Aquinicum
Nicanor looked out over the palisade at the Dacian host before him. Muttering under his breath, he cursed his cousin for leaving him in command of the town of Aquinicum with such a poor garrison. Sending a quick prayer to the gods to grant his men strength in battle, he went to see what threads the Fates had woven for him.
~~~~~~~
Kleomenes, the grandfather of Nicanor and Cleon, had founded a minor kingdom after subjugating Athens, Syracuse, Pergamum, Rhodes, and Thermon under Spartan control. Eschewing traditional Greek democracy, Kleomenes had reformed the Kingdom of Sparta. He passed a short time afterwards, and Cleon's father, Dionysios, had taken the fight to the upstart Romans. Cleon had distinguished himself at an early age, and was soon tasked with leading the Spartan conquests.
Cleon had led conquests throughout the Hellenic world, humiliating many a Macedonian general. When the Macedonians had been pushed from Thessalia and Peloponessia, Cleon turned his focus to Sicily. The island was claimed by Sparta, the Carthaginians, and the Romans. As no casus belli existed with Carthage, Cleon chose to let them hold onto the town of Lilybaeum. Messana fell quickly, allowing Cleon to turn his full focus on the Romans.
House Brutii was perhaps the most persistent faction within the Roman Republic that wished to see all of the Hellenic world under their control. With the Scipii weakened with their fighting against both Sparta and Carthage, and the Julii too far north dealing with the Gallic threat, House Brutii stood nearly alone. The Greek navies held control over the trade routes in both the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas. Well placed bribes and political maneuvers had brought several small towns along the eastern coast of the Adriatic under Spartan control.
Cleon made landfall in Bruttium, taking the city of Croton. Next, they turned to Tarentum, the last stronghold of House Brutii. The city fell, as did the last of the once great Roman Senatorial family.
Cleon received word that Segestica, under the governorship of Nicanor's father Antigonos, was besieged by a Dacian force. He quickly led a force of armored hoplites to relieve the town. After a decisive blow, and the death of their general, the Dacians fled into the hills. Angered by the unprovoked attack, Cleon decided to lead a large force of hoplites, ranging from heavily armored hoplites, to those armored in the lighter linothorax, to those who bore only an aspis, helmet, and greaves as armor, to take the town of Aquinicum.
Nicanor, who had spent most of his adulthood at Segestica, was eager for a change in scenery and a chance to prove himself in battle. Moreover, he was well aware of his cousin's many victories and tactical acumen. They led their host before the town walls, finding it practically undefended as there were less than 200 Dacian warriors. They fell, with minimal Greek losses.
Feeling that Spartan control in the north needed an actual governor to administer, Cleon gave the governorship to Nicanor before turning south to Bylazora and eventually the Macedonian capital at Thessalonica. As Aquinicum was an impoverished area, with little more than 400 people living in the town, there would be no recruits to replenish the heavier armed hoplites. Cleon left the militia hoplites behind, as well as a small force of mercenary Illyrian peltasts.
Now, a year later, the situation had not improved. The locals had begun rioting almost the minute Cleon's forces had gone over the horizon. Several of Nicanor's troops had been killed in the rioting, and there were not enough able bodied men to replace them.
As the dawn had broken that morning, Nicanor awoke to alarms being raised, announcing the Dacian army that had besieged the town. Though Nicanor estimated the enemy to number roughly that of his own forces, they were far better equipped. He counted at least two companies of falxmen, as well as one of Chosen Swordsmen and one of archers. There were several lightly armored warband spearmen companies intermixed as well.
Rather than face starvation and riots, Nicanor opted to face his death head on. Leading his men out of the gates, he had the hoplites form a convex formation with the Illyrians in the center. Nicanor and his bodyguards brought up the rear.
As the two lines met, Nicanor led his cavalry around the Dacian right flank and behind their line. Hoping to kill their leader and break their morale, Nicanor charged the Dacian general and his bodyguards. As he did so, the Dacian general charged the Greek line.
The Dacian cavalry fell like wheat before the scythe. In the melee, Nicanor's men were fighting cavalry, archers, and warband simultaneously. The Dacian cavalry and archers broke and fled. As Nicanor gave chase, he realized he would not be able to catch the enemy general. Instead, he wheeled around to catch the archers as they routed.
Nicanor heard a great cry go up from the main battle line. Looking back, he saw with horror that many of his hoplite militia had fallen, and the remainder was fleeing towards the town walls. Though things looked grim, Nicanor saw that many of the enemy companies, including one of the falxmen companies, were routing as well.
Nicanor and his bodyguards pursued every Dacian force they could that was routing, hoping to force the two remaining companies of falxmen and chosen swordsmen to panic and flee. Their numbers dwindled as the fleeing barbarians lashed out, until Nicanor had to flee back to the protection of the town himself.
Once back within the walls, he took stock of his remaining forces. Too few. Too damned few. Less than a hundred hoplites remained, with the largest company boasting no more than 20 men.
After they had all caught their breaths, Nicanor gave his men some words of encouragement. They were Greeks, the heirs of Heracles and Alexander. They need not fear death, for they would face a hero's welcome in Elysium. The only thing they should fear was an unworthy death.
Nicanor led his men back outside the protection of the palisade. Forming a thin line, he maneuvered his men around the Dacian left flank. As they moved, the chosen swordsmen were goaded into attacking the Greek right. Although greatly diminished, the phalanx still presented a deadly wall of spears.
The Dacians fell before the falxmen could move in to engage. Soon, the swordsmen were fleeing in panic. Nicanor, spurred by a wild blood fury, led his remaining two bodyguards in pursuit.
The hoplites pushed forward, shifting around the remaining Dacian left flank. Again the Dacians found the thinned line of spears too much, and their last remaining company of falxmen broke. The Greeks broke ranks and pursued their foes, chasing them from the field.
Against all odds, facing vastly better trained and equipped foes, Nicanor had led his men to victory. Relief forces from Segestica and Apollonia arrived over the coming months, bolstered by mercenary peltasts from the surrounding areas. Although he would never be the great conqueror his cousin was, Nicanor had proved to everyone that he was indeed a son of Heracles.