Rogue Element
David A. Rollins is a former advertising creative director and copywriter who lives with his wife and three children in Sydney. He is currently working on his next novel.
David’s website:
www.davidrollins.net
ELEMENT
DAVID A
ROLLINS
First published 2003 in Macmillan by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited
This Pan edition published 2004 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Limited St Martins Tower,
31 Market Street, Sydney
Copyright © David A. Rollins 2003
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
National Library of Australia
cataloguing-in-publication data:
Rollins, David A.
Rogue element.
ISBN 0 330 36464 2.
I. Title
A823.4
Typeset in 10/13 pt Birka by Post Pre-press Group Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group
Author photograph: Samantha Rollins
These electronic editions published in 2003 by Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
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Rogue Element
David A Rollins
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For Sam
Indonesian air space, 35 000 feet, 1840 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
NSA Pacific HQ, Helemanu, Oahu, Hawaii, 1843 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
Sulawesi, 2015 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
Bali, 2036 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
NSA Pacific HQ, Helemanu, Oahu, Hawaii, 2050 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
Sydney, 2150 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 2155 Zulu, Tuesday, 28 April
Central Sulawesi, 0130 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Maros, Sulawesi, 0350 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Exmouth Gulf, 0455 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
NSA, Helemanu, Oahu, Hawaii, 0457 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
NSA Headquarters, Fort Meade, 0500 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 0500 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 0600 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Denpasar, Bali, 0600 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Sydney, 0600 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Sydney Airport, 0600 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 0635 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
NSA, Helemanu, Oahu, Hawaii, 0705 Zulu, Wednesday, April 29
Parliament House, Canberra, 0730 Zulu, Wednesday, April 29
Hasanuddin Airport, Maros, 0730 Zulu, Wednesday, April 29
Central Sulawesi, 0730 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 0730 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 0730 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Sydney, 0900 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 0915 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
NSA HQ, Fort Meade, Maryland, 1210 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Jakarta, 1210 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 1325 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 2200 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Sydney Airport, 2200 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 2200 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Hasanuddin Air Force Base, Sulawesi, 2305 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
NSA HQ, Fort Meade, Maryland, 2330 Zulu, Wednesday, 29 April
Central Sulawesi, 2330 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 0436 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
US Embassy, Canberra, 0530 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
Jakarta, 1005 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
Central Sulawesi, 2136 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
Parliament House, Canberra, 2145 Zulu, Thursday, 30 April
Central Sulawesi, 0155 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
East Timor, 0155 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0230 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Jakarta, 0230 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Sydney, 0420 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Parliament House, Canberra, 0425 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
US Embassy, Canberra, 0510 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Dili, East Timor, 0515 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Parliament House, Canberra, 0515 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Dili, East Timor, 0530 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Jakarta, 0600 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Timor Sea, 0605 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Jakarta, 0655 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0705 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Sydney, 0705 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0705 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Java, 0745 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Somewhere east of central Sulawesi, 0745 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0758 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0834 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 0930 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Central Sulawesi, 1010 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Parliament House, Canberra, 1010 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
1500 feet AGL, Banda Sea, 1040 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Parliament House, Canberra, 1100 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Jakarta, 1100 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Sydney, 1230 Zulu, Friday, 1 May
Jakarta, 0235 Zulu, Saturday, 2 May
Jakarta, 0235 Zulu, Saturday, 2 May
Jakarta, 0235 Zulu, Saturday, 2 May
Sydney, 2315 Zulu, Wednesday, 6 May
20 000 feet, Eastern Australian airspace, 2032 Zulu, Tuesday, 12 May
This novel is a work of fiction, written to sound like fact, the line between the two blurred so that you don’t twig to where one stops and the other begins. Of course, whether I’ve succeeded in that is up to you, the reader, to decide.
I’m not a social scientist, a historian or a military specialist. Much of the material contained in this story was found in the public domain. That said, I did call on the services of a number of experts where the available information was either inadequate or when good old-fashioned experience was required. I would very much like to thank those people publicly, because they only get two rewards in this business. One is the satisfaction of knowing that, where their specialty is concerned, at least accuracy has been maintained. Two is acknowledgement that they’d probably rather be out playing golf than sitting on the phone to me, or correcting the manuscript yet again.
And so . . . Thank you Andy Bates for taking me on the wildest 747 ride ever. Thank you ‘Woody’, former USAF F-16 fighter pilot, for your patience and enthusiasm. Thank you Gideon Marshall for showing me one end of an M16 from the other. Thank you Neville Farley, SASR veteran, for making sure I wasn’t completely off the planet. Thank you Chris Sherwood for the ins and outs on the Black Hawk. Thank you Mr Yuwono for the guided tour of Sulawesi. And thank you Bob Buick, Vietnam veteran and Military Medal winner, for your contacts and for your astonishing bravery under fire.
Also, thank you Patricia Rollins (me mum) for your tireless editing, suggestions and encouragement.
| ACI | Airborne Control Interception |
| ADF | Australian Defence Force |
| AFB | Air force base |
| AGL | Above ground level |
| AIM-9 | Air-to-air heat-seeking missile |
| AMRAAM | Advanced medium range air-to-air missile |
| APC | Armoured patrol carrier |
| ASIS | Australian Secret Intelligence Service |
| ATC | Air traffic control |
| AV-8B | Harrier Jump Jet –vertical/short take off and landing aircraft |
| AV-TUR | Jet fuel |
| AWACS | Airborne warning and control system |
| BVR | Beyond visual range (missile) |
| C-130 | Hercules transport aircraft |
| COMINT | Communications intelligence |
| COMPSTOMP | Computer Security, Tasking, Observation and Manipulation Protection |
| Cray XI | Super computer |
| CSAR | Combat Search and Rescue |
| DIO | (Australian) Defence Intelligence Organisation |
| DIGO | Defence Intelligence and Geospatial Organisation |
| DOD | (Australian) Department of Defence |
| DPRD | Dewan Perwakilan Rakjat Daerah – Indonesian Parliament |
| E&E Bay | Electronics and Equipment Bay |
| EA-6B | Prowler electronic warfare aircraft |
| ELINT | Electronic intelligence |
| ETFOR | United Nations peacekeeping force, East Timor |
| EW | Electronic Warfare |
| F/A-18E | Super Hornet Fleet defence aircraft |
| F14 | Tomcat Fleet defence aircraft |
| F16 | Fighting Falcon fighter |
| FIR | Flight Information Region |
| FMC | Flight Management Computer |
| GPS | Global positioning system |
| H&K MP5SD | 9 mm sub-machine gun |
| H&K USP | 9 mm pistol |
| HE | High explosive |
| HE 463 | High explosive M203-launched grenade |
| HUD | Head up display |
| Huey | UH-1D helecopter |
| IAE | Intelligence Assimilation Executive |
| INTERFET | Peacemaking force, East Timor |
| IRS | Inertial Reference System |
| KC-135 | Air-to-air tanker |
| LM | Loadmaster |
| LSA | Lowest safe altitude |
| LZ | Landing zone |
| M16 A2 | Military assault carbine |
| M203 | Grenade launcher |
| M26 AI | Anti-personnel hand grenade |
| M34 | Willie Pete white phosphorous hand grenade |
| M4 | Military assault carbine |
| MAG | Mobile Assault Group |
| Minimi | Light machine gun |
| MLP | Marine landing platform |
| NSA | National Security Agency |
| NVG | Night vision goggles |
| OSCAR | Open systems core avionics requirement (weapons/stores computer) |
| PE | Plastic explosive |
| QNH | Area air pressure at sea level |
| RAAF | Royal Australian Air Force |
| ROE | Rules of engagement |
| RV | Rendezvous |
| S70 A9 | Black Hawk helicopter |
| SAR | Search and Rescue |
| SASR | Special Air Service Regiment |
| SBS | Special Boat Service |
| SEASection | South-East Asian Section |
| SIGINT | Signals intelligence |
| SRS | Special Recovery Squadron |
| Super Pumpa | Helicopter |
| TACBE | Tactical beacon (radio transceiver) |
| TNI | Tentara Nasional Indonesia (Indonesian army) |
| TNI-AU | Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara (Indonesian airforce) |
| UH | Ultra high frequency |
| V22 | Osprey Tiltrotor vertical/short takeoff and landing aircraft |
| VHF | Very high frequency |
| WAC | World Area Chart |
| Zulu | Universal Coordinated Time/Greenwich Mean Time |