Ashta is an ermine pilot of opportunity who happens to fly a Macchi M.18 for both sides in the Chaco War. The Paraguayans mostly think that the dastardly Bolivians captured the Machhi. Ashta somehow slyly recaptured the aircraft and now flies it for them for some unknown reason. The Bolivians mostly think she stole/bought/won the aircraft from the Paraguayans and now flies the Macchi for the Paraguayans while in reality she remains loyal, for some reason, to the Bolivian cause. She smuggles for both sides in a kind of triangle trade between various Paraguayan and Bolivian bases and the coast. She is credited with making the first night air attack in South American history. It seems that while bravely flying an unplanned night training mission she had to jettison a load of beer, brandy and champagne over a Bolivian camp while struggling to gain altitude in the Macchi.

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