Maul rolled up to the courtroom fifteen minutes later. He confidently finger gunned at Obi-Wan and winked at Padmé as he passed by, hood pulled over his face.

"Oh, lovely," Obi-Wan grumbled as he watched Maul walk up to DA Mothma and shake her hand. "It all comes down to this clown."

"It could be worse," Padmé replied.

"How?"

"It could all come down to you."

Obi-Wan sighed as the judge came back into the courtroom to end the recess.

Mothma wasted no time in getting Maul onto the stand and asked him about his involvement with Palpatine and everything else. Every once in a while, Obi-Wan would look at Professor Windu to watch him squirm a little bit, no doubt planning his attack for his cross examination. As DA Mothma finished her direct examination, Obi-Wan couldn't help but scoot closer to the edge of his seat.

"No further questions, your honor," Mothma said before turning the floor over to Mace.

Mace planted himself in front of Maul and gave him a long, hard look. "Isn't it true that you've been arrested multiple times?"

"Arrested, yes, but always found not guilty later in court. Clearly I just have one of those faces that makes people suspicious," he said, gesturing to his tattoos. "It's honestly sad how prejudiced people can be."

Mace's hand balled into a fist at his side. "Yet, you have admitted to association with my client?"

"Yes, but your client also ordered my execution. I don't think that someone who orders the death of another man is innocent, Mace. Do you?"

"I'm asking the questions here," Mace redirected.

Maul smirked. "Yes, I can see that."

"If you weren't actually dead, then why did you pretend to be?"

Maul turned his gaze to Palpatine, eyes alight with mischief. "Because I knew he'd just keep trying, and although I don't always get along with my neighbors, they're honest with me. I knew what would happen if I stayed hidden, and I wanted to see how it would all play out. It's going pretty well, seeing as I am up here and not six feet under."

Obi-Wan coughed to cover up a snicker.

Maul turned towards the jury and flashed them a charming smile.

Mace swallowed, "Isn't it true that you are not fit to be the guardian of your brother?"

Maul's smile fell. "No."

"But he is in the system."

"Because at the time I was barely 18. I couldn't provide a good life for him and I knew it," Maul replied, starting to get upset. "I love Savage, and when you love someone that means you do what's best for them, even if it's a decision that you loathe to make."

"No further questions, your honor," Mace said in defeat.

Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan out of the corner of his eye as Maul came to sit next to him.

Mothma stood, "The prosecution rests."

Mace stood, "Your honor, the defense rests."

Obi-Wan bristled at the boldness of the move. He could see that Mace was banking on the fact that everyone knew Palpatine and would have a hard time seeing him as a cold, calculating crime boss. After all, he didn't have to prove Palpatine's innocence. It was up to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed these crimes.

"I'll hear closing arguments," Judge Bonteri said.

Mothma stood gracefully and planted herself firmly in front of the jury. "I know what I'm about to ask you to do may have seemed impossible when you first entered this room. However, you have heard from a credible officer, a young man who was essentially exploited, and a man who used to work for the defendant who's demise was ordered when he was of no more use to him. Surely, you can see that this man is not who we thought he was," she paused to gesture to Palpatine. "This man has lied to all of you, promising to protect us when his actions have proved that all he wants to do is look out for himself. This man is not a gentle, humble, public servant. He is someone who has been shifting the pieces for years until he could obtain higher power at the expense of us. He operated with criminals, knowing that he would never be able to achieve this kind of power and domination otherwise. No reasonable person would simply hand it over to him. No, he created the problem, knowing that he would be the one we looked to for a solution. He has claimed to protect us, but he should have been protecting us from himself all along. You must find the defendant to be guilty so that we can move forward with someone who won't betray our justice system and the very people he has sworn to represent. I implore you to search yourselves for what you know to be true. This is not the man you thought you knew. Thank you."

Mace gave her a curt nod as she passed to sit before getting up. He folded his hands in front of him as he gave the jury a sad smile. "Ladies and gentlemen, while you search yourselves, as the prosecution asks you to do, I implore to you that you think of all the good things that my defendant has done for your city. Think of all the bills he passed, all the initiatives he started, just to protect you and make the city a better place. Those are not the actions of the man that the prosecution says he is. He is but a simple public servant working to protect you. Why would he try to protect you from gangs if he was in charge of them? It doesn't make sense. It does not make sense that he would go through all that trouble just to protect you from himself. My client is just the same man he has always been, someone who puts your best interests at heart and works within the law to try to make improvements. Search your heart, and you'll know I'm right. Thank you."

Mace bowed his head slightly before sitting.

Obi-Wan zoned out a bit as the Judge gave the jury instructions before they filed out to deliberate on the case.

"Well? What happens now?" Anakin asked.

"They discuss what they just heard and make their decision," Maul explained.

"How long will that take?" Anakin huffed.

"As long as it takes," Padmé shrugged, "You can't rush justice and have it still be justice."

"So, what do we do now?" Anakin asked.

"Now?" Obi-Wan sighed, "Now, we wait."