Edward Shield (mirror)

For information about the prime universe counterpart, see Edward J. Shield

In the mirror universe, Edward James Shield was a Terran who was pivotal in the reemergence of the Terran Empire to a galactic power.

Birth
In the mirror universe, Edward Shield was born into a world ravaged by war. One where the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance had overthrown and enslaved the Terrans. His father, Terran Admiral Leo Turschtev Shield and his mother Marya lived on Terok Nor as slaves, so Edward was born into slavery.

Childhood and Death of Parents
Leo Turschtev Shield hated the world and everything in it (much like his prime universe counterpart). He hated the fact that the Terran Empire, which he had seen as humanity's only hope for supremacy, had fallen; he hated his Klingon and Cardassian task-masters, and he hated the fact that he had lost his admiralcy. But, being a coward, he would not openly fight his oppressors: rather, he took his anger out on his wife and his children.

In 2324, Leo came home after a hard day in the mines and, angry as always, he attacked and sexually-assaulted his wife. Edward witnessed this event, and when Leo saw this and tried to kill him, Edward slew Leo. His mother would never look at him the same way again.

The task-masters worked Marya and Edward Shield twice as hard to make up for the loss of Leo. In 2327, she died from being worked to death. Holding her in his arms as she died, Edward begged the guards for an ounce of sympathy, but he only got their mocking laughter in return.
 * This event stayed with Shield all of his life, and it is believed that this caused him to be psychologically unstable.

Revolt
Edward Shield remained in the mines, working himself into physical fitness, but his mind was tortured. He remembered vividly what had happened that day in 2324: she was screaming, crying for mercy. He had been trying to help her, but, in the end, his actions caused her to die. One day, while so enamored in thought, he dropped his mining load. The guards placed him under their agonizers, and it was at that moment that he struck back. Without mercy, he killed the two Klingon guards, and then he found the Cardassian who had worked his mother to death and laughed at his pleas: to him, Shield beat his face in with his bare hands.

Escape from Terok Nor
He knew that the Intendant of Terok Nor would kill him for his deeds, so he, with the assistance of some Ferengi onboard the station, was able to gain passage off-station. From that moment on, he took to the live of crime: raiding Klingon and Cardassian ships in secrecy.

The Rebellion
In 2344, he heard that a band of renegade Terrans, lead by Rachel Garrett, had created a Terran-style starship named the ISS Enterprise-C and had actually attacked the Klingon colony-outpost over Narendra III. The slaughter of Klingons there had rallied the Alliance against the Terrans, and it seemed that they weren't just sending them to the mines for processing: some were disappearing altogether.

Emboldened by the actions of the ISS Enterprise-C, Shield decided to find any Terrans he could and rally them against their oppressors. For twenty years he searched, finding no one. Then, in 2370, he encountered | Julian Bashir, a member of the Terran rebellion. This new contact gave Shield connections to the rebels, and he began to plan assaults against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.

New Terran Empire
Over a time, Shield began to see the Terran Rebellion as weak, and unwilling to take every measure needed to ensure victory in the conflict. This he blamed primarily on interference from Benjamin Sisko from the prime universe. After a time, the Terrans began to gain more power, and become more than just a nuisance to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. This, Shield believed, was the perfect time to strike out against their oppressors and re-establish the Terran Empire.

With the aid of fellow Terran rebels | Julian Bashir and Chakotay (mirror), Shield stole Alliance records regarding the old Terran Empire: with these, as well as plans stolen from the prime universe, he planned to make a Sovereign class starship that would be the flagship for the new Terran Empire: this new ship was the ISS Enterprise-E.

During this time, Intendant Picard, a Terran traitor and servant of the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance discovered this operation and sent the Alliance ships after them. Though Shield and his comrades were able to lose the pursuers, this interruption of their progress put them months behind schedule. But, during this time, he met Empress Sato, having gained immortality through constant use of her Fountain of Youth water, who accepted him as the General of her new empire and her personal consort.

With her help, the ISS Enterprise-E was constructed on schedule. With | Julian Bashir and Chakotay also were included Annika Hansen and several other Terran rebels, as well as some subjugated aliens who once pledged loyalty to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. Though he claims to serve the Empress, he secretly has his own plans: kill Intendant Picard and those of the prime universe who ruined his world.

Differences Between the Two Shields

 * Prime Edward Shield never shaves his hair, since baldness was something his father, a member of the Brotherhood of the Aryan Race, prided. Mirror Shield shaved his hair to prevent catching Cardassian lice in the mines, but recent exposure to theron radiation has removed all of his hair permanently (except for his beard).
 * Prime Edward Shield owns a personal library. As a slave, Mirror Shield was never taught how to read.
 * Prime Shield never lived the years between 2346 and 2380: his leap into the future kept him from aging. Mirror Shield, however, was subject to age and diseases. He survived by taking stimulants that kept him from aging any higher than 35.
 * Prime Shield married K'hallA, whereas Mirror Shield, to anger Intendant Picard, cloned Beverly Crusher and took her as his consort.
 * Prime Shield has a friendship with Captain Young of the USS Admonitor. In the mirror universe, Lianna Young captained the ISS Enteprise-C and never met Mirror Shield. However, there is strong evidence to suggest that they would not have become friends in this universe.
 * Prime Shield is a gentleman, even to his enemies, whereas Mirror Shield is ruthless and chauvenistic even to his friends.
 * Whereas Prime Shield has great admiration for Vulcans, (his commanding officer during his time as an ensign was a Vulcan, to whom he often said that he owed his life), Mirror Shield hates Vulcans with the utmost passion. He believes that they gave the Terran Empire over to the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance.
 * Prime Shield is a Christian, whereas Mirror Shield believes that the universe is too full of evil to also be home to a loving god.

Similarities Between the Two Shields

 * Both Shields are expert swordsmen: but, where Prime Shield has a jian, Mirror Shield has a zweihänder, in homage to his German-Faroese ancestors.
 * Both Shields possess a scar across their back, caused by beatings from their father, going in exactly the same direction.
 * Both Shields are extremely loyal: the only difference is that Prime Shield is loyal to the cause of justice, whereas Mirror Shield is loyal to himself and his empress.