36. SAHARA ADVENTURE SERIES — SIGNAL IN THE DARK
The story commences in the remote Fort Petit, deep within the Sahara. Captain Pierre Bouquet, the commanding officer, has already retired for the night. The guards, bored and trapped in routine, are suddenly roused by the sound of a lone rider approaching the fort. Uncertain and anxious, the guards find themselves caught between duty and fear, as tales of a spectral horseman haunting the fort circulate. The sergeant of the guard is notified and proceeds to investigate the situation himself. The sole recourse in this unexpected situation is to awaken Captain Bouquet, as dictated by regulations. However, to everyone’s shock, the rider hurls a hand grenade into the courtyard before vanishing as swiftly as he appeared.
The following day, Fort Petit is on high alert. Captain Bouquet dispatches a patrol under the command of Sergeant Frejus to investigate the previous night’s events. Simultaneously, the radio operator, Wilhelm Janssens, is engrossed in his book in the radio room. He is suddenly confronted by a nefarious antagonist who compels him to transmit a false message to headquarters in Algiers, appealing for reinforcements due to a fabricated Arab attack.
Teuns Stegmann is also drawn into the drama, as is the villain, Hein Fuch, who will later play a pivotal role in the unfolding narrative. The consequences of the false message are far-reaching, symbolizing betrayal and escalating tension. Teuns’s loyalty and courage are severely tested. Questions remain unanswered, and dangers lurk around every corner of the fort. Can a single sign in the night conceal the true extent of betrayal, or will it guide the hero towards an encounter with a darkness that engulfs even the desert?
