That first twelve hours were very informative for the four aliens. When they met the next night at their ship, they relaxed and traded information.
"Okay, Genus. What did you find out about their rather excessive defensive posture?" Kam asked. He found out some eye-opening things himself but wanted to hear what his team mate had discovered first.
Genus grimaced. "Apparently, this city is at the mercy of a handful of super-criminals. One is a Kat altered by an accident into some kind of lizard mutant. The next is supposed to be a super techno genius and wants to take over the city, he's called Dark Kat. Another is a strange dead sorcerer known as the Pastmaster who isn't here right now, thankfully. Yet another is actually a pair of sentient robots, if you can believe it. There are a few more but they are in jail at this moment but apparently, they never seem to stay incarcerated long which is why the city is under siege so much and why the city is forced to be on constant vigilance."
Kam nodded. "That corroborates what I'd learned as well, Genus. You know, it seems a shame that a vibrant and busy city like this, is plagued so much. You'd think they would go on the offense rather than play a continuous defensive game with these things." He mused thoughtfully.
"Well, we don't really know the circumstances as to why they don't or if they actually do and just haven't been successful. I guess you'd have to ask their military leader or stay around long enough to watch." Donar said, shrugging.
"True. I also heard the Tibican were not the first aliens to visit here. Some alien by the name of Mutilor stole a spaceship from a peaceful race, taking them hostage, then went on a stealing rampage. In this planet's case, he was stealing their water to sell to another planet. He was killed and the peaceful aliens were released. These Kats are a very feisty bunch." Genus added.
"Feisty, yes, and tough...they must be because being under near constant threat is unhealthy. I'm amazed at how resilient they are despite that. Other races would have succumbed to the stress and would be at each other's throats by now. These Kats just accept it and keep on going. A truly hardy species." Tara noted. As medical officer, she was required to assess the mental state of the races they visited to prevent her people from being harmed when they interacted.
"Well, that's good to know. I wonder if the presence of a colorful pair of vigilantes have as much to do with that attitude as their natural inclinations?" Kam questioned.
"I would have to say yes. They give hope to the masses even though the military leader is not so pleased about having to be assisted by someone outside the law." Tara responded. "Here's a pic of them I got off their internet." She showed them the image from her small personal scanner.
"Hmm, powerful looking pair. What makes them so special?" Kam asked curiously. He'd heard about these two as well.
"A jet beyond anything their military possesses plus some pretty sophisticated weapons." Donar said. "Rumor has it, the smallest of the pair designed and built it. If he did, he's really up there in the intelligent quotient. He could actually fit into our world rather handily."
Kam snorted. "Oh sure, like we need another set of people who constantly have issues with authority."
Tara laughed. "Are you describing yourself there, Kam."
"Stuff it, Tara." He said in mock sternness. Their team was known as rebels because of their rather strong beliefs in what they thought was right and wrong and weren't afraid to say so, much to their Captain's annoyance and amusement. But they were one of the top insertion teams on the Wotan so he put up with some of their eccentricities.
"Alright, next, has anyone discovered how they defeated the Tibican? If so who did the deed and are there any left?" Kam asked seriously.
Dona gave his leader a rather pleased look. "I'm happy to say these Kats kicked their ugly butts and destroyed them all. It was a combined effort by those vigilantes and the military forces. It cost them a newly built and very expensive office tower that was trashed completely in the final battle, significant damages to their nuclear power plant and the loss of one of their rockets."
"And I found no DNA traces of them in the population." Tara confirmed.
"Excellent. They certainly struck me as rather a tough bunch. The Kantins, though few, are also a brave, resourceful and an intelligent group as well. So, the last question is, how does this place look for shore leave? I want to say, 'Hell yes! Unfortunately, the constant vigilance and the super criminals could be a very real danger to us when on their turf. Fortunately, they don't have anything that the Wotan can't handle if its necessary. But we're not here to declare war on some super criminals so, although I hate it, I'm going to have to suggest to the Captain, that until we know for certain our crew will be safe, it will be at least several weeks before we can give the green light. Anyone disagree?" Kam asked soberly.
"Ohhh...our shipmates will not be happy about that long a wait but I have to agree. Those creeps make me uneasy and I'd rather err on the side of caution." Tara said, a sad looked on her face.
"I agree." Genus grunted unhappily.
"Ditto." Donar added, a sour look on his face.
"Very well, I'll pass on the good news/bad news." Kam sighed, signaling Tara to contact the Wotan.
"Yes, Kam?"
"Sir, what would you like, the good news or the bad news?" Kam asked.
A grunt of annoyance came through the speaker but the captain's voice was mild when he said, "Let's hear the bad news first."
"Okay, shore leave will have to be delayed. Though, it is indeed a wonderful place and perfect in nearly all ways for us to have a grand time, unfortunately, it also is on hyper alert due to a chronic problem with super criminals. Pending your approval, I've decided to infiltrate the community and see if we can find out just how bad the problem is before allowing anyone else to come down here." Kam reported unhappily.
They heard groans of unhappiness from the bridge crew through the speaker before the captain spoke again. "Yeah, that's pretty bad news alright but I understand your caution and agree. Permission granted to look into this more. But be careful! Now what was the good news?" The captain asked.
"There are no traces of the Tibican's here. This race killed them all." Kam said in a more upbeat voice.
"Ahh, now that is good news. Send reports on a twelve hour basis and good luck to you all."
"Thanks Captain, Kam out." Kam said signaling Tara to cut the connection. "Okay guys, you heard him. Let's get to work."
Their mission now was to watch for these super criminals and observe how the military handled them. It was decided to hang close to the parties that their research told them were at the center of much of the super criminal's focus.
Kam and Genus took the enforcers while Tara would keep an eye on the Deputy Mayor, a scientist known as Dr. Sinian and an inventor by the name of Professor Hackle.
Donar was given a research center called Pumadyne which was a constant target of Dark Kat and Megakat Biochemical Labs, a favorite target of the mutant known as Dr. Viper.
All of them would keep an eye out for the pair known as the SWAT Kats to see how they fit in the defense system of the city.
With their plans made, they separated again and began to find temporary living quarters near their targets, getting to know the city better and learning the best places for them to seek entertainment for their shipmates when the planet was cleared for shore leave.
Kam and Genus decided to split the cost of an apartment. Money and appropriate clothes were made by their replicator in the shuttle, so that wasn't a problem, but they needed to keep a low profile so found out where most enforcers lived and selected a place not far from Enforcer Headquarters.
The Wotan's computer kept them informed on all aspects of the city from jobs to apartments to the latest news through their handheld computer data pads.
Because of this, Genus learned of an electrician's position needing filled for a temporary job at Enforcer Headquarters. This would allow him to listen in to all the doings of the military. With his other world engineering experience he got the job with very little effort.
Kam decided to take a more high level position so he could have access to the leaders of the city. Describing himself as a security specialist and showing credentials his computer had generated, he wheedled his way into Mayor Manx's confidences.
Manx was so impressed with Kam's false credentials and his knowledgeable speech, that he gave Kam carte blanc to study the way security was handled in the protection of the city and to make suggestions on how to upgrade or improve it.
He gave Kam a letter that would gain the Chief Enforcer's cooperation. Privately, Kam wondered why he needed to get the military leader's cooperation. He sensed some hostility from the Mayor toward this Feral character. Well he'd have to find out for himself why that was.
Tara found a job as an assistant to Dr. Sinian. She was impressed with the wide knowledge of the archeologist. She'd learned the doctor also aided the city leaders when the bizzare occurred. In several instances, Sinian had been instrumental in solving the problem of the day. Tara liked the light brown furred and personable she-Kat a lot. It would be no hardship to work with her.
Professor Hackle proved to be too difficult to get close to as he tended to rarely leave his secluded lab in the hills above the bay. Tara would have to do her best to keep an eye on him should his name come up.
As for the Deputy Mayor, when she learned Kam was already in place where Ms. Briggs worked, she handed the she-Kat off to him. Tara managed to find an apartment not far from the Megakat Museum of Natural History that allowed her to walk to and from work..
Donar had a problem. Both facilities he was assigned, were quite a distance from each other. He could not monitor both unless he could craft a job that involved going from one to the other on a frequent basis. With some discussion with Kam and Genus, plus checking the job market, they finally came up with a position that allowed him to do what was needed.
His job required that he transport chemicals from Megakat Biochemical Labs to Pumadyne for use in many of their research programs. This was a daily job, just what they were hoping for. The deliveries were of highly dangerous chemicals and so were not handed off to the entry guards but required the delivery person to take them to the appropriate labs himself, under guard of course. This would put Donar where he needed to be to monitor for any attacks by the omegas, as the inhabitants called them.
Since the lab was located at the center of town, which was far too noisy, he decided to find a place not far from the rather nice city park where he could take long walks at night. Being aboard a ship for months even years at a time, walking on a planet, feeling the weather on your face and the smell of untreated air was a treat to enjoy to its fullest. He felt only a little guilty that his shipmates couldn't enjoy this as well. Hopefully, they would be giving them the green light to do so very soon.
With everyone in place, it was now a waiting game as they learned about the species they were hiding among and watched for the super criminals. According to the city's historical documents, they wouldn't have to wait for long.