"You're chirpy this morning, Buff." "I sure am, XO." "I wouldn't be dead for a million bucks." "Well, dead men don't get to spend any money, Buff." "Well, I'm better off alive, then." "What, even on a bosun's pay?" "That's a good point." "I'm about due for a pay rise, aren't I, boss?" "Mayday, mayday, mayday." "This is Captain Alan Corris of the motor yacht 'Enterprise'," "Mr Walsman's yacht, boss." "We're under pursuit by what seems to be a hostile vessel." "Mayday, mayday, mayday." "This is the motor yacht 'Enterprise', Please respond." "'Enterprise' this is Australian warship 'Hammersley'" "What's the situation?" "Over." "A few minutes ago, a high-powered boat appeared from the north." "They're circling us and they're armed." "'Enterprise' what's your location?" "16-decimal-70 north, 135-decimal-20 east." "I've got radar contact." "They're just out of visual range." "'Enterprise' we're closing in on your position from the south-west." "Make a course in our direction and we'll rendezvous with you in a few minutes." "Revolutions 1900." "Glad to hear it, mate." "Got them on the EOD, sir." "They're trying to board." "Nav, bring the ship to boarding stations." "Hands to boarding stations." "Hands to boarding stations." "Hands to boarding stations." "Assume damage control stage three condition voyage." "Stop the boat!" "Stop the boat!" "Walsman is onboard." "Hey." "What's he doing?" "Navy!" "Navy!" "Give them a warning, Nav." "Speedboat on my port bow, you should stop or heave to or I will open fire on you." "Direct hit on their engine, boss." "Good work, Buffer." "Get back to Walsman's launch and check on them." "Let's see if there's any injured." "Shouldn't we go after them, sir?" "They won't get far." "Besides, I'm more interested in Ray Walsman." "Bow's all clear, XO." "OK." "Samaru Islands, now here." "Rescuing me is becoming a habit for you, Lieutenant." "I'm just doing my job, Mr Walsman." "Captain, X. Carly." "SITREP, X." "I'm fine." "Dad, you're bleeding." "All the attackers have left, sir." "Ask Walsman what he thinks the attack was about." "Mr Walsman, do you have any idea what these men were after?" "Could be anything." "Maybe the boat, even." "Well, piracy's rare in these waters." "Just my luck, huh?" "Just as well you guys came along when you did." "They looked like islanders to me." "Were they Samaruan, perhaps?" "Oh, couldn't say." "Did you hear them speaking at all?" "Ah, it all happened so fast." "Jesus." "Sorry." "That looks pretty deep, sir." "Would you like to come back to the 'Hammersley' and I'll have one of our medics put a couple of stitches in it for you?" "Oh, no need." "It's fine." "Dad." "We're all fine, really." "I am fine." "The boat's fine." "No, really, I'm fine." "I just would rather you guys went after those thugs." "Hey." "You alright?" "They didn't hurt you or anything?" "So, one of you shot the boat." "Do you know if it sunk?" "It's hard to say." "Look, Mr Walsman, protecting your own property's one thing." "But it's not a good idea to resist armed men." "You and your daughter could have been seriously injured, or worse." "Yeah." "You're right." "My daughter was onboard." "I just saw red." "You have a guest onboard?" "Yeah." "A friend." "Uh, how are you, sir?" "Look, Lieutenant McGregor, those guys might be attacking another boat already." "You will make sure you report this to the Federal Police, won't you?" "Yeah." "Yeah, sure." "No, I will." "Thank you again for responding so quickly, and thank you." "Alright, everyone, let's go." "Includes you, Spider." "Yes, ma'am." "Sir." "According to Walsman, they were pirates." "But?" "Well, they had brand-new semi-automatic weapons, flash boat..." "And pirates aren't usually that well-heeled." "Did you happen to see the other guy who was on the top deck?" "Just a glimpse." "He looked Samaruan too." "I am sure that I have seen him somewhere before." "With Walsman?" "No, I don't think so." "Either way, Walsman didn't want us talking to him." "No, he wanted us off the yacht altogether." "Uh, sir, the speedboat's altered, tracking 310, and the speed's reduced - currently at 6 knots." "Spider's aim must have been good." "They didn't get very far." "Let's go get them." "Get your weapons ready." "We are the Australian Navy." "I order you to drop your weapons." "We intend to board you." "I order you to drop your weapons." "I intend to board you." "Put the weapons down!" "Drop the weapons." "Drop the weapon." "Put it down." "I will shoot you." "Put the weapon down!" "Drop the weapon." "Now." "On the ground." "Put them on the ground." "Put your weapons down." "Get over there." "Hands on your heads." "Get down on your knees." "All three of you, down on your knees." "So where are you from?" "Samaru?" "Noumea?" "New Guinea?" "XO." "I think we know where they're from." "Charlie 82, this is X-ray 82." "Go ahead, X." "There is no evidence of piracy, but we've just found a Samaruan newspaper." "So they are Samaruan?" "Well, by the look of it, yeah." "And Buffer has just found a political campaign flier promoting a man whose name is Massita Balanbaan." "Balanbaan?" "Balanbaan..." "Hang on." "Sir?" "This Balanbaan is the man I saw on Ray Walsman's yacht this morning." "You're sure?" "Unless he's got an identical twin, it's him alright." "Sir, I think these men were after Balanbaan." "I think they want him dead." "Massita Balanbaan was Minister for Industrial Development in the Samaruan Government." "Was a minister?" "He was sacked about a year ago." "He had a falling out with the President about Balanbaan's handling of foreign investment in local mining." "Now, the moment he was sacked, he declared himself a presidential candidate." "Well, is he connected to the insurgents, then?" "Intel aren't sure about that, but he's a popular local figure." "I mean, he's been a thorn in the government's side for months." "So forces loyal to the President could well want him dead?" "Intel thought an assassination attempt was very possible." "Old Balanbaan was lucky we showed up." "So was Walsman." "I'll report all this to ASIO." "Thanks, sir." "Why is Ray Walsman hanging out with a disgraced Samaruan mining minister?" "How'd she win a holiday?" "Through the local radio station." "Five nights for two, Lord Howe Island, all expenses paid." "Great fishing on Lord Howe." "Yeah, thanks." "Shore leave's all taken care of?" "It's only valid till the end of the month." "Oh, bummer." "What?" "So she's not going?" "Yeah, she's going." "She's taking a friend." "Girls on tour?" "His name's Eric." "'Eric'" "Eric." "Right, so your girlfriend's taking a bloke called Eric and you're... you're cool about that?" "Yeah, they're just mates." "Yeah, no." "It's just that if I was Eric," "I'd probably think mateship's one thing, but there's also the other... thing." "Yes, but you're still in the Stone Age." "Nav." "Nav, yes, I was just thinking that there are some blokes who have got pretty basic instincts when it comes to women." "Some blokes have evolved past the grunting, spearing mammoth stage." "I like the way you trust your girl, Buff." "It's good to have confidence in your relationship." "Thank you, Navigator." "You look like someone with a lot on their mind." "Me?" "No!" "I'm hearing, uh, girlfriend problems." "Chinese whispers, X. Favourite game on this tub." "Yeah." "So it's nothing serious, then?" "Monica's gone on holiday with a friend." "Oh." "A male friend." "Right." "Well, she had to ask someone, didn't she?" "Well, how come she didn't ask one of her girlfriends?" "She says they're good mates, they went to tech together." "What?" "You've never met him?" "No." "Well, that seems a bit insensitive." "She must have known that it'd be a bit weird for you." "Yeah, I just hope she has a good time." "I hope this girl knows how lucky she is." "I'm the lucky one." "Eh." "XO?" "Do you really believe men and women can be just friends?" "Yes, I think they can." "Alright, we'll be in touch." "Cheers, mate." "All done, ma'am." "Oh, the Feds are interested in your assassination theory." "They'd like a chat when you get a chance." "OK." "Oh, Swain?" "Yes, ma'am." "What are you up to now?" "Uh, probably going to the pub." "Do you wanna take him?" "What?" "Misery guts?" "Oh, just..." "Again with the moths, again with the moths." "Yeah, hi." "It's me again." "Just wondering where you're at." "Come on, mate." "Give us a call when you get a chance. 'Bye." "How'd you go?" "She must be on the plane or at the beach or something." "Yeah, or just having a good time." "You can learn from that, mate." "Maybe she left her phone at home, hey?" "Yeah, maybe." "Mate, she's gonna think you're a stalker." "What?" "What?" "Shouldn't I call her?" "Maybe you should just, I dunno, play it a bit more cool." "Oh, yeah, it's alright for some, isn't it?" "Come on, game of pool." "Nah, I'm not gonna be much fun tonight, mate." "Come on, Buff!" "Buff, Buff, Buff." "You're not gonna head back to that ship on us." "Please." "No, I'm gonna go for a walk first." "Alright, keep those lines of communication open, Buff." "How 'bout you keep yours closed, ET?" "Alright, mate." "Oh!" "What are you doing?" "I'm trying to cheer him up." "Seriously." "You're an idiot." "Look, Monica, it's Pete again." "I'd really appreciate if you'd call me back." "What are you looking at?" "Nothing, mate." "Hey, boys!" "Hey." "G'day, mate." "You alright?" "Yeah, not too bad." "Oh, we got lucky." "Shut up." "Sorry, mate." "I'm Andy." "Who are you and what do you want?" "Yeah, Charge, it's me." "Listen, you know how the boss was saying the staging post for those mercenaries was up the coast here somewhere?" "Well, I reckon this bloke I've just spotted is one of them." "He's got military wannabe written all over him and he's got a Russian Special Forces tattoo." "It's worth seeing what he's up to so I'll call you later." "Yeah, OK." "We get this all loaded and we go, yes?" "Boat will be here soon." "This is the crane you got for me, huh?" "That's pretty good." "I like it." "The weight of it will be fine, it'll hold." "Huh?" "You're the man driving, huh?" "And hurry it up, OK?" "Alright, bring this up nice and slowly, OK?" "That's good." "Got to get her into the boat." "A little bit more." "Good, good." "Here." "Nearly there." "Little bit more." "Come on." "I asked you guys to look out for him." "Did you not wonder where he was?" "We've only just noticed, ma'am." "Everything alright, X?" "Uh, sir, Buffer hasn't reported back yet." "And the guys last saw him at the pub." "He said he wanted to go for a walk, sir." "Did he say where?" "Just that he wanted to get in touch with his girlfriend." "He's been having a few problems with her." "You called him?" "We have tried." "Well, his phone's either off or out of range." "I'll call him again, if you like." "Thanks, Charge." "Sir, I know that he's taken this situation with his girlfriend to heart, but I find it really hard to believe that he's gone AWOL." "Ma'am?" "Buffer." "He called me." "You might want to listen to that." "When did he call?" "Just after he left the pub." "Must have just got through." "Organise a search party, X." "You want the packet?" "Boss?" "Buffer is at sea." "Here." "'Perseverance'" "It was moored near us." "Set sail last night." "OK, and here is his text." "Chasing five mercenaries by himself?" "Well, he did try to contact Charge, sir." "Alright, call back the search party." "And contact the harbourmaster." "We need that barge's voyage plan." "Yep." "Well, Coastwatch have got a description of the barge, so they'll fly patrols." "Sir, if Buffer's right about these mercenaries, that barge could be heading to their staging post." "Request permission to sail after them." "Without your buffer?" "No, that's a ship-stopper." "I know that, sir." "We still don't have any confirmation that there are any sort of mercenary bases on the mainland." "A lot of circumstantial evidence suggests there is one." "And if that barge is heading to their staging post, then Buffer is in serious danger." "But what was the actual evidence to say that this bloke was a mercenary?" "Well, it was rather a rushed message, sir, but he did mention that there was a Russian Special Forces tattoo." "Oh, so a drunken sailor falls out of a pub and gets excited about a tattoo he saw?" "Sir, with respect, I don't think Buffer had been drinking." "And I do think there's something going on that's worth investigating." "Alright, OK, OK, go and have a look." "Yes, sir." "Are we all locked up here, boss, or what?" "This is the place, if the map is correct." "You wait." "Yes?" "We return." "Whatever you say, budski." "Just entering the southern edge of the search area, sir." "OK." "Nav, let's take her in for a closer look." "Helm, Nav..." "Anything from Coastwatch?" "No, not yet." "200 k of coastline." "Hundreds of river mouths, estuaries, little inlets." "The barge could be in any one of them." "It's not that I question your judgment." "I'm glad to hear it." "But I should be more involved with strategy, troop placement." "Oh, you've got your hands full with the politics." "When I am president, I'll be in charge of the armed forces." "I know my country, the lie of the land." "And it's been very helpful." "Now it's time for the professionals to do their bit." "My people have suffered enough from this government." "I want to see it gone." "They're as good as gone, mate." "What do you think this is all about?" "If we don't win the election, the insurgency will march into parliament and throw them out for you." "You'll be passing laws, opening schools, building roads and granting mining leases, as president of the Federated States of the Samaru Islands." "Do you trust me?" "Yes." "Then let me worry about the war." "You worry about the peace, OK?" "OK, Ray." "Sir, Coastwatch have spotted the barge." "It's not heading north anymore." "It's actually south of our position." "Any contacts, Nav?" "Bearing 185, range 12 miles." "Alright, increase to max, come round to the south." "We'll close and investigate." "Thanks, RO." "Hospital here." "The best new radiological services in the region." "And here, the Presidential Palace will be converted into the Department of Justice." "Fitting, yes?" "And this site here is where the new Presidential Palace will be constructed." "Soon, unity and peace to our fractured island nation." "I am a man of principles, Ray." "Which is why my syndicate agreed to support you." "'Cause we knew that your promises were rock solid." "Indeed." "Who the hell's that?" "Get after him!" "Two of you, come with me." "The rest, spread out." "Find him." "Monica?" "What's going on?" "I just got off the plane and when I turn on my phone" "I found all these messages." "Monica, listen to me." "I need you to call the 'Hammersley' for me and tell them..." "You're freaking me out, Pete." "You're calling every five minutes." "Mon, please, just call the 'Hammersley' and tell them that I'm in bushland about 800m inland of a south-flowing estuary." "What are you doing there?" "You told me you couldn't get leave." "Look, I can't explain right now." "I feel like I don't know you at all." "You're being all jealous and thingie." "This really isn't a good time, Mon." "Me and Eric are just trying to have a nice, relaxing time..." "Just shut up about Eric." "Just tell the 'Hammersley' that the mercenary staging camp is here." "Charlie 82, this is X-Ray 82." "Go ahead, X." "There's no sign of Buffer here." "The skipper reckons they never saw him." "Uh, sir, the containers are full of food and used tents." "Apparently it's humanitarian aid bound for Samaru but I don't think the skipper knows very much at all." "Certainly doesn't know the way to Samaru." "He's saying that his orders were changed after they loaded the tents - over." "Where was that, X?" "Yangoona Inlet." "That's an estuary north of here." "And, sir, he says that the guys who loaded the tents had 'wog' accents." "There was definitely no weapons or mercenaries on board?" "No, sir." "Hold for a moment, please." "Sir, excuse me, where did the guys who loaded the tents go?" "Um, back into the bush or... on the yacht, maybe?" "The yacht?" "Yeah, turned up from somewhere." "Real flash, hey." "It was like, you could fit an army on that boat." "Sir, he's saying there's a yacht up the estuary too." "A big one." "Walsman." "They haven't been sent." "Thank goodness." "You know you're gonna fail, don't you?" "This coup thing you're cooking up." "Other countries aren't just gonna stand by and watch." "It'll be a done deal before they have time to react." "But thanks for the opinion." "OK, break camp." "Gotta be out of here ASAP." "But we're not ready." "What about all our supplies?" "This man is navy." "His mates will be looking for him." "But our plans!" "We'll have to change." "You stay back." "Take him into the bush somewhere and kill him." "But bury him." "I don't want him found." "You should have stayed on your boat." "So are we going after Walsman, sir?" "Or do we go back to where the barge put in" " Yangoona Inlet?" "Yeah, Buffer could have jumped ashore." "If Walsman's got a couple of dozen mercenaries aboard, he'll be heading straight for the Samaru Islands." "Sir, Monica Bartlett just called through." "Who?" "She's Buffer's girlfriend." "She called his mobile." "She spoke with him." "She couldn't hear him properly but she thinks that he said something about a camp near an estuary." "Yangoona Inlet." "Yeah." "Buffer kept telling her to call us like he was in trouble and then the phone just cut out." "Away the sea boats." "Let's find him." "Hey." "Stop it around here." "On your knees." "I hate to sweat." "You dig." "No." "Oh, you're going to dig that hole." "No!" "Start digging." "Dig!" "He could be 10m away in this stuff and we'd never see him." "Hurry up." "What are you waiting for?" "I'm waiting for you to dig the hole, eh?" "Dig." "X, do you want to go further upstream?" "Over." "The barge can't have gone up much further than this." "It gets too shallow." "They must have landed here somewhere." "We'll keep looking." "Over." "Roger that." "Let's head further up, Rhino." "My name's Peter." "What's yours?" "Have you got a wife or girl back wherever you're from?" "No." "Busy bloke like you is not gonna have time for a girl, eh?" "What do you reckon?" "Is it unreasonable to be jealous of your girl if she goes on holidays with some other bloke?" "I mean, what's a fair thing?" "I'm always away." "She's got all this time to kill." "I don't know, maybe if I met the bloke, it might be different but..." "Your girlfriend is with another man?" "And she says he's just a friend." "So what do you say?" "Are you looking at a sucker or what?" "I think today is not your day." "Keep digging." "Hey, slow down, Rhino, slow down." "There." "Box." "X, I think we've got something." "Munitions box, ma'am." "Getting tired?" "Keep digging." "I don't have time for this." "Grab the shovel and dig." "Here." "I could make this very quick for you." "Dig the hole." "Dig." "Single file." "Stay quiet." "Move through." "Spider, you're with me." "ET, take the left." "Bomber, stay with X." "Where's Buffer?" "It appears to be all clear, X. They must have legged it." "Charlie 82, this is X-Ray 82." "Go ahead, X. Sir, we've found the camp." "It's empty." "And Buffer?" "He's not here, sir." "He must be on Walsman's boat." "Get back here and we'll go after him." "Roger that." "Swain, head out." "Dig or die now." "Shoot me and dig it yourself." "This depth will do." "Arggh!" "Arggh!" "Put it down." "Put... put it down." "Put it down." "So Walsman was funding the mercenaries." "In exchange for mining rights on the Samaru Islands." "And who was in charge?" "Balanbaan would say he is but he's just a puppet." "Every order came from Ray Walsman." "Including the one to kill you?" "Especially that one." "You'll want to call your girlfriend, I guess." "You're right, Mike." "The camp was a mercenary staging post." "Intel out of Samaru's running hot about an imminent coup and this guy Massita Balanbaan's name just keeps coming up." "From what Buffer overheard, he's just a puppet." "It's Ray Walsman who's pulling the strings." "OK, look at this." "Walsman's yacht rendezvoused with another vessel just a few hours after you saw him, and for the next hour they just transferred a lot of people, a lot of crates." "Mercenaries and weapons." "The barge was probably supposed to do the ferrying, and when Buffer got in the way," "Walsman's had to make the drop himself." "And your buffer, he pulled up alright?" "Yeah, I think he'll be fine." "Ooh." "Sorry." "Watch it, Spider." "I don't know, we could possibly have dinner first or something like that." "Yeah, but..." "I know, I know." "Why don't we get a pub meal?" "We'll just get a steak." "I'll catch up." "You love the steak." "Hey, shore leave means you too, you know?" "Sort things out with Monica?" "Who?" "Can you feel it, X?" "Worth being alive, isn't it?" "Even on a bosun's pay?" "Even on a bosun's pay."