Lack of Aftershock?

'Isn’t it terrible that less than four weeks after the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, which is estimated to have killed more than 50,000 people and it hardly rates a mention on the news any more,’ said Janno.

'Sad to say it’s because, a) They are not English speaking, b) they are predominantly Muslim, and c), it’s a long way from Australia,’ said Johno.

What was really sad, thought Alphy was that the Saps still hadn’t developed the technology to accurately predict earthquakes. They had developed sophisticated nuclear weapons that could kill the entire population of the earth many times over, but could provide no advance warning of earthquakes. Back on AC they had not only developed the systems to forecast earthquakes but had also developed the technology to mitigate the effects. All buildings on AC within an earthquake zone could literally rise and hover above the surface until the earthquake had passed, and then descend again safely, once the tremor had passed.

'Unfortunately, the extent of the devastation is widespread and includes many remote and poor areas. So in the foreseeable future, for much of the population, their Turkey is pretty much like ours,’ said Johno pausing for effect, ‘mostly stuffed.’

'Some say the constant stream of bad news and disasters is producing compassion fatigue,’ said Janno.

'Well, with ever-worsening climate change, you are going to have to get used to ongoing disasters,’ said Alphy, realising after he had said it, that he had used ‘you’ not ‘we’. He reflected briefly on the fact that the day may come when the situation for the Saps would be so irredeemable, that the Guardians would order him to return to AC.

The Saps had still been unable to develop sustainable and safe fusion-based power plants, so the fossil fools continued unabated. Typically for the Saps, however, they had incorporated fusion technology into their nuclear weapons.

Alphy had reported back to AC on the constant threats of nuclear weapons being used once again by the Saps. Seventy-eight years after their devastating use on Japanese cities, the ever-present threat of Sap annihilation remained. There was constant speculation on AC, on who was most likely to ‘Zap the Saps.’ With Kym Jong-un and Putin currently being considered the most likely.

So alas, thought Alphy, the Saps continue to suffer from long-term fission, not vision.