"That and the fact that it is not the C-45 light twin you told us it would be. I thought I would be able to fly the C-45 alone."
"Alone?" Clete asked, not quite understanding what Delgano was talking about.
"You were to become a guest of Colonel Porterman at Santo Tome for the next four or five days," Delgano said.
"You... forgot... to mention that."
"Coronel Mart¡n spoke with General Rawson," Delgano said. "Coronel Mart¡n believed that if you flew any airplane into Campo de Mayo, that would have put you in a delicate position-actually, I suppose, a more accurate term would be 'dangerous position.'"
"How so?"
"You would have played an active part in the revolution," Delgano said. "If Outline Blue failed, and for some reason you could not leave the country, you would almost certainly be one of the dozen or so officers who faced the most se-vere consequences."
"You mean, they would shoot me?" Clete asked. "Just for loaning you an airplane?"
"For flying the airplane to Campo de Mayo, and because you are your fa-ther's son," Delgano said, waited long enough for that to sink in, and then went on. "Your execution by Castillo's people under such circumstances would be- is-a real possibility."
"Is?" Clete thought aloud.
"So, on General Rawson's authority, it was decided that I would 'borrow' your airplane at Santo Tome, and leave you there. Two things, of course, made that impossible. You arrived in an airplane that I could not fly by myself, and you had your 'passengers' and their cargo with you."
"If I had known about this," Clete said, "I would have thought twice about bringing Captain Ashton and his people with me."
"Well, what is the expression? That's water under the dam. The reality I had to deal with is that you arrived at Santo Tome with an airplane I could not fly by myself, and with your passengers and the cargo aboard."
"OK," Clete said, and waited for Delgano to go on.
"I made a decision at Santo Tome," Delgano said, "without consulting with el Coronel Porterman, but on my own authority. Based on the facts that I had somehow to get the airplane to Campo de Mayo, that I could not do so alone, and that I could not leave your passengers and their cargo with the Second Cavalry, I decided that everybody would leave Santo Tome and that en route I would ask you to divert to Campo de Mayo."
"Ask me?"
"Insist."
"How insist?" Clete asked, aware that he was getting angry.
Delgano shrugged, making it clear he was sure Clete knew what he was talking about.
"En route, I decided that brandishing a pistol would not only be melodra-matic but probably impractical. Suboficial Mayor Rodriguez would certainly try to stop me, for one thing. In any event, I decided that attempting to take con-trol of the airplane would be at best risky. It would also have been dishonorable on my part."
"If you asked me to divert to Campo de Mayo, I would have flown there," Clete said.
"Knowing that your 'passengers' would certainly be interned the moment we landed?"
"They weren't interned at Posadas."
"I needed you to fly the airplane out of Posadas," Delgano said. "If they ap-peared at Campo de Mayo, they would have been arrested."
"So now what?"
"The situation is now in your hands," Delgano said.
"In other words, you're asking if I will fly the airplane to Campo de Mayo?"
Delgano nodded.
"Aware of what I said before," Delgano said. "That doing so constitutes more than simply ferrying an airplane."
"Sure," Clete said. "I promised you the airplane. I'll deliver it. A deal's a deal, Delgano."