The republic invasion of Mandalore was advised against by nearly every Jedi, but the Senate chose to ignore their warnings. They believed that because the Duchess had turned the Mandalorians into a peaceful system, that they would be unable to defend themselves against the Separatists if they were to attempt to take the system. And with the valuable mining deposits on Mandalore's moon, that was a risk they refused to take.

Which is why they now found themselves at war with a hitherto peaceful system. The Duchess had attempted to argue for her system's independence before the senate, until it became clear that nothing she could say would change their minds. She had then returned to her world, and rallied her people. There might not have been many Mandalorians left, compared to what there used to be, but they were defending their homes, and with that knowledge, they were unbeatable.

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi had been among those who argued most against the invasion. They both knew the Duchess was more than capable of defending her people, and so advised against this occupation that would only show distrust in their allies. But their arguments had been not only unheeded, but severely censured, which is why their battalions had been chosen to lead the attack. It was their first day on the planet's surface, and they had already met with heavy resistance from the Duchess's forces.

"This is a mistake." Obi-Wan complained, removing his armor to rest. "We shouldn't even be here. They're clearly capable of defending themselves. We've made no progress today against them."

"I agree." Anakin said, collapsing onto his bed. "But what can we do? We tried to argue against this invasion already, and look where it got us. The only chance of stopping this peacefully is for the Duchess to convince the senate that it would be better for them to leave her alone. But she doesn't have anything to bargain with. I'm afraid that nothing she could say would convince them. And unless she can convince them, we're not going to go against the Council. Or the Senate."

Obi-Wan hummed in agreement, already nearly asleep. "What even could she bargain? If their show of strength is not enough, what would be?"

The next day passed much the same. They made little progress against the warriors in front of them. Their clones may have been the best army in the galaxy, but they had been cloned from a Mandalorian, and the original Mandalorians were just as stubborn. They had made so little progress that they didn't even have to move their tent that night. Right before they could fall into bed, however, their commlink began to beep.

Anakin pushed the button, and the light filled the tent, turning everything a sickly shade of blue. "Master Yoda. Chancellor." Obi-Wan pushed himself to his feet to bow.

"Master Kenobi. Skywalker." Yoda greeted them. "The war. How goes it?"

Obi-Wan grimaced. "We have been here for two full days already, and have made no progress. The duchess may have turned their civilization into a peaceful one, but they obviously have not forgotten their heritage. While I still advise against this fight, if we are still determined to to occupy this system, we will need at least two more battalions of troops as soon as possible."

The Chancellor looked displeased. "Two more battalions is something we can ill afford to spare. Are you sure, Master Kenobi?"

"I am. We have made no progress, and the longer this takes, the harder it will be for us once we finally do occupy this system. Right now, we are allowing the resistance to grow. We need to finish this quickly if we are ever to have a chance of gaining this people's loyalty."

"Very well. You shall have your troops. They shall leave as soon as they are able. Expect your reinforcements by sunset the day after tomorrow."

"Thank you." They both bowed, before the transmission cut off.

Obi-Wan sagged back onto the bed. He had spent the day thinking over Anakin's words from the night before. While there were few things that would suffice as bargaining chips in an argument this complex and violent, an idea had begun to turn around in his brain. It wasn't a great idea, but he knew just who could help him to figure it out.