Byzantium:
The Siege of Nicaea

Prologue:

If there was one thing halting the Turkish advance into Eastern Europe, it was the Byzantine Empire: the oldest remnant of the once great Roman Empire. The Byzantines already had a sound foothold in the Nicaea and Trebizond Regions, but the angry Islamic majority of the populations made it no easy task for the militias to maintain public order. Trebizond had faced many strikes and riots, while Nicaea had already suffered two revolts, both of which resulted in widespread crop devastation and created an opportunity for the Turkish forces along the borders. Though both revolts had been crushed, they left the surviving forces based in Nicaea diminished and low on morale. The Turkish Faction Leader, Sultan Jalal, seized the moment to strike, and marched his forces west from to lay siege to Nicaea. His army was 8,000 men strong, consisting mainly of Arab Spearmen, Peasant Archers, Sipahi Cavalry, and his General Bodyguard. Once Jalal's army crossed the border, word had already reached the officer in charge of Nicaea's defending forces, Captain Theodosius.

Captain Theodosius had only led the Nicaea town militia once against the second revolt following the death of the late Isaac Comnenus, son of Emperor Alexius, during the battle against the first revolt. Defeating an angry mob was one thing, but defeating a fully armed Seljuk army led by its Sultan was a completely different matter. Reinforcements would not be available either because the Byzantine armies of Eastern Europe were fighting against the Hungarian forces at Bran. Captain Theodosius was in command of several units of Town Militia, Peasant Archers, and a unit of Byzantine Infantry which acted as the commanding unit of the garrison. Nicaea's defence was only 5,000 strong, and did not have nearly as much battle experience as the Turkish forces. The Jalal's army was expected to be outside the town wall by the end of the month, but the Sultan had sent a small emissary ahead to demand the town's complete and unconditional surrender.

Chapter One:

Theodosius let his eyes roll along the vast plains as he strolled along the wooden wall of the settlement. He watched the Turkish emissary ride across the outlying field, flanked by two Sipahi cavalrymen on either side. They slowly grew from small black specks in the sun-scorched grass to normal size as they approached the gate. Theodosius called to the guard to open it, and made his way to the staircase. He began to feel his heart pound against his chest as his anxiety grew. He even felt his temples throbbing when he reached the bottom of the stairway and made his way outside the gatehouse to greet the emissary.

The emissary had already dismounted from his horse. It was black and grand looking, like the man who was now approaching him.
"A fine looking horse." Theodosius said politely.
The emissary stopped and looked back at his steed before replying,
"It is a Barbary horse. I purchased it from the grand bazaar in Cairo."
Theodosius pondered for a moment. This man was definitely not of Turkish blood, nor did he look Egyptian. From the skin colour Theodosius guessed he may have been of Sudanese origin, or some other tribe beyond the sands of the Sahara.
"Am I correct in thinking that you are the commanding officer here?" the black emissary inquired in a slightly impatient tone.
"I am." Theodosius replied. "Theodosius of Corinth." he added.
The emissary eyed him down meticulously, scanning his posture and attire. Theodosius knew he didn't look much of a commanding officer in his nearly torn chain-mail armour, but then again, it was uncommon for a Byzantine of Greek birth to have such a status.
"I see." the emissary said finally, "In that case, my Sultan wishes for me to tell you that he has graciously offered you all a chance to surrender."

By this time, the soldiers that had all gathered around Theodosius and the emissary began to murmur and whisper amongst one another. All eyes were on Theodosius; everyone awaited his response uneasily. Theodosius thought about his next words carefully.
"Is the mighty Sultan willing to accept our terms?" he asked.
The emissary could not help but scoff at the captain's question:
"I am afraid that your surrender is to be unconditional." he answered.
The murmurs grew louder and even more uneasy.
Theodosius then said, "Then I am afraid that surrender will not be possible."
Gasps of disbelief erupted from the surrounding soldiers. They could only think that the captain had just signed their death wishes. Shouts of anger came from all directions. Abuse was aimed at both Theodosius and the emissary.
"Just go back to the desert where you belong and leave us alone!" one roared.
"Who the hell put you in charge of us anyway, Greek?" another bellowed.
The emissary smirked and spoke above the shouts of offensiveness.
"It appears that your fellow soldiers disagree with your decision."

Theodosius remained calm under the pressure that was bearing down on him. He smiled and repeated his last words;
"Surrender will not be possible."
The black emissary grew annoyed at Theodosius' stubbornness. His lips went thin with impatience and his hands clenched into fists. The shouting had died down now, and everyone was once again listening in on the conversation.
"My wise Sultan expected such a foolish reply." he said sternly, "As a result, he told me to tell you that if he is victorious, you will all be his slaves until the day you die, your women will be raped like filthy whores on the street, your children butchered and the rest of you set as target practice for archers! You will all wish you had never been born!"

The surrounding area went deathly quiet. Theodosius took a step towards the emissary, but a Sipahi lance stretched in front of him, blocked his path. The emissary raised his hand, and the Sipahi backed away. Theodosius never took his eyes off the black emissary. He took several more steps until he was right in front of him. There was a long pause, as Theodosius began to think to himself. He thought of the Greek history and how they fought and lived. How the Spartan soldiers responded to orders and threats of imminent attack. Then he remembered the Spartan's famous Laconic Response to King Phillip II's threat of invasion. Theodosius leaned over the emissary's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Nobody heard it; only the emissary who, in turn, proceeded to walk towards his horse with a new found mixture of uncertainty and disbelief on his face. The soldiers noticed the change in the emissary's stance. It looked as if he had just been slapped across the face. Even the Sipahi looked taken aback by the emissary's change.

The emissary never said a word from the time Theodosius had whispered in his ear to when he rode out of the town gates with his bodyguard. As the soldiers watched the Turks ride off into the distance, one of them asked the captain,
"What did you say to him?"
Theodosius didn't look away. He just continued to gaze out into the fields.
"I gave him a Laconic Response." he told the soldier.
The soldier looked at him in disbelief.
"What does that even mean? A Laconic Response?" the soldier asked.
"A concise statement." Theodosius said, "Do you recall what the emissary told me after I refused to surrender?"
The soldier did not take long to answer that question.
"Of course! He said that if the Sultan beats us, he will make us wish we were all dead men."
"Precisely." the captain said.
The soldier was still confused.
"So?" he asked, "What did you say to him?"
Theodosius finally turned, looked the soldier in the eyes, and said,
"If."