Antony and Sextus Pompey Team Up

Basically exactly what it says on the tin - instead of Sextus Pompey being executed by Antony's lieutenant Titius, he manages to get to Antony and convince him to team up. It means a talented admiral is among Antony's supporters - and this one can't desert for Octavian, and is an admiral Octavian and Agrippa were hard-pressed to defeat. And it could be argued that given time to regroup Sextus may have learned from that final defeat. Does this change anything when Octavian and Antony go to war?

Cleopatra was once a Pompeian herself, her family clients of Pompey the Great, so that's an angle to look at too.
 
Basically exactly what it says on the tin - instead of Sextus Pompey being executed by Antony's lieutenant Titius, he manages to get to Antony and convince him to team up. It means a talented admiral is among Antony's supporters - and this one can't desert for Octavian, and is an admiral Octavian and Agrippa were hard-pressed to defeat. And it could be argued that given time to regroup Sextus may have learned from that final defeat. Does this change anything when Octavian and Antony go to war?

Cleopatra was once a Pompeian herself, her family clients of Pompey the Great, so that's an angle to look at too.

While its possible Agrippa already proved that he was a far better admiral the Sextus Pompey when he beated him at Naulochos with the ods that where at least as daunting then the one he faced at Actium (the two fleets where of equal numbers but Sextus had far more experienced crew as at Actium Agrippa might be somewhat outnumbered but has better armed ships with far more experienced crew then Anthony and Cleopatra).

It might means more lost for Octavian at Actium and more ships who managed to escape for Anthony witch means a bloodier Egypt campaign but it wont change the outcome.

Additionally, they might be a strong downside for Anthony too: after the whole testament thing he was already hard pressed to provoke defections too massive for him to stand a chance. If he name a know Optimates as it main lieutenant a bunch of old Ceaseran-Populares might just switch side.
 
Well it was less execution by Marcus Titus and more Pompeius going bloody insane that did him in.

In anycase, Sextus Pompey had 17 ships, 3 legions, and 1 regiment of cavalry when he arrived in Antony's partition, which is kind of a drop in the bucket, and himself to offer as an officer.

I would argue that a lot of Agrippa's victory at Naulochos was owed to the harpax, which oddly is not recorded as used at Actium or anywhere else, but that doesn't really matter as Actium is kind of an unwinnable battle once they start waiting and the malaria breaks out. The strategic situation was just that bad.
 
As it so happened, Sextius Pompey was also a fan of alternate history:

"Pompeius has sent us to you, not because he cannot take refuge (if he were minded to continue war) in Spain, a country friendly to him on his father's account, which espoused his own cause when he was younger, and even now calls upon him for that purpose, but because he prefers to enjoy peace with you, and, if need be, to fight under your orders.

He makes these advances now not for the first time, but did so while he was master of Sicily and was ravaging Italy, and when he rescued your mother and sent her to you. If you had accepted these advances, Pompeius would not have been driven out of Sicily (for you would not have provided Octavian with ships against him), nor would you have been defeated in Parthia, in consequence of Octavian not sending you the soldiers he agreed to send. In fact, you would now be in possession of Italy in addition to your other dominions.

As you did not accept the offer at the time when it would have been most advantageous to you, he repeats it now in order that you may not be so often ensnared by Octavian's words and by the marriage relationship existing between you"

He also attempted to defect to Armenia and Parthia at the same time.
 
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