Fang Justice

By David J. Wighton

If you were to ask Planet Wiffle-Waffle's government, they'd say that they were giving their citizens a good life. All the Wiffle-Waffles were living in a safe home, they all had jobs, and they all had access to a long-term health care plan when they retired. The government also gave them free guns and free bullets. It wasn't their fault that off-planet terrorists liked to attack and kill Wiffle-Waffles without warning.

The government knew that the best defense against a man with a gun was a man with two guns. Most wiffle-waffles had four or more. Even children had free guns and free bullets for their protection. So, you can see that the government was doing the best they could. Winnie, who was impersonating a Waffle at the time, had a different opinion. No, she wasn't the type of waffle that you could eat.

Winnie and Justice were searching for armed militia who could attack, rob planets and then disappear. Their search had led them to the Zippity Do Dah Day munitions factory whose motto was: You can never have too many guns. That factory's best customers? Would you believe the Wiffle-Waffles? Even the Cunningham family (Howard, Marion, Richie, and Joanie) had guns. Howard had a sniper's rifle and wasn't reluctant to use it. The two days when he killed eight off-planet terrorists were happy days for him.

When an armed militia attacked Planet Panther, it was obvious what they were after. Gold and lots of it. The timing was suspect. Kyty was in a hospital off-planet while Luna and Fang were attending a Cosmos meeting. This meant that the planet had no leaders and no spaceships to defend itself. Afterwards, investigators would ask: How did the militia know that this was the perfect time to attack?

• Language: English
• Publisher: David J. Wighton
• Release date: Jan 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005824617

David J. Wighton

David Wighton is a retired educator who enjoys writing youth novels when he's not on a basketball court coaching middle-school girls. The books in his Wilizy series peek at how people lived after the word's governments collapsed in the chaos that followed the catastrophic rise in ocean levels and the disappearance of the world's last deposits of oil. Luckily today, in the 2080s, the citizens of Alberta are safe because their It's Only Fair society uses brain-bands to zap people whenever they break a rule. That way, all children grow up knowing the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately, they're also taught that women's ankles need to be covered so that men can't see them and turn into perverts. Plus, no-one in Alberta can have babies any more because the government manufactures them in a way that ensures that no child has an unfair advantage over any other child. All of this makes sense to Alberta's dictator, but not to Will and Izzy – two teenagers who are decidedly different from everyone else.Wighton's novels have strong teenage characters driving the plot and facing challenges that, in many respects, are no different from what teenagers face today. His novels are intended to entertain and readers will find adventure, romance, suspense, humour, a strong focus on family, plus a touch of whimsy. Wighton also writes to provoke a little thought about life in today's societies and what the future might bring. Teachers may find the series useful in the classroom and the novels are priced with that intent in mind.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Do you have your guns?

Of course, I have my guns. We're going outside, aren't we?

Sorry. I get anxious about you and the kids when I'm away.

I get anxious about you when you're away fishing, you know. Even though nobody on the ship has a gun, there have been deaths.

Storms come up unexpectedly; sails can be ripped off of masts; our cargo can shift unexpectedly. Those deaths weren't intentional, not like what can happen here.

The last mass shooting threat that we had in town was over two years ago.

Yeah, the one at the school.

The Chachi kid saw the pistol coming out of the holster and picked the guy off as he entered the classroom. It was a good shot. Who knows how many kids he saved. The guy had two rapid fire pistols.

The kid was 11 years old. He's supposed to be a good shot by that age. Speaking of being 11...

He'll pass the quick draw and target shooting test. I'll work with him while you're away.

The target shooting certificate will allow him to carry three guns. That'll come in handy. What about...?

You need to back off her. She's only 5 years old. Her hand isn't strong enough to hold a gun steady.

She has her baby gun.

The kids tease her if they see her with it. I'll give her arm strengthening exercises. She knows that we depend on her when we leave the house.

The star formation is the safest possible way to go into town: father at front; mother at the back facing the back; one child on the right, facing right; second child on the left, facing left; everybody with a hand on their most deadly pistol.

We know that. We'll be fine. We'll team up with the Molinaro family. They're emotionally stable.

They look emotionally stable; that doesn't mean that they are. Fifteen people including four kids were killed last week in Land's End. A crazie entered a grocery store and killed everybody in it. Then, he ran off. Nobody knows where he went.

He won't be coming here. We'll watch ourselves at the store. I'll stay outside as guard.

Full exterior defense when you're in the house.

As always. Doors barred, windows shuttered. Nobody will be breaking into a solid log cabin. We'll be fine. It's been eighteen months since the last mass killing in this region.

Marion, that just means that we're due for one.

# # # # # # # #

How was Spud, Minister?

Eminently satisfying, Justice. I didn't discover anything that hadn't already been found, but I didn't expect to. I used my own truth ray to satisfy that a capital punishment was warranted.

Who'd you use to administer punishment?

Claude, on the basis of his seniority. The three kidnappers died quickly. Orchid is going to live in Spud now. I explained that I had a lot of rot to clean out here. She can't help me with that. Did that earthling read the colors of all of the directors?

Yes. His name is Reese. He had already scanned them the day of the meeting. Everybody in that meeting had good colors except for the president and the treasurer. I asked Ho-Ho-Ho and he agreed.

I need more budget to fund inspectors. Some planets are not following Cosmos regulations and they are able to hide that from us.

Planets plural?

Angelion, plus I found another incident in Piggity-Wiggity. Claude handled that one. If two planets are ignoring regulations, then others will be ignoring regulations too.

It's possible that they are ignoring regulations because they think that they are protected from prosecution.

You're being diplomatic, but you're right. If we investigate planets without warning, we can improve adherence to the laws.

What are your chances of receiving more funding?

Zero. The Executive will be in a 2 - 2 stalemate on contentious issues.

You should still try, Minister. Make them vote against your need for more funding. Put their refusal on record.

Good idea. I'm looking for you to change the balance of power on the executive.

Me?

You. We know Underarm Stench and Sewage Breath are corrupt. Find out how and where.

Don't forget that they tried to hide the penal colony from you.

I plan to ask Claude to look into that.

Back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 2

It was the same day in mid-August. Melissa was visiting Cowboy and Bean in Billings. Sprout would be 3 years old in December and she was sleeping soundly. Melissa had watched their bedtime routine with Cowboy reading the stories and Bean providing the cuddling before they left her to fall asleep on her own. Melissa had smiled the whole time.

Both Hank and Yolanda told us that they had kept their kids in remote conditions for far too long. If they had to do it again, they would have tried to enroll them into a good school earlier. We don't want to make that mistake. We're looking to move our teenagers out of the cadet camp for their middle school and high school education.

Are you thinking of Toronto? Bean asked.

No. It was too big and dangerous. Lucas was almost killed. Yollie, Mac and I were thinking that a smaller city would have an easier transition. Perhaps a larger city for high school.

What do William, Wolf and TG think?

They agree with the concept. We were thinking of Billings. Maddy did well here and the timing of the transition seemed to work.

Both middle schools are good, Cowboy said. Maddy liked one more than the other, but that was because of the sports program.

They'll be coming in cold with no friends in the classes. The Billings kids have been together since Grade 1.

We know, Bean. They will have to face that sooner or later. Our thoughts were that sooner was better. That's why they'll have a mom here all the time. Yollie, Mac and I will cycle in and out.

Which kids? Cowboy asked.

Yo-Yo will be the oldest at 14. She'll go into grade 8. She's like Yollie. Nothing much bothers here. We're not expecting her to have any problems making friends. Will, Izzy and Jock are 13 and they'll go into grade 7. Jock is sporty. He should be OK. Will and Izzy may have problems. Will doesn't make friends; he wants to be alone with his experiments. Izzy is bossy. She may do well, she may not.

Are they still fighting with each other?

That's improving. They worked together well on the Cuba operation. All of the kids did.

Is that it? Bean asked.

Emily will want to come too. She's only 11 but she's an old 11. She wants independence already and she has shown she can handle it. Grade 6 for her.

How can we help?

We need a house. It has to be big and remote. These kids are used to having their own bedrooms and we have to keep that part of their lives stable. We want remote so that they can sling without fear of being seen.

Remote for sure, Bean said. Billings people are nosy.

They already keep their bedrooms tidy so that won't be a problem. They will have to learn how to make their own breakfasts and lunches. We'll ship suppers down from camp. Yollie, Mac and I will not cook for six. I'd like to see us all sitting down for supper together. We'll see how that goes.

Rent or own? Cowboy asked.

The family has the money to buy a house and we have more children becoming old enough to have some independence. Hank is 12, Petey is 11, and Ivanika is 11. If we're on a big piece of remote property, we can add bedrooms. If this works, we'll be here for the long term.

The Suarez property? Bean asked Cowboy.

I was thinking the same. They've been trying to sell that for a long time. Nobody wants anything that big. You'd have to copter in to school and back often enough for people to think you are doing that regularly.

Skyview High School is very close to Castle Rock Middle, which is on the same property as Sandstone Elementary, Bean said. That may work best for you.

What do the kids think about this? Cowboy asked.

They don't know yet. I wanted to make sure that it would be possible first. Who do I ask to see this Suarez property?

The sheriff's department has keys. We keep an eye on the property for the family. I'll fly you up there.

Why did they want a remote location?

The family became rich off cattle, but they were Mexicans and they employed only Mexicans. The community did not welcome them with open arms. That was some time ago. I'd like to think that Montanans have become more tolerant.

Back to the Table of Contents

Chapter 3

CC5K was a lightly populated planet on the periphery of the Cosmos. Its most striking feature was its high gravity. The bodies of the residents had been born in that gravity and thought nothing of it. They knew very little of the Cosmos, or of any other planets for that matter. Thus, they thought nothing about their unique bodies, having nothing else to compare them to.

As far as the residents of CC5K were concerned, the planet was known as Wiffle-Waffle. The Wiffles had settled in the northern hemisphere of the predominantly watery planet. They made their living by fishing. Those fish were the major part of the CC5K's diet.

The Waffles (not the breakfast kind) had settled in the southern hemisphere and they made their living by cutting down trees and making wood products that were sold to other planets. With the planet's high gravity, the wood was immensely strong.

At one point, the Wiffles-Waffles had distinctive bodies. But it had been a long time since Wiffles had met Waffles. Now, the Wiffles had bodies that were short, squat and strong. The Waffles had bodies that were squat, strong and short. All were the gifts, or punishments, of the high gravity. Their skin color? Brown.

Power for the planet was solar throughout. Each community had solar powered electricity for their homes and other buildings. Little transportation occurred between communities, even those that were on the same continent. Air transport was impossible with the gravity. Transportation on water was much easier. The fish trawlers had solar power that provided some assistance in terms of winching in nets full of fish and back up power for their trawlers in case of windless days and nights. Wind power was the primary source for their sails. Boats were made of wood, of course. There was very little metal on the planet. Most of that was in the form of their guns.

The government had ground transportation vehicles that consisted of wooden carts of varying sizes, all on large wooden wheels. Paved roads were non-existent. However, there was enough traffic in their system of trails that the carts could make their way easily enough through the well formed ruts. The planet's climate was temperate with no seasons of heavy rain.

Communications were limited. Each community had a receiver for what were essentially short wave radios that linked the communities to each other and to the government. The citizens themselves had nothing. Each community had a central gathering spot where announcements of interest could be posted. They had paper in abundance. They also had a hand-cranked siren to call citizens into the village center for emergency announcements. Different siren patterns provided different messages. The most common use of that siren was to warn citizens of possible armed intruders into their region, in which case, everybody returned to their homes and barricaded themselves inside. The community's constable took up a position on the roof of the tallest building to serve as a lookout. He took with him the community's most powerful gun, which meant a high-powered rifle with scope and/or infrared sensors. Work schedules were established so that only half of the men of the community would be off fishing or lumbering at a time. Again, this was due to the constant threat of attack by mad killers.

Each community also had cleared enough land to grow their food. The entire adult community worked together to seed, grow and harvest. The children, of course, were exempt as they were barricaded inside their school during the day. All teachers had weapons, as did the students, so the chance of them being mass murdered was low. The workers in the fields worked in shifts with men and women taking turns guarding the fields or working the land. This was the one time that the citizens would be without their weapons on their body. Guns were deposited in a large wooden crate for those who were working the field. This was to ensure that a gardener couldn't shoot other gardeners if he went mad. The guards around the periphery of the fields were armed, of course. But since the town citizens were weaponless, they could focus their attention on the forests that surrounded the fields. Otherwise, if the field worker kept their weapons, they'd have to watch both the forests as well as the field workers. Many mass murders had started with a citizen going crazy. Every adult on the planet was highly proficient with their guns, so when one went crazy, people could