They had roamed another Dimension since our Universe was created; and there were those who believed even before that.  Some of them had the power to manipulate the minds of individuals or whole races, bending them to their will.  Wars had been started and unspeakable horrors inflicted; all in their name.  Others of their kind had altered time and the fabric of space.  Plagues, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; every type of disaster imaginable had been created by them at some point.  

They appeared as Gods, spirits or mortals depending on their desires and whim.  But they all had the same overwhelming desire; to rule, to rule over the chaos and mayhem they had helped create, to be masters of all they surveyed.  Everything that wasn’t ‘of their kind’ only existed to serve, worship and obey them, or die if they dared act in defiance.  They were near immortal what did the life of one individual mean to them, a thousand, a million, billions, the numbers were immaterial. Only total domination mattered.

This one went by the name of Helgeshran; to the Pelcaza it meant ‘Eternal Gatekeeper’ and to the Vashran ‘He of the Light’.  To both races, he was a divine Ruler and God; worshipped, revered and feared in equal measure. 

But even God’s have their limitations; the dimension over which they possessed total dominion was collapsing, or at least had been when Helgeshran made his escape.  But that had been so long ago, and it had taken so much of his energy to break free of it; that even now he was not yet fully recovered.  The more people that worshiped him the greater his power would become.  Every heart and mind opened to him, would give him strength and once strong enough he would leave this place of hiding and refuge.

He felt a presence near the entrance to the cave were he resided.  It was distinct and unlike any other he’d ever come across, which was why he knew it so well.  Body within body, two minds acting with one purpose and memories stretching back over three hundred years.

Lei Rahs approached; though to be more exact the symbiont Rahs commanded the body of its current host to move forward.  Most if not all Trill/Symbiont joining’s were in synthesis, the two life forms existing in mutual harmony and co-operation.  In the past that would have been true of Rahs and the hosts he had been with.  That was until Ensign Jezarra Rahs of the USS Kinshasa had crossed paths with Helgeshran and become his loyal servant.  That had been 136 years ago, a third of Rahs life span and the lives of three hosts.  At the time only a small number of Trill had joined the ranks of Starfleet, the joining was still a well-guarded secret, as the Trill felt other races would not fully understand the bond they had with their Symbiont.   She’d been a member of the crew almost four years, but only ‘joined’ during the last seven months after extended leave back on her home world.  None of her fellow crewmembers had any idea about the real reason she’d taken time away, or that she now carried another lifeform within her.  When the Saladin class destroyer USS Kinshasa went missing near Harpers Rift in October of 2265, Ensign Jezarra Rahs disappeared with it.  But that was far from the end of her journey.

“How does your work progress?” Helgeshran’s voice seemed to boom and echo around the cave, despite being a mere whisper. 

Rahs was far from intimidated though, having long grown used to his masters’ ways. “All is going as your divine plan dictates.”  The Symbiont knew all the right words and phrases to appease the ruler of this Universe. “Soon like my host, they will do your biding without even realising it.”  The face of Lei gave a sinister smile, one she’d never know she’d given; in fact she’d remain blissfully unaware of this entire conversation and would wake up a few hours from now, believing she’d spent all that time in her bed.  She had unwittingly helped in the capture of people who were her friends and colleagues, without even knowing it.   Rahs outlined some of the progress being made in what he called their ‘rehabilitation’. 

After Lei Rahs had left his presence, the mind of Helgeshran reached out to another individual within the network of tunnels. ‘When Rahs work is complete, kill him.’ 

The Borg Drone bowed slightly and acknowledged in both thoughts and words. “I exist to obey.  Your will, will be done.”