CHAPTER 55: False flag
The invasion of Caldera Cay was imminent. But an authentic justification was needed in the view of Yurlin and his allies to convince the Ancient vikings that another annexation was necessary for their safety. This time, he wanted to take the whole tribe with him in this upcoming invasion. Yurlin was still convinced that Hiccup & co wouldn't actually go to war, he felt they didn't have the guts to actually do it given the numerous other times they let him get away with his other annexations.
Regardless, he wanted to give the Ancient vikings a justification, both authentically and physically, which would persuade them that another invasion of another tribe's island was justified and required. So much so that he'd arranged six of his own council vikings to establish an elaborate plan for carrying this small operation out.
The six selected council vikings were gathered in a remote hut isolated within the dense forests of Ancient Island, they were all sat on wooden chairs whilst the Deputy Chieftan of the tribe, Herrick Herald, stood in front of them all as if he was giving them a lecture of sorts. The Ancients felt they needed something more eye-catching to pull this off, because they wanted to not only do this to convince their vikings of the morality of invading Caldera Cay, but to also make the outside tribes convinced that they were being attacked.
Whether or not it'd work was a whole different question, but Herald and the selected council members were to push ahead with the plans nonetheless.
"You gentlemen are here for a very serious mission," claimed Herald, "the biggest liberation we'll ever undertake is coming, and our backdoor negotiations with our friends in secret have concluded. But we need to stage an act whereby we look like we're being attacked first by the Defenders of the Wing tribe. We will use this to justify to our vikings the need to strike them and eradicate them. We will also use this as an overseas show of events so the outside tribes are convinced that we are being attacked first."
The six men sat on the wooden chairs nodded. It was a very sophisticated plan that was set to be utilized. Herald pointed to the table and lifted up a sleeveless black tunic, as well as two shoulder guards. Alongside that, he also picked up a black hooded mask with black leather trousers and boots - precisely the gear of the Defenders of the Wing.
"Very shortly, you will all put this gear on. Our fantastic vikings managed to craft and replicate their described gear, the gear of those residing on Caldera Cay. We have a boat waiting for us all at the waters surrounding the forest side of our island. You'll board that boat and will be joined by two unvikings."
The six men nodded as they looked at the extremely unorthodox gear planted on the wooden table in front of Herald.
"Once the boat sails, you'll all be taken to the front of our island where we will then make a rally call to the villagers as our scout spots the 'enemy'. Position yourselves very carefully on the boat, as we will open our crossbows to the bodies of the two unvikings who'll be joining you, both of whom will also be geared up in this attire. Convince those unvikings to fire their provided crossbows towards the island, act like you're trying to set them free and convince them to fire their crossbows towards our island, to make it look like they're firing at us."
"At that point, we will swiftly send our long range crossbow arrows charging towards their chests, so stand back and let them stand at the forefront of the boat. Their bodies will be dumped on our shores and as your boat arrives to our shores, we will 'detain' you all to make it authentic, and the two lifeless prisoners will have their bodies remain on the shores in this gear, much like you will all stay put in this gear for your public detainment - ultimately, our vikings will be convinced of the need to attack Caldera Cay when it becomes clear their 'own' has attacked us first."
The six men nodded. It was a very elaborate plan.
"I need not remind you all that you are to show absolutely no sympathy with the two unvikings we've selected from one of our camps. They aren't human, they are rancid and utterly despicable creatures. One of them you will quickly recognize as you utilize them both. Very quickly."
"Affirmed, sir."
"And obviously make sure, when you land on our main shores, you yell violence and try to attack us as we 'detain' you. Our vikings need to be given the most authentic, eye catching reality in order for us to convince them that we're truly being attacked by the Defenders of the Wing."
The plan was crystal clear. A blatant false flag operation designed to make it look like the Defenders of the Wing were attacking Ancient Island, in order for the vikings to be convinced of the justification to carry out what could be an annexation that lights the flames of war. And also for the outside tribes to potentially be fooled into thinking the Ancients were being attacked first.
"We're setting you free," whispered one of the undercover Ancients, as the boat sailed mercilessly across the waves of the sea.
He'd whispered to the two unvikings on the boat. Altogether there were eight people on the boat - six of them undercover Ancient council vikings, and two of them 'unvikings' who were to be utilized in this false flag operation.
The two 'unvikings' in question were chosen deliberately as their bodies were wrapped in the tight black hooded tunic and leather leggings like the six undercover council vikings, making them all resemble Defenders of the Wing vikings. These two selected individuals were set to have this be their punishment.
Punishment for none other than the assassination of Krimm Hiss - these two selected unvikings were Krugg Kalvicious and his wife, Olvich Kalvicious - after many days in isolation with harsh conditions imposed on them, involving beatings and starvation, leaving the two of them looking a lot skinnier, the council had decided, as the ultimate 'justice', to use their bodies as evidence of an impending attack from Caldera Cay to justify an invasion of that island.
Krugg Kalvicious couldn't utter a single word. Being stuck inside the tight attire crafted by the Ancients, the black tunic coating his whole body like a suffocation, whilst also being aggressively gripped by his shoulders from the undercover Ancients on the rocking boat, made him lightheaded and out of sanity. His whole body was a world of hurt, like he was poisoned and not even within his own body anymore - the same was the case for his wife.
"We've decided to let you guys go, okay?" said another council viking, as one of them adjusted the sails of the boat amid the steady gusts of wind bombing past their bodies.
The skies were an ugly grey, the waves were much more prominent like mini tsunamis and rain was pouring down from the sky. Each hit of rain on the boat only created an atmosphere of gloom which was being soaked up, literally, by Krugg and Olvich. The two of them had long suffered brutal beatings, starvation, isolation, to the point they weren't any longer able to communicate effective english.
But from what Krugg could hear, he didn't for a second believe the words being said from the council viking also in his black tunic gear to look like a Defender of the Wing.
The boat swiftly stopped in position, in an adjacent spot on the seas about ten minutes away from the shores of Ancient Island as the grey skies rolled in as if a storm was coming.
Back at the shores of Ancient Island, a small group of fellow council members stood on big scout watchtowers made entirely of wood had given the thumbs up to the boat. Hundreds of regular Ancients behind these watchtowers in the village hadn't the slightest clue of what was about to come. The signal had been given, and now was the time to cause panic.
"Alright fellas, sail her forwards gently," said one of the council members on the boat, preparing to sail the boat towards Ancient Island.
In the end, the council vikings on the boat decided that they'd be the ones to do the shooting of the crossbows given how weak of a state both Krugg and Olvich were in following their harsh isolation of beatings and starvation as the council's way of 'justice' to Krugg specifically for killing Krimm Hiss.
"ATTENTION, YOU ARE TO ALL WITHDRAW INTO YOUR HUTS RIGHT NOW!" yelled the central watchtower Ancient as he sprinted into the village.
Right away, the eyes of hundreds of oblivious Ancients fearfully gripped the body of the yelling council viking.
"THERE IS A BOAT HEADING OUR WAY, FROM CALDERA CAY, HOME OF THE DEFENDERS OF THE WING, AND THEY ARE ATTACKING US!"
Upon hearing those words, the village instantly poured into a frenzy. Fishing rods crashed the grass as they were dropped. Boots tumbled and stomped across the many twigs on the ground - vegetables were splattered onto the ground, flinging up into the air as all the villagers started running for safety. Panicked voices crashed the air and roamed their way around the environment as families gathered their kids to sprint through the pathway of the village to their huts.
"RING THE BELLS!" yelled the watchtower viking, amid the maze of screaming voices.
Upon that command, additional council viking members ran around the panicked uncontrollable village and quickly started ringing medium sized bells in their hands, like siren equivalents, to further enhance the panicked environment they were so eager to create to make this operation authentic and realistic.
The sight of several soldiers from the Ancient army sprinting their weaponry belts and geared up bodies through the village only served to fuel up the panic of the central village vikings. This felt like an atmosphere in which they were all about to die, they were severely panicked as they hadn't ever expected something like this to breach through the wall of stability they considered Yurlin's leadership to be.
"GENTLEMEN, FIRE YOUR CROSSBOWS, ARCHERS, FLING YOUR ARROWS!" yelled the watchtower viking as a cohort of soldiers, amid the screams and panic of the village behind them, continued breaking out.
The six council vikings deliberately stood on the side of the boat, leaving Krugg and Olvich standing in the direct middle, with them being held up barely by the six council vikings. Neither of them had the energy to fight back or counter any of this due to the weakened state they were both in.
The boat had crashed the shores of Ancient Island, and right away, soldiers stormed the boat like athletes. They were filled in on these 'enemies' being undercover council members disguised as Defenders of the Wing vikings. They, like predators, aimed for the six vikings on the boat and swiftly tackled them to the ground with screams of rage.
"DON'T YOU MAKE A SINGLE MOVE!" yelled one of the soldiers as they held one of the undercover vikings headfirst against the wooden floor of the boat.
Upon hearing the yells and roars of their soldiers, the Ancient vikings, having initially panicked, had spotted the sight of the large boat on their shores and they were all quick to gather around the commotion as it happened. They saw their soldiers gripping with fully clothed up in black tunic leather gear vikings, as they, one by one, were sent planting into the ground from tight grips on the back of their necks. Two lifeless bodies, with arrows in them, were swiftly tossed to the side so all the Ancients could see them.
Krugg Kalvicious and Olvich Kalvicious were those lifeless bodies. The Ancients had delivered to them what they felt was their most deserved way to go out for Krugg's assassination of one of their top inner circle vikings. Because their bodies were firmly geared up in the replica suit of the Defenders of the Wing, their faces weren't able to be identified from the hooded masks they had on, meaning none of the regular Ancients could see it was them, but instead genuine random vikings from Caldera Cay.
"YOU WILL NOT DESTROY OUR SOVEREIGNTY, NOR WILL YOU ATTACK US FIRST!" yelled another soldier as he crashed himself onto the back of another undercover Ancient.
About twenty soldiers surrounded the vicinity of the boat, tightly holding onto the back of the neck of all six vikings
For the vikings of the tribe, this was incredibly eye-opening. Seeing this large foreign boat on their shores, with vikings who were in unorthodox gear made of black leather tunic with their faces fully hooded up in such black tunic, seemingly intent on attacking their tribe, was all they needed to see. It was clear as could be that this was an attack from a tribe known as the Defenders of the Wing, and very shortly Yurlin was set to make a speech addressing this very specific attack.
Except, it wasn't an attack - it was an orchestrated false flag operation designed to justify to the Ancient vikings the incoming invasion of Caldera Cay, which, based on the reaction of the whole tribe to the 'attack', seemed to have worked.
