empress
Class:	Centurion (Presumably)
Gender:	Female
Combat information
Mission:	Catharsis Desperate Measures Home, Part I Home, Part II
Weapon(s):	Projection Rifle (Pistol)
Abilities:	High Durability Rapid Movement Limited Flight Rapid Firing Limited Flight Quake

"Our future will not look the same as our past. With your trust, I will usher us into a new age, and I will not default on my promises, as my father did before me."

— Caiatl

Empress Caiatl, formerly known as the Princess-Imperial, is the current Empress of the Cabal and daughter of the exiled Emperor Calus.

She and a group of others staged a coup to overthrow her father and later succeeded Dominus Ghaul as leader of the Empire following his death during the Red War. After the Sol System was invaded by the Black Fleet, Caiatl sought to bring humanity into the Cabal Empire as subjects to aid in her war against the Darkness and Hive. As of Season of the Risen, Caiatl has become an ally, as the Imperial Cabal and the Vanguard have formed a provisional alliance to fight against the Lucent Hive, as well as her father's forces aboard the Derelict Leviathan and on Neptune.

Biography

Warrior Princess

"I will challenge Irkyn La to a battle and defeat her. Then my people will own everything in the universe."
"Yes, I think you would. But the empire has already defeated the Tiiarn. None of them are left. And with no one to believe in her, Irkyn La is dead as well."
"Then I will believe in her."

— A young Caiatl and Ahztja discussing the creation myth of the Tiiarn

Caiatl was born to an unnamed Cabal consort of the emperor Calus during the time of the Praetorate's rule, who would abandon her to Calus after she could not rouse him from his depression. It would be her birth that inspired Calus to overthrow the Praetorate and claim absolute sovereignty over the Cabal people. As the daughter of Emperor Calus, Caiatl grew up surrounded by his decadence and extravagant pleasures. At birth, she was named by her father after the brightest star in Torobatl's sky,, which itself was named after a loanword from the Hive language - as its base form, "aiat", means "it is this way because it can be no other way", "caiatl" means "it does not always go as it needs to go". Caiatl had also shown a curiosity for the world beyond, which Calus recognized having the same fascinations as him despite his worries for her.

As her father was often busy in either his pleasures or depression, Caiatl spent much time in the company of the tutors and caretakers he sent to watch over her in his absence. One of them was the mythkeeper Ahztja, who would regale the young princess with stories of the worlds the Cabal Empire had conquered. One night she asked her to tell her a story of how another species claimed the universe was created. Ahztja told her of the Tiiarn and how they believed Irkyn La, the First Host had thought herself into existence and then brought order to the chaos of the cosmos. Caiatl questioned where Irkyn La lived and Ahztja explained that the Tiiarn claimed she was woven into the very fabric of the universe and that the sky was her mouth. Contemplating this for a moment, Caiatl resolved to challenge Irkyn La to battle so that once she was defeated the Cabal would have claim over the entire universe. Her amused caretaker noted that the Cabal had already conquered the Tiiarn and brought them to extinction, making Irkyn La dead with them now that no one believed in her any longer. Caiatl decided that she would believe in her so that she could be fought, amusing Ahztja further, who declared that she was so mighty a warrior she would wish her enemies into existence.

At age three, Caiatl saw her father having sired new children with a new female consort who was not her mother. Calus invited her to visit him while he nursed her young despite her own personal reservations. Inside the bower, she asked her father if her own mother was dead only for him to deflect the question by asking her to sing to her new half-siblings. This only raised Caiatl's concerns that a Cabal father would be willing to forsake his children as Ahztja taught how the mother must stand vigilant while he is sessile and vulnerable; lest he discards her offspring and take on the brood of another female. Calus offered quick reassurance stating that selective breeding was how she knew her father's love. Their engagement, however, would ultimately not last as his consort would leave him along with their children after a heated argument.

As a child, Caiatl was gifted her own personal War Beast as a pet, whom she affectionately named Milos. She grew extremely attached to her newfound companion, spending every waking and dormant hour with Milos by her side as the pair became inseparable. Caiatl trained Milos herself and even fed him from her own plate. Calus, fearing her love for Milos threatened to eclipse his own, grew envious and had Milos butchered by one of their servants. Caiatl would be sent a correspondence from her absent father explaining the deed and delivered by the servant whose hand had slaughtered her War Beast much to their dismay. Instead, the princess chose to forgive the servant for their part in Milos' death and started resenting her father henceforth.

When Caiatl grew older she eventually became disgusted by her father's revelries and instead found a friend and mentor in Evocate-General Umun'arath, the Primus of All Legions. She played games of war and conquest with the general to learn strategy and soon embraced the military lifestyle, wearing pressure armor at all times, even on the capital of Torobatl. Caiatl soon fell in love with flying and began training as a pilot. During one training session, Umun'arath had her fly a simulation through the swampy world of Aark, which had been conquered by the Hive. She was fascinated by the alien landscape, and her distraction cost her when a simulation of a massive Wizard destroyed her fighter craft. The simulator mimicked death as part of the learning process and Caiatl emerged from it shaken and with a tremor in her arm. Umun'arath criticized her for being distracted and dismissed her as being weak and coddled by her upbringing, but Caiatl insisted she would not fail again. Her mentor disagreed, informing her that failure would teach her how to live and ordered her to run the simulation again.

Eventually, Caiatl graduated from her training and became a pilot in the legions. While scouting the frontier of the Cabal Empire she saw numerous threats to its security which she did not believe Calus would be able to handle. Meeting with Umun'arath, who shared the same concerns about the exterior threats faced by the Empire, the two warriors made plans on how to deal with the situation.

The Midnight Coup

"Father, I will not be weak."

— Caiatl to Calus during the Midnight Coup

After several centuries, Caiatl would join Umun'arath in a conspiracy led by Primus Ghaul of the Red Legion and the exiled Consul to overthrow Calus and end his negligent rule of the Empire. They would convene via Psion metaconcert though the usage of Otzot's OXA Machine, though at one point during their psionic mind-melding, the Princess-Imperial had glimpsed into Ghaul's memory of her father. Calus confided with Ghaul of her mother; who had once served as a consort to comfort the depressed emperor during his ennui under the Praetorate's rule, ultimately leaving him with an infant Caiatl to brood after her departure. While Ghaul remembered with contempt, Caiatl would express empathy for her father for the first time. A few days later, Caiatl came to the emperor wanting to confess everything including the conspiracy in a moment of weakness. As she was willing to betray her cause, Caiatl asked her father if there was anything he wanted beyond her birth. Calus responds by revealing the Ahamkara bone he used to wish himself into power, the selfish wish he made for something to love him unconditionally, and the story of her birth that inspired the desire of want for him to take the throne for himself. Realizing he will never reconcile with his actions as emperor, Caiatl concluded that his father must be overthrown for the greater good.

Knowing Calus' closest secrets, Caiatl was a key player in the Midnight Coup, securing the throne room and the Ahamkara bone he kept there. As her father rushed into the throne room to utilize the bone amid the coup, Caiatl greeted him and vowed never to be weak before crushing the bone, ending his chances of stopping the coup. Calus' popularity with the common people prevented the plotters from executing him, and he was instead imprisoned aboard The Leviathan and exiled to the edge of the galaxy along with his Loyalists by the ascended Dominus Ghaul.

Centuries later, Caiatl sensed an assassin watching her. The assassin spoke and informed her they brought Calus's regards. Turning to face the assassin, Caiatl did not recognize their species but noted their pressure suit was styled with Calus's colors. She told the assassin her father could keep his regards, but they responded that the Emperor also had a message. Before they could relay it Caiatl charged them as they fired a Void weapon that tore into her bicep. Ignoring the pain, Caiatl knocked the assassin to the ground, grabbed them by the throat and inquired about the message. The assassin stated that she was nothing more than a child playing general and lacked the vision of her father and the drive of Dominus Ghaul. She was caught off-guard as the assassin plunged Heartshadow into her side and finished the message by stating that she would not be remembered. Infuriated, she rolled away to remove the blade as the assassin leveled their weapon at her head. Caiatl quickly placed her palm over the weapon's muzzle and jerked it away as it fired, ripping a hole into her palm. With the assassin now unarmed, Caiatl grabbed them by the head and slammed it into the ground repeatedly until it cracked and blood began to pour from her foe's broken form. She questioned if her father was listening and warned him that she would come for him no matter how far he traveled. The assassin gasped out that his death would not stop the end from coming and that their gods had foreseen the end. Pondering those words, Caiatl crushed the assassin's skull with a blow from her good hand and declared that their gods were dead. She would then break the enactine blade in two and send it back to her father along with the head of his Shadow assassin. That would soon became a tradition between Caiatl and her father as both parties kept passing the ceremonial blade between each other, being their only effective means of communication for the time being.

Rise of the Princess-Imperial

"The Red Legion will march again."

— Princess-Imperial Caiatl

Caiatl became the new ruler of the Cabal Empire after the demise of Dominus Ghaul during the Red War, though she did not initially claim the title of Empress. While making preparations in her war room to lead her fellow Cabal into a new age, Caiatl contemplated her bitterness towards Calus and Ghaul in place of their failings. She blamed her father for delving their people into vice and luxury, and Ghaul for his obsession with the Traveler and its Light. However, she also credited Calus for instilling within her an active imagination due to all the stories and plays he had subjected her to as a child, and now Caiatl planned on utilizing that imagination to save the Cabal and forge a better future for her people. She intended for this new future to be of war and conquest of rival nations under her direction so that the Cabal would rule the galaxy once more.

Standing in Caiatl's way of full control of the Cabal Empire was her father Calus, who had emerged from his exile shortly after Ghaul died in the Sol System. She directed her own emissaries to eliminate one of her father's Shadow agents operating in the Human's solar system that was using The Fourth Horseman, an infamous Cabal killer, to eliminate remaining Red Legion personnel.

To aid in her ambitions, Caiatl began attempting to rally the remnants of the Red Legion back to her side and exhorted all loyal Cabal across the Sol System to prove themselves by capturing Calus. Although the remnants of the Red Legion on Earth, Nessus, and the Reef responded to her call and offered tribute, they could not comply with her orders, as following the arrival of the Black Fleet to that system, the Leviathan disappeared without a trace. She dispatched emissaries and scouts to the system, however, they began to report abandoned Red Legion camps with signs of internal conflicts. Additionally, a mysterious disease of Hive origin began to spread amongst the fringes of the Cabal empire.

Fall of Torobatl

"Our people are not meant to flee our battles. But neither are we the Hive, throwing ourselves on the blade again and again. There is strength in tactical retreat."

— Caiatl, informing her war council of her decision to retreat from Torobatl

As the de facto ruler of the Cabal following the death of Dominus Ghaul, Caiatl presided over the Cabal Empire from the royal palace on Torobatl. When one of her generals came to her complaining of a horrendous stench coming from Umun'arath's quarters. Concerned, Caiatl visited her mentor's room and discovered it stank of death and poison. Instead of the neat and tidy war room of the Cabal's military leader she found the tables covered in papers and tomes which she did not recognize, and saw to her horror in the corner was a Hive Thrall chained to the wall. She questioned Umun'arath on what she was doing, noticing that the tome the general was currently reading was bound in flesh, and was disturbed as she explained that she saw the future of the Cabal in the ways of the Hive and their lack of fear towards death. Caiatl reminded Umun'arath that it was she who had taught Caiatl about how the bravery to defy death was what made soldiers. Her mentor dismissed that, and now proclaimed that with the rapidly deteriorating state of the galaxy, they must embrace new ways and new gods to survive. After a long silence, Caiatl came to a decision and ordered Umun'arath to step down from her council.

Sometime later, Caiatl was alerted by Advisor Taurun that Umun'arath had been apprehended in the central square of Torobatl's weaponsmith district, in the middle of conducting what appeared to be a Hive ritual. Caiatl arrived on the scene to confront the disgraced Evocate-General and was disturbed to find her nearly naked with glyphs carved into her skin and a sickly green fire burning behind her. Dismissing the guards, Caiatl demanded to know what new god her former mentor was rambling about greeting. Umun'arath stated it was the god of war, causing the ground to begin rumbling. Caiatl declared that her obsession had turned her into a threat to Cabal society and began to pronounce her sentence, but Umun'arath then raised her hands, which glowed with energy and made the fire burn brighter while a stranger chattering began. Concerned, Caiatl drew her ceremonial blade and drove it into Umun'arath's gut, seeking to halt the ritual, but the corrupted general only laughed. Disgusted, Caiatl kicked Umun'arath off her blade and into the fire, inadvertently completing the ritual and summoning Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War, and her army to Torobatl through a massive portal.

A battle began to defend the Cabal homeworld, but the endless army of Hive ground down the Cabal's military. The capital city was quickly overtaken by Cryptoliths which emerged throughout its streets. Caiatl took to the skies in her starfighter to defend the world, but found that while every missile she fired destroyed one set of foes, they were soon replaced, and she was eventually shot down. Wounded and with her combat suit leaking gel, Caiatl reflected on her role in the invasion, reflecting that even if she had been unwitting it was still her blade that completed the ritual Umun'arath set in motion. Xivu Arath then spoke, declaring that the Cabal had long worshipped war and thus her, and that she had finally come to claim her tribute.

Caiatl withdrew to her flagship, the Eligos Lex V, and met with her council of advisors. Taurun reported that the Hive's War moons were too powerful and overwhelming their defenses. As Ca'aurg and Tha'arec began arguing over the role Emperor Calus and Dominus Ghaul had played in weakening their society and defenses, Caiatl interrupted before a fight commenced. She noted that her father had built a mythology around himself and what the Cabal could be while taking only half-steps towards his goals, while Ghaul imagined slights and sought to use the Legion as a tool to entrench his own legacy. Declaring herself to be like neither of them, Caiatl stated that Umun'arath had misled them as well and that they could not be the Hive and throw themselves at their enemy without hope of victory. She decided they would evacuate the entire surviving population of Torobatl and undertake a tactical retreat to the Sol System to reclaim what remained of the Red Legion. Noting the worry and shame on her council's faces at the dishonor in retreat, Caiatl further declared that this was her first order as the new Empress of the Cabal Empire.

Caiatl's coronation was held the next day as the Cabal fleet retreated from Torobatl. Following her coronation, Caiatl addressed the entire Cabal fleet to address their concerns about the fall of their homeworld and their retreat, reassuring them that there was no shame in withdrawing to consolidate strength for future conflict. She urged them to remember that they found themselves in a war with the embodiment of war itself and admitted that she now found conflict to be ugly and poisonous and that the Cabal must fight for a greater purpose than the fight itself. Caiatl declared they would fight for each other and the Empire and would do so with the remnants of the Red Legion in the Sol System. She vowed that she would lead the Cabal into a new age, one where she would fulfil promises that her father left incomplete. She began by announcing that all Psions were now free and full citizens of the Empire and any who wished to depart could do so and be granted a reasonable amount of supplies. Caiatl cautioned that those who remained would soon find themselves in another war, but that together they would build an army that fought for each other. She then ended her address by declaring that they would emerge victorious against the false gods of the Hive and would unite to draw strength from the past to forge a new united future for all Cabal.

Clash of the Chosen

Aggressive Negotiations

"Join my empire. You'll keep your title and gain a seat on my war council. With my army and your Light, the Cabal will crush the Hive. Then... the Black Fleet. Bow."

— Empress Caiatl presents her offer to Commander Zavala

As the Cabal fleet traveled to the Sol System, Caiatl weighed what to do upon their arrival. Taurun entered her private quarters and informed her that the rest of the council was awaiting her word, Caiatl invited her advisor to sit with her and discuss their options. Noting that the Guardians of the Sol System had slain Ghaul and many other powerful foes, including multiple Hive gods, with Xivu Arath's brother Oryx among them, Caiatl and Taurun wondered if the cost of continued war against humanity was too high when they needed all their resources to strike back against the Hive. She asked Taurun if war was needed to reclaim the Red Legion, and her advisor carefully asked if Caiatl did not believe they would win. Careful not to show weakness to her advisor, Caiatl stated that they would but only after a long war with many casualties that would leave them even more vulnerable to Xivu Arath. Instead, she suggested open negotiations with the Guardians, although she disliked doing so and knew that many of her advisors would also protest. Taurun advised that she would need to concede to the rest of the council to maintain their support after the retreat from Torobatl. Stressed and understanding that her position limited her options, Caiatl decided that she would need to demand the Guardians kneel before her, although she was resigned to the fact that they would most likely reject her offer immediately.

Caiatl meets with Zavala and Savathûn, posing as Osiris.

Upon arriving in the Sol System, Caiatl extended an invitation to the Last City to secure an alliance against the Hive. Caiatl arranged a meeting with the Guardians where she parlayed with the Vanguard Commander Zavala and Osiris. As the meeting began, Caiatl admitted that the Cabal had a word for peace, which was not used often or lightly, and that they should take that as indicating her offer was sincere. Zavala was skeptical, but Caiatl argued that with the Darkness in their system and the Hive serving them, humanity would fall to one or the other just as Torobatl had. The Commander offered his sympathy for her loss, but Caiatl noted that they had all suffered against the Darkness and its forces. As she proposed her alliance, the Warlock Osiris interjected and noted that she had betrayed her father to Ghaul and that she could not be trusted. Caiatl dismissed her father as soft, but Osiris noted he only lacked ambition. She accused him of the same, declaring that humanity would not survive without expanding its horizons before officially offering them to join the Cabal Empire and that Zavala would keep his title and join her War Council to defeat the Hive and Black Fleet. However, to appease the rest of her advisors Caiatl demanded that they bow, a stipulation that Zavala rejected. As her bodyguards prepared to attack the two, Caiatl signaled for them to stand down. Understanding the rejection, Caiatl stated that she would sharpen her blade and meet them on the battlefield.

The Vanguard began using Caiatl's own embrace of ancient traditions against her, challenging the potential members of her War Council to the Rite of Proving and slaying them. After Commander Dracus, Basilius the Golem, and Val Ma'rag were slain Caiatl requested another meeting with Osiris. The former Warlock kept her waiting and then mocked her by stating he had been managing the antics of her commanders. She informed him those "antics" were time-honored traditions that the Guardians had no right to interfere with and reiterated her offer to have Zavala join her council. Noting that Osiris seemed wise, Caiatl suggested that he knew the best victories were those won without war and that her offer was a way out of one for humanity. Osiris was impressed by her offer of mercy and how it separated her from previous Cabal leaders, but turned down the offer once more and noted she leaned on tradition out of desperation and did not truly have a united Cabal Empire behind her any longer. Caiatl insisted that the Cabal had only lost their home and not their honor and vowed that if it came to war they would take much of humanity and their other foes with them before dying. She ended the conversation by asking Osiris to inform Zavala that her patience was quickly running out.

In addition to her efforts to convince Osiris, Caiatl sent a private message to Zavala without the knowledge of her advisors. She told him that as a child she had believed rulers held absolute power to conquer and kill, but now understood that ruling was a form of servitude to one's people. Caiatl explained that she was beholden to the will of her people and that after the loss of Torobatl, she could not retreat from the Sol System empty-handed in order to preserve their honor. Going into greater detail on her offer, Caiatl revealed that she saw the Guardians becoming the elite force of the Cabal Empire and promised that humanity would be free citizens just as the Psions now were. She asked once more for Zavala to reconsider and join the Cabal to gain revenge upon the Hive to ensure all of their survival against the Darkness.

The Final Rite

"There's something more important than victory at stake here. We will honor tradition. We will accept the Rite of Proving. And we will win or lose it as Cabal."

— Caiatl, discussing the Vanguard's challenge with Advisor Taurun

After several more weeks of losses to the Vanguard and tensions rising as members of both sides pushed for open war, Caiatl was contacted by Zavala, who issued a challenge for one final Rite of Proving, with each side selecting a champion and the winner setting the terms of their treaty. She agreed to the challenge and declared that if the Cabal's chosen champion emerged victorious then Nessus would be ceded to the Cabal, humanity would support her claim to the throne of the empire, and Zavala would join her War Council as a Bracus and serve as a hostage to ensure the cooperation of humanity. However, should the Cabal lose the Rite, then she would cease all hostilities against humanity immediately and withdraw Cabal forces from Earth.

Caiatl was pleased by Zavala's offer, which she considered clever and a way for both sides to avoid wearing themselves out before fighting the Darkness. As she considered who to select as the Cabal's Chosen champion, she reflected that her choice had to honor tradition to hold the Cabal together. She informed Taurun that she would select Ignovun, but her advisor cautioned that not all of her supporters would accept that choice or her agreeing to the Rite of Proving. Caiatl noted that Taurun had encouraged her to embrace tradition and thought she would have been pleased by her decision. Taurun warned that some warriors believed that Caiatl was denying them glory through a full-scale war and sought to follow in the footsteps of Ixel, the Far-Reaching in their quest for infamy. Disgusted by their lack of foresight, Caiatl reminded her that they must conserve their strength for the Hive. She was angered by Taurun stating that she was seemingly valuing conclusion over victory and declared that their honor was at stake and more important than victory, and that they would win or lose the Rite as Cabal.

With Ignovun awaiting his challengers in the heart of the sacred Imperial Land Tank Halphas Electus, Caiatl hoped to wear down the challenging Guardians before they reached her Chosen champion. As three Guardians stormed the tank, Zavala issued the formal challenge to Caiatl and she accepted with a wish that their shared bloodletting would lead to unity. She warned the Guardians that they would not have safe passage through the Halphas Electus, which she claimed hungered for battle and questioned if they felt the same. Encouraging them to surrender, Caiatl promised to be merciful in their shame, but Zavala accused her of provoking the conflict that they would now end. Zavala questioned why she placed warriors between their Chosen combatants and wasted their lives, and Caiatl explained that they had sworn themselves to the Rite and were free to spend their lives as they saw fit. She was angered when the Guardians began sabotaging systems aboard the tank en route to Ignovun, warning that her warriors would defend the Halphas Electus as if its oil was blood. As the Guardians approached the ritual arena, Caiatl questioned if they enjoyed the act of killing and ritual combat. Zavala told her they would do what it took to secure the peace and offered mercy. Despite a fierce battle, Ignovun fell to the Vanguard's Chosen champions and Caiatl declared that she would honor their agreement while making arrangements for a meeting to finalize the treaty.

Ending the War

"We are one Cabal, and we strike as one fist."

— Caiatl addressing the assassination attempt

Accompanied by two Blood Guards and the Psion attendant Valir, Caiatl met with Zavala on the surface of Nessus to ritually conclude their agreement. Valir handed her a ritual blade with which she cut her palm while declaring that their blood would be the last spilt in the conflict between humanity and the Cabal Empire and the ground upon which they stood would become hallowed. She handed Valir the blade back to present to Zavala, but as the Psion approached him the Guardian's Ghost Targe was suddenly disabled by a sniper with Light-draining tech. Caiatl was shocked by this ambush, and Zavala's bodyguard Crow barely saved him as Valir attempted to slay the Commander. With Crow injured and Zavala Lightless, Caiatl charged Valir and prevented him from finishing Zavala, lifting him into the air before slamming him back into the ground and ending his life. Swearing to Zavala that she did not order his assassination, she commanded one of her Blood Guards to hunt down the sniper and bring them to her for interrogation to discover who was behind the conspiracy before watching as Crow disabled the Light-draining tech and restored Zavala's Light to him. Despite this incident, the treaty was concluded and Caiatl declared that any Cabal who maintained conflict against humanity were criminals in the eyes of the Empire and would be left to the Vanguard's justice.

The other conspirator was caught and brought before Caiatl, revealed to be another Psion named Qalec. With the traitor before her, Caiatl broadcast another message to the Cabal Empire and declared that by adhering to the Rite of Proving they chose strength and honor over seeking personal glory. She denounced the Psion's attack on Zavala and condemned them for pursuing their own honor before the good of the Empire. Stating that Valir had at least faced death with honor, Qalec was a coward who ran rather than face consequences for his actions. Declaring him a stain on the history of the Cabal and revoking his name for his cowardice and treason, Caiatl executed the traitor. Vowing to find the remaining conspirators and deliver the same fate upon them, Caiatl stated they were one Cabal and would strike only as one fist.

Alliance with Zavala

Several weeks after the treaty between the Cabal and humanity was established, Caiatl learned of political trouble in the Last City after her fleet intercepted broadcasts from Lakshmi-2 of the Future War Cult, who was stirring discontent against the Vanguard after they allowed the Eliksni House of Light to settle into the city. The fleet also detected a Vex anomaly known as the Endless Night afflicting the Last City. Caiatl contacted Zavala to discuss the issue, but the Commander was suspicious of her concern. Caiatl claimed not to be concerned and noted that if the Vanguard were destroyed she needed to be aware. Zavala retorted that they were still there, but Caiatl responded that was true for now. The Titan responded with an edge in his voice demanding to know why Caiatl was really calling. After a few moments of silence, Caiatl dropped her imperial tone and told Zavala that he was a proud hawk with a nest of vipers surrounding him and worried he might find a knife in his back soon. Zavala noted she had past experience with such issues, a fact she freely acknowledged while cautioning him that although Lakshmi was a politician her words of division were diminishing the Vanguard's authority and swaying minds against them. Caiatl worried that if he fell she could not trust whoever replaced him to honor their armistice. The Commander angrily stated that this was not the first challenge he faced and warned the Empress not to let her guilt for betraying her father delude her perception of the situation. Caiatl admired Zavala's fierce reply and admitted that she did not feel guilt for deposing Calus, but for allowing Ghaul to corrupt her people and set the stage for Xivu Arath's invasion. All she wished was to not see a fellow warrior she admired fall prey to the same trap, but noted he might not wish for her counsel. After a moment, Zavala inquired what she might advise. The Empress told him that Umun'arath had been her most trusted advisor and that the Darkness acted through many hands that he needed to recognize before it found his throat.

On Savathûn and the Awoken

After the conclusion of the limited war against the City, Caiatl's advisors repeatedly urged her to launch a full-scale invasion of the Reef, believing its still-weakened state would result in a morale-restoring decisive Cabal victory. However, Caiatl respected the Awoken, whose legends she had heard from the mythkeeper Ahztja while she was still a princess, and was reluctant to harm them. As well, on the strategic level, she considered such warmongering a distraction from their struggle against Xivu Arath, whose forces remained a persistent threat even in the Sol system, and had to be engaged wherever they emerged. Caiatl's efforts, such as personally leading a fleet ambush and boarding action against one of Xivu Arath's Tomb Carriers, occupied enough of the Hive war god's attention and vice versa that Queen Mara Sov of the Reef believed neither would risk overextending themselves by attacking the Dreaming City in force.

Nonetheless, when Caiatl learned that Savathûn, the Witch Queen, had revealed herself in the Dreaming City, she gathered her advisors and drew plans for just such an attack to destroy Savathûn while she was still vulnerable. Further intelligence from Lord Saladin (liaising on behalf of the Vanguard) and Psion agents relayed that Savathûn was a willing captive of Mara Sov, but Caiatl, aware of Savathûn's reputation for cunning and uncertain that Mara could outplay her, continued to weigh the decision to invade.

Ultimately, Caiatl placed her trust in Commander Zavala and sent Saladin back to him with a request for a secure meeting in the EDZ. To this meeting, she sent a Psion volunteer briefed on her dilemma and a Legionary to record Zavala's response. After Zavala arrived, the Psion gave him a vision of the Cabal obliterating the Dreaming City with planet-crackers, killing Savathûn at the cost of countless Awoken (including Mara Sov and Petra Venj), and almost certainly leading the Reef to go to war with the Cabal. Zavala and Caiatl would bear sole responsibility for an atrocity in exchange for the final death of the Hive god of trickery and all her ambitions.

Zavala's response was "No." To maintain secrecy, Caiatl's Psion committed suicide so that only Zavala and Caiatl would know what had been discussed, and the Legionary, who only knew that Zavala had said "no" to something, departed to inform Caiatl.

Operation Elbrus

"Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack."

— Empress Caiatl quoting Sun Tzu.

After learning of the incident on Mars in which The Guardian would massacre her people while attempting to discover its return as well as the introduction of the Lucent Hive, she would arrange a meeting with Saladin Forge, Zavala, Crow, and the same Guardian responsible in the Tower Hangar. As the argument continues, Zavala defuses the situation and asks for Caiatl's help in stopping the Lucent Hive on Earth. She agrees and in return, she supplies Light-suppressing tech in the form of a Synaptic Spear.

Caiatl being informed of the Lucent Brood threat.

The Guardian receives the Synaptic Spear from Ikora Rey after learning more information about the Lucent Hive. Caiatl then briefs them of a plan to extract the different Lucent Hive lieutenants and bring them to the Psisorium in the H.E.L.M. to discover intel on the Lucent Hive's plans. She explains that to extract the Lucent Hive lieutenant, the Guardian would use her Psions to enter the Mindscape to connect the Guardian's Light to the Lucent Hive lieutenant's Light, and then use the Synaptic Spear to sever the latter's connection through the phantasms of Savathûn. The Psions would then lock down the lieutenant for extraction.

With the plan now set in motion and the coalition between her Cabal and the Vanguard forged, the Guardian would track down the first Lucent Hive lieutenant in the EDZ: a Lightbearer Acolyte named Mor'ak, Lightstealer, who is responsible for stealing the Light from missing Guardians patrolling there. Determining that more intel is needed, the Guardian would locate the second Lucent Hive lieutenant within the Cosmodrome: a Lightbearer Knight named Uul'nath, Lightcleanser, who would repurpose the stolen Light for a purification ritual and distribute Lucent Beacons throughout the battlegrounds that spawn Lighthoarders. When enough intel is gathered from both of them, Caiatl begins deploying her forces to the Scarlet Keep on Luna, with the Guardian following soon after. They discover an invasion force led by the third and final Lucent Hive lieutenant: a Lightbearer Wizard named Korosek, Thronebringer. The Guardian puts an end to the invasion force.

While the Guardian was deployed on Luna, Crow attempted to shut down the Psisorium out of concern that the experiments on the Lucent Hive were unethical, but he inadvertently killed the Psion running it. The Guardian and Saladin discover the destruction upon the Guardian returning from Luna. Saladin would inform Caiatl of Crow's actions there and they, along with Zavala, would meet back in the Tower Hangar to discuss Crow's life debt per Cabal tradition of a life for a life. Saladin repays the life debt on Crow's behalf by becoming a member of her War Council. Caiatl would name him "Bracus Forge" and they both depart from the Tower, although she would allow him permission to continue to run the Iron Banner in the Tower albeit with some new ideas of her own. Three days after this meeting, Caiatl gives Saladin a promotion to "Valus Forge" after he defeats another member of her War Council: Valus Guhrn Or'ohk.

The Growing Alliance

Following the events of Operation Elbrus, Caiatl discovers that a sect of Psions are using Psionic propaganda to force her Psions to defect to the forces of the Witness. She asks the Guardian to return to Mars, this time near the city of Freehold to stop the Psions responsible. The Guardian deploys to the abandoned Cabal bunker near Freehold with Caiatl and Zavala monitoring their activity and Amanda Holliday providing support for the assault on the bunker. The Guardian discovers that Qabix was the Psion Flayer spreading Psionic propaganda, and Caiatl orders them to eliminate the Psion Flayer. They all learn that Yirix and her conclave have allied with her father Calus and to a certain extent the Witness. They would learn more of the Psionic propaganda on subsequent incursions, including the history of the Psions prior to Cabal enslavement, the supposed resurrection of Eramis, the Traveler's Light tainted with Darkness, and the return of the Leviathan. Caiatl declares that the existing alliances in the Last City must grow stronger if the possible futures are to be prevented from coming to pass and to fight against the forces of the Witness.

Haunted Leviathan

Two years after its disappearance, the Leviathan had mysteriously returned to orbit above the Moon and began forming a connection to the Lunar Pyramid and becoming infested with Nightmares. Caiatl arrived on the scene with her fleet to hold the perimeter, as the Guardian was sent down to investigate the Derelict Leviathan to assess the situation. After Calus's Loyalists and the Nightmares drove the Guardian away from the Leviathan, Caiatl met with Zavala and Eris Morn, who explained that the Lunar Pyramid was the cause of the Nightmares and how the Nightmares manifest their greatest fears and regrets. She then suggests a plan to use a Hive ritual to bind these Nightmares to them, allowing them to move safely through the Leviathan. However, Caiatl rejected this offer, believing that Eris' ritual would play right into Calus' hands and that she would doom them all. Eris tried to reassure The Empress that her ritual would grant her protection, but Caiatl assured her that her armor would be all the protection she would need and that they would only need to follow her into battle as she led the charge. Despite the Empress' refusal to take part in Eris's ritual, Eris still conducted the ritual With Zavala and Crow. However, after the ritual was complete, as Caiatl continued to look upon the Derelict Leviathan, she failed to notice the Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul haunting her from behind.

After the Guardian helped Crow conquer the Nightmare of Uldren, Caiatl delivered a status report to the H.E.L.M. on the current condition of the Leviathan from her Psion Opti scouts, who confirmed that the ship was emitting psychic anomalies from the Nightmares manifesting aboard the Leviathan. Caiatl also added that Navigational Equipment showed that the Leviathan entered a Gravitational Anomaly where Mercury once was resulting in the ship somehow being both inside and outside the known universe for an indeterminate amount of time. When it reappeared, the ship had been completely mutated, overrun by a massive infestation of Egregore and most of the crew were missing. Caiatl went on to explain that the Cabal Loyalists still aboard were freshly grown mindless clones with no higher brain function. Saladin Forge suggested that Caiatl task Crow with reconnaissance missions to see if there was more that he could find out, to which the Empress agreed.

After the Guardian helped Zavala overcome the Nightmare of Safiyah, Caiatl would later contact the commander to congratulate him on conquering his demons, going on to state that other Cabal warriors have also done the same thing and are immortalized in legend. She even tells Zavala that the Cabal even have stories about the "Great Commander". However, Zavala told the Empress that he did not want to become a legend and that the confrontation with Safiyah was a battle he had never faced before. Caiatl assured Zavala that the battles fought within the mind and heart are just as brutal as battles fought in real life, and that Zavala had just won the most honest battle in his life. But Zavala only felt like he didn't win anything and just felt tired and old, to which Caiatl responded that despite all of his hardships, the commander was still standing.

Rage and Resolve

"Do not interfere, Guardian. I am Cabal, and this conquest is mine to claim. There must be a proving. An acceptance from the old ways. So, as a gladiator entering an arena, I issue my challenge. Dominus! Are you listening? I am to finish what we began all those years ago. You won't stop me. GHAUL! I challenge you! In the depths of my father's tomb... we do battle!"

— Empress Caiatl challenging the Nightmare Of Ghaul

As Caiatl watched the Guardian complete each severance ritual from her ship, the Nightmare of Dominus Ghaul continued to haunt her relentlessly. As the Nightmare of the Dominus was the only thing standing between her and Calus, Caiatl prepared to assist the situation, by confronting Ghaul's Nightmare. However, Eris was afraid that the severance ritual wouldn't work because Caiatl was not bound by the initial binding ritual and advised the Empress to stay aboard her flagship until Eris could think of another solution. Unfortunately, Calus took advantage of this and manipulated his daughter. With her patience at its limits, Caital sent out a message to the Vanguard, issuing her challenge to the Nightmare of Ghaul. In a panic, Eris sent the Guardian to make sure that Caiatl was alright. As the Guardian continued to make their way towards Caiatl's position, the Empress kept asking the Guardian not to assist her. However, Eris kept telling Caiatl to at least wait until the Guardian made it to her location. All the while the Nightmare of Ghaul continued taunting her about how weak and pathetic she had become now, even mocking her about how she failed to protect Torobatl from Xivu Arath's Invasion. After the Guardian finally arrived at Caiatl's position and began the severance ritual, she looked upon the Nightmare of Ghaul and told it how she idolized and looked up to Ghaul as he taught her to be fierce. However, the Nightmare scolded the Empress, stating that she had forgotten his teachings which led to Torobatl burning under her banner and forcing her to seek the aid of humanity, who were originally her enemies. As the ritual commenced, Caiatl strained and struggled against the Nightmare of Ghaul as the Guardian fought another Nightmare of the Dominus. After slaying the second Nightmare, Caiatl was brought to her knees and became heavily exhausted as the Nightmare of Ghaul shouted at Caital, telling her that she was not "the Caital that Ghaul trained" and demanded to know where that Caiatl was. The Empress responded that "she died" when Torobatl fell along with Ghaul's lessons, which The Dominus's Nightmare acknowledged and stated that Torobatl is where the old Caital would stay. Eris informed the Empress that, without the binding ritual, the Severance ritual had failed. Furious, Caiatl told Eris that she didn't need a "Hive-tainted witch" to explain her failure. Eris obliged and ended the communication.

After this failure, Caiatl shamefully met with Eris and asked if her ritual would have prevented her failure. At first, Eris mocked Caiatl, asking her if now she sought the aid of a Hive-tainted witch. Caiatl was angered and demanded to know if Eris saw enjoyment in watching her fail, to which Eris simply stated that she offered the Empress her support and that the offer still stood. Eris went on to explain that Caiatl's failure isn't what defined her and that she was only doing this for herself, not for the Cabal. Caiatl tried to state that she was the Cabal. But Eris told her that she wasn't and that she was a woman with a burden, just as Eris was. Caiatl then explained the intense situation she was in, such as her failure to protect Torobatl, and that within her ranks are traitors and spies. In her eyes, there could be no quarter for failure. Eris recognized that the Empress was speaking Dominus Ghaul's words and understood that Caiatl's Nightmare was that her incompetence would jeopardize the future of her people. Eris comforted the Empress and told her to look past her shame and say that she was more. After being convinced, Caiatl agreed with Eris and asked her to prepare the binding ritual, to which Eris responded that it was already awaiting her.

Thanks to Eris's binding ritual, Caiatl was bound to the Crown of Sorrow just as Zavala and Crow were. She was now ready to confront the Nightmare of Ghaul and sever Calus's connection to the Lunar Pyramid. Caiatl arrived on the Leviathan in a Drop Pod shortly after the Guardian arrived. Almost immediately after arriving, the Nightmare of Ghaul taunted her once more about her weakness, her new empire, and her attempt to challenge him again. The Guardian eventually met up with Caiatl directly speaking to the Nightmare of Ghaul with a Scorn Chieftain impaled on her blade. The Dominus's Nightmare demanded that Caiatl kill the Guardian and send their head back to the City, but the Empress told the Nightmare to be silent and that it was a weak interpretation of the Ghaul she knew. Angered that Caital stood beside the Guardian against him, the Nightmare of Ghaul continued to scold Empress, telling her that she had grown fat from weakness and drunk on the Vanguard's patronage. It kept trying to tell Caiatl that the Guardians were using her and her empire as cattle, that the Cabal would die alongside Humanity. Caiatl, however, disregarded the Nightmare and ignored its lies, stating that, with the aid of both the Guardians and the Light, the Cabal had become stronger than ever before. As Caiatl and the Guardian arrived at the severance site, Caiatl began the ritual as the Nightmare of the Dominus continued to grow furious at her. The Guardian was once again forced to battle a second Nightmare of Ghaul and, as the fight continued, Caiatl cheered the Guardian on, telling them to crush the Nightmare with their light as the Traveler did to Ghaul. After the Guardian defeated the second Nightmare, the first Nightmare of Ghaul continued to scold Caiatl even in defeat, calling her nothing more than a child playing Empress. Caiatl stood back up and looked upon the Nightmare of Ghaul, telling it that the old ways were dead and that Caiatl forged a new Cabal in her own image that did not need his approval. The Empress then drew her blade and stabbed the Nightmare in the chest, purifying the Nightmare of Ghaul with light and turning into a Memory. After that, the Memory of Ghaul could see Caiatl's new Cabal empire pulled from the jaws of extinction and confirmed that she has finally surpassed him because of how she wields the Light on her War Council. Caiatl was glad to hear the Memory of Ghaul accepted this, but told it that she did not achieve this through conquest, but rather through compromise, which was an act that Ghaul's old traditions would never allow. The Memory acknowledged this and faded away, completing the final severance ritual.

After returning to her flagship, Caiatl contacted the Guardian and stated how she and the Cabal looked at Ghaul as a hero. But when confronting his Nightmare, it allowed her to see Ghaul as the Vanguard did. She saw how ruthless and cruel the Dominus truly was and thanked the Guardian for their efforts before ending the transmission. Shortly after, Zavala would contact Caiatl and ask how she felt after challenging her idol. The Empress responded by saying that she felt tired and old, but now she understood what Ghaul was to humanity. She and many other Cabal Warriors believed Ghaul to be a hero, who rose to become a great legend. But she admitted that she was too blinded by his accomplishments to see that Ghaul was a lot more like Calus than she cared to admit and she still cared for both of them despite everything they became. Zavala comforted Caital and sympathized with the difficult experiences they both shared. The Commander explained that he'd never know Ghaul as Caiatl knew him, but he knew Caital and he saw her as she truly was. Caiatl thanked Zavala as that was all she asked for.

Catharsis

Unfortunately, Caiatl's decision to brazenly challenge The Nightmare of Ghaul early gave Calus the time he needed to merge his consciousness with the Lunar Pyramid. However, Eris determined that, like a snail coiled in its shell, Calus had not fully slithered out of the Leviathan and taken control of the Pyramid yet. She estimated that if they strike now and perform one last severance ritual, they just might be able to stop Calus from taking control of the Pyramid. With the plan now in motion, the Guardian would return to the Leviathan and harvest the Nightmares necessary to conduct the final ritual.

Once the Guardian finished, they began their final assault against Calus alongside Crow, Caiatl, Zavala and Eris. Caiatl and the others were tasked with setting up their amplifiers while the Guardian would distract Calus's forces. After Caiatl finished setting up her amplifier, she arrived in the throne room with Calus nowhere to be found. As the Guardian made their way towards the throne room, Caiatl heard something mysterious right before something jammed her comms. Worse of all, Zavala, Crow and Eris faced heavy resistance from Calus's Loyalists, cutting off their communications as well. It was clear the diversion did not fool the former Emperor. The Guardian tracked Caital to the room underneath the throne room, where all of Calus's robotic duplicates were. At the end of the room was a portal that led the Guardian down into the Lunar Pyramid. After leaping through it, the Guardian would meet up with Caiatl in the Chantry of the Darkest Hour surrounded by the bodies of Loyalists. Caiatl was upset that the others were not with the Guardian, but regardless stayed determined, recognizing that they must face Calus alone. Without wasting any more time, Caiatl turned around and called out her father, demanding to know if Calus saw her in all her glory and insisted that the former Emperor show himself. Both the Guardian and the Empress jumped down into the arena below and prepared for battle. As the Guardian placed down the Nightmare Harvester in the center of the arena, Calus materialized in front of them in his Psionic form. Calus expressed that he did see Caiatl, but he only regarded that he saw only her failure, her doubts and her fears, and stated that Caiatl could have ruled by his side, but instead chose this fate. An intense battle began as the Emperor unleashed an army of Scorn and Loyalists, all of which were led by the fading Nightmares of the Fanatic, Kethiks and Ghaul. With each Nightmare slain, the three memories of Uldren, Safiyah and Ghaul were called forth to greatly weaken Calus. While the Emperor tried to fight back by unleashing a barrage of psionic projectiles, The attack was blocked by a shield deployed by Caiatl to protect her and the Guardian. After a long and hard-fought battle, the Guardian slayed the final Nightmare and completed the ritual, severing Calus's connection to the Lunar Pyramid for good. As his psionic form began to disappear, Calus tried to speak with Caiatl one last time but was cut off before he could even start.

Exhausted, Caiatl fell to her knees and removed her combat equipment. The Guardian wanted to help her up, but Caiatl refused their help. Zavala, Crow and Eris all arrived in the room with them, as did the memories of Uldren, Safiyah, and Ghaul. Zavala approached Caital and asked her where Calus was, to which the Empress responded that Calus was dead, that he had given himself over to the Witness, and that the man she once knew as her father was gone. Zavala comforted Caiatl, and together they leaned against each other as the three memories faded away. However, despite succeeding in stopping Calus from taking control of the Lunar Pyramid, Eris did not see this as a victory, as Calus had succeeded in his ultimate goal. Calus had become the Herald of The Witness and the Harbinger Of The Second Collapse.

Battle of the War Gods

When Xivu Arath launched her full offensive against Earth, Caiatl committed her forces to the battle against her old foe. She would eventually be called to a meeting with Mithrax by Mara Sov to discuss the threat of Xivu Arath and her pursuit of the Warsat network. Mara explained that the Hive God planned to use the Warsat network to achieve the same outcome she did to conquer Torobatl. She was waiting for the Guardians to restore Rasputin so that the Warmind could intentionally eradicate her army of Wrathborn. The resulting destruction would feed her worm greatly, as well as fueling a powerful ritual that would open a portal over Earth large enough to send her armies through and overwhelm the forces of the Coalition. At first, Mara suggests that they must cease their efforts to restore the Warmind, but Ana Bray would arrive at the meeting and voice her objections, stating that Rasputin is more than a weapon but an ally that Humanity needs. Mara then thought of a compromise. She suggested that they aim not for total victory, but settle for a stalemate, thereby, allowing the Guardians to finish restoring the Warmind, but at the same time, also ensuring that Rasputin himself can't use his defences, a decision that everyone in the meeting agreed.

Caiatl would even take part in the ABHORRENT IMPERATIVE mission. As the Guardian made their way through the Seraph Station, Caiatl would take her fleet and engage Eramis's fleet. However, one of the Ketches was not fooled by the diversion and still attempted to bombard the Guardian from afar. When the Traveler tried to leave Earth as Eramis prepared to fire the Warsats, Caiatl and Valus Forge watched the event unfold on the Empress's flagship.

War on Neomuna

After the Witness's arrival and attack on the Traveler, it would call upon its newest disciple, Emperor Calus once again. The Witness tasked Calus with going to Neptune to locate and secure The Veil, a powerful paracausal object of Darkness that has a special connection to the Traveler. Knowing the danger such a threat posed, Caiatl took her Imperial Fleet and pursued her father to Neptune. She arrived at the planet just as the Guardian was on a mission to storm Calus's new flagship, the Typhon Imperator, and destroy the Radial Mast, an artifact Calus intended to use to establish a link between the Veil and the Traveler. However, the Guardian was overwhelmed by Calus's Shadow Legion and Taken forces and greatly weakened. Luckily, Caiatl arrived in a Thresher just in time and bombarded the arena, creating an opening for the Guardian to escape.

After the Guardian managed to escape the Typhon Imperator, Caiatl explained that the Calus they faced was not the same one they originally knew. She states that Calus had become akin to a "hungry, desperate beast." Ever since his first encounter with the Witness, he had abandoned all honor and reason, sacrificing anyone and anything for his own salvation. Caiatl even says she regrets not killing Calus when she had the chance back during the Midnight Coup, but declared that if Calus wasn't stopped, he would make sure it would be the end for them all.

Regrouping at Striders' Gate, Caiatl would speak to the Guardian and explain that she came to put an end to Calus once and for all. However, with considerable restraint, Caiatl stated that they were not ready to face Calus yet and that she worried about Osiris' reckless and impatient behavior, explaining how recklessness could manifest into obsession - a pattern she has seen too often within the Cabal Empire, first with Ghaul and the Light, and now with Calus and the Darkness. She hoped that Osiris could rein his tempestuousness if they hoped to defeat Calus together.

Later, Calus would attempt to use the Radial Mast to establish a link with the Veil. While the Guardian and the Cloud Striders Rohan and Nimbus would move in to wipe out the Shadow Legion fortifications around the Veil Containment area and destroy the Radial Mast, Caiatl and her forces would keep the skies clear and prevent Shadow Legion reinforcements from arriving. Unfortunately, while the Guardian successfully cleared out all Shadow Legion forces around the area, Rohan was forced to sacrifice himself to destroy the Radial Mast. After returning to the Watchtower, Caiatl conversed with the Guardian again. She explained how Rohan met his end with honor and he would be given funeral rites at the highest distinction if he was Cabal. Regardless, Caiatl stated that the war was not over yet and believed that, since Calus had failed in the eyes of his master, he was about to unleash his full power and strength, like a cornered War Beast.

In preparation for Calus' all-out assault on the Veil's containment area, Caiatl's forces alerted her that the majority of Shadow Legion forces were shifting their attention to Neomuna's CloudArk, taking Neomuna's defenses offline. After the discovery that the Shadow Legion were forcing a Taken infestation into the Vex Network, with Nimbus theorizing that they were using the Taken to infiltrate the CloudArk and gain access to the Veil, the Guardian moved to stop the threat. However, as the Guardian moved through the Vex Network with guidance from Nimbus, Caital and the Guardian would hear a mysterious voice that had been haunting the citizens of Neomuna. Caital explained that the voice felt too similar to the Nightmares encountered on The Derelict Leviathan and that this new threat was something that needed to be confronted after preventing the Taken's attempt to weaken The Veil. After the Guardian destroyed the source of the Taken Corruption, Caiatl asked the Guardian to return to Neomuna and their final preparations for Calus' upcoming assault.

With the threat to the CloudArk stopped, the Guardian ordered Caiatl to prepare her troops for the upcoming battle against Calus's forces while Nimbus set up turrets around Neomuna and they trained with Osiris to master Strand. Afterwards, the Guardian and Caiatl's forces made their way to the Veil's containment area as Shadow Legion forces began their march on the Veil. Unfortunately, Caiatl's forces were routed due to Shadow Legion Anti-Air Guns set up on the outskirts of the city. The Guardian would proceed to destroy these cannons and arrive at the Vault entrance themselves. With the help of Nimbus and the Neomuna defense relay under their control, they managed to hold off the first few waves of Shadow Legion long enough for Caiatl and her forces to arrive. Upon arriving, The Empress called out the Shadow Legion, stating that they were cowards who served a "Gutless Traitor" worshipping a "False God" and to at least give them a worthy battle. A fierce battle against Shadow Legion and Imperial Cabal forces commenced, but there seemed to be no end to the onslaught of Shadow Legion forces. Once the defense relay Nimbus was operating overheated and was rendered inoperable, the Guardian and Caiatl were left with no other choice but to retreat against the Vault door. Caital stated that if today was their day to die, she and the Guardian would be immortalized in legend together. The fighting paused when Calus suddenly appeared in the sky in his psionic form and briefly recognized Caiatl on the battlefield. Before Caiatl had the chance to say anything, Calus unleashed a powerful psionic blast that obliterated everything in its path and destroyed the vault door. Only Caiatl and the Guardian were left standing. With the Veil now exposed, Caital told the Guardian to reach the Veil and protect it at all costs, while she would go deal with her father. As the Guardian made their way down through the vault, Caital fought off Calus and his Shadow Legion for as long as she possibly could, but she was ultimately outnumbered and forced to retreat. She gave one final warning to the Guardian, stating that Calus was coming for them and the Veil and asked the Guardian to give Calus the end he deserved. The Guardian obliged and confronted Calus at the Veil itself, where an intense battle between the Guardian and the Disciple took place, ending with the Guardian emerging victorious.

After Calus's death, the Guardian's Ghost informed Caiatl that her father was no more. Surprised by this, Caiatl transmitted to the Guardian's location to see for herself. Upon seeing the remains of the former emperor, Caiatl spoke in an honorable gesture, telling her now-deceased father to finally rest. Unfortunately, this victory was short-lived. While everyone was distracted, the Witness took possession of the Guardian's Ghost, using it to create the link between the Veil and the Traveler. When everyone noticed this, Caiatl urged The Guardian to destroy their own Ghost, but it was already too late and the link was made, allowing the Witness to gain access into the Pale Heart, where it can enact the Final Shape. Despite this defeat, Caiatl was still satisfied and thanked the Guardian for bringing an end to Emperor Calus once and for all. She then stated that she would be leaving Neomuna to prepare her forces for when the time came to confront The Witness once and for all.

Honoring the Fallen

After clearing up the remaining Shadow Legion operations on Neomuna, following Calus's death, Caiatl and her forces returned to Earth to aid in ending the Shadow Legion's invasion. Upon learning of Amanda Holliday's death on the field, Caiatl would offer her own words of comfort to Mithrax at the mourning. Drawing a parallel to her own people's traditions, she stated that Cabal carve their tusks with their victories, which are recounted during their funeral rites. The Empress claimed that Amanda Holliday's victories would always be remembered.

Operation Ahamkara

With the Final Shape about to be enacted, the Coalition enacted the mission to defeat the Witness once and for all, dubbed Operation Ahamkara. However, with the portal to the Pale Heart unstable, Zavala ordered that only he, Ikora and The Guardian would enter the Threshold to establish a beachhead and find whatever intel they could on how to defeat The Witness. The three succeeded in passing through the portal, but lost all contact with those outside, leaving Mara to gather all their allies and forces to prepare for the final battle. Though the three were separated upon passing through, they slowly reunited with each other, Crow and a seemingly revived Cayde-6, the former Hunter Vanguard.

As the group investigated the Pale Heart, they learned that the collective consciousness that makes up the Witness has some "dissenters" in their number and began to send clues to the Guardian on how to defeat the Witness. Though a confrontation between Zavala and the Witness led to the death of Zavala's Ghost, Targe, the group nonetheless gained the intel they needed to properly battle the Witness and how they could destroy it by targeting the collective consciousness with the Light. At the site where the Witness was made, the Guardian battled the Witness and, with a blade of Light, destroyed the Veiled Statues holding a soul connected to the Witness, wounding the entity. Terrified, in pain and infuriated, the Witness expels the Guardian from its consciousness and severely wounds them before assuming its true dreadful form, sending the Vanguard group to retreat. Mara fortunately arrived just in time with the H.E.L.M., rescuing the Vanguard from the Witness's attack. Despite its victory in the battle, the group believed they still had a chance to stop the Final Shape after proving that the Witness could be wounded. As such, the Coalition brought its full might to bear, Caiatl and her loyalists among them ready for the final battle.

Before the final battle, the Coalition endeavored to mitigate the damage done to the Traveler and prevent any plans the Witness's remaining minions had. Caiatl would personally get involved in ending the scheme her father's Shadow Legion had in harvesting the Traveler's Light. Though Zavala provided oversight in the operation, Caiatl attempted to convince the Vanguard Commander to join the battle himself but the Titan was reluctant to do so. The Shadow Legion's operations in the Pale Heart would be thwarted at the memory site of Zavala's former homestead. Caiatl was at first surprised at the "tiny house" that Zavala once called home with his wife and son, she nonetheless found it much more welcoming than the grand palaces of Torobatl that she once called home, vast but cold. Though Zavala still believed that the memory served to remind him that he failed his family, like he failed Targe, Caiatl corrects him stating that he honors them and he should steel his mind against his old wounds for they are more than the scars of their past failures. Zavala wonders if Eris told her that but the empress states that it was Zavala himself who told her that. Further, whether they wielded the Light or not, they chose to face insurmountable odds, in defense of those they loved. And once the battle is finished, they will celebrate them together, putting the Vanguard Commander at ease. The Empress would later state with all the understanding she and her forces have gained during their battles against the Witness's forces, Caiatl intends to return to Torobatl and reclaim her people's homeworld. Zavala expressed surprise that Caiatl would leave and attempt to take back Torobatl, likely understanding the Hive had ravaged it beyond saving. The Commander suggested that Caiatl and her imperial cabal could make a new home for themselves within Sol but the Empress admitted that it was a matter of pride that compelled her to return to Torobatl, something Zavala understood but promised that he would be beside her on the day she does seek to reclaim Torobatl, to which the Empress was grateful for.

Despite forming a temporary alliance with the Witch Queen and her Lucent Brood against the Witness, the empress hadn't forgotten Savathûn's role in opening the way for Xivu Arath to invade Torobatl and thus wished to see her pay after breaking and burying her sister first. Savathûn shrugged off the empress's threat, stating that her scheme to bring about the Fall of Torobatl was better for her than simply leaving the Cabal across the galaxy "stewing in ancient politics". While the Witch Queen states that many had died and the Cabal lost their homeworld, Savathûn believes that by doing so, Caiatl had gained more than what she had lost, daring the empress to prove her wrong. This animosity would extend to the rest of the Lucent Brood, including Luzaku, a Hive Lightbearer Wizard who proved more cooperative than the rest of the Hive. Empress Caiatl demanded to know the Witch Queen's plans within the Pale Heart and where Xivu Arath was located, but Luzaku did not know either. Instead, she stated she understood the empress's anger, only for Caiatl to rebuff her, stating she couldn't comprehend the losses she had faced and blamed the Hive for the loss of Torobatl. Luzaku denied this and stated that the Hive were merely the sword the Witness used to cleave Torobatl in two and that it was to blame for robbing them both of so much. While the Hive Lightbearer was willing to discuss their shared pain, Caiatl refused.

When the time had arrived to confront the Witness, a six-member raid team assaulted the Witness's monolith to sever its connection to the Traveler's Light. After much struggle, despite the Witness's incredible power, the team succeeded in severing the Witness' hold on the Traveler's Light, thwarting its Final Shape from being enacted and further wounding it, forcing the Witness to retreat. With it cornered, the Coalition gathered all of its forces for one final attack with The Guardian leading a twelve-member team and confronting The Witness for a final time. Caiatl herself and her forces would join in the final battle, helping the Guardians push through the battle, capturing territory zones and lending them empowered Synaptic Spears to aid them against the Witness's forces. Despite the Witness's efforts and incredible power, the Guardians succeeded in unmaking the Witness by using the Traveler's Light directly against it, destroying the entity for good. At last, the War against the Witness was finally over, with the denizens of the Last City rejoicing and celebrating their victory. Caiatl would partake in the celebration her own way by trying her hand at knitting, having learned of it from Zavala, much to Lord Saladin's amusement.

Personality and traits

Despite Caiatl's royal status, she did not share her father's appreciation for luxury. She instead embraced a militant lifestyle, which eventually led to her turning on her father and aiding Dominus Ghaul's rise to power. However, she came to later view Ghaul with disgust and embarrassment as well due to his obsession with the Traveler and claiming the Light, viewing him as another weak ruler whose failings necessitated her rise to Empress to save the Cabal Empire from ruin. However, Caiatl would later admit that she once viewed Ghaul differently when he first rose to power, finding him magnificent as he rose from nothing to become the leader of the Red Legion. She once cheered for him the loudest when Ghaul was a gladiator. It was only after being left behind on Torobatl did she stop seeing Ghaul as an idol to emulate.

One of the few things that Caiatl did enjoy was flying, and she became a highly capable pilot to facilitate this love.

In her debut in Season of the Chosen, Caiatl was shown to be an honorable and pragmatic figure compared to the Cabal foes faced by the Last City in the past. Knowing the power of the Guardians, she sought an alliance with humanity for their aid rather than risk massive casualties in a war against them. She makes it a point to preserve Cabal traditions and relics of their culture after the tremendous losses they have sustained in recent years to preserve the morale of her troops. However, this has also led to her making gestures to the Cabal's legacy as conquerors to not appear as weak to her people, such as demanding that the Guardians bow as opposed to negotiating with them as equals. Caiatl was fully aware that the Guardians would never actually bow to her or the Cabal, thus forcing her to conduct a gamble that, regardless of the outcome, would benefit her people in their chances of survival. If the Guardians lost then they would rally under her banner with Zavala on her council, if she lost then her people could not oppose the armistice she was seeking all along without looking like hypocrites. This also later gives her justification to hunt down the more extreme components of her empire and leaves those unwilling to pursue peace to fend for themselves as outlaws.

Caiatl has shown complete contempt towards the deserters of her empire siding with the traitor Yirix, expressing no regret in having the Guardian put them down on her behalf. She views those who continue to pursue war with the Guardians as foolish and short-sighted, believing that their desire for vengeance and personal honor over the good of the empire will end up bringing their people closer to ruin.

Another example of Caiatl wanting to establish a permanent alliance with humanity would be shown during the battles against the Lucent Brood. Though the Guardian opened fire on her troops during their investigation of the Witch Queen, she clearly saw the Lightbearing Hive as the greater threat and she couldn't risk another war with the Last City. Most notably, after Crow accidentally kills her Psion envoy, who was a close confidant to the Empress, this leaves her in the very unfortunate situation of having to demand recompense for the deed - a life for a life - even if it damages the alliance, because if she doesn't, it opens her up to factional infighting among her followers. Saladin offering himself in Crow's place allows Caiatl to "claim" Saladin's life in a way, making him a member of her War Council under her command, both preserving the alliance and gaining her the one man that could prove to the infamously stubborn Cabal High Command that humanity is a worthy ally, as well as improve her troops' prowess through the introduction of new training regimens and strategy.

Caiatl's most notable interactions would be with Zavala himself, having come to respect the commander for his leadership, strength of will and sheer determination. Slowly, their interactions would grow from respectful comradery to actual friendship, as both clearly desire to end the war between Humanity and the Cabal, and establish a permanent alliance. Both would even offer advice and condolences towards each other during trying times. Caiatl would also develop respect for Zavala's mentor, Saladin, despite starting off at a rocky start, expressing optimism in his new position as a member of her War Council. Her interactions with the other members of the Vanguard are vague at best. She clearly respects the Young Wolf for their skills and power but largely maintains a gruff sense of professionalism towards them. With Crow, she has shown annoyance at the young hunter's arrogance and naiveté but nearly came to execute him when his recklessness killed her psion. Since then, Caiatl has opted to keep Crow at a professional distance. Recently, her interactions with Eris Morn had shown to be tense. While Caiatl appreciates Eris's blunt advice and knowledge of the Hive, she distrusts her usage of the Hive's magic to combat their shared foes she nonetheless understood, after speaking with Saladin, that her use of the enemy's power does not make Eris herself an enemy.

In Season of the Haunted, Caiatl's inner struggles are laid bare, as well as her open contempt for her father. She initially refused to take part in Eris's binding ritual as doing so had to mean she had to involve herself not as Empress of the Cabal but as Caiatl herself. Having given herself to her position, Caiatl felt she had to be someone worthy to lead the Cabal. However, Eris would state to her that she is not a crown but a woman with a burden, something which the Nightmare of Ghaul manifests as her insecurities for not living up to the Cabal's ideals and her fear of making the same mistakes as her fallen idols. Caiatl would nonetheless rise above these insecurities as she understands that the Cabal can be more than just conquerors and instead of simply emulating her idols, she can instead learn from their mistakes and become something more.

At the end of Lightfall, upon seeing her father's corpse, she merely stated "No more running away" and "Rest now" to her late father. This shows that Caiatl, even though she despises her father for all he did, still seems to retain a small amount of care for him.

Trivia

• Caiatl is voiced by Courtenay Taylor, who also voices Amanda Holliday.
• Caiatl's headdress looks similar to the head armor for Titans from the Eater of Worlds Raid Lair.
• Caiatl is the only antagonist in the series to end their war with the City via a truce where neither party's leader dies.
• Much like Umun'arath's name contains the second part of the name of Xivu Arath, God of War, Caiatl's name contains within it the Hive word "aiat," an expression commonly used by the Hive to express inevitability. Whether this bears any significance or is merely a coincidence remains unknown.
• Caiatl is the only Cabal leader so far to seek a direct military alliance with the Guardians (Calus does not count as his relationship with the Guardians was more of an entertainment/sport-related one.)
  • Caiatl is also the second leader from an enemy race overall to seek an alliance with the Guardians, the first being Mithrax.
• When spoken to through a hologram, one can see past the mask Caiatl wears and see the trademark triangular mouth Cabal possess.
• Some concept art of Caiatl show her with three large feathers displayed from her back. While these were not used in her final design, they were used initially by her Nightmare Counterpart and later her properly in the Catharsis mission.
• Within the Caiatl book provided in the Lightfall Collectors Edition, Calus shows ownership of a suspected Ahamakara bone. He states that a daughter is a "wish to have something to love". This may mean Caiatl came about as a result of an Ahamkara fulfilling this wish, twisting it to result in Caiatl eventually becoming instrumental to her father's downfall.

Gallery

• 

  A sketch of Caiatl from the Cabal Booklet.

• 

  Caiatl as seen in Season of the Chosen.

• 

  Caiatl executes Valir.

• 

  Front view render of Caiatl.

• 

  3/4 front and back view renders of Caiatl.

• 

  Concept art for Caiatl's appearance in Season of the Chosen.

• 

  Caiatl and the Nightmare of Ghaul behind her.

• 
• 

List of appearances

• Cabal Booklet (First appearance)
• Destiny 2: Season of Opulence (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Worthy (Mentioned only)
  • Season of Arrivals (Mentioned only)
  • Beyond Light (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Hunt (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Chosen
  • Season of the Splicer (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Lost (Mentioned only)
  • The Witch Queen
  • Season of the Risen
  • Season of the Haunted
  • Season of Plunder (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Seraph
  • Lightfall
  • Season of Defiance (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Deep (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Witch (Mentioned only)
  • Season of the Wish (Mentioned only)
  • Into the Light (Mentioned only)
  • The Final Shape
  • Episode: Echoes (Mentioned only)
• The Hidden Dossier (Mentioned only)
• Beloved (Mentioned only)
• Destiny Grimoire Anthology, Volume V (Mentioned only)