24th Imperial Crusade aids in rescue of Imperial Scientist | EVE Online

24th Imperial Crusade aids in rescue of Imperial Scientist

2008-08-14 - By Svarthol

Huola - The 24th Imperial Crusade displayed the value of the emergency capsuleer militias this past week, as they successfully led a rescue effort for an Ammatar scientist stranded in the Huola system.

The system of Huola - an Amarr Empire-sovereign system in the Bleak Lands - had been occupied by the Minmatar Republic and the Tribal Liberation Fleet for several weeks, when Dresden Karnell - an Ammatar scientist - was shot down in the system. Karnell's ship was forced to make a crash landing on one of Huola's moons. The moon is considered short-term habitable. It possesses a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere and barely-above-freezing temperatures at the equator.

The Amarr Navy and 24th Imperial Crusade sent out a call for all capsuleers under their command to capture Huola from Minmatar occupation so that a rescue operation could be conducted.

In the course of a week and a half, the capsuleers of the Imperial Crusade rallied themselves and began an assault on the system. Despite initial hurdles, the capsuleers managed to reclaim sovereignty of Huola, with the official changeover coming on August 4th. The Amarr Navy immediately deployed rescue teams to the planet, only to discover that Karnell had run out of water and left the crash site searching for more.

The Navy continued its search and rescue efforts, eventually finding Karnell three days later, at a brackish stream over seventy kilometers away from the crash site. Karnell was suffering from extreme dehydration and injuries related to his crash. He was treated on site by Navy medics, then transferred to a Navy hospital.

Doctors say Karnell would not have survived another day on the moon without fresh water, which was unlikely given his deteriorating condition. Karnell himself released a public statement thanking the capsuleers for their efforts in freeing the system from Minmatar sovereignty and facilitating his rescue.

His current location is classified by the Amarr Navy.