The Mistery of Belicena Villca transfer to a warship . So it happened a few miles from Sumatra : a bewildered Admiral picked us up on his battle cruiser and headed straight for Germany . The ship was heading to Argentina along with other two , executing a long-planned maneuver . At the height of Cape Town , it was ordered to divert to the Indian Ocean to pick up five passengers . Its new mission was classified as " maximum security " and , from the moment in which the mysterious characters came aboard , it had to transmit in a super secret key and avoid all contact with other ships or land stations . No one should be able to locate the battle cruiser , otherwise there was the possibility to " enter operations ". -- “ Who would attack us in times of peace ?" --the Admiral muttered-- . " It must be another game of the General Staff , a secret test maneuver for the Kriegmarine ”.
The Admiral did not imagine that if the synarchic forces had known the location of his ship , and the identity of its occupants , they would have sunk his ship right there .
Chapter XXXIX
Twenty days after leaving Shanghai , we disembarked in Hamburg There , an officer of the exterior S . D . at the command of a platoon , was waiting for us ; his orders : lead Karl von Grossen , Oskar Feil , Srivirya and Bangi , in two cars to Berlin . I was to get away from the group and board a third car to the local airport , where a plane would transport me also to Berlin .
We were going to separate for the first time in several months and the experience was painful . We had all lost comrades and run mortal dangers together ; the adventures lived brought us together . Before abandoning them , Von Grossen wanted to speak to me alone .
– I knew it ! He said to me with a worried tone . Von Sübermann : You were the First Key of Operation First Key ! And the Thulegesellschaft will only take care of you . We , from this moment , will be held incommunicado , isolated from the rest of the SS to prevent us from talking . We know a lot , Kurt , perhaps more than it is convenient for the Initiates of the Black Order for someone to know ! I have a feeling that we might not see each other again --he concluded grimly .
– You are delirious , my Standartenführer ! --I exclaimed in horror-- . That can ´ t be ! We are returning from an important mission , I think successfully , and there is no reason why instead of receiving superior approval someone should be punished . You ' re tired , Von Grossen , I respectfully tell you ! You ' ll see how soon we will meet in a brewery on Friedrichstrasse to celebrate . It is natural that we must first provide the reports corresponding to our respective units , but after these logical procedures we will have time to meet again . Von Grossen shook his head as if refusing to allow my arguments to penetrate his ears . – No ; no ! Von Sübermann , once again you don ' t understand the situation . Listen to me well now because the possibility that we will part is definitely real . I tell you very consciously and based on all my previous experience in secret operations . I ' m not so tired not to be able to anticipate what can happen : we will be eliminated . That is , if you do not save us , Kurt . Believe me , we will live only if you assure your Bosses that we won ' t talk to anyone about what we have seen . That is the guarantee that they need to set us free : the complete opposite of what you suppose ! Ha , ha , ha : a report ! You make me laugh , Von Sübermann : who cares that I make a report on what I have seen in Tibet and what I have seen you do ? Do you think that the Initiates of the Black Order will allow an official report to exist on the vîmâna of Shambhala , or on the Daivas dogs , or your Scrotra Krâm ? No , Von Sübermann : because of you we are condemned to death . And only you can save us . Contrary to what you have naively suggested : assure your Bosses that neither Oskar Feil , nor I , will make any report , and it may be that this way we can preserve life !
I calmed him down as best I could , reaffirming to him my loyalty : I never would allow anything to happen to them because of me ! And we left , separately , towards Berlin .
At the Berlin airport a Mercedes Benz from the Chancellery with motorcycle escort was waiting . Seeing it , I thought it was waiting for a Minister or a General , but my surprise was great when I recognized the SS Oberführer Papp standing by the door .
– Kurt von Sübermann ! --he called , smiling fondly . I could not avoid remembering the first time I saw him , in Rudolph Hess ' s cabin , in the Obersalsberg of Berchtesgaden . He remembered it too , because he said , as I barely approached :
– Six years , Kurt . A lot or a little ? Six years and you come back from your first mission . We have feared for you , you know ? It was a relief to all who were aware of the operation to hear from you . But from Shanghai ! Ha . No one could believe it . You ' ll tell me how you got through China .
The car crossed the Spree through the Castle Bridge and began to turn around the Lustgarten . I looked at Edwin in surprise , but I didn ' t have time to say anything :
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