His Rival

Is That a Challenge?

Hello everyone, Jess here!

I'm starting this new season of "His Rival" off strong with a massive chapter (33.5 pages/ 11,510 words). So be sure to take breaks as needed.

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*Trigger Warning: Slight Themes of Sexual Harassment*

"Kolivan, sir!" you heaved as you entered his office, sweat beading on your temple as you raised your hand in a sharp salute. He raised his head to meet yours, smoldering yellow eyes illuminating the otherwise dim navy room. As he extended his arms, you unbuckled the sheath on your toolbelt, placing it in his dark gloved hands.

Unfurling the parcel on his desk, his eyes trailed across the array of crystalline vials. The various poisons inside shimmered under the gleam of the many indigo crystals adorning the walls, molten lead coursing through your veins at the sheer thought of how many lives they had taken, everything you've accomplished in these recent months.

"Only one needle this time?" he questioned, noting the singular gap in the webbing holding them all in place. Your shoulders rolled back, arms falling slack to your sides as you answered.

"Yes, it was a clean kill." The pure shock of that deed still rattled through your bones, how you had somehow managed to end his life without your newest victim even looking you in the eye. You were just a rookie assassin after all, hence why you were still resorting to targeting poison at key pressure points. Brute force was never your style of attack anyways.

"How did you do it?" Your face remained a stone-cold emotionless slate as the scene flashed through your mind.

"While Commander Bough was surveying the base from his display, I dove my knee into his back. Before he even met the floor, I jammed the Yelan needle into the hilt of his spine, just as you taught me." Slowly but surely, the anatomy lessons and endless training drills were paying off.

"Hence why you returned the tranquilizer in one piece" he ran a finger across the larger transparent vial, the one you had used as a crutch for so many weeks. When you weren't skilled enough to land the first strike exactly on the mark, you could jam the tranquilizer virtually anywhere and then try again once the victim fell unconscious.

As hard-headed as Kolivan was, he wasn't a fool. By implementing that staged procedure with such low-profile targets in the beginning, he had created an almost fail-safe alternative to using your powers outright. The more experience you gained, the more advanced your targets had become, ranging from mere lieutenants of the Fire of Purification scattered across the universe to Zarkon and Sendak's old captains and generals.

"Although I expected more out of Commander Bough." Before the mission, Kolivan had given you a nearly two hour long briefing of Commander Bough's long history, how the stout Galran overlord's schemes had been stealing countless refugee supplies for weeks on end.

When his sort failed to heed the coalition's warnings, you were called in as a last resort for the good of the universe. While your peers busied themselves with collecting data on missions, you slipped away into the shadows to carry out the deed. Or at least, that's how it was supposed to go down.

"To be fair, I likely wouldn't have made it out of there unscathed if the others hadn't distracted him" you revealed with a sigh. Kolivan drew in a sharp breath, piercing yellow eyes staring through your soul.

"What did you just say? Did anyone see you?" Your spine went ramrod-straight as you met his stare dead-on, voice rising in volume as it reverberated through the room.