I've been thinking about the catapults from the Fort Condor battles. "Forte" being italicised could hint towards Fort Condor, and "in the far flung future" almost seems like it's supposed to be read literally. "Only for demonstration" seems to disprove the catapult idea, though. Of course, it could also be sword related, considering an alternate definition of "forte".

I doubt it's right, but to keep things moving: the catapults in the Fort Condor battles?