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When Echo opened his eyes, light was shining through the wall of his tent, illuminating the interior with a gray-white glow. It was cold, just as it had been when the 501st had halted their march the previous night and made camp. When he exhaled, he could see his breath float in front of him, but thanks to his insulated blacks and sleeping bag, the only places the chill reached were the tips of his ears and nose.
It was also quiet. Barring the soft snores of his brothers, the air seemed empty of sound. He could no longer detect the rustling of the forest undergrowth, the creaking of branches, or the chirps and chitters of small creatures that he’d heard the night prior. If not for the steady breathing of his brothers, Echo might have thought he’d gone deaf. It was as if the forest surrounding them had gone mute.
As he wormed his way out of his sleeping back, the crisp air bit at his hands and feet, the only body parts aside from his face that weren’t covered by insulated clothing. He quickly remedied this discomfort by donning his armor, which included his gloves and boots. He left his helmet off, in favor of tucking it under his left arm, so he could investigate the mysterious absence of sound with his own ears.
When he unzipped the tent, he was blasted by light and he immediately squinted, lifting a defensive hand in front of his face, while his eyes adjusted. He knew the sun had risen, but he hadn’t expected its rays to be so intense. Eager to further his exploration of this sudden change in climate, he took a nearly-blind step out of the tent. Only to freeze when his boot sank into the ground with a muffled crunch.
Echo blinked as the scene in front of him finally came into focus. Everything around him was white.
Snow.
He’d heard of snow, seen it in holos and been taught about it on Kamino when the instructors covered the different biomes in which they might find themselves in combat. But he’d never seen it with his own eyes.
He moved away from the tent entrance, lifting his feet high with each step, and rotated his body slowly, taking in his new environment.
It was breathtaking. The entire forest surrounding the camp had been transformed into an ethereal realm, every surface sparkling ivory in the sunlight and the icy air creating a barrier of peaceful silence. Thick layers of snow covered every surface, the forest floor, the tent exteriors, and every single bush and tree branch.
The white blanket over the ground was spotless. No dents, stains, or inconsistencies. Echo relished the sight of it, wishing his life could reflect such order. Ever since he was a cadet on Kamino, he’d revered the regulations that governed the clones’ lives and he maintained that mindset when he and Fives had been accepted into the 501st, not long ago. A soldier’s life would never be predictable, but he figured if he followed each rule carefully, he could live a life as smooth as the snow before him.
Then the tranquility shattered as a blast of cold exploded against the side of his face. Echo instinctively spun to face the source of the projectile, only to see Fives grinning back at him with another snowball in his gloved hand.
“Hey!” Echo barely got the word out before the next snowy missile flew at his head. This time he was able to dodge at the last second.
“Better think faster than that if you want to be an ARC trooper,” his twin teased, already rolling yet another snowball between his palms.
If the burning cold of the snow on his cheek didn’t get Echo’s attention, Fives’ comment certainly did. Now that they were off Kamino and in the field, becoming ARC troopers had become their primary objective. His twin's words were all it took to spur him into action.
As Fives launched his next attack, Echo swiftly ducked, using the same movement to scoop up a handful of snow and pat it into a ball. This time it was Fives scrambling out of the way of Echo’s snowball, before throwing his next missile. Echo nearly tripped on the thickly packed snow as he tried to dodge again.
“What’s going on…” Jesse trailed off as he stepped out of his tent and took in the scene before him. He hesitated only a few seconds before dipping to procure his own snowball, which he hurled directly at Fives’ head.
“Hey!” Fives protested as the snow exploded on the side of his face. He turned to face Jesse, only to receive another blow when Echo attacked him from the other side. “Why is this two against one?”
“It’s not,” Jesse said, as he threw his next snowball at Echo, catching him in the chest. “In the Snow Wars it’s every man for himself!”
That was when the battle truly began. Echo took cover behind one of the tents, while Jesse shoved together armfuls of snow to form a mediocre cover for himself. Fives decided he would take his chances standing out in the open and relying on his evasion skills. Hardcase joined next, charging out of his tent with a snowball somehow already clutched in his hand.
Kix stepped out after him and crossed his arms. “Remember we’re on a mission, we can’t afford to be reckless right now,” he tried to scold, but a snowball to face immediately compromised his authority.
Within minutes, the rest of the tents came alive as dozens of clones began spilling out to join the snowball fight. Despite Jesse’s declaration, alliances began to form. The Domino twins called a truce and positioned themselves around the corner of one of the tents, where they could take turns throwing snowballs while the other prepared their next attack. Kix, left with no choice but to participate, constructed a significantly sturdier fort as cover for himself and Jesse.
Then a flash of red shot out from one of the farthest tents, and every clone either flinched or ducked as a barrage of snowballs flew at all of them at once. At first, Echo wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but one of his brother’s shouts from across camp answered his question.
“Using the Force is cheating!”
Commander Tano turned and beamed at the trooper who spoke out. “Sorry, boys, last I heard, it was every man for themselves!” She lifted her hands, using the Force to pull at least ten snowballs off the ground, then she spun, firing them off in every direction.
Then the battle was back on, snowy projectiles flying even faster across camp, until the innumerable explosions of ice began to create a white mist in the air. Now Echo had to squint to see his opponents, and he suddenly wished he hadn’t abandoned his helmet in favor of dedicating both hands to creating and throwing snowballs.
“Everyone, stop!” came the unmistakable shout of Captain Rex.
All movement skidded to a halt as most of the troopers reflexively snapped to attention. Only a single, stray snowball remained and Rex didn’t flinch as it crashed into his cheek. Though he did shoot an annoyed glare in the direction it had originated from. Echo thought he saw Commander Tano swiftly hide a snowball behind her back, but her satisfied smirk left little doubt as to who had thrown the last missile.
“May I remind you that we are on a mission, in enemy territory,” the captain continued sternly. “If the Seppies aren’t already aware of our position, I’m sure they are now, with all this racket. Now—” He cut off as a massive wad of snow dropped on his head.
That’s when Echo saw the black Jedi robes and heard the mad cackling that came along with them. “Oops, sorry to interrupt, Rex,” General Skywalker laughed shamelessly. “Last I heard, it’s every man for himself.”
The captain barely had time to run for cover as Skywalker lifted the snow around him to prepare for his next attack.
“Let the Snow Wars officially begin!” he shouted and began firing. The clones immediately sprung back into action, throwing their snowballs with even more vigor than before.
As Echo rejoined the battle, it occurred to him that there must be some regulation against having snowball fights during missions. Then he spotted the delight on Fives’ face as his twin hurled a snowy missile at Jesse. Even if they didn’t follow the GAR’s rules to the letter, Echo had a feeling the 501st was where the Domino twins were meant to be.