Secret of the Earth Star by Henry Kuttner

_The theft of the Earth Star blazed a trail of death to a weird city under the Sahara._

Despite the blazing heat of the hot Indian night, this air-conditioned room in the palace was cool and comfortable. It was a bit too luxurious for a business office; otherwise, it might have been any New York suite. Three men sat at a small glass-topped table, on which stood a Gladstone bag.