Shallik felt a dull aching pain ebb at the edge of her shoulder. It was like a gnawing pang that was growing by the second. She struggled to make her eyes open. Her lids felt as if they were grating against one another. There was a groaning noise that felt distant in her ears before she felt her stomach roll. Her body slammed against something hard, metallic, and cold. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as her shoulder hit the ground and her breath was knocked from her lungs. Shallik gasped wide eyed staring up at searing white lights. Her mind was racing; trying to catch up with the significant amount of pain she was swallowing down. Shakily, she reached towards the injured area of her body. Her fingers plied around the wound, gripping it, as if her brain was telling her that holding it would stop the pain. A dark figure huddled over her, blocking the bright light, and clouding her vision for a moment. Her eyes focused much faster this time. As her back lay on the ground, Shallik stared bitterly up at a man with fiery red hair. His distaste was equally glorified back down at her as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Ah, so you are in fact alive." he stated as if he were simply stating the weather.

Shallik felt a fresh wave of fear run through her veins as an image of Gurt's body flashed through her mind. She remained silent as she ground her teeth.

"I had thought that Ren had injured you badly enough to warrant your death." A sly smirk played across his lips as he watched her attempt to haul her back against the wall behind her. "I am pleased however to find that you are alive. It means that my job is not over with you."

A toe to his boot shifted and he stamped down on her shoulder, cleaving her back down to the floor. She hissed in pain. Her eyes squeezed shut and she tried to rip her hand free from holding her shoulder. He applied an even amount of more pressure.

"They do say that pain allows the brain to think clearly. You will want to be thinking clearly." He removed his foot and leaned down closer to her face. "Because if you do not answer correctly, you will not live to step foot off this ship." When his eyes met hers, she felt a prickling wave of annoyance and anger. Her mouth moved on its own before she could stop it.

"You must really like the sound of your own voice." she spat out shoving her body into a slumped sitting position against the wall. "Or am I just the only one you can get to listen?"

Hux felt a twinge in the corner of his eye as he watched the girl struggle to breathe. How in the world did she still have the energy to waste on being so obnoxiously annoying? He took a deep breath and stood back up.

"I'll start with a very easy question." he turned his back to her ignoring her jibe. He was used to mild threats from Ren as it were now anyway. "Why did you not bring the man in as you had agreed to do?"

Shallik wiped her face clean from emotions that threatened to bubble up from deep inside her chest and sat silently. She wasn't even sure she knew why she hadn't finished this bargain. Her mind was still swirling with too many fraying strings that reality was barely staying in focus for her. Her eyes rolled back as another racking pain splintered her shoulder. They were getting worse. The wound had gone straight through and as Shallik tried to assess the damage while refusing to speak, she realized she couldn't actually move that arm.

"You are useless." Hux sighed taking a step back towards her, circling her like an animal. "I asked you why you did not complete your mission." his teeth clicked as he spoke.

"I don't know." she said as a slick sweat started to bead at her forehead. She was beginning to feel wet and cold.

"That is not," he began by kneeling again in front of her. "an acceptable answer." He grabbed her chin and squeezed so hard she thought her eyes water.

A heavy blind band started to inch along her body. She could feel its strength enclosing her, vibrating with seething hatred, and she wasn't upset about it. Her heart was frustrated, much too tired to continue thinking about how she felt anymore, and her body was in so much pain. There was no way she could possibly keep up this game of interrogation. The anger shrouded her as his fingers dug into her jaw and just as it had before, Shallik allowed the presence inside her body to take over. She was fading into the blackness.

Hux cussed jerking his hand away from the girl angrily. He shot his other hand forward grabbing her shirt yanking her body forward and up. His other hand was stinging hot where he'd been holding her.

"Fine." he said breathing heavily. "I do not need answers."

Shallik felt her body snap back, the fading had stopped, the man was pulling her up to her feet roughly. She fought, stumbling, to right herself as he dragged her across the room, and failed as he threw her full force towards a table.

It was not a surprise when her body hit its hard surface causing her to double over coughing. She gripped its edge wishing the blackness would come back. Gurt had told her to ignore it but in this moment, when she felt so helpless and the pain was writhing through her back and shoulder, she wanted nothing more than to let it take hold.

"I told you, I don't kno…" she started trying to turn herself up to face the man with red hair, but she couldn't finish. Her back hit the table's edge again as he backhanded her so hard she had no time to catch her balance. Her feet faltered and she allowed gravity to bring her to her knees as the shock registered to her brain.

"The time for talking had ended." Hux whispered with his eyes beading down on her.

Hux had spent his entire life bending to those that were perceived to be more powerful than himself. He would not be overshadowed by anyone. No one would belittle him; especially not some little girl with a measly connection to the Force. Ren mocked him on a daily basis with his miserable existence. He did nothing but be constantly compared to Ren when it came to their credibility and job responsibilities. He did not need Ren to complete the task he'd been set forth to do. Snoke was wrong about that. He would never allow Ren to intimidate him with these idiotic powers and neither would a little brat like her. She would regret having the nerve to use that power on him. She would regret breathing if that's what he felt like at the moment. She would regret her entire existence.