Caesar’s death meant strife and uncertainty to many, but to Sextus Pompey, it seemed a cauldron of opportunity. As the son of Pompey the Great, Caesar’s chief political and military adversary, he was relentlessly pursued across the Roman world until he found safety in Sicily. With the death of Caesar came more good news; in the Senate’s desperation to prevent another dictatorship, they turned to the outcast for protection. Brutus was given command of the army and Pompey, commander of an already formidable Sicilian fleet, was commissioned to wield the full power Rome’s navy against the Caesareans./n/nPompey took advantage of the political instability to extend his control to Corsica and Sardinia. After the formation of the Second Triumvirate, these very territories were allotted to Octavian, adopted son of Caesar. Pompey responded by blockading the shipping routes that fed Rome. Though the blockade was broken, Pompey had no trouble in repelling the counterattack, especially as the focus of the Triumvirate shifted to Caesar’s remaining assassins./n/nNow these distractions are gone and Pompey is the last bastion of republican resistance to dictatorship. If he is cunning, he may harness anti-Triumvirate feeling in the Senate and direct it against his enemies. His location enables the deployment of his navy to great effect, but also makes him a high-priority target for his enemies. The self-proclaimed Son of Neptune will have to think carefully about how he plays the cards he has been dealt…
