The Battle of Vahaba involved a temporary collaboration between the forces of the New Republic and those under the command of Admiral Teren Rogriss, who together fought against the forces led by the warlord Zsinj.
Han Solo, a General, tricked Zsinj by feeding him false information. This led the Warlord to believe he could eliminate Solo within the Vahaba asteroid belt. Solo lay in wait within the asteroid field, preparing to ambush Zsinj with the majority of his fleet, aiming specifically at the Iron Fist.
Zsinj was unaware that Solo had deceived him, an oversight facilitated in part by disinformation spread by Gara Petothel. He led most of his fleet into the asteroid belt, where he was then trapped by an interdictor. The New Republic didn't have any interdictors available for this specific battle; instead, Solo had formed a limited alliance with Imperial Admiral Teren Rogriss. The New Republic Star Destroyers Crynyd and Skyhook defended the interdictor. Solo, aboard the Mon Remonda, launched an attack on Zsinj's flagship, supported by most of his starfighters. To cover his escape, Zsinj ordered the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Red Gauntlet and the Victory-class Star Destroyer Serpent's Smile to push the interdictor away. The Serpent's Smile sustained significant damage, prompting Zsinj to order the crew to set a collision course with the Stellar Web. Admiral Rogriss, in command of the Stellar Web, remained steadfast until the last possible moment. Just before the impending impact, the Stellar Web activated its gravity well projectors in reverse, successfully repelling the ramming Star Destroyer. Zsinj immediately seized the opportunity to flee.
Following the Iron Fist's retreat, Solo dispatched a team to secure the Red Gauntlet after its commander surrendered. The Serpent's Smile had been destroyed during the battle. Shortly after, Rogriss contacted Solo and then departed from the system. Solo's forces then initiated recovery operations, and Solo braced himself for further months of pursuit of Zsinj. Unbeknownst to Solo, Gara Petothel had instructed her R2 unit to erase the Selaggis system coordinates from the Iron Fist's databanks, leading the warship to unexpectedly emerge from hyperspace there. The Battle of Selaggis began soon after.