(A:N: Hello, there. The date of 12-28-16 is coming up, and to celebrate it, I've written a story based around it. This first chapter actually centers around the IS-7 Incident trial's final day. Apologies if anything is inaccurate, for you see I found this case very confusing, and used a lot of online sources, as well as some helpful people on the internet to help clarify it for me, all the while, putting my own twist on it. If anything is inaccurate, I'm sorry. And, apologies once again for any grammatical errors. If there's any I missed, when editing, I'd he happy to have them pointed out. Thank you, and enjoy! And remember... don't forget DL-6)

December 28, 1:37 PM

Courtroom No. 3

The noise of the gallery still fills the courtroom, but the pound of the gavel silences them.

"Court will now reconvene." says the judge. "Now, I believe the defendant had something to say?"

Jeffery Master takes up the stand with a solemn look on his face.

"...Yes, Your Honor." Master finally speaks out.

"Well? What is it?"

Gregory Edgeworth and his son Miles, the defense, sit at their respective bench. They stare at Jeff, curious of what he is to say.

After he sits at the stand for a few minutes, Master finally breathes out. "I confess..."

The judge screams out. "WHAAAAT!?"

The courtroom erupts into chaos, but silences from the pounds of the gavel.

"Mr. Master! Are you... actually confessing? Confessing to the murder of Isaac Dover?"

Master looks down in silence, pausing and stuttering. He then speaks up. "Y-y-yes. Y-yes I am."

The courtroom once again breaks into a sea of mumbling and talking, but rather than the hits of the gavel, silencing the noise, the sound of a finger snap echoes into the room, quieting the gallery.

"Hmph. And there you have It." speaks up Manfred von Karma, the prosecutor on the case, standing over at the prosecutor's bench with a smirk. "The fool finally confessed." von Karma chuckles to himself. "I guess the guilt was too much to bear, hmm?" The prosecutor's chuckle then turns into a laugh.

"What is your opinion on this confession, Mr. Edgeworth?" asks the judge.

"Father." Miles whispers, turning to his father. "He confessed! What are we to do now?"

Gregory faces Miles. "Don't worry, son. Luckily for us, I have my trump card. With it, we'll finally expose the corrupt prosecutor von Karma is."

Edgeworth turns back to von Karma. "So, von Karma, I naturally assume that this confession is to Master's will, yes?

Manfred turns to face Gregory with an annoyed look. "Hmph. What a foolish question! Of course this is to his will!"

Edgeworth smirks as he pulls out a file from his briefcase. He holds up the file to show it to the courtroom.

"Then, explain this!" shouts Edgeworth.

"A file? And what about this file, Mr. Edgeworth?" inquires the judge.

"This file is a written report on a certain briefing given by the previous detective on this case. This detective, along with von Karma, was interrogating my defendant."

Objection!

"Where did you get that?" cries von Karma, with a worried tone in this voice.

"Courtesy of Detective Badd, Mr. von Karma."

"Badd..." von Karma stutters. He then slams his hand on the bench. "That fool!" But then, von Karma recomposes himself, as he then bears a smirk.

"Now, Your Honor. You will find the contents of that report, very interesting." declares Edgeworth.

"Allow me to look at that file," says the judge. A bailiff hands him the folder, as the judge then looks over it for a few minutes.

"E-Eureka! These two essentially just blackmailed your client into confessing!"

The gallery's murmur knows no bounds again, as it fills the courtroom's air.

"Order! Order in the court!" yells the judge, as he pounds his gavel.

"Your Honor, the previous detective, and lead prosecutor on this case, both blackmailed my client..."

"Hold on." the judge intervenes. "Lead prosecutor? Wouldn't that be... Mr. von Karma sitting over there?"

"Precisely, Your Honor." assures Edgeworth, as he points to Manfred. " Manfred von Karma. You forced my client into a confession."

Objection!

"Bah, does your foolishness know no bounds?" Karma waves his finger in the air. "I don't know anything about this "blackmail." You cannot prove I had anything to do with blackmail!"

"And why is that?" inquires, His Honor.

"Hmph, let me see that!" demands von Karma.

A bailiff takes the file from the judge and hands it to the prosecutor. Manfred looks over the file, while mumbling things under his breath. He closes it and then chuckles.

"Bah! This is your "proof?" Proof that I forced this confession?" Manfred shakes his head as he then waves his finger in front of Gregory. "This-" shouts Karma "-proves nothing!"

"And, why is that?" questions Gregory.

"Badd has had ill will of me, lately. " grunts out von Karma. "Easily that foolish detective-" Karma snaps his fingers, making the sound echo in the soundless courtroom, "-could've forged this file!"

The courtroom once again breaks into chaos, being silenced by the judge's gavel.

"Order! Order, I say!" commands the judge, turning to the prosecutor's bench. "But, von Karma. Can you prove Detective Badd could've faked that file you have there?"

"Prove?" barks von Karma. "I have no obligation to prove anything! It is you who must prove something here." says von Karma, pointing to the defense's bench. "Not I."

Gregory is knocked back by von Karma's claim, glasses nearly flying off his face, as he realizes... he has nothing.

"Mr. Edgeworth." speaks up the judge. "Do you have anything more corporeal? Like an audio recording?" The judge then bears a firm look.

"(Yes, an audio recording.)" echoes Edgeworth's thoughts "(Detective Badd said he had one, but couldn't give it to me at the moment. I wonder what he meant by that. Either way... it would be very useful at this moment...)

"Hmm, what's this?" The words interrupting the defense attorney's thoughts, as he looks up, to see a smirking von Karma. "You don't have any proof? So, it is as I say." Karma lets out a laugh, before snapping his finger again. "You-cannot prove anything!"

Objection!

Everyone in the courtroom silences, and turns their attention to the stand. At the stand, a thick-bearded, red-coated man, holding a lighter stands there.

"Gregory here may not be able to prove it, but maybe I can, y'know?"

The judge takes notice of the man. "Chief Prosecutor Blaise Debeste! For what can we make this acquaintance?"

"Oh, no need to acknowledge me like that." tears were beginning to fill his goggles. "You're gonna make this old man cry, y'know?"

He then takes on a serious look, and empty his goggles of the tears inside them. "Anyways, let's not waste anytime."

He then ignites the lighter and waves it around. "Your Honor; I can indeed confirm, that the confession the defendant just gave…. was forced."

The court once again ruptures into chaos.

Objection!

"Chief Prosecutor Debeste." Von Karma speaks up, although bearing a sweaty and worried look on his face "I'm afraid; I deny your claims about me forcing the defendant to confess. Unle-"

Objection!

"Unless what?" buts in Blaise, still waving the lit lighter. "Unless, I have... evidence?" The prosecutor turns off the lighter, tucks it way and beams a menacing grin. "Honestly, you think I got this far, only to not do my homework?" Once again, he dawns a stern look. "Y'see, Detective Badd presented me with this recording, and that report, before this trial." As soon as Debeste says, "this recording", he takes out a tape player, with a tape already loaded.

Von Karma notices it, and starts to sweat profusely.

"Ah! This seemed to have gain a reaction out of you." grins Debeste. "Your Honor, I would like to play this recording for this humble court."

"I will allow it." nods the judge.

The click of the play button echoes in the court, along with the static of the tape. It then begins to play. Sure enough, the voice of the initial detective, Rip Lacer and Manfred von Karma, are heard on the tape. And the words heard from the recording, match the words of the printed document. This tape made one thing sure. Manfred von Karma... forced the confession.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...I-" The Judge suddenly speaks up, amidst the silence. "-I can't believe it." The judge has a stern, yet disappointed look on his face. "Von Karma, I've always heard rumors about you. But little did I know, that those rumors were true."

"I admit, that I forced a confession out of Master."

The judge shakes his head. "Chief Prosecutor Debeste? I shall see, that you..."

"Yes, yes. I shall I shall see von Karma receive punishment for forging those pieces of evidence."

Hold It!

"Pieces?" asks Gregory.

"...! Ah, yes, I knew there was something else I needed to say." Says Blaise, pulling out the lighter once more, lighting it and waving it around.

"Gregory; it is as you inserted in one of the previous sessions." He then takes out another paper, and sends that one into flames as well, flicking off the remaining ash. "That autopsy report-" he grins "was forged!"

"Wait... WHAAAAAAT!?"

The courtroom starts to go into bedlam once again. Pounds of the judge's gavel try to silence them, but the pandemonium persists.

"Order!" demands the judge "Order in the court! Order, or I'll suspend the proceedings!"

After a while, the court silences, and the judge turns to look at Debeste.

"Is...Is what you say true?" queries the judge.

Debeste nods. "Y'see, I have investigated into the matter, ever since Gregory had brought up that possibility. And after careful investigating, it is indeed true." Debeste turns to a now sweating von Karma. "Manfred von Karma, you forged the autopsy."

The court once again begins to erupt into mumbling and talking, but is silenced with a pound of the gavel.

"Mr. von Karma?" The judge looks at von Karma sternly.

Von Karma sits in silence, sweating enough to fill a bucket. He starts to stutter. "I...I...I-I-I-I-I... I de-"

Objection!

"If you're going to say you deny my claim...don't." Debeste chuckles to himself a little, before developing another grin. "Give it up, von Karma. You're nothing more than a forger."

"I...I...I-" stammers von Karma.

The prosecutor slams his fist onto the bench and screams deafeningly, which echoes inside the courtroom. He then slams his head on the desk, mumbling.

"It is true."

The judge looks over inquisitively. "E-excuse me?"

Von Karma lifts his head from the desk, composing himself.

"It is true, Your Honor! I had the coroner forge the autopsy."

"Hmm, I see." The judge thinks to himself, before speaking up. "Allow me to clarify one thing. Gregory said that you forged the autopsy, because the initial investigator on the case didn't find any trace of the body." The judge then bears a shocked look. "Are you saying that the body, indeed, went missing?"

"Correct." hastily says Karma.

The court once again enters chaos, but is silenced with a couple of strikes from the gavel.

"Unbelievable! The body was lost all this time. And I assume this is the reason you forged the report, Mr. von Karma?"

"Yes. Indeed, it is."

"Well, missing corpse or not, forging evidence is still a serious offense."

"Do not worry, Your Honor." interjects Blaise. "I shall see that von Karma will atone for his offense."

Manfred opens his mouth to say something, but quickly closes it. He then bears a look of anger, all the while looking at Blaise.

"Hmm. For today, I shall see we suspend these proceedings, and reconvene tomorrow. I shall see that the missing body be found soon. Does the prosecution or defense have any objections?"

"The defense has no objections, Your Honor." Says Gregory.

Manfred folds his arms, and says nothing.

"Very well. Court is ad-"

Objection!

"Mr. Master?"

Standing at the witness stand, is the defendant himself, Jeff Master. He speaks up once again, with a grave look on his face.

"I...I confess."

"Master, there's no need to confess." buts in Gregory "We've already established that the confession was forced. There's no need to-"

Jeff shakes his head. "No, I'm not confessing to the murder. But, as an accomplice to it."

"Wait...WHAT!?" shouts Gregory, glasses actually falling off his face this time, and onto the bench. He picks them up, and readjusts them back on.

"Wait? You're saying you didn't kill Issac Dover, yet, assisted the murderer?"

"Indeed."

Objection!

"But, Mr. Master. There's no way, you could've..."

"This trial has been going on for a year, has it not?" interrupts Master.

"...?"

"Why continue any longer? We would just be going in circles over and over again. And the truth will disappear, to be lost forever. Instead, I will just confess to my crime." Master addresses the judge. "Your Honor! I plead guilty. Plead guilty to being an accomplice to the murder of Issac Dover."

The gallery starts to fill with mumbling once more, but silences down by itself.

"Hm. Well, I would be lying to say I'm not shocked. Finally, part of the truth has come to light." The judge shakes his head. "This would mean we would have to interrogate other suspects, and find out who's the real murderer, and why Master agreed to assist them."

"Unfortunately, Your Honor," speaks up von Karma. "that is not possible."

"And why is that?" interrogates the judge.

"You see, the only other suspect in this case, he... has fled away."

"Fled away?!"

"Yes. He disappeared one week ago, and the police are still on the search for him."

"And you're sure that's the only suspect?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Hmm, I see." finally sighs the judge. "Well, if he is indeed the culprit Mr. Master aided, then let up hope he is found and brought to justice." The judge looks at Master. "Defendant, I am about to hand down a verdict, and you will be found guilty of being an accomplice to murder."

"I understand."

"And, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Father?" Miles says with a worried look, facing Gregory.

"Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do. I can object, and continue this trial, but for what? There's barely any evidence to prove Master innocent, and we will continue to stray from the truth. Not to mention, this confession he just gave, as far as we know, was not forced out of him. And, right now, I have nothing to prove he's not an accomplice."

Miles stares in silence.

"But in the future, I hope, I will get a re-trial for Master. And the truth of this case will finally come to light."

Gregory turns from his son, and to His Honor. "The defense has no objections." he sighs, defeated.

"Very well. On the charge as accomplice to murder, the court finds Jeffery Master..."

Guilty

"The accused will surrender to the court immediately, to be held pending trial at a higher court within a month from today's date. That is all. The court is adjourned!"

The pound of the gavel echoes inside the courtroom.