𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒 ( THE BAD BATCH )

I. ALONE

Aria Paris was alone.

Which was ironic, because she had more than some people could wish for. She had a father, a few close friends and a stable job. And yet, she felt as if her existence circled around one day on repeat, going through the same points on her task list, over and over again. With no one to talk to, with her intrusive thoughts consuming her mind whenever her shift was over and she had to go back to her quarters, spend the rest of the day within the four walls, out of ideas to do any other activity but to take an occasional walk around the facility.

Kamino could get boring. At the beginning of the clone wars, Aria was thrilled to have an opportunity and station here, help to improve the health of cadets and get soldiers back on their feet. Which not always ended that way, but death was an inevitable path that some troopers went down. Aria knew what she signed up for and welcomed death with open arms and acceptance, even when she prayed it away from her patients, sometimes she had no other choice but to watch as it walked through the door and took a life that Aria tried to save. Aria had to believe that death was her ally, didn't matter if she wanted it or not.

Sometimes, she felt as if death didn't want to take her. As if it protected her from itself. Because, even when she was on the front lines, when she left the bright facility of Tipoca City behind and joined the fight she have seen the aftermath of until then, even when she faced an explosion that should've tear her apart, she was still there. Back on Kamino. Back with her boring schedule. Back to loneliness.

Her clone friends of the 104th continued to fight, she was left behind. General Plo Koon persuaded her to stay and do the best she can. She didn't say it back then, she knew it was strange, but she wished to accompany his troops through every upcoming battle, even if it meant looking death in the eyes all over again.

Her father was distant ever since she could remember. Aria felt like an intruder in her own house for most of the time. Either it was because she reminded him too much of his wife he lost long ago, or he has been this way all his life, Aria couldn't say.

Isn't the bond between father and daughter supposed to flourish and focus on love and acceptance? Why did she grow to hate him instead? He was a stranger that she wished she'd never met. Even when he kept her like an awful chore he had to take care of, she had a heart of gold. It was both a blessing and a curse. She doubted her father was ever capable of kindness and compassion like Aria was ─ it must've been a seed planted by her mother when she was still alive. It was a curse because there was nowhere to use it. No one to pour it out to. Which left her aching.

Lying on her bed in the quarters, Aria was overthinking her life choices while picking at the skin of her fingers. She missed Plo, she missed Wolffe, she missed Sinker, Boost and Comet and... she missed her mother. Which was odd. She was twenty five, she have come to terms that her mom was long gone, but there were times Aria wanted to ask her for guidance, advice, to make sure that she was going down the right path and helping around Kamino was the best she could've chosen for herself.

Why didn't she make friends in school? Maybe then she could open her mouth to someone instead of opening tabs in her brain, sorting thoughts into different drawers and lingering on others.

Oh, right. She was focused on her career. She wanted her studies to be perfect. She wanted to be the best. Maybe it led her here in the end, but it didn't earn her father's love like she hoped it would when she was much younger.

Stupid. Pathetic. I'm going to end up a single lady with a cat. Cat wouldn't be so bad, though... Unless death is going to finally take me.

Suddenly, Aria jolted upright. She wasn't sure why. Her body was alarmed and her heart raced. What's going on?