Joseph Loveridge

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General of the Space Force **Joseph Michael "Overlord" Loveridge** (September 13, 1979 – July 15, 2149) was a senior United States Space Force officer, most famous as the commander of Planetary Task Force Atlantic during the Third Mexican-American War, 2133–39. He rejected European demands that their forces be given their own command over their armies, and insisted that Task Force Atlantic would command all forces in the European and African theaters under his command.

Loveridge was one of only three Americans to be promoted to General of the Space Force (along with the other Supreme Commanders of the Planetary Task Forces) since World War III, the highest possible rank in the United States Space Force.

## US Navy

Loveridge remains the longest serving officer in the history of the US military, serving under the US Navy, Space Force, and Planetary Guard for more than a century. Loveridge first joined the US Navy shortly after 9/11, serving aboard the USS John C. Stennis. During the Little Cold War he served as the commanding officer of the USS Jimmy Carter before being reassigned to the Joint Forces Space Command (JFSC) where he played a major role crafting the modern Space Force.

## World War III

At the age of 72, Loveridge accepted the position of Vice Chief of Staff of the Space Force and served the bulk of the war crafting orbit to surface deployments for the new branch of the military. He vigorously advocated for the creation of a new division of the US Marine Corps under the command of the Space Force.

Loveridge established the Space Force Lunar Headquarters at Tycho in 2053, and remained on the Moon for much of the war organizing the deployment of the renewed Orbital Command Network.

## Post War and First Retirement

Loveridge remained in the Space Force for four years after war's end before reaching mandatory retirement age of 80. He was honorably discharged and briefly returned to his native New Hampshire before beginning a retirement traveling the solar system. He eventually settled on Ganymede where he established a School of Military History for ROTC candidates.

## Return to Service

Loveridge remained on Ganymede until the establishment of the Interplanetary Trade Commission called for the creation of new Planetary Guard forces across the system to police intra-system commerce. Loveridge, now on his second body and bored with retirement returned to service. As a retired General of the Space Force, Loveridge was placed in charge of the Jovian Planetary Guard, however due to rank restrictions of time, he was forced to serve as a Colonel, rather than his previous rank of General.

Loveridge proved to be an effective commander of the light patrol ships of the Planetary Guard and drilled his forces under some of the most elaborate war games ever devised. It was for this reason that the Ganymede Planetary Guard was the only force from the outer colonies to see actual combat during the Guardiola Incident. Upon his arrival to Earth Orbit, Lionel Halvidar surrendered command of all colonial forces to Loveridge, who would lead them in the final days of the war.

Loveridge would later be returned to the rank of General after the establishment of a formal command structure for colonial Planetary Guard forces, and would be appointed Commandant of the Planetary Guard under President Stewart Li. Loveridge remained Commandant of the Planetary Guard from 2109 to 2121, stepping down citing a desire to return to space duty.

## Third Mexican War

After the secession of the Aztlan states, Loveridge was appointed Space Force Chiefs of Staff and recalled to Washington, where he served until June 2134 with responsibility for creating the major war plans to defeat Poland and Mexico, and in so doing making Operation Stardust a critical element of US war plans. Loveridge was actually the last person who would become a Supreme Commander of the three planetary task forces to be told about the Colonial Fleet. He would later write in his memoirs that he was honestly shocked that the ITC had managed to keep the fleet a secret for so long. After Edwin Jaso came to power in Mexico, Halvidar ordered Loveridge back to the asteroid belt to command Planetary Task Force Atlantic and make it ready for an invasion. There were plans to promote Loveridge to the rank of General of the Space Forces, a rank that would require the approval of Congress to create, but Loveridge himself argued that such a promotion would draw too much attention to US war plans. He instead was took part in a false rumor regarding his own disagreements with the President, forcing him to leave the Joint Chiefs.

## Post-War and Death

Loveridge remained aboard the *Widening Gyre* until the inauguration of President Cora Fabian, upon which he was once again recalled to Washington, this time to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He remained in this roll for the remainder of his life, staying on for the first months of the Zaya administration.