MSV Hugo Gernsback

The MSV Hugo Gernsback (registry BW4610034087) is a privately held frigate under the command of Captain Harris Fairchild and his first officer Ronald Taylor. Built off-world, the Gernsback is not rated for suborbital descent.

In 2175, the Gernsback is sent on a survey mission to the recently discovered planet 2175 Aeia. While on approach to the planet, the Gernsback is impacted by an unspecified impactor. The impact damages the sub-light drive. With its sublight drive damaged, the Gernsback is unable to control its descent and forcibly crash-lands on the surface of Aeia. As the Gernsback crashes, some of the crew, including the captain, are killed. Ronald Taylor is promoted to acting captain.

Ten years later, the Normandy SR-2, under the command of Commander Shepard, conducts a search-and-rescue mission for survivors of the Gernsback. The details of this mission, and what Commander Shepard uncovers, are in the assignment Jacob: The Gift of Greatness.

Known Crew Members

• Harris Fairchild, Captain
• Ronald Taylor, First Officer
• Anders, an officer
• A female doctor (unnamed)
• Leslie

Trivia

• There are some inconsistencies associated with this ship.
  1. Loss of Ship: 2173 vs. 2175. According to the codex for Aeia, the Gernsback is reported missing in 2173. Yet, in conversations with Jacob Taylor, son of Ronald Taylor, he states the Gernsback disappeared ten years before, or in the year 2175. This is confirmed by the VI activated beacon. The beacon is activated a year after the crash, transmits for 358 days and 12 hours, and is deactivated by Ronald Taylor until he orders it reactivated after a time span of 8 years, 237 days, and 7 hours. This roughly adds up to over 10 years.
  2. Name of Ship: MSV Gernsback vs. SSV Gernsback. A distress call identifies the ship as the MSV Gernsback, yet the hull markings identify the ship as the SSV Gernsback. However, the latter name prefix doesn't fit with the nature of the ship. A partial log entry identifies the ship as a civilian ship, and nominally SSV is used for military ships.
  3. Captain of the Ship: Harris Fairchild vs. Ronald Taylor. The activated VI beacon names Harris Fairchild as the captain of the ship, while the Aeia codex names Ronald Taylor as the captain.
• The Hugo Gernsback is named after the magazine publisher Hugo Gernsback. Gernsback was the publisher of the literary magazine Amazing Stories which included the work of many early science fiction/Fantasy auther, such as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Isaac Asimov, and Ursula Le Guin. Gernsback is widely regarded as one of the fathers of science fiction. Gernsback's name is also attached to the prestigious Hugo Award for the best science fiction or fantasy works in a given year.