"Is it capable of carrying a nuclear device, yes or no?" As Jim paused, he pressed. "Well?"

"Yes, but she only dropped lifeboats." Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Which doesn’t answer the question of what you would do with it. You don’t own an airstrip for a start - "

"I’d have begged Matt." Jim admitted.

"And Jill would have laid out completely reasonable hanger fees that you couldn’t afford." Jake pointed out. Matt’s crop sprayer operation was run on a tight budget and Jill, the manager, was not the type to let friendship get in the way of business sense.

Since he was nearer, Jake grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down, tossing a can to his maudlin brother.

"Shouldn’t you wait until you’re out of uniform for that?"

"Who’s going to care?" Jim cracked the top of the beer and downed a swig, staring moodily at the floor. Jake chuckled, and his brother looked up and glared. He held his hands up in a soothing gesture.

"Jim, seriously, looking at this from the point of view of a rational person and not an obsessive pilot, what the hell would you do with a defunct nuclear bomber?"

"She's a search and rescue craft, not a nuclear bomber!" Jim's defense was instant, and Jake snorted.

“I didn’t think it would take that long to get home. Didn’t want to talk about it.” Jim wasn’t being quite honest; he didn’t even want to think about it. Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Were you even close?"

"Not a chance. She went for more than my entire backpay."

"Just as well. I don’t know what you were doing bidding in the first place. Why didn’t you try to buy something less life-changing, like a house?" Jake was utterly unsympathetic, and Jim scowled.

"Just sentiment, I guess. I need a drink."

"I lost the auction." Jim slung the kitbag down and slumped in a chair. Shaking his head, Jake stepped across and closed the door Jim had left swinging behind him.

"Just as well. What would you have done if you'd won?" he asked, and Jim stared at the floor.

"I dunno. I'd have worked something out. I hate to think of her in the hands of strangers."

"And it took you a week to tell me?" Jake sounded unimpressed.