Mighty Zeus

Prevailer’s most notorious defenders, her so called ‘Fists’, are far from the all defeating force that they are typically portrayed as.  Their effectiveness has been greatly overrated, for various reasons.  At your order, I’ve looked into what exactly is going on with them.

At their most basic level, one of the Regime’s Fists is composed of five Ultras joined together by another Ultra’s gift.  This gift causes any of these Ultras who dies to reappear, healthy and restored to life, alongside a living Ultra from the formation at the end of the day. Traditionally the Ultra whose gift causes this effect is known as “Linker”, and she or he is one of the most powerful Ultras known to exist.  In truth, nothing of Linker is known substantively.  Her existence is inferred through the effect that the Fists demonstrate, as well as a few of Prevailer’s statements.

In any case, this Link, has no effect on these Ultras other than to restore them to life if at least one of them persists.  It does not appear to augment their powers in any other way.  So, what then to make of the persistent victories, often at great numerical inferiority, that the Fists enjoy?

The first factor to consider is that the Ultras who compose the Fists are, themselves, individually extremely powerful.  Prevailer selects Ultras based primarily on their might, and she has an entire nation to choose from.  The Company do her will even more than yours, and she has been unstinting in the transformation of her human resources.

In any given Fist there will be one or two Ultras who are at the absolute top tier.  Ultras comparable to your Divine self, or the rest of the Council.  Ultras who can defeat numerous other Ultras without serious effort. These Ultras deal the majority of the Fist’s damage.

The remainder of the Fist functions as their support, selectively engaging and deterring anyone who attempts to avert the proper functioning of the team’s heavy hitter.  These other Ultras are no slouches themselves, and protect their primary with a vicious fervor.

Finally, the Fists each have one or two Ultras who are notably hard to dispose of.  Fader is the classic example, but lesser versions abide in each Fist.  Even if our forces get the upper hand in a battle, the damage will be gone by morning if we aren’t able to chase down and destroy these ‘Refuge’ ultras.

This organizational structure allows the Fists to engage in one sided attrition warfare, taking on units of dozens of our troops, killing ten to twenty, losing two to three and retreating, only to return and reengage on the morrow.  This is the primary factor in the Fists’s success.

Another element that contributes to their success is the degree of experience that Fists accumulate.  Thrown into battle day in and day out, dying and killing with abandon, the Fists quickly become deeply proficient in the art of Ultra combat.  Even our most hardened units have never fought on as their dying breath leaves their bodies before, but to the Fists it is a weekly occurrence.  The morale boost that their Link gives them, the ability to remain calm and effective under all circumstances, goes a long way towards helping them be successful.

Lastly, there is their supporting structure.  The obvious countermeasure to a Fist, to a set of five Ultras who can defeat dozens, is to bring more than dozens.  If we bring hundreds, we can overwhelm a Fist, or we could, except for their master.  The concentration of force  necessary to withstand a Fist’s onslaught, overcome its combatants and track down its survivors is too great.  Such a force would draw Prevailer to it.  Hundreds of enemy Ultras in one place is a challenge that she will not pass up.

I’ll end this report on the sourest note of all.  Intelligence chatter indicates that the Fourth Fist, which you heroically destroyed, is being reconstituted.  Prevailer moves sluggishly to replenish her forces, but ultimately she does take action.  The Fists will stand at six once more.

So, even a destroyed Fist may be brought forth once again.  The conclusion is obvious.  No one was ever destroyed by chopping their fists.  To kill the Regime, we must strike its ruler.  We must kill Prevailer.