[center][h3]Strategist
Main Deck - HMS [i]'Dreadnought'[/i], At Sea near Miyama Harbour[/h3]
[@Paradox Witch][/center]

Strategist kept sternly silent as Carly-Beth and Piper's rat-contraption consulted together over the Servant's proposal. A part of her was inwardly surprised that this here-to unknown Servant had been able to gauge so much about her in less then a day, yet neither of them had even met before. If Piper had spies or some kind of familiar that was keeping tabs on them, then the Servant inwardly feared that key information about her, her Master and this ship is now already compromised. She will need to begin to take contingency steps to prevent another such security breach from happening again, starting with swatting down any spy-familiar she or her Master spotted.

She kept her eyes on Rat Face and the now-dispatched mask of Carley's as the pair disembarked, mindful of the trio of her ship's 76mm swivel guns that their crews trained on them until they were out of sight. The phantasmal Admiral cleared her throat once their passengers were out of earshot and added sardonically, "Not too sorry to see that Caster's puppet gone, Master. I was almost afraid that those rats would decide to start getting into every nook and cranny here and begin to break things."

She let out a breath. "Still, given that Caster's proposal and the fact we now know we've been spied on, we'll need to accelerate our plans. I've a couple of ideas already of how we can do so." The Strategist, starting to become 'geed up' to the looming prospect of involvement within this conflict, didn't even bother waiting for Carly's yay or nay, launching right into her summarisation.

"Firstly, I've consulted with my officers early this morning and we are in accord that we'll need to take control of the area's key harbor. Not only can we use this as a launching point for any operation, but it can also allow us to commandeer any ship entering or berthed there;  I can then 'repurpose' each and every one into either armed Q-Ships or possibly even new warships that can match the power of this one." She stamped her right boot against the deck of [i]'Dreadnought'[/i] once to emphasise her point.

"Secondly, I think it'd be best if we attempted to make overtures to each of the three founding magus families and other organisations in this area. While I think our Hamelin Piper's offer is tempting, it wouldn't behoove us well if we've stabbed in the back, or if we find ourselves on the wrong side of the war. Gaining at least one of the major families' backing - or even an alliance of mutual aid - would be of significant benefit with us." She clicked her tongue. "The issue is: which of the three would be appropriate for us to make overtures towards - the Makiri, the Tohsaka - who are, if I recall, the 'owners' of this area of Imperial Japan - or the von Eizenberns?"

Drawing on what information she had gained from the Throne of Heroes, Strategist quietly mulled to herself on the latter question. 

At a glance, the Eizenbern family would make the most sense to Strategist, with a millennium's worth of magical experience, their status as one of the three families that drove the creation of the Holy Grail War system and rumors of their capabilities. That said, Strategist's instinctive mistrust of any family that may have even tenuous links to the hostile Imperial Germany rankled with her; even if the von Eizenberns had forsook all allegiances to their homeland, how could she trust them without her prejudices getting in the way?

The Tohsaka family, with their status as the Second Owners of this patch of Imperial Japan, came up second. While the second arm in the Triad of Founding Families and - officially - the Family responsible for overseeing that the War was conducted 'properly', they was still a relative unknown. Little had been heard of them yet within the War and Strategist did not have a full appraisal, seen from her 'own time', as to what this family of Magi might ultimately become. Still, having the backing of the Second Owners could be beneficial and could allow them to operate in Japan with [i]slightly[/i] less restrictions.

Finally, if the Tohsaka were unknowns, then the Makiri family completely eluded Strategist's thoughts. The third arm of the Founding Triad had been relatively secretive and, outside of rumors regarding their speculative specializations (some of which ranged from unusual to unpleasant) and mutterings of an unknown 'decline', nothing about them seemed to cross Strategist's mind. The Makiri were, in a word, a complete enigma. Still, if one gets backed into that corner ...

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, inclining her chin to her Master as she patiently waited for her input.