Blinded by the Dark | General Hux

XII

"General, you're needed." 

He turned to Amelia at the entrance to the bridge calling to him and nodded, glad to see she had returned from her mission safely. In fact, he smiled a little and joined her in the corridor, walking by her side. 

"I'm glad to see you back in one piece."

"Thank you, it wasn't too strenuous thankfully," she replied as they turned a corner. "But we did manage to capture a prisoner: a Resistance pilot. Our intel was correct that they'd be there." 

"Oh, excellent, well done. I assume Ren is seeing to that then?" he asked and she nodded, looking forward. "What do you need me for then?" 

She stopped so he followed, noticing she had brought him to the cells a little out of the way. "Just some extra help and we thought you might be interested..." She looked away, picking at her nails before she spoke again. "And um...well, seeing as my master is going to be so preoccupied I'd rather not be completely on my own." 

"Oh, yes...Absolutely. First interrogation?"

She nodded and he gave her a sympathetic smile in return. 

"You'll be fine."

"...Shall we?" 

He let her go first, immediately returning to his usual stoic nature to face the prisoner who awaited them, held in the metal restraints, cool cuffs wrapping around his wrists and locking him in, the same as his ankles. 

Hux looked him up and down momentarily then dismissed him as a mere bug to be squashed, instead standing by Amelia's side who watched her master intently, intrigued yet he noted a tad of fear in her eyes, at what they were doing. 

"Poe Dameron if I'm not mistaken," he said when Ren moved away, circling him, allowing the General to stare him down in disgust. "It's always nice to put a face to the names of those who defy...it makes it all the more satisfying when they're killed." 

"I have no doubt of that," He returned his officious tone though not as practised, sucking the blood back into his mouth from his split lip, the urge to spit it at one of his captors overwhelming. He restrained himself. "Everyone in the galaxy knows you though: General Hux if I'm not mistaken. I'd recognise those eyebrows a mile away." 

He ignored his last comment deliberately. "Well, that makes things easier. I don't have to waste time introducing myself. We can quickly get down to business."

"I don't know you though," He fixed his overly confident stare on Amelia and she raised an eyebrow. "You're a new addition to our little audience." 

"I think you know who I am." she shot back and he nodded, slowly; cocky. 

"Yes...So the rumours were true. He has an apprentice, and the General a new pet." 

Hux only glared at him with an amused smile at his stupidity, covering up the hot flush on his cheeks at such a comment. "Then you'll know how capable she is, won't you?" 

Dameron visibly swallowed at that. It was all very well having a sharp tongue but they had him backed into a corner and were perfectly prepared to use whatever means they liked to get what they wanted: information. 

"I'm sure we don't need to explain how this will transpire," Ren said, walking back around to face him while Amelia seemed to shrink back a little, sensing something from her master, an impending emotion she didn't like, something aggressive, overly so. It didn't feel...right. "I will ask you questions, you will answer them. You will answer them accurately and without any trouble." His voice was calm. He had done this a thousand times before. He would get his way. "If you fail to comply, I will be forced to move onto harsher methods and believe me I will enjoy them...Is that perfectly clear, Dameron?"