Saying Hello Part III
Posted on Sat Mar 21st, 2026 @ 4:29am by Lieutenant Maya Canak & Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen
Edited on on Tue Mar 24th, 2026 @ 4:39pm
1,345 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Episode 2 - The Sins of History
Location: Victim Advocate's Office - Deck 9 - USS Artemis
Timeline: MD 016 1400 hrs
There was a slight upturn to the corners of his mouth.
"No," he said waving away the kind offer. "It just feels good to get that off my chest to somebody." He looked down at his tea and thought about his parents and the challenges they were both now facing. His father would likely be somewhere on his way to Andoria and his mother would be home on Betazed, no doubt teeming with worry while she pruned and trimmed every plant in the garden.
Feeling the need to change the subject, Ezra opted for something more mundane.
"What made you become a doctor, Maya?"
Maya smiled at the question. "My grandfather. He was a doctor in the Yucatan. He'd take me with him when he went looking for medicinal herbs and plants. When I showed an interest in medicine, he taught me how to be a country doctor." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I planned to join him when I finished medical school, but he passed away and someone else took over his practice. So, I joined Starfleet instead."
Ezra sensed his question had conjured a bittersweet memory for her.
"I'm sorry," he offered, thinking of his own personal losses. "I'm sure he'd be proud of you for carrying on in his footsteps. Do you continue to use herbs and natural medicines in your treatments?"
"When I can. There are still so many things we don't understand about how ancient civilizations used them. I hope to have an opportunity to continue doing research while I'm here," she said.
"We rely so much on technology," Ezra mused. "It's rare to find somebody interested in reaching back into the past the way you do."
He took a tentative sip of his tea, tasting the bold smokiness on his tongue as though he were drinking a campfire.
"Thank you. I'm fortunate to have grown up in a community that values the past and what we can still learn from it," she replied. She took another sip of her tea and set her cup down again. "Even this tea is from my homeland."
"Yucatan?" Ezra inquired, the word very unfamiliar to him. "I've spent a great deal of time on Earth but I have to apologize: I don't know where that is."
"It's in the southeastern part of Central America. Specifically, the Yucatan Peninsula. It covers parts of what was Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. The Mayan people--my ancestors--once lived in the region."
Ezra was fascinated. When it came to history and genealogy, he frequently felt jealous of his Earth-born colleagues. Many were able to trace their lineages back hundreds of years. The same could not be said for far-flung humans from planets like Pi Cygnus III.
"To have a special connection to one's homeland is rare," he offered, thinking of his own birthplace. "Do you return home often?"
"As often as I can, which isn't as often as I'd like," she admitted. "But being from Earth makes it easier." She cocked her head to one side. "And you? Do you visit your home?"
He found himself absently turning the hot mug in his hands. The tea has cooled enough now that the steam rose only in thin little threads. He watched them drift upward for a long moment before answering.
"Not my birth planet," he admitted, softly. "It was one of the first dozen Earth colonies in the twenty-second century but it grew isolated over the years." His brow was now furrowed in thought but he forced himself out of it quickly, so as not to alarm Maya.
"Betazed, my adopted home, is a place very near to my heart," he said with a quick and genuine smile. "I never knew nature until I lived there. The trees and plants are like nothing I've ever seen--then or since." He blinked and kept his eyes shut for an extra second, seeing the bluzen plants waving in the warm winds.
He considered her description of the Yucatan for a moment. "If your home is in Central America, would that mean you live near jungles?"
"Yes. Mountains, forests, and jungles, depending on the location and elevation." She smiled fondly, thinking of the many times she'd go on long weekend excursions with her grandfather. "And there are still some of the ancient ruins. It was a wonderful place to grow up."
Ezra was pleasantly surprised by this admission.
"There are ruins that survive to this day?"
"Only those that were deep in the jungles or high in the mountains. The ones that were far from any cities. In other words, the ones no one knew of. Those weren't targets and escaped mostly intact. Some are being restored, but that is not very popular with those who descended from the builders."
He leaned for a little in his chair, interest lighting his eyes.
"Not popular?" he asked. "How can that be?"
"Oh, the people who want to build them know that visitors will come, but some of the natives don't like the idea of using modern technology to reconstruct ancestral temples and other structures. They would rather preserve what is left and send tourists to the coastal areas."
Ezra reached for his tea and took another sip. It had cooled even more and was now entirely drinkable.
"I suppose that argument exists everywhere," he said. "Preserve what remains or rebuild what was lost."
He leaned back a little in his chair and met Maya's full, brown eyes.
"Several years ago, I took leave on a small world in the Abunola system on my way back from a conference," he began. "A people had lived and died there thousands of years ago. The ruins were famous--older than most civilizations in the Federation, if the archaeologists are to be believed. I imagined laying my eyes on weathered stone walls and crumbling artifacts in museum displays. You probably know what I mean."
Maya nodded.
"When I arrived, they were already several years into a massive restoration effort. New stone cut and shaped by industrial replicators and even some holo technology to create the illusion that stone walls and roadways weren't missing pieces or disintegrating. It was impressive work, technically speaking. We're talking about perfect angles and clean surfaces--not a single crack left to the imagination."
He took a sip of tea and set the mug down again.
"It was--quite frankly--the most disingenuous experience," he said simply. "I wanted to see the ruins. Not the restoration of ruins."
"Yes. I believe there is a place for both, but I prefer them to be kept apart. Preserve the ancient ruins and the area around them to protect the past. Then find a location somewhere else and build a reproduction for those who want to see what the past might be like." She shook her head. "I do not like polluting the original site." She cocked her head to one side. "Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense," Ezra said with a thin-lipped, respectful smile. "Maybe some day if we ever find ourselves on leave near Earth, you can show me around."
"I would be happy to do that."
She finished her tea and stood. "While I've enjoyed the conversation, I should let you get back to what you were doing."
Ezra immediately stood the moment Maya came to her feet. His adoptive father had taught him the importance of demonstrating respect for others.
"I'm glad you came by, Maya."
"So am I, Ezra." She smiled as she made her way out of the office.
A Joint Post by
Lieutenant Maya Canak
Chief Medical Officer/Medical Examiner, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
Lieutenant Ezra Van Wijnbergen
Victim Advocate Counselor, USS Artemis
Starfleet Criminal Investigations Unit
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