Remik tr'Valer

Born into a family with a long tradition of being politicians and magistrates, Remik Eldun tr’Valer was the youngest of three boys. His family, one that was wealthy and highly significant, were keen to expand their realm of influence into the military. As a result, Remik observed his two older brothers forced to join the Star Navy as officers. On the other hand, Remik’s father had different intentions for him and insisted, quite heavy-handedly, that he focus on Romulan law. Even in his early childhood, his parents taught him Romulan laws and how to interpret them. They also expected him to be one of the best in class, and he did everything to please them. He used his rare time for hobbies to learn fencing and read classical Romulan literature, but he did not have time to make many friends. His father, who was a senator and who had a brother who was a judge, would take him to his constituency surgery, where he would engage in fierce debate and discussion with those whom he represented in the Imperial Senate. Watching both his father and uncle in these roles influenced the young Romulan to follow in their footsteps and become a public servant later in his life.

With his success at school, he became ambitious and always better, until graduation as the best of his class. For his studies, he applied for the School of Laws at the Imperial University on Romulus, where he was accepted. By the time he started his degree, he was well-known for his ambition and strong presence in any room. As a result he was appointed as Presider of the Student Board. Pleasing his father with his progress, Remik was sought after shortly before he graduated from several top legal intercessor firms. His studies of law focused on criminal law and intergalactic law. After he graduated as the second best, he started an inaugural dissertation to become a Doctor of Law, which took one year. Eventually, he became a junior intercessor in one of the most prestigious firms in the Romulan capital.

After his doctorate, he did his Serona, the Romulan compulsory military service, in the law division. He showed his knowledge of the law there and impressed his superiors. After eight years of service, he left the service and was seen as the favourite son compared to his siblings. His older brothers had gone on to serve on a range of starships, but neither one had amounted to prestigious positions. Returning home to Romulans, he returned to his previous legal firm and worked his way through the ranks by becoming a senior partner. Almost a decade and a half later, he married his wife, Coraine, a fellow partner at the firm, and the two started to have children of their own.

They eventually moved to the city-state of Dinalla and set up their own firm there. His opponents in court soon learned to fear his abilities as a prosecutor and lost one trial after the other. Six years later, he applied for the position of a judge in Dinalla, which he got after a successful campaign supported by his family and their allies in the city. In Dinalla, Remik made a name for himself and his family; he was known for his strict interpretation of the laws and his strong sentences.

In 2359, he was approached by his uncle, who had become the figurehead of their family after Remik’s father had been diagnosed with Tuvan syndrome several years prior. His uncle was planning to retire completely from his public life, and he wanted Remik to take over as one of the highest-ranking judges in the Romulan capital. Honoured with such a position, Remik agreed and was appointed to the Supreme Court. There he remained for two decades. During his tenure, he observed Romulan law being damaged and, in some cases, being ignored by many politicians of the Imperial Senate. When his own father passed away in 2375, during the height of the Dominion War, Remik and Coraine began discussing a new path for them and their family. Remik planned to succeed his father as a senator, but before he could do such a thing, his uncle was selected instead. On some level, Remik would later be grateful that he was not selected, as his uncle would be killed during the Shinzon coup of 2379. As a result, when the Imperial Senate was reassembled, Remik was the last surviving and eldest member of his family, as both of his brothers had died during the Dominion War. Coraine succeeded her husband in his role as a supreme judge while he took up his father’s and uncle’s seat in the Senate.

Over the next fifteen years, Remik made a name for himself in the Imperial Senate. His highly conservative views made him someone that many in the public agreed with, especially as he was a strong advocate against any form of alliance being signed by the Star Empire with the Federation and Klingon Empire. He felt it was every Romulan’s duty to follow the laws and traditions set out by their ancestors and rebuild the Romulan society that Shinzon and his followers almost destroyed. In 2383, his rallies across the Empire became notorious and famous for encouraging the Romulan people to be true loyalists. Due to his popularity, he was elected to the Continuing Committee and eventually had the Praetor’s ear on many domestic and foreign issues.

Two years of being highly successful, Remik was forced to reconsider his position when Romulan scientists discovered that the Romulan homeworld would eventually be destroyed by the collapse of its own sun. Devastated that his home would be lost forever, Remik was forced to reconsider his position on many aspects. Surprisingly, he co-sponsored the bill to the Senate, which would approve of the Federation’s assistance in the matter. Having his name signed onto the bill proved popular by many in the Senate, with many following him. His critics called him a hypocrite after he had been so against the Empire developing its relationship with the Federation. At one of his rallies, he publicly admitted that for the Romulan people to survive, they needed the Federation’s help. He vowed he would not see billions of his people die unnecessarily and that he was strong enough to reflect when he was wrong and the people needed to come first before any political ego or pride that he had. Sitting on the Continuing Committee, he also knew that the Romulan Star Navy did not have the complete capability to defend their borders and move so many people. He was known, though, for saying that once their people were moved, he would reconsider his position in the Federation.

For his efforts in rallying public support for the mass evacuation, the Praetor awarded Remik the position of Chairman of the Senate Relocation Committee. Remik’s job was to ensure a smooth transition between the government moving from Romulus to the new capital world of Rator III. Moving his entire family to Rator, including his wife and children, Remik found dealing with the Governor of Rator and the other senators challenging. He spent most of his time dealing with the military and civilian agencies, preparing for the handover. Later, in 2385, news reached the Romulan Senate that the Federation would abandon its rescue plan and relief efforts. Many within the Empire turned to Remik for his thoughts and comments. He said he was not surprised and called for all Romulans to remain calm and that together, they would get through the mess the Federation left them in. However, he publicly criticised the Federation and used his influence on other foreign dignitaries to support it. Public outcry soon saw Remik criticised for his work as Chairman of the Relocation Committee. He was blamed for the loss of so many. This he bitterly resented.

Shocked and surprised at the reaction, Remik’s words were not good enough for some when Romulus was eventually lost. The Star Empire was divided politically and socially, and his years of advocating Romulan law, traditions, and customs came crashing down around him. Even his own son, a Romulan military officer, distanced himself from his father and family and joined what would become the Romulan Republic. The tragedy of the home world’s loss, coupled with his son’s betrayal, made Remik a very bitter man. When the Romulan Free State was in its infancy of being formed, he was approached by those pushing for its legitimacy to be approved. Seeing the Free State as the only way forward, Remik agreed to advocate and join the Free State.

His new life within the Free State saw him returning to rallies and engaging in high-profile debates in the Senate, making him once again a high-profile public figure. He pushed forward for an agenda that would keep the Free State’s borders closed from the Federation while also having what was left of their military push for more decisive action to be taken against the Romulan Republic. Alongside this, he promoted a return to traditional values within Romulan society. He introduced many reforms into Romulan law, including firm and harsher sentences on those found to be supporters or members of the Romulan Republic. In 2397, he made a passionate speech on the floor of the new Senate to introduce a new bill that would double the Free State’s spending on resources to expand the Tal Shiar’s fleet so that they could further improve the security of their borders. He got quite the following from the people, with many by 2398 voicing their opinions that he should become Proconsul. However, this is a title and job he did not aspire to.

Finally, in 2399, the Free State captured his son, who had joined the Romulan Republic. Remik watched as his wife, the mother to their rebellious son, oversaw the trial. Coraine sentenced her son to a lifetime sentence in the dangerous prison mines on T’Met. Remik supported her wife’s decision and wanted everyone to see that no one, not even his own son, was above the law. Before his son could even reach T’Met, it was discovered that he had committed suicide on the transport he was on. Remik and Coraine refused to attend his burial service.