Mieni had largely avoided most of the problems that related to Covid 19, though largely by having more stringent rules allowing people onto the atoll. It served to protect the residents and prevent the sort of mass spread of the virus, which was beneficial to the atoll's residents. However, being free of the disease didn't necessarily mean that the atoll was free of other problems. Thankfully for Mieni, most of these problems were more easily dealt with. That namely came from the fact that many of them seemed to be "hippies" and came with all the problems that came with them.
"But it was legal in our state!" one older man spoke as Brazen and a couple security personnel were taking away a set of bags that reeked to Brazen of marijuana.
"It isn't legal here," one of the security men spoke, "and keep in mind Mieni is NOT part of the US. The air base was owned by the US, that was only here on the main island in the atoll. The rest belonged to the Marshall Islands. So a state within the US allowing marijuana does not make it legal here."
The man sighed heavily as some of the others that had come with looked on in shock. He was soon picked up by some of the other security personnel that were connected with the radar instillation that was part of managing the airfield. Mieni didn't have a formal "police station" as most of what they ran into was more people either lost on vacation or needing help to get to their room or the specific lodging on one of the islands that made up the atoll. Security was then handled in turns by various members of the island's population including Ran, Gaz, Brazen, Tzan, Rapier, and Gladys helping the small security staff. The crashed airliner back during Halloween had been close, but the criminals in that situation had died in the crash and no arrests were made.
It was enough for Mieni to arrange for a more permanent station to be built and Marshall Islands police forces to be stationed there, but that was something that hadn't gone beyond basic designing at the moment. They also had to figure out which island of the atoll to put it on, as they couldn't fit another building onto the main island, and thus leaving only the small airport security to continue to deal with these issues as they arose. Thankfully the biggest problem had been a man trying to smuggle marijuana into Mieni, who would now be spending some time regretting that decision, and it would take some time before he would be cleared for even consideration for conversion, let alone anything else. In this the man walked off with them with some surprise and a rather sorrowed look on his face.
The rest were left to simply make their way to the hotel with their masks and appropriate paperwork that would show they were clear of Covid before they could settle into things. One found himself walking rather slowly as he looked over at the guy being lead over toward the air control tower where there were a few small security cells. He sighed and then jumped when heard a voice speak to him and making him turn back toward the air field where he found a lone snake Animalian, with Human hair and banded black and silver-gray scales.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Harold spoke, "I'd just heard some of the commotion..."
"Yeah... apparently one of the guys on the plane was trying to smuggle pot onto the island," the young man said back as he looked to the Sea Krait Animalian, "surprising... and kinda ruined some of the excitement coming here. I've kinda always liked the ocean and was thinking about becoming a Clownfish Animalian."
"Thinking..." Harold commented, "You changed your mind?"
"Well... as we were flying here, I was looking over some things on my tablet," the man answered, "and it would seem that nearly every Animalian on Mieni is some form of fish or marine mammal."
"My wife and I... and our hatchlings are snakes," Harold answered, "and we have one sea turtle."
"They all still swim," the young man commented, "there are no seabird Animalians... and I was thinking maybe... get something that would be able to fly. It'd still be something connected to the sea... like a seagull or an albatross... but can fly."
"I see," Harold said slowly, "well it may take a day or two process the changes in your paperwork, and a little more time to see if we can bring in a bird Animalian that can then teach you how to fly after your conversion... but I'm sure my staff in the Horizon clinic here can handle all those details."
"You run Horizon here?" the man asked.
"I work with most of the research Horizon does with the Animalia Virus and how it would relate to sea life and how that may help further our research into the ocean's depths," Harold explained, "this has also included handling the distribution of the Animalia Virus for those who wish to convert and live here. We don't get as many as some of the other colony cities, probably because we have the least land to work with... but it's a good place here."
That finally brought a smile to the young man's face as a part of him felt like he'd made a friend, "then you may be pretty busy coming up. As just about everyone that came here was looking to convert and move in."