Gnaeus Cosconius Flavillus, newly returned to Rome upon completion of his term as Praetor of Sardinia et Corsica, was truly relieved to be back in the Eternal City. His term had been a stressful one. In addition to furthering the glory and security of the Republic, of course, he had also hoped to return to Rome a much wealthier man than the Cosconius Flavillus which had left her. This goal had been only partially realized, thwarted to a considerable extent by the disruption of trade by pirate raiders, which seemed to operate at will in the waters around his two islands.

Be that as it may, he was delighted to once again be in the Curia Hostilia. Once recognized by the Consul, he rose from his bench to deliver his report.

“Conscript Fathers, it is indeed an honor and a delight to rejoin this august body. The province of Corsica et Sardinia is peaceful and reasonably prosperous, but could be much more so were it not for the scourge of pirates, who prowl the waters seeking the ruin of hapless merchants who fall prey to them. By no means has the flow of commerce been strangled between Rome and her province, but it has been disrupted and hindered.

“Clever fellows, these pirates. They seem to know how much they can get away with, and limit themselves to just enough raiding to line their pockets without incurring the full wrath of Rome. In this aspect they seem more parasite than predator. I say ‘parasite,' because, like a tick or a leech, they are intent on maintaining a constant stream of nourishment from their host, but do not wish to weaken it to the point of grave illness or death.

“Commerce is indeed the life blood of our Republic. And these parasites are draining our life’s blood away from us! I stand here amazed that the Senate has not yet acted to rid the seas of this menace. So it was with considerable relief that I received correspondence from Tiberius Gallus indicating that the Senate was indeed contemplating addressing, finally, this question of pirates sailing roughshod over Our Sea.

“Based on my own efforts at reconnaissance combined with eyewitness accounts of survivors and local farmers and fishermen, this is what we have been able to piece together concerning the locations, strength and operating habits of the pirates preying on Sardinia et Corsica: They seem to mass in proportion to the size and number of the target vessels whey wish to take down. If the intended victim is a single merchantman of small size, a minimum of two pirate vessels, the functional equivalent of a liburnae, will do the job. For a larger merchantman, they will either employ three of their smaller ships, or include a bireme in their raiding force. If a group of merchantmen attempt to band together in a convoy of two or more ships, the pirates will increase their strength accordingly, seeking always, it does seem, to present our captains with the dilemma of multiple vessels swarming and boarding them. It’s no wonder, then, that the most common reaction by far is not to attempt outrunning or resisting them, but to simply ‘heave to,’ as the sailors say, and allow the pirates to board peacefully. The pirates relieve the ships of their choicest cargos, of course, and are not above taking hostages from the equestrian and patrician classes, if the prospect for ransom appears good. And they always, always seem to know just which vessels are carrying the juiciest cargos, and just when said ships are leaving port, and just where said ships are bound for. They have, it would seem, Conscript Fathers, a very good network functioning among the waterfront taverns and warehouses, here in Ostia and elsewhere.”

Hortensius, apparently fascinated by the account even to the point that he temporarily forgot his ever-present lascivious preoccupations, leaned forward and asked, “Gnaeus Cosconius, do we have any idea from where the pirates are operating?”

Flavillus nodded gravely. "Reports from the locals in the northern part of Sardinia indicate that the pirates have all but taken over the island of Asinara, which lies just off the northwest tip of Sardinia. It lies athwart the channel between Sardinia and Corsica, and allows them to effortlessly monitor the traffic flowing through these straits bound from Rome for the Spains, or vice-versa. It also allows them to intercept north-south traffic between Gallia Transalpina and Africa province, and it is a simple enough matter for them to navigate the channel and pop out in the seas between Sardinia and Ostia. All in all an ideal location.”

Hortensius exhaled audibly, puffing out his already puffy cheeks as he did so. “Then it is fortuitous indeed that the fleet is newly-arrived from Rhodes, fresh from their last successful campaign against pirates. ”Brawny, rough and tumble Greek pirates with bronzed torsos…”he said dreamily and half aloud, realizing only too late that those around heard him. Clearing his throat, he said in a businesslike voice, “Thank you, Gnaeus Cosconius Flavillus, for your most formative report, and welcome back to Rome. Now, Conscript Fathers, what say you that we should do about this problem?”