THE FIGHT FOR CHIOS

March 13th, 1504

Just outside of Chora, Chios

Watching the final ship runner leave the shores, Leonardo Giustiniani - captain of the Chiot guard - took a deep breath. He knew the situation at home was dire, the walls of La Superba preparing to face an onslaught of five other Italian powers, but the situation here on Chios looked close to helpless. He had been sent just five hundred men to complement the five hundred or so already on the island, and the Turks were already landing by the thousands on the northern shores of the island. The castle at Chora he could hold for some time, but without further support from the mainland the island was all but doomed. And so he prayed, for either the rapid success of the war at home, or divine intervention against the heathens from Anatolia.

July 7th, 1504

North of Chora, Chios

"AMELIO TAKE COVER! CANNONFIRE!!!"

This had... not gone according to plan. Amelio Pirri had signed up for the Chiot guard just three months previous, days after his 15th birthday, following a rousing speech by Captain Giustiniani. He preached the honor of defending his home against the invading Turkomen hordes, the holiness of being in service against the Muslim menace, and the brotherhood he would form with his fellow soldiers.

"Not a single Tear of Chios," Giustiniani had said, "would fall into Ottoman hands, until the blood of every honorable Chiot man had dried in the dirt."

And so Amelio had joined, looking to follow this great man who spoke with such conviction. And at first things went great - the Captain's focus on hit-and-run warfare to sap the invading armies of their supplies and will to fight had bogged their advance considerably. Small engagements where the Chiot force could find an advantage allowed for some decent wins against the Ottomans, and even a few towns saw their occupations lifted as the fighting went on. For the briefest of moments, it seemed as if they might actually hold out, at least until Genovese reinforcements could arrive.

But then Giustiniani got cocky. The engagements had worked so well, that when reports of a 500-man Ottoman advance on Chora reached his ears, he saw an opportunity for their largest victory yet. He rapidly assembled a force of almost 800 men - the majority of his armed forces at the time - and had them rush north to take the advancing army by surprise. If all went according to plan, it would be the biggest Ottoman defeat yet, and might even cause them to back off for a few months, giving the Chiot force valuable time to request men and supplies from La Superba.

Then things had very much not gone according to plan.

The reports of a 500-man force marching north had been true, but when the Chiot defenders reached them, they found not an army of Ottoman soldiers, but a group of Christian galley slaves armed with only dulled swords. And the moment they did, dozens of Ottoman ships appeared at the shores, raining cannonfire down on the unsuspecting Chiots.

Amelio dove for cover, finding a space behind a small embankment at the edge of the beach. Many, however, were not so lucky, and hundreds of men were cut down by the flaming metal raining down upon them. As the barrage died down, and the survivors began to rush towards the wounded to help, two thousand Ottoman troops surged from the north, aiming to finish off the broken defenders.

"RETREAT!" ordered Captain Giustiniani, "FUCKING RETREAT!!!!!"

And so Amelio ran, he ran as fast as his legs could take him back towards the castle at Chora. It was the longest he had ever run before, and by the time he reached the walls he was ready to collapse. But the Ottoman army was still behind him, and so he pressed on, past the gate and yelling for the guards to close it behind him. They managed to get the gate sealed just in time, leaving the Ottoman army jeering on the other side. But the damage had been done - hundreds of men, over half the defending force, had been cut down in a single attack. With them died any hopes of further insurgency on the island, now all that was left was Chora itself.

December 12th, 1504

Castle of Chora, Chios

"Amelio," croaked Captain Giustiniani, "come closer. I have an important mission for you."

It had been over five months since the Ottomans began their siege of Chora. To the relief of everyone in the walled city, the Ottomans had elected not to bombard Chora by sea or land, nor did they attempt to land any major forces in the port. They seemed content to simply wait out the city until it capitulated, complete with a total blockade of all incoming supplies. Initially this gave the defenders hope - surely they could withstand a siege long enough for Genoa to send supplies and reinforcement to free them. But it had been nine months since the Republic had gotten word to the island, and supplies were stretched to their limits.

Amelio did not like to be pessimistic, but he did not expect the city to hold out until Christmas.

Captain Giustiniani had initially rallied the forces and the people of the city. His seemingly endless vigor and confidence kept them afloat for months, and made victory seem imminent in even the bleakest of times. But now, the unwavering conviction was faltering. Giustiniani insisted that he be subject to the same rationing of his men, and this had weakened him greatly. He took a crossbow bolt to the arm in the disaster of July, and the lack of medicine and now basic sustenance had taken their toll. He barely had the energy to leave bed these days, and it seemed as if the only thing keeping him going was the city itself.

As Amelio approached the dying Captain, he saw the same light in his eyes as he did the first day Amelio heard him speak.

"Amelio, come closer. I have an important mission for you."

"Yes Captain, of course Captain, what is it I can do?"

"I need you to help me out of bed, I wish to speak to the captain of the Turks."

Amelio was stunned - he had rarely seen the Captain speak to the Turks before, and certainly never in such a condition as he was in currently. "Are you sure, Captain? I trust your judgement implicitly of course, but-"

Giustiniani smiled. "Amelio, trust me on this one. That is an order."

"Yes Captain." Amelio nodded. And with some straining, Amelio helped the dying man to his feet, and began the long walk towards the town gates. He had never been part of a funeral procession before, but he imagined that this is what that must feel like - the sad and broken looks of the Chiot defenders as Giustiniani was helped by seeming like mourners at a funeral yet to happen. Finally, Amelio and Giustiniani reach the gate, where they are met by the smiling face of the Turkish siege commander.

"Giustiniani!" the heavyset Turkish man greeted the Chiot captain, "Have you finally decided to give up your useless resistance?"

A flash of anger passed over Giustiniani's eyes, but then his face sunk, and he looked to the ground.

"Yes, I am. Promise me that you will spare my men, and the people of this city, and the island is yours. Too many good men have died for a Republic that has not even sent word of their existence since March, let alone cared enough to send supplies or reinforcements."

The Turkish captain seemed shocked by the immediate resignation of Giustiniani, but quickly regained his composure and the same cocksure smile he began with.

"Well of course Giustiniani, it would be my pleasure. Simply have them vow that they will never take up arms against the Empire again and they are free to live out their lives here farming mastic for us."

Amelio's grip tightened on his sword as Giustiniani sighed. "You know as well as I do that they will never do that."

The Turkish captain thought for a moment. "Then let us show them the mercy and generosity of the Turkish people - let us escort all who wish to leave back to Genoa, personally, so they can live out their days in a place where they do not wish to kill their rulers. Or if they do, then we can applaud them for it!"

Giustiniani nodded. "If you can promise this, then we have a deal. Guards, open the gates."

The next few weeks were filled with activity, as thousands of Ottoman troops began to assert control of the city, and Chiot defenders were given time to collect their families and belongings to begin the journey back home. Virtually all the Chiot defenders elected to journey to La Superba instead of living under Ottoman rule, and a number of Choran civilians were allowed to join them. Giustiniani would not be among them - Amelio was told that he died shortly after entering Ottoman custody, finally succumbing to his wounds. For once, he believed the Turks to be telling the truth.

The six Ottoman ships taking the men back to Genoa departed Chora on December 25th - one can only assume the Turks wished to mock the fallen defenders by making them spend their Christmas sailing away from the only home they had ever known. But sail away they did, the tears of the men watching their island dip under the horizon matching the tears of the mastic trees they left behind.

January 13th, 1505

The City of Genoa

"Well Matteo, it seems that I have bested you yet again! What is this now, five games in a row?"

"Hmmph. I remember not too long ago when you were calling me a fraud for using the Spanish rules for the queen, Rodolfo. Now here you are, using it to put me in check every game!"

"Well it just goes to show you - the smartest chess players are the ones that learn the most!"

Matteo scoffs again at this smugness, and looks out over the Ligurian Sea. Then he blinks, and looks again.

"Hey, Rodolfo?"

"What is it Matteo, you wish to be beaten again?"

"No no no, not that. Look here, do those look like... Ottoman military ships?"

"Come now Matteo, you are just being ridiculous now... HOLY SHIT!"

The alarm went up quickly in the Port of Genoa, as six Ottoman military vessels crested the horizon, making for the Port. But most of the navy was still in port, seeing repairs, so Admiral Andrea Doria had just five ships of his own to meet them at sea before they could dock. Sensing something amiss, he decides to parlay with the Turkish captain, to see what the Turks could possibly be doing so far west. Before long, he was signaling the all-clear to his fleet, and calling for assistance - there were Genovese men to bring ashore. And they brought with them the news La Superba had feared all along - Chios had fallen.

LOSSES

Genoa

• All hired mercenaries killed or deserted

• 400 levy pikemen brought to Genoa from Chios

• Chios occupied by the Ottomans

Ottomans

• 22 Janissaries killed

• 31 Silahdar killed

• 347 Azab killed

• 33 Deli killed