Merken tr'Vreenak

"It's a faaaaake!"

- Tr'Vreenak to Benjamin Sisko regarding a forged recording

Merken i'Rateg tr'Vreenak was a prominent Romulan political figure of the 24th century. 


 * The character is identified only as "" in "". The first name "Merken" is given in ', while the "i'Rateg" locative and the conversion of his name to ' styling originates in "Flaihhsam s'Spahkh".

History
Tr'Vreenak had entered public service by 2311, serving as an aide to the Romulan political delegation that negotiated the Treaty of Algeron with the Federation. 

Iliana t'Thavrau worked as his chief of staff for nine years in the 2340s and '50s. He regretted seeing her leave.

Tr'Vreenak attained a post in the Imperial Senate in 2360 and by 2371 was a leading member of the Jol Tan Coalition and Vice-Chairman of the Tal Shiar. In January of that year he encountered Ambassador Spock and Iliana's daughter Morgaiah t'Thavrau at a special session of the Senate, and informed Spock his party would vote against granting the Federation use of a cloaking device aboard the USS Defiant (NX-74205). Morgaiah and Spock both requested he reconsider, but he refused. Given the parameters of the deal, which included full information exchange with the Romulan Star Empire on the Dominion, Spock regarded this as "an illogical position for the leih of the Tal'Shiar."


 * Saith Daepahr hrrafv Llaiirevha and "Flaihhsam s'Spahkh" drop hints that tr'Vreenak may be Morgaiah t'Thavrau's biological father. T'Thavrau suspects that her mother was "sparing a deihu's mnhei'sahe" by keeping silent about her parentage, Iliana t'Thavrau worked for tr'Vreenak around the time Morgaiah was born, the two bear some physical resemblance, and tr'Vreenak is noted to give Morgaiah a long look upon first meeting her. This is never confirmed, however.

Later that year he became the youngest nominee ever for the.

As the Dominion War loomed tr'Vreenak had also become the secretary of the and was one of Praetor Neral tr'Alluera's closest advisors. He negotiated the Empire's non-aggression pact with the Dominion and had little faith in the Federation Alliance's chances.

In 2374 Captain Benjamin Sisko convinced him to detour from a meeting with Weyoun to Deep Space 9 to view what Sisko claimed was evidence that the Dominion was planning to invade Romulan space. Tr'Vreenak and his staff viewed and analyzed the recording and revealed it as a fake, declaring he would expose the plot to the Romulan people. Unfortunately for him, Elim Garak had anticipated this and planted a bomb aboard tr'Vreenak's runabout, killing the senator and his staff and bodyguards. The Romulan investigation placed blame on the Dominion, sparking the Romulans' entry into the war on the side of the Alliance.