Target Lock

Arafura Sea 97 Miles North-Northwest of Cape Wessel 0540 Hours, Zone Time: July 9, 2008

When their recovery ship failed to meet its third scheduled radio call, the INDASAT agency in Darwin notified the Australian coast guard that a potential emergency existed. The response was rapid. An RAAF Orion maritime patrol plane was scrambled from its base at Cooktown, arriving over the last known location of the INDASAT Starcatcher just at first light. To the consternation of all involved, no trace of the vessel was found. The Starcatcher had vanished completely, without even a trace of wreckage or an oil slick left behind.

As the confusion grew and the search widened, a trio of Bugis pinisi reached the tangled straits of the Indonesian archipelago. There they, too, disappeared from the ken of man.