Meanwhile, Pompey had crossed the Pyrenees and was marching his army toward Sertorius, he intended to finish the rebellion in one stroke by trying to force Sertorius into a pitched battle and defeating him. Pompey also sent a fleet under his brother-in-law, Gaius Memmius, accompanied by the Spaniard Balbus, to try and take New Carthage, secure it as a base, and from there move up the coast.
Pompey, seeking to quell the rebellion led by Sertorius, initiated a military campaign that involved crossing the Pyrenees with his army and attempting to force a decisive battle against Sertorius.  Simultaneously, he dispatched a naval force under his brother-in-law and a Spanish ally to secure New Carthage as a base for further coastal operations.