"Please tell me how that's not all gloom and despair, Ed," Castillo said. "My definition of total gloom and despair is when I have to admit I don't have a fucking clue how the hell I can stage a helicopter assault without helicopters. And the floodlight Secretary Cohen's shined on the estancia is so brilliant that there's no way that I can bring them in here black…"
"Doing it without them comes to mind," Delchamps said.
Is he saying that because he's stupid?
Or trying to bring me back from the depths of despair and gloom?
There's absolutely no fucking way I can do this without the choppers!
Without the choppers I won't even have any weapons!
"May I offer an observation?" Ambassador Lorimer said. "I hesitate to…"
That's all I fucking need. A diplomatic solution.
"Certainly, Mr. Ambassador," Castillo said.
"Perhaps I don't understand," Lorimer said. "The problem, as you see it, is that because of the secretary of State's concern for my welfare, and the kind response of the government of Uruguay, is that there will be so much activity here at the estancia that it would be impossible to bring the helicopters secretly here from the Ronald Reagan. Is that it?"
I thought I just said that…
"Yes, sir, Mr. Ambassador. That sums it up succinctly," Castillo said.
"Well, as I am speaking from a position of total ignorance, and you are the recognized experts in this sort of thing, I rather suppose you will think this question reflects my ignorance."
"Mr. Ambassador, I would love to hear whatever you have to say," Castillo said.
"What I was thinking when you first outlined the plan, Colonel Castillo, was that Mother Teresa had-certainly unintentionally, but I would submit, inarguably…"
He called the secretary of State "Mother Teresa"?
I really like the old guy.
I don't give a damn what he suggests, I'm going to let him down as gently as I can.
"…provided you an opportunity to hide your helicopter-refueling operation in plain sight."
"Excuse me?"
"Listening to your original plan, I thought the one weakness was your belief that flying four helicopters in here at night would go unnoticed."
"Is that so?"
"They are not silent, and the noise they make is alien to the rural areas. Am I right so far? Please stop me…"
"Please go on," Ordonez said. "That was one of my concerns, sir. But it was a risk I decided had to be taken."
"But now the first helicopters to come here…"
The first helicopter to come here was the one I flew during my failed attempt to repatriate his worthless son.
Doesn't he know that?
Of course he does.
What he's doing is being diplomatic and not bringing it up.
"…attracting, I am sure, a great deal of curiosity, are government helicopters. Questions will be asked, I submit, and these will be answered by announcing that the government is doing something on the estancia. Thus, setting the precedent that helicopters here are legitimate."