A player had been stranded in the space online game Elite Dangerous for several months. He had been drifting through the void since November 2018. Now he is finally back home.
In a complex rescue operation, the Fuel Rats brought a space pilot home who had become lost during a record attempt far from any civilization in the vastness of space.
A Unique Rescue Operation
This is why Commander Deluvian Reyes Cruz needed to be rescued: After attempting to set a new record in November 2018 and traveling the longest distance from the “Sol” solar system, Commander Deluvian Reyes Cruz became stranded in space.
He wanted to break the record of 157.06 light-years set by Commander Kenneth McGrew. However, 16 light-years before reaching the record distance, he ran out of fuel.
This is how the player was rescued: He drifted through space for 2 months before he finally decided to contact the Fuel Rats.
This is a group of players dedicated to rescuing stranded players. They had just rescued another player, Commander Persera, and couldn’t believe how far Deluvian was out in space.
The rescue operation was correspondingly challenging. Plans were made and discarded until the Fuel Rats finally sent five Commanders with 2,576 tons of fuel.
The tanks of the accompanying Commanders were repeatedly used to refuel each other’s ships. It had to be considered that each still had enough fuel left to return home. Until eventually only Commander HighwayWarrior was left.
When was Commander Deluvian rescued? On February 23rd, he reached the stranded pilot after three days of flight time as the last of the Fuel Rats.
The missing pilot was extremely happy to finally receive fuel and of course thanked his rescuers.
The words: “I told you we would get you” expressed more at that moment than cheers. Because these words show how strong the community of Elite Dangerous is and how much they stick together.
A Strong Community
Why is this special? The operation went down in history of the space online game under the name “Beyond The Dark Edge”.
Commander Highwaywarrior from the Fuel Rats explains that this was an extraordinary mission that will likely remain unique. The record of 157.06 light-years by Commander Kenneth McGrew is practically impossible to break.
Perhaps others will try again, but this operation will forever be remembered by the Fuel Rats of Elite Dangerous. Such unusual stories are what make the space game so special.
