when you first meet atris in the secret academy, she posseses your lightsaber, is it at all possible to get it back, i tried through dialogue, but to no effect and when you fight her in the last stages of the game, you cant get it back either so has anyone succeded in getting it back?
The short answer would be no. There is no possible way to get back your lightsaber from atris. Bao-dur is the only possible way to come by a lighsaber after that you find others in hidden locations an on other charecters.
You have to remake your own lightsaber. Bau-Dur helps you build one after you find all the parts you need. You eventually have a conversation with BD on the Ebon Hawk in which BD asks you why you don't carry a lightsaber any more. Then he offers to build you a new one after you find the parts. You get your choice of saber, single blade, double or shorty.
Yeah, using a shorty in the off hand reduces the penalty by 2. So it's a matter of balancing pros and cons. If you like more damage, use two long, if you like to hit more with the off hand, use one long, one short.
