My uncle has been a fan of Elite since the first game came out in the 1980s, and the other day he dropped me a line to tell me about a group called the Fuel Rats. Perhaps I’d be interested in writing a story on them?

I took a look at their website, and I was immediately intrigued. This group is dedicated to rescuing stranded Elite pilots anywhere in the galaxy – and sometimes they go to extreme lengths to save them. In one case, a Fuel Rat flew for seven hours straight to get to someone who was helplessly floating in space, their fuel tanks diminished. Another rescue took a total of three days. It makes a welcome change from tales of griefers causing chaos.

I spoke with two of the Rats, Marcus and Kerenn: both were really helpful and had some fantastic stories to tell. Have a…