A/N

Forewarning in that this is based on supposedly leaked material from The Force Awakens, but nothing drastic, and again, its validity is in question. It's more based on the reactions of the fanbase to the trailer than the trailer itself. Because while I'm still "meh" about the whole endeavor, I swear if I have to read one more argument about the realism of laser-swords in a setting full of space wizards, then...well, I'd make a threat, but they're probably all taken already. :(


An Elegant Weapon for a More Civilized Age

"A claymore lightsaber? Seriously?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Well, think about it. I could cut through the hand-guards as they jut out from the main body of the weapon. Your hand isn't going to be protected."

"Says the person who knows nothing about lightsaber combat. Isn't that your uncle's lightsaber you've got?"

"Yeah, found it on Bespin."

"How?"

"Contrivance."

This was a strange experience, Kira reflected. She wondered if this was how it had been with her parents and uncle three decades ago. One moment you were minding your business on Tatooine. The next you were thrown into a galaxy-wide adventure with space stations of death, the Force, and everything in-between. Because so far her adventure had gone the same way. Tatooine? Check. A visit to Bespin? Well, that was a separate adventure, but check. Finding a lightsaber rather than losing one as part of the galaxy's sense of irony? Check. Confrontation with weird Sith guy that looked like Revan, even though people said Revan never existed and only existed in legends? Check.

"You sure you're not Revan?" she asked suddenly.

"No," the Sith said. He waved his lightsaber around. "So, are we gonna duel?"

"How?"

"Well, first you activate your lightsaber? Then-"

"No, I mean, in what style?" Kira asked. "Do we jump around everywhere, or go vwang-vwang with our laserswords?"

The Sith sighed. "Don't do this," he said. "I just want a saber battle. I don't care what it looks like, or what era it belongs to, or anything."

"But, the meaning behind it," exclaimed Kira. "When we fight we have to make some grand philosophical statements on the nature of the Force, about the Dark Side being stronger, but the Light Side winning in the end."

"Jaina, be quiet."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Jaina," the Sith said. "That's your name isn't it?"

"No, it's Kira."

"Hmm, strange," he said. "I could have sworn it was Jaina. Daughter of Leia and Han Solo."

"Yeah, well, it used to be. Then they had it changed. Something about canon and retcons."

The Sith nodded. "The Force moves in mysterious ways. Some say that it changed our entire reality. That events once took a very different turn after the Battle of Endor."

Kira shrugged, activating her own lightsaber. Or rather, the lightsaber that was technically her uncle's, but was now hers for all intents and purposes. She waved it around a bit.

Hmm. It's not really a vwang sound. It's more like…whoom. Yeah, that's it, whoom.

"So then," said the Sith. "Shall we duel?"

"Nah."

"What? Why?"

"Well, we have no more trailer material to work with," said Kira. "Not unless we want to start examining whether Stormtroopers should really be clones of Jango Fett or not."

"Aye," said the Sith, deactivating his lightsaber. "Good point."

"Or CG. I hear the Dark Side loves inserting CG into everything."

"Don't," said the Sith. "Don't go there."

"Why?"

"Because every time I hear these arguments it's like a million voices crying out in once. And never, ever, leaving any silence."

"Oh," said Kira. "Fair enough. I suppose we can find something else to talk about."

A silence lingered between the two warriors. One of the Dark. One of the Light. Both standing. Waiting. Wondering.

"I loved it when the Empire struck back," said the Sith. "Don't you love that?"

"Nah, I preferred it more when the Jedi returned."

"Bah! You've got as much sophistication as a Hutt!"

Silence, as it turned out, didn't last long these days.