MSV Hugo Gernsback

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

In 2175, the Gernsback was sent on a survey mission to the recently discovered planet 2175 Aeia. While on approach to the planet, the Gernsback was impacted by an unspecified impactor, resulting in damage to its sublight drive. The Gernsback was unable to control its descent and forcibly crash-lands on the surface of Aeia. Some of the crew, including the captain, were killed. Ronald Taylor was promoted to acting captain.

Ten years later, Ronald Taylor's son Jacob obtains the location of the crash through Cerberus channels. He may pass along this information to Commander Shepard, who then has the discretion to investigate the matter.

Known Crew Members

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

Trivia

• There are several 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 may be named after the magazine publisher Hugo Gernsback. Gernsback's name is also attached to the prestigious Hugo Award for the best science fiction or fantasy works in a given year.