This little snippet put looks of curiosity on the group's faces, whereas Vegeta continued to sneer with displeasure. "How did you manage to survive the destruction of our planet? Were you on a mission in a different star system?" His eyes narrowed. "Or… were you part of one of the groups of newborns that were sent off world?"
Smiling warmly, Sandra then closed her eyes and breathed a sigh. "I was formerly a soldier in King Vegeta's military, serving as a low-level grunt on his interplanetary forces. About a week before the latest crèche of newborns was scheduled to be sent to another galaxy, my teammate and I were dispatched on a two-man expedition to wipe out the population of a Class-C planet. It was supposed to be a routine assignment, in-and-out, with little to no resistance." She then craned her head downwards as a frown appeared on her face. "However, our mission hit a major snag when our pods fell into the path of an exploding sun. The blast waves from the celestial body knocked out our communication and life support systems, triggering the pods' emergency stasis units and putting us into cryogenic sleep. We then drifted through space for Kai knows how many years, until we crash-landed on a prehistoric planet in the far reaches of the cosmos." Sandra then glanced across at the armored woman with spiky hair next to her. "And just so we can avoid anymore pointless pronoun games… my partner on that mission just so happens to be standing right next to me."
Vegeta and everybody else's eyes quickly snapped to the figure in question, whom they saw unwrap the brown belt from around her waist and, waving it behind her, also revealed it to be a monkey-like tail that was almost identical to her partner's.
This presentation put an incredulous look on Videl's face, "Wait… she's a Saiyan too?"
Sandra smirked proudly as her partner glanced back at her. "Maya here is my closest friend and my most trusted partner. The two of us have been together for years and have fought countless battles side-by-side." She then looked across at the shaken Z-fighters and shrugged, "We both ended up trapped on that hellhole of a planet for months, with no way of getting off world or contacting for help. It wouldn't be until sometime later that we discovered Planet Vegeta had been wiped out by Frieza."
Gohan, tilting his head at the teenager, regarded her with a bright and compassionate smile. "Sounds like you two had a really hard time."
A chuckle escaped the raven haired empress's lips, "You don't know the half of it." Placing a hand on her hip, the fighter then turned her attention to Vegeta and his family. "Long story short, both my partner and I ended up making this new part of space our home; traversing its many galaxies and defeating a number of its villains. As far as we knew, we were the only two, full-blooded Saiyans living in that region and, for the longest time, we believed we were the only ones to have survived the destruction of Planet Vegeta. It was only until a month ago that we realized there were other Saiyans still alive and active in our old quadrant, and decided to investigate."
Tien, crossing his arms, looked upon the young woman with a combination of intrigue and distrust. "So let me get this straight; you transported an entire planet from one corner of the universe to the other, just so you could track down and reunite with a lost member of your race?"
"Not just that," Sandra replied, before pointing up towards the sky. "That planet you see hovering above you represents the full scope of our group's strength. It is both our home and the foundations for which we will reestablish a New Saiyan Empire; one even greater than the monarchy of old. To do this, I must first stake my claim as the most powerful Saiyan in the cosmos… and the only way I'll be able to do that is to fight and defeat the warrior responsible for destroying the monster who wiped out our entire race."
Krillin then balked when he realized what that declaration entailed, "You mean you want to fight the person that beat Frieza?"
This question drew an amused chuckle from Maya, who folded her arms and nodded, "That's right. Only a Saiyan of incredible power and strength could've possibly defeated that tyrant and brought down his entire branch of the Planet Trade Organization. That warrior would've also been capable of reaching new heights of the Saiyan's power, effectively becoming the strongest being in their part of the universe. After traveling all this way to meet them, we believe that person to be you, Vegeta."
When all eyes fell upon the former mercenary once again, they saw the flame-haired man smirk and close his eyes. Several moments later, the heroes then heard the distinct sound of his laughter fill the air, confusing the group of visitors from outer space and worrying a handful of his friends. As soon as he was done expressing his mirth, the royal then folded his arms and leered at his would-be challenger.
"While I'm flattered to be receiving so much attention and praise from a member of my race, I'm afraid it's my turn to make a few corrections." An arrogant gleam than appeared in the corner of his eye, "First off; I wasn't the one that defeated Frieza, nor was I the one that killed him and his family. That distinction is held by two other members of our group who, sadly, are no longer with us. Secondly, and though it pains me to say this, the strongest warrior on this planet is actually the man you see standing right there." He then held out his left hand and pointed straight across at Gohan, who was now looking back at the prince inquisitively. "Even though he's a half-breed, that boy's Saiyan powers and talent are far greater than any other person's here."
Surprised by this sudden announcement, especially since it was coming from none other than the prince himself, Sandra's gaze then panned towards the figure in question. "Is that so?"
Puffing her chest out, Videl confidently strode forward and spoke up in support of her boyfriend, "It's true. Gohan's the strongest person on this planet."
"Yeah!" Goten also chirped, hopping into the spotlight with a eager grin, "And not only that, our dad was the one that fought and beat Frieza."
Hearing and noticing the verbal and physical responses from all the people in the area, including the approving looks from the other Z-fighters, Sandra quickly spared a glance across at her teammate. When she saw Maya nod to her, concurring that what they were saying was all true, the Saiyan leader quickly turned to face the half-Saiyan in the center of their formation and took several steps forward.
"Well then… it seems as though I'm going to have to address these next concerns directly with you." Stopping a few yards away, the woman in white then stood before the young Saiyan with a determined smile in place. At the same time, the silver, metallic orbs orbiting her group's position spread out, with one of them coming to hover directly next to her. "As you've all noticed, we've brought the full force of our Empire to bear upon your doorstep. Being the strongest warrior in this system and quite possibly this entire quadrant, I now issue you this formal declaration."
Intrigued by her use of words, Gohan gave her his full and undivided attention, "Yeah? And what would that be?"
Sandra then lifted her head and grinned, "By the laws and customs of the New Saiyan Empire, I, Empress Sandra, challenge you and your compatriots to formal combat; my group against all of yours." She then raised her arms and gestured towards her friends, who adjusted their positions under the stares of their opposition. "The winner of our battle will decide who the most powerful Saiyan in the universe is."
Frowning a little at the challenge while the rest of his friends shuffled nervously in their respective manners, Gohan then tilted his head questioningly. "And what will happen if either side loses?"
Dropping her arms, the female warrior spoke. "Don't worry. If your group ends up defeated, nothing will happen to this planet or its people. We will simply leave this system and return to ours without any hassle or consequence." She then closed her eyes and smiled. "I simply wish to claim the title as the strongest Saiyan alive so as to cement my right to be the new ruler of our race. After all, back on our home planet, the tribal leaders were always decided through formal combat… just like how it was when King Vegeta's ancestors rose to power."
When Gohan, Videl, Zangya and everyone looked towards Vegeta for confirmation, they saw the serious fighter narrow his eyes and grunt in response. "She's right. That's how it was done back in the day. Survival of the fittest… the strong will always rule above the weak." A smirk then slowly formed on his face. "This one knows our people well."
Bulma, adjusting the armor plating on her suit, placed a hand on her hip and looked across at the foreign group oddly. "It seems like such a backwards tradition though…"
"One that many in the universe still practice, mind you," Kure interjected, easily hearing the woman above the clamor of courtyard. The blue haired scientist shirked when she saw the feline alien's gaze fall upon her, which then led to the scientist rubbing her arm sheepishly.
Understanding this much, the adult demi-Saiyan then focused his attention completely on his challenger. "Though I am keen to fight you… are you really sure you want to do this?" He then winced a little when he saw the woman's glare and scratched his head in a good-natured manner. "I mean, I know you guys traveled a long way to get here and… I'm sorry we didn't welcome you as well as we should have, but… do we really have to fight over something so trivial?"
Frowning, the raven haired woman quickly stomped forward and spoke in a much louder voice, "You have Saiyan blood in your veins, don't you? Then you should know full well the true nature of our people and the instincts that drives us!" Sandra then inhaled deeply and shot the young warrior a fierce glare, "We are inherently a violent and primal race; genetically built to fight and conquer whatever crosses our path, as we are constantly seeking conflict wherever we can. Our desire to battle and gain strength compels us to seek new challenges and excitement, and we instinctively take whatever we want in the pursuit of greater power, whether its food, company, wealth, mates, rivals, or items of great personal worth. It is through these very desires and actions that we've practiced for over a million years that we've gained knowledge, strength and respect… and from that knowledge, we created a culture. It is our pride and strength as warriors that defines us as both individuals and as a people… and it is through combat that we gain that sense of self-respect and personal worth that you would call honor."
Vegeta, having remained silent throughout the Saiyan's lengthy speech, slowly felt a wide grin form across his lips. "Oh-ho. I like this girl." He then turned to see how Gohan was handling this, only to notice that the demi-Saiyan seemed completely mystified and entranced by the young woman's words. Looking between him and Sandra, the prince mentally scratched his head as to what was going on, only to then raise an eyebrow when it eventually clicked with him.
Though he wasn't saying anything, the man could tell that Gohan was taken by this girl…
Really taken by her.
Smiling when she saw the awed looks on her audience's faces, Sandra finished her declaration with a few final words. "The stronger the opponent, the greater the reward. Your father defeated the very man that sought to wipe our people from the pages of history; a monster possessing power and strength far greater than any other creature in his kingdom. The honor of battling such a tyrant fell upon his shoulders and, through his actions, he established himself as one of the strongest and most remarkable Saiyans in the universe." She then flicked her hair back and smirked. "As such, neither my friends nor I will be able to rest easy, until we have regained that sense of honor through battle with an adversary that we deem as an equal. Our pride as warriors demands it."
For the next minute after that, the group stood in silence. Most of them had no idea how to respond to her words or what they were supposed to do to initiate the next stage of the conversation. However, Sandra's statements weren't meant for the humans in the group. No. Her words were aimed directly at Gohan, whom she was now waiting patiently for an answer. Whether he would accept her offer or not was up to him. After all, this battle that she was proposing wasn't over anything major, like the destruction of the planet or the enslavement of a race. It was merely a challenge made to satisfy the ego of an alien people, whose thirst for battle and taste for excitement was next to unquenchable.
Considering the fuss that was being made, the request seemed almost unreasonable. Hell, Krillin, Tien and the others wouldn't be surprised if Gohan outright turned her down.
However, in a surprising twist, a very competitive and determined smirk suddenly formed on the adult demi-Saiyan's face. When Zangya, Videl and Vegeta saw it, they knew instantly what was coming next.
"Alright… you've convinced me," Gohan responded loud and clear, stepping forward so that he was at least a few meters ahead of his friends. "Though I'm sure my father would love the chance to fight against you, since he isn't here… I will accept your challenge in his place." His declaration and consent to the battle put smile on all the able warriors in the area, including the humans, with Videl cracking her knuckles in preparation.