Day 77-78 Post-Impact
The war council convened at dawn.
Sarnav sat at the head of the table, his wives arranged around him according to their specialties. Jiyeon on his right, handling the political implications. Jade on his left, monitoring communications and intelligence. Nisha, Ishani, and the others filling in the gaps. And at the far end, still technically a guest but increasingly treated as an advisor, Serena Tan.
Captain Zara Hassan stood against the wall, observing but not participating. Her reports to the Council would include everything discussed here. Sarnav had decided that transparency, within limits, was better than secrecy that would inevitably be discovered.
"Current situation," Jade began, pulling up displays on the central screen. "The Herald is dead. Her conversion network collapsed. But the Ascendancy as an organization still exists."
"What's left of them?" Ishani asked.
"Our intelligence suggests three main elements. First, the remnants of the Herald's army. Most of the converts have dispersed or been captured, but approximately sixty to eighty remain organized under surviving lieutenants. Second, the Ascendancy's home territory in Johor. The Herald was their most powerful asset, but not their only leadership. Someone will step up to fill the vacuum."
"And third?" Sarnav prompted.
"The S+ entity." Jade's voice was flat. "The thing the Herald was trying to reach. The sealed rift is still there. Still weakening. Whoever takes over the Ascendancy will likely continue her mission."
Silence settled over the room. The entity was an unknown variable, a threat they couldn't quantify. Fighting awakened enemies was one thing. Fighting something that had required S+ power to seal was another matter entirely.
"Probability analysis," Serena said, and all eyes turned to her. She didn't flinch under the attention. This was her element. Numbers and outcomes. "I've been running scenarios since the battle. The likelihood of Ascendancy retaliation within two weeks is seventy-eight percent. Most probable form is targeted strike rather than open warfare. They don't have the resources for another army, can or not?"
"Assassination attempt," Zara said. It wasn't a question.
"Likely lah. They'll want revenge for the Herald, and removing Harmony's leadership is the most efficient path." Serena pulled up her own display, probability trees branching across the screen in complex patterns. "However, their success probability is low. Twelve percent with current security measures. Eight percent if we implement the measures I'm about to propose."
"I'm listening," Sarnav said.
What followed was a comprehensive security overhaul that demonstrated exactly why Serena had survived the apocalypse as a leader. She had analyzed every aspect of Harmony's defenses and found inefficiencies that even Jade had missed. Patrol routes that were too predictable. Shift changes that created vulnerability windows. Communication protocols that could be intercepted by anyone with basic encryption knowledge.
"Your eastern perimeter guards change shifts at the same time every day," Serena said, highlighting the issue on screen. "Seven AM, three PM, eleven PM. Damn jialat. Any competent infiltrator would know exactly when to move."
"We randomized the schedules after the spy incident," Jade countered.
"You randomized within a fifteen-minute window. That's not random, that's predictable with variance. True randomization needs at least a two-hour spread, coordinated through secure channels that change daily."
Jade's expression shifted from defensive to impressed. "Show me."
Serena spent the next twenty minutes walking through her proposed changes. Overlapping patrol patterns. Encrypted communication rotation. Dead drops and signal checks. It was the kind of paranoid, thorough security that came from someone who had survived by never trusting anyone.
"This is good work," Jade admitted grudgingly. Coming from her, it was high praise.
"I'm good at what I do." No false modesty. No preening. Just statement of fact. "Now, there's another matter. Something I've been hesitant to bring up, but the strategic implications are too significant to ignore."
Sarnav leaned forward. "Go ahead."
"Singapore communications have been partially restored. Our people have made contact with survivor groups across the causeway." She paused, and for the first time, her professional mask flickered. Something human showed through the efficiency. "I have family there. Parents in Tanjong Pagar. A brother who was doing National Service when the impact hit."
"You want to find out if they're alive."
"I want to find out what's happening in Singapore. The strategic intelligence would benefit Harmony significantly." The pragmatic framing was automatic, a shield she'd used her whole life. But Sarnav could see through it. This wasn't about strategy. This was deeply, painfully personal.
"And if your family is among the survivors?"
Serena's jaw tightened. "Then I would have additional motivation to establish strong relations with Singapore factions. My brother... he's smart lah. Resourceful. If anyone could survive, it would be him."
The vulnerability in her voice was startling. This was the woman who calculated probabilities while buildings collapsed, who maintained composure during S-rank battles. And she was fighting to keep her voice steady while talking about her little brother.
Jiyeon exchanged a glance with Sarnav. The political implications were significant. Singapore had been a regional power before the impact, a financial hub with significant military capabilities. If it had survived in any organized form, establishing contact could be invaluable.
"We'll look into it," Sarnav said. "Jade, work with Serena on establishing secure communication channels. Priority target. Jiyeon, draft proposals for potential Singapore outreach. We should be ready to move quickly if we make contact."
"Already drafting," Jiyeon murmured.
"There's one more thing," Zara said, stepping forward. Her military bearing was perfect, but Sarnav noticed she'd been watching Serena with something like respect during the security briefing. "The Council has authorized a joint operation. A convoy needs escort through contested territory. They want Harmony's participation as a show of cooperation."
"What kind of convoy?"
"Medical supplies. Survivors from a settlement near Seremban. The route passes through areas where Ascendancy sympathizers have been reported. Three vehicles, twenty civilians, approximately six hours of travel."
It was a test, Sarnav realized. The Council wanted to see how Harmony performed alongside their forces. Wanted to assess their capabilities in a controlled environment before committing to any deeper partnership.
"We'll participate," he said. "Under our command structure. Your soldiers can integrate with our units, but my wives lead the operation."
Zara's expression suggested she'd expected nothing less. "I'll inform the Council. They won't like the terms."
"They don't have to like them. They just have to accept them."
A flicker of something crossed her face. Respect? Attraction? She hid it quickly behind professionalism. "I'll make it happen."
The meeting continued for another hour, hammering out details of the joint operation, reviewing security protocols, planning for contingencies. By the end, Sarnav was exhausted but satisfied. They had a path forward. Multiple paths, actually, each one branching into possibilities that Serena was already calculating behind her sharp eyes.
He found Serena on the observation deck after the meeting, staring south toward the horizon. Toward Singapore. Her shoulders were tense, her usual perfect posture slightly hunched. Without her probability displays and strategic analyses, she looked smaller. More human.
"You didn't have to frame it as strategy," he said, joining her at the railing.
"Excuse me?"
"Your family. You could have just asked."
She was quiet for a long moment. The wind caught her short hair, ruffling it in a way that made her look younger. Less guarded. Less like a probability engine and more like a woman who was worried about people she loved.
"I don't ask," she finally said. "I calculate. I plan. I present proposals with clear benefits and manageable costs. That's how I've survived lah. How I've built everything I have. Asking for things..." She shook her head. "Asking makes you vulnerable. Shows people what you care about. Then they know how to hurt you."
"And how's that working out?"
A breath of laughter, almost surprised. "Better than expected, actually. Harmony is... not what I anticipated. When I first arrived, I was calculating how to use you. How to leverage this alliance for my own benefit. Standard procedure."
"And now?"
"Now I'm not sure." She turned to face him, and her expression was unguarded in a way he'd never seen. "I keep trying to find the angle. The manipulation. The way you're playing everyone. But it's not there. You actually care about these people. About your wives. About some Singaporean refugee who showed up at your door with probability math and trust issues."
"That's a harsh self-assessment."
"It's accurate." She smiled slightly. "I know what I am. Kiasu, pragmatic, emotionally constipated. My mother used to say I'd calculate the optimal time to fall in love and then execute the plan without ever actually feeling anything."
"Was she right?"
"I don't know anymore." Serena looked away, back toward the horizon. "When I was in that battle, using every ounce of my power to silence the Herald... I wasn't calculating optimal outcomes. I was protecting my family. That's what it felt like. Family. After three days."
"That's the network. It accelerates connections."
"Is it?" She met his eyes. "Or is it just that I've never let myself connect with anyone before? Never had people worth connecting to?"
They stood in comfortable silence, watching the sun climb higher. Somewhere across that horizon was her brother, her parents, everyone she'd left behind when she fled north.
"I'll find out about your family," Sarnav said. "Not because it's strategically valuable. Because it matters to you. And you matter to Harmony now."
Serena's composure cracked, just slightly. She blinked rapidly, looking away, her hands gripping the railing tight enough to whiten her knuckles.
"Sentimental," she said, her voice rough.
"Practical. Happy advisors give better advice."
"Now who's framing things as strategy?" But she was smiling, just barely. A real smile, not a professional one. "Wah lau. You really know how to get past someone's defenses, you know or not?"
"I learned from watching you in that meeting. You dismantled Jade's security in twenty minutes."
"That's different. That's systems. People are..." She trailed off.
"Harder?"
"More complicated. Systems follow rules. People follow feelings. I don't understand feelings."
"You're feeling something right now."
She looked at him then, really looked, and something passed between them. Recognition. Understanding. The beginning of something neither of them had planned for. Her probability sense was probably already calculating outcomes, percentages, likelihood of various scenarios. But for once, she wasn't sharing the numbers.
"I should go," she said quietly. "Jade wants to review the communication protocols. Singapore channels won't establish themselves."
"Serena."
She paused.
"Whatever we find out about Singapore, you won't face it alone. That's what family means."
She left without responding. But he saw her hand tremble as she walked away. And he noticed she didn't correct him when he called her family.
Nisha found him in their bedroom that evening.
She'd been quiet lately, giving him space while he dealt with the government delegation and the endless strategic meetings. That was Nisha. Always thinking of others, always putting her own needs second.
"Hey, sayang," she said softly, closing the door behind her.
"Hey yourself." He pulled her into his arms, and she melted against him with a sigh. "I've missed you."
"You've been busy." No accusation in her voice. Just understanding.
"That's not an excuse."
"It is, actually. A good one." She looked up at him, her warm brown eyes filled with emotions she'd never learned to hide. "You're building something important. Protecting everyone. I can share you with the world. I chose to share you with the world."
"But?"
"But sometimes I need to remember that I was first." She reached up, cupping his face in her hands. "Not the most powerful. Not the most strategic. Just... first. The one who knew you before all of this."
He kissed her, and it was different from the fierce claiming with Jade, different from the playful competition with Minji. This was coming home. This was the foundation everything else was built on.
"I love you," he said against her lips. "You know that, right? No matter how many others there are—"
"I know." She was already pulling at his clothes, not urgently but purposefully. "But I need to feel it tonight. Just us. No network, no sharing. Just my husband and me."
They fell into bed together, and Sarnav let the world fall away.
With Nisha, there was no performance. No kinks to satisfy, no games to play. Just two people who loved each other, reconnecting in the most intimate way possible. He touched her like she was precious, because she was. She responded with soft moans and whispered endearments, her body arching into his with familiar ease.
"Sayang," she breathed as he entered her. "Oh, sayang..."
He moved slowly, savoring every sensation, every expression that crossed her beautiful face. Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him deeper, her hands stroking his back with gentle pressure.
"I love you," she said again, and tears were forming in her eyes. She always cried during moments like this. Overwhelmed by emotion, by the intimacy, by the knowledge that she was loved.
"I love you too." He kissed away the tears. "Always. You're my foundation, Nisha. Everything starts with you."
Her inner walls fluttered around him as she approached her peak, her breath coming faster, her moans becoming more urgent. He felt his own release building but held back, wanting to see her fall apart first.
"Together," she gasped. "Please, sayang, together—"
He let go, and they crested the wave in unison, pleasure rolling through them in synchronized pulses. She cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks, her body shaking with the intensity of it. He held her through the aftershocks, whispering reassurances, letting her know she was safe.
Afterward, they lay tangled together in the dim light.
"Thank you," she murmured against his chest.
"For what?"
"For remembering. For making time. For being mine, even when you're everyone's."
"I'll always be yours first." He kissed the top of her head. "That's not something that changes."
She was quiet for a while, her breathing evening out. Just when he thought she'd fallen asleep, she spoke again.
"The new woman. Serena."
"What about her?"
"She's falling for you. She doesn't know it yet, but she is." Nisha's voice held no jealousy, just observation. "I can see it in how she looks at you when she thinks no one's watching."
"Does that bother you?"
"No." A pause. "Maybe a little. But mostly no. She's good for Harmony. And I think... I think you might be good for her. She needs someone who sees past the walls she builds."
"You're remarkable, you know that?"
"I'm just me." She snuggled closer. "Your first wife. Watching my family grow, one person at a time."
They fell asleep like that, wrapped around each other, and for a few hours, the weight of leadership lifted from Sarnav's shoulders. Tomorrow would bring new challenges. The joint operation. The Singapore question. The ongoing dance with the government.
But tonight, he had this. The woman who had loved him first, loving him still.
It was more than enough.
[DAY 78]
[WIFE COUNT: 7/32]
[ESSENCE: 759,100 / 1,000,000]
[HP: 12,847]
[HARMONY SAFE ZONE STATUS][POPULATION: 965][MYTHILI: COORDINATING SINGAPORE LIAISON]
[SERENA: INTEGRATION DEEPENING]
[SINGAPORE: CONTACT INITIATED]
[NEXT: JOINT OPERATION]