Cleopatra’s Heart

Chapter 3: Expedition Team

By Samuel

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👇 Click to translate:

Sandrine assembles her expert team, secures local permits with Mohammed Bashir, and flies out on Valentine’s Day 1952 to uncover Cleopatra’s Heart.

Back in her Kensington bedroom the following morning, Sandrine opened her laptop. Awaiting her was an email from her father containing vital contacts: details for Jason Maple, coordination info for local fixer Mohammed Bashir, and a comprehensive checklist of logistical requirements.

She tried calling Jason first, but the line rolled directly to voicemail. “This is Jason Maple. Please leave your name and contact details, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.” She left a clear message before dialing Mohammed Bashir.

The line connected on the fifth ring. “Good day, this is Mohammed Bashir speaking. Who is calling?”

“Good day to you, Mr. Bashir,” Sandrine responded crisply. “My name is Sandrine Drake. My father suggested I reach out regarding an upcoming expedition.”

“Ah, yes, Miss Sandrine! I was expecting your call,” Bashir replied warmly, his voice carrying the polished cadence of an experienced local coordinator. “Your father gave me a heads-up earlier. How may I be of service?”

Sandrine detailed her requirements, outlining equipment needs, technical permits, and local personnel. She promised to follow up with a formal email itemizing every specification for written confirmation, itemized pricing, and availability.

Next, she opened a return email from Seth Millar, formally accepting her offer of employment and its terms. Feeling the weight of a successful morning’s work, Sandrine closed her laptop, unaware of how exhausted she truly was. Within minutes, she fell fast asleep.

Hours later, a light rap on her bedroom door roused her. “Can I come in, Sandy?” her mother called softly.

“Yes, Mum. Sorry—I completely dozed off.”

“Not to worry, darling. Care to wash up and join us downstairs? We’re having pot roast with rice and oven-baked vegetables.”

Over dinner, Sandrine shared updates on her preparations, passing along warm regards from her father. The following day brought a detailed reply from Mohammed Bashir. She went through the itemized ledger line by line, ticking off equipment and making margin notes where clarifications were needed. Overall, she was exceptionally pleased with his efficiency.

Bashir’s personnel strategy was split into two tiers: two seasoned Egyptian archaeologists whom Sandrine would employ directly, and a ten-man field team whose retainer fees Bashir would manage locally. The hardware specifications were fully available, and Bashir’s secretary was already initiating the complex clearance paperwork through Egypt’s Department of Antiquities. Sandrine tallied the figures, requested an official commercial invoice, and promptly wired the funds. With payment secured, Bashir would lock in the local team while the government permits wound their way through the bureaucratic pipeline—a process expected to take roughly two weeks.

That evening, Sandrine poured her mother and grandfather glasses of sparkling cider. When they questioned the celebration, she beamed. “Officially, Stage Five has concluded.” She proceeded to map out her categorized operational timeline, explaining how logistical funding, supply procurement, and bureaucratic clearance were falling seamlessly into place.

To finalize Stage Five, Sandrine turned her attention to securing her core archaeological staff: Samir Khan and Ali Osman. Having confirmed with her father that both men were exceptionally honest, highly reliable, and possessed vast technical expertise in regional excavations, she initiated contact. After a polite round of international negotiations regarding contracts and compensation, she offered them identical terms to maintain complete equity within the team. Both men accepted immediately, locking their commitments into place.

With Khan and Osman onboard, the expedition roster stood at an elite fifteen members: five core specialists and ten field assistants. The paperwork was signed, sealed, and digitally countersigned, with the official physical documents awaiting their arrival in Cairo.

Sandrine finalized their travel arrangements, booking herself, Seth Millar, and Jason Maple on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Cairo International Airport, departing on Thursday, February 14, 1952. She gave her team a full week to pack, settle affairs, and prepare for the field. Marking the date in her journal as the official dawn of her grandest adventure, she felt entirely certain of success. She also cabled Mohammed Bashir with their flight manifest, instructing him to meet them at Cairo International and escort them to their hotel.

On the crisp, bitterly cold morning of Valentine’s Day 1952, a light snow dusted London as the three archaeologists gathered in the Heathrow terminal lounge. For Sandrine, reuniting with Seth Millar was a welcome relief; they embraced like old friends. Introductions followed, and Jason Maple thanked Sandrine for bringing him onto the project before asking after her father.

“Dad is doing well,” Sandrine smiled, adjusting her heavy wool coat. “Right now, he’s happily buried in the Valley of the Kings.”

At the boarding call, the trio made their way to the gate, clearing security with their hand luggage while their heavy field trunks were checked through to Egypt. Seated comfortably in British Airways’ business class cabin, they watched the ground crew prep the aircraft. Despite the adverse winter weather, the captain executed a smooth, textbook takeoff, piercing the heavy overcast and climbing steadily toward cruising altitude.

Sandrine pulled out her leather-bound journal and penned the final entry for the day: February 14, 1952. Day one of the journey to find Cleopatra’s Heart.

Five hours later, after clearing Egyptian customs and retrieving their gear from the baggage carousel, the team stepped out into the bustling arrivals hall of Cairo International Airport. Seth tapped Sandrine on the shoulder and pointed toward a local coordinator holding a crisp white placard bearing her name.