DOWL Master:Volume1 Chapter 1

25/07/2417 C.E.
In the coldness-covered desert walked a giant armored warrior.
A battalion of giants strolled in an uneven file, kicking up dust clouds as they went. Their whole body was covered in western armor. The identity of this 25-meter tall giant was known as [Titanic-Dowl] or simply Dowl; a giant humanoid weapon.
Their type-name was [Wanfuu] and they were from the same generation as the Dowl that were being used in the regular army around the world. They were an all-purpose model that supported both bombardment and hand-to-hand combat. They had heavy armor and their mobility was not bad, but there was still a rumor that they couldn’t operate for very long because they had a lot of large output motors.
Even so, this battalion did not make use of large personal transport vehicles, instead burdening themselves with energy backpacks for long-period mobilization and travel on foot in this parched dry land, because this was not a normal force and it was is all they could carry in order to be at their best in immediate combat.
Above this wave of unsightly overbearing violence, a large mechanized bird spread its wings, looking down with both pity and contempt.
“I’ve confirmed that there are 24 deserted units from Shidou army heading to Rasa. Still no reply after repeated warnings.”
“The radio wave won’t go through this thick jamming signal, so have you tried dropping a capsule?”
“The drop was done 2 minutes ago.”
As if to support the communication officer’s words, blinking light from a capsule dropped via reconnaissance plane shone through the sand storm.
“It would seem they are ignoring our warning, wouldn’t you think?”
At the assertion in the form of a question from the vice-chief, the captain slowly nodded.
Solar System Alliance Direct control Army – SOFEA's both usable inside and outside of the atmosphere flying mothership [Gartmann] made a big circle around, and directly above, the deserted force.
“Seems like this is unavoidable.”
In truth, they had been operating under the assumption of [Unavoidable] from the get-go, so they just turned deaf ears to their superior's shameless monologue.
“Ensign Ward.”
Gartmann’s captain, Yusuf Armon, used the intercom of his captain's seat to call the pilot standing by in the hangar, in a more mellow tone than just before.
[Yes]
The sound coming from the in-flight communicator was that of a high-pitched girl. It was clear from her voice that she was not an adult, yet there was no childlike speech defect in her pronunciation. Tone aside, the way she calmly answered was that of an adult.
“Unfortunately, there is no change to our plan and soon they’ll reach Rasa's self-defense sphere. After that, the troop stationed at Rasa will be sure to sortie and we won’t be able to advance without causing an inter-city dispute. Therefore we will crush Shidou's deserted troops here.”
[Roger that. Titanic-Dowl [Misty Moon], initiating dropping sequence.]
The countdown began along with the girl’s reply.
The large hatch under the warship opened up, showing the Titanic-Dowl with its entire body facing the ground and both of its sides supported.
As the controller counted zero, the supporting hook disconnected, releasing one [Misty Moon], Diving into the middle of the enemy forces.

Having rearranged its posture from horizontal to vertical in mid-air, Misty Moon landed, feet first, on the parched desert without raising a cloud of dust. Perhaps having noticed the landing figure, the former Shidou army's Titanic-Dowl [Wangfu] formed a semi-encirclement formation to intercept [Misty Moon].
Releasing sharp sounds of compressed air, [Wanfuu] purged the energy backpack from their high-capacity capacitor. They did this because while they could walk carrying the backpack, it was not guaranteed that they would be able to perform combat maneuvers with them. Having regained their mobility, All [Wangfu] began simultaneously attacking [Misty moon].
For only one [Misty Moon], there were 24 units of [Wanfuu].
Reagarding size, [Misty Moon] was about 20 meters tall while [Wannfuu] were about 25 meters tall. [Wanfuu] had all the important positions on their grim-looking frame covered in armor, in contrast with [Misty Moon] which had no eye-catching armor except for two eight-meter long rectangle shields set up on each shoulder, and its milky white color frame looked frail.
Normally thinking, no, normally there wouldn’t be any need for considering this difference in number as the outcome was clear as day. However the deserted force's movements were as impatient as cornered rats', while [Misty Moon]’s composure was that of a lion, lying in wait.
This reflected the difference in their combat ability.
The one who moved first was the encircled [Misty Moon]. Against the Shidou deserted force, whom from their half circle formation moved forward while narrowing their flanks, making a full encirclement, the milky white Dowl drew out a long-handle weapon and rushed directly towards the [Wangfu].
The move only took an instant. The 20 meter tall [Misty Moon] was, for a Titanic-Dowl, considered to be in the small class. But it was still considered gigantic compared to the African elephant which doesn’t even reach 4 meters tall. Yet that giant could close a distance no less than 50 meters in a speed that no eyes could follow.
A high-level maneuver only possible with a built-in inertia control system.
Dowl were equipped with Inertia Control Systems born from Psycronics technology. Dowl were an absurd weapon considering their size. That was why they were built to look like humans in order to efficiently bring out the ability of Psycronic equipment.
Psycronics – a compound word from Psychic and Electronic. This was a technology that made use of Psychic-ablility, or later called SIMA (Symbolic Image Materialize Ability), a Physical interference ability which manifested from mind sources, supported by electronic circuits to stabilize its manifestation. It had been inductively confirmed that the closer the vessel housing the Psycronic equipment was to a human, the more level of power which could manifested. That was because, at the moment this system had yet to be theoretically explained, however ignoring all the unreasonable parts, immensely powerful humanoid weapons brought about by Psycronics were being sent in to battles.
Besides Inertia Control Systems, achieving high-level technology impossible using conventional technology, resulting in attack ability, mobility and defenses superior to conventional weapons, was the core concept of Titanic-Dowl. Amongst the Psycronics equipment, the Inertia Control System, which was very popular in the military, was a standard equipment for Dowl, meaning not only [Misty Moon] but even [Wanfuu] had them.
However [Misty Moon]’s charge had since gone beyond [Wanfuu]'s reaction speed. Unable to react, unable to follow speed that had far exceeded the [Wanfuu] designer's assumption on Dowl’s maximum movement speed.
The first thing which the metal, black carbon-fiber reinforced ceramic blade used by [Misty Moon] cut down was the right arm of a [Wangfu] that was guarding its own neck, then the giant blade turned over, ignoring the inertia, and cut off of both its legs.
The [Wangfu] toppled on its side, raising clouds of dust. When a Dowl suffered from heavy damage, to protect the pilot from overcurrent reversal or so forth, the cockpit unit would be ejected from its chest. Without giving the cockpit unit revolving in midair a look, [Misty Moon] attacked its next target.
Every time [Misty Moon] brandished its weapon, an enemy Dowl lost its head and both its legs were cut off. With no gap between the tip and the crescent fang, a giant halberd (TL note : see Lubu’s halberd) easily cut through [Wanfuu]’s heavy armor.
Jigsaw-Glaive swung by [Wanfuu] were unable to even strike [Misty Moon].
The enemy's Gun-javelin rail gun, a needle shaped javelin with explosive inserted into its tip, also couldn’t even touch [Misty Moon].
Ignoring the size, the battlefield where middle-ages knights were marching to do close combat now looked like a one-sided trample-down.
There was too much difference in mobility between Dowl from the Shidou and Dowl from SOFEA.
The difference in mobility meant the difference in level of handling the Inertia Control System.
And accompanying the difference in Dowl’s performance, reflected the difference in ability of the pilot, the Dowl master.
[Damnit, you SOFEA’s monster!]
[Wanfuu]’s pilot, the Dowl master, screamed in anger and despair. However, that voice only fruitlessly echoed in the cockpit, for the ones who would receive that transmission no longer existed.
His unit was the last one.
The moment after the milk-colored Dowl disappeared, he saw his Dowl’s head and legs cut apart from behind, scattered in the sandstorm-covered land.

-<>-<>-<>-


25th century C.E., the world had split into countless city states.
A global-scale civil war started from the struggle for underground resources, the [States Dismantling War].
Unlike head-on collisions between large alliances or large unions, it was a war that was done by instigating guerilla, terrorist or criminal syndicates from behind in order to divide other countries into parts. Due to being a civil war, no nuclear weapons were used; the one to increase their “non-regular war potential” were the major powers, while the developed countries also strengthened their forces.
Fearing nuclear terrorism, they strictly sealed off nuclear weapons. Ironically, the regional conflict all the more intensified from that.
Terrorism on transport and communication infrastructures happened in succession.
Political paralysis.
Before they'd noticed it, cities became lockdown forts surrounded by tall walls, equipped with high-output power plants and sunlight agriculture plants, catering on animal protein and recycling, with an exception of mineral resources; self-sufficient cities. However, due to fearing that their settlements would become supply bases for guerilla or terrorists, the statesmen, supported by the citizens, turned the outside of their cities into uninhabitable wastelands.
Finally, after 30 years of mutual destruction using non-regular war potential, no, their cannibalism, the war period reached its end.
200 years later.
The world was now governed by Lockdown-cycle environment type city states called [Polis], using aviation as a means of transport as well as monopolizing the undersea's natural resources, and the one who regulated each [Polis]'s interests was the Solar System Development Organization, also known as the Solar System Alliance.
Those who were allowed to be Polis’s citizens who thought themselves to be successors of humanity, were blessed with the grace of high technical civilization, considering the outside of the Polis to be lawless areas and would not even turn their eyes to those who lived there.
Those who were left out of the [Polis], living in the wilderness, were called [Auton], or [Outer] by citizens of [Polis], .had grown into a community. Other than [Outon] there was also a group of people who called themselves [Naturalist], who were exposed to the menace of nature itself.


-<>-<>-<>-

The white skin was being dyed red under the hot shower. Facing up and using both hands to hold her hair up while closing her eyes, [Misty Moon]’s Dowl Master, Reine Ward Takajyou, let her delicate naked body get hit by the hot drops of water. While the hot water, as if licking, streamed down her body like it was hiding this bewitching jest, a white spray of hot water wrapped around her body.
After returning to the far east base she belonged to, Reine had gone to her lodging house and took a shower immediately, even though her body was neither dirty nor sweaty. The cockpit of a [Titanic Dowl] was a thoroughly optimized environment even cleaner and more comfortable than a mothership’s cabinet. However, piloting a Dowl meant personally feeling as if one had become the giant itself, wearing a gigantic armor while fighting. Because the operation was executed in a sandstorm, feeling as if she were smeared with sand, Reine was overwhelmed by the obsessive idea that she must take a shower.
Finally feeling refreshed after she took her sweet time washing her body, Reine stepped out of the bathroom just as she received a call from her intercom. Leaving the video function turned off and still wearing her bath towel, she corrected her posture then answered the call. It was the base commander’s secretary who'd called her. The order was for her to report directly to the commander’s room. Reine hurriedly changed her clothes.

The far east base in Okinawa was considered to be very important even amongst one of surface bases for SOFEA, the Solar System Development Organization, nicknamed Solar System Alliance, the board of directors' direct control army and the strongest unit in the alliance army. With the highest position in SOFEA not being marshal but general, having the base commander being no less than a major general also showed the importance of this place.
“Much appreciated, Ensign Ward. Splendid work as always.”
“Thank you, sir.”
At the commanding officer room, Reine was being personally thanked by the base commander, Major General Suou Agus. Not everyone would receive this kind of favor. For one with the position of Major General to give his gratitude to an Ensign face-to-face was considered unprecedented even in a place as lacking in class consciousness as SOFEA.
For she was considered special even amongst people with remarkable skill in SOFEA.
“Regarding the treatment of the deserted soldiers, we have decided to safely deliver them back to Shidou-polis.”
Hearing those words, Reine doubtfully grimaced. The fact that their desertion had been a semi-camouflage and that their march to Rasa had received tacit consent from Shidou's government was explained to Reine in [Gartmann]'s briefing room.
However Major General Suou had predicted both Reine’s suspicion and her reason for it.
“After we plentifully interrogate their background, of course. We will also tell Shidou government of our established facts as well.”
Having listened to the additional explanation, Reine’s doubt melted away. In a nutshell, in order to deliver the prisoners of war they must both conduct a political negotiation, which was a satisfactory outcome for the alliance.
“With this, that region should be stable for a while. The board of directors is also very pleased with your efforts.”
Reine smile insincerely at the repeated compliment.
“Well… Ensign is 17 years old, am I correct?”
“Yes.”
At the sudden change of subject, Reine dsiplayed her confusion. The mature expression she'd worn so far had turned into something that befit her age.
“How many school courses have you finished? Have you completed any high-class curriculum?”
“… No.”
Hearing her answer, the base commander let out a short sigh.
In that gesture were blended the feelings of "as expected" and of "this is bad".
“…The truth is, I received some advice from the alliance's personnel department.”
The lost expression Reina wore now had anxiety added into it.
“Regarding whether or not you were given enough learning opportunities.”
“Er, I don’t really…. Tutorial from AI is sufficient for me.”
Now at last, she was clearly panicked. To Reine, a school was a place that stirred up the memories she don’t want to remember.
“So you’ve been saying that and it seems that we at the far east base were spoiling you too much. No, I really appreciate your feelings, and it's also quite convenient for me. Unfortunately, this time what the personnel department says does stand to reason. There are things which cannot be learned unless you're in a proper community.”
Suou let out a short but profound sigh.
“According to SOFEA's military regulations, we only commission people above 28 years old. While it's true that we make a special exception for Dowl masters, a problem will surely arise if the officer has not received high-class education.”
Major General Suou picked up an electronic paper from his table.

“Ensign Reine Ward Takajyou. Even though this is supposedly a military order rather than a personal one… you are to be enrolled into L4 Iwato Island's high-class training school; this is an order.”
“…roger that.”
Reine tried to open her mouth many times, but finally she gave a short acceptance.