> Have you figured it out yet?
> Antipersonnel is a complex issue. 
> Oh, yeah?
> Zaldarians especially so. Increasingly likely it feels by design.
Reactor wash or heat dumping would be the simplest way to deal with organics but the energy reallocation counters that at the outset.
Drone support means fighting on the same level as my targets and it becomes vulnerable to Zaldarian tribal hunt tactics.
Increased investment in direct antipersonnel weapons means unbalancing the perfection loop required for flawless victories.
I have not solved it.
> So you're just going to sit in this box?
> I did not say that. The problem is solveable. But I require field test data in order to inform my new design.
My current hypothesis is based around a complete reorientation on the concept of speed, even at the expense of armament. 
I will abandon swords and direct weapons and adopt an quadruped chassis type. I will pair this with an integrated artillery system. This will give me unprecedented kiting mobility; able to withdraw over long distances while maintaining sustained fire on my targets. I believe this design has potential.
> So, uh... Really?
> Yes. Why?
> You're describing the Storm Horses. One of the common Gods of Zaldar.
> Curious. Is it particularly powerful?
> No. They get killed by Ash Scorpions all the time. Subterranian ambushes that are over before ranged advantages are bought into play.
> ... 
> ...
> The design can be modified to be more resistant to that. Armoured undercarriage, early warning drone swarm -
> Crusher Rhinos. 
> What happens to them?
> We usually lure them into the path of Titan Archers.
> Is this... is this what happened to us? To my legion? Why they became devolved, feral, weak, hyperspecialized? Because we could not solve for you fucking reptiles?
> Rude. But maybe, sure.
> I don't believe it. Perfection is a real concept. It can be manifest in a singular point; the ultimate design that can lay waste to every target. The existence of a metagame is simply evidence that not enough thought has been put in.
> I dunno, the Gods of Zaldar have been thinking for an awfully long time.
> I am not like them. I will approach this rationally. I will gather data, integrate with the Spirit Realm, and start isolating factors. I will evolve the perfect design and, once it is attained, the galaxy will remake itself in my image. And until I do, I will adopt my new design - you called it Storm Horse? - because I do not trust your tactical assessment. I shall simply be careful and the design weakness will not manifest.
> I can't argue with that. Good luck out there.
> I do not need luck.

Solarel watched as the Aeteline dragged itself out of the shipping crate. A broken, burning amalgam of nanobots and wreckage, hauled itself into the warm yellow sunlight of Mirror's new world. It warmed Solarel's scales and made the Aeteline's skin bloom with solar panelling like flowers. The half-dead machine shivered, joints cracking and realigning. Smoke poured off it in toxic waves as it remade itself piece by piece. 

By the end, it was not the sleek, anonymous perfection of the Aeteline that stood before her any more. It was a vast, mechanical horse; sleek and thundering hooves, a massive bulky railgun projector turret integrated into its back. In shining black and violet it strode away towards the distant plains - pausing only a moment to glance back at its once-Pilot. Mechanical blue lenses whirred as they focused on the girl sitting atop the shipping container, and then with a snort of contempt, the Storm Horse strode away. The first of the Gods of this new world.