Now here is the kind of emergent gameplay that could only be found in an MMO.
Elite: Dangerous pilot Persera went on an expedition beyond the bounds of galactic space to set the record as the furthest a player has ever traveled from the solar system. After careful preparations and several attempts, Persera eventually passed this milestone around December 19th. He was still crawling forward at 65,659 light years from Sol when he ran out of fuel and had nothing to make the jump home.
That’s when Persera put out a call to the “Fuel Rats” — a search-and-rescue community organization that makes it their mission to deliver fuel to stranded pilots. The Rats didn’t hesitate at the challenge, but sent a dedicated player to reach Persera. The stranded pilot is mostly staying in stasis, coming out only to turn on his beacon if the rescue ships show up.
What’s truly amazing is that the final leg of this rescue will require a 48-hour supercruise by the Fuel Rats. If all goes well, the rescuer will catch up with Persera this weekend, transfer fuel, and then all jump out to safety. You can watch the ongoing Twitch stream of the rescue attempt after the break.
Update: There are actually three Fuel Rat pilots (ABish, TheUnknown1 and Highwaywarrior) participating in the refueling efforts. Apologies for the mistake.
