A/N: This is Picard's POV as a coda to Vol 2, Chapter 43. The Enterprise's reaction to the shuttle blowing up.
La Forge checked the console. "Shuttle twelve containment field reads nominal. Now leaving the Jovis."
"On viewer," Picard said.
"I wonder if Elle's bored yet," Riker said, observing the shuttle leaving the merchant ship.
"I'm sure Data's keeping her busy," Wesley said. "He doesn't let you get away with skipping any of the checklist."
"Speaking from experience, Mr. Crusher?" Picard asked, amused.
La Forge kept up his readout. "Containment field stable. Gravitational fluctuations within acceptable parameters. Flight pattern-"
On-screen, with no warning whatsoever, the shuttlecraft Pike blew up. Everyone gaped. A single alarm began to wail and was silenced with numb fingers.
"Elle," Picard whispered, ice crawling down his spine. "Data- how-"
"Why didn't the containment field hold?" Riker demanded, turning to La Forge.
La Forge was pale behind his VISOR. "Unknown, Commander."
Wesley turned back to look at his commanding officers, expression crumbling into grief and shock. "Sir-"
Picard pressed a shaking hand to his jaw. "I know, Wes."
"They can't, they can't just be gone," La Forge said helplessly. "Maybe they're on the merchant ship."
"Hail them," Picard ordered, taking a deep breath.
"Sir, Mister Fajo is hailing us," Worf replied.
"On screen, then."
Fajo leaned forward into the camera pickup. "Captain Picard, what happened?" he exclaimed.
"It's unclear," Picard said stiffly, uncomfortable with the man's fawning. "We're running a full analysis."
Fajo frowned in concern. "We detected no malfunctions before the explosion. Everything seemed to be running as smoothly as the other flights. Were you able to save the pilots?"
Picard cleared his throat. "No," he forced out.
"Oh." Fajo dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry. For your loss."
-/\-
They finished receiving the sensor readings from Fajo's ship, and without any further recourse, without any time to waste, or to process, or to grieve, the Enterprise headed on to Beta Agni II.
"What are we going to do?" Riker asked, following Picard into the ready room.
Picard scrubbed his hands over his face. "Oh gods, what are we going to tell Ambassador Spock and Dr. McCoy?"
"They're going to kill us," Riker said. "Oh, Elle..." He dropped into the sofa with a sigh and put his head in his hands.
"It's impossible," Picard said, staring into the lionfish tank. "It's impossible, they can't possibly be gone. Elle would have said something. Elle would have know. If this was Data's last mission, she would have told us. She would have prevented it, or at least given us some warning."
"She wasn't there for the briefing," Riker said, paling. "She had unit tests to take. I just gave her the piloting assignment, not the whole thing. What if..."
"It's not your fault, Will," Picard said, putting a hand on his first officer's shoulder. "It's not your fault. Hytritium is notoriously unstable."
"Maybe it wasn't an episode," Riker said. "Maybe she, maybe it was just an accident, sir."
Picard shook his head. "It couldn't be, it, Data was there, he wouldn't have allowed Elle near any danger," Picard retorted. "He has android reflexes, he would've noticed something wrong. They, can't be dead."
Riker hesitated. "Geordi and Worf are still investigating. They could, I don't know, be stuck in a parallel universe or something."
"Perhaps," Picard allowed.
They both knew they were delaying the inevitable. The captain dropped his gaze to the desk. "I, will contact Ambassador Spock and inform him."
"I can do it, sir," Riker offered.
"No, Will, ultimately she was my responsibility." Picard sat down at his desk with a heavy sigh.
"Do you want me to send Deanna in?" Riker asked.
Picard shook his head.
"All right." Riker nodded, and left.
Picard put in a priority call to Ambassador Spock's private line. He only had to wait a moment before Ambassador Spock appeared on screen.
"Captain Picard," the ambassador said, raising an eyebrow. "Has something happened?"
Picard cleared his throat. "I, regret to inform you, ambassador, that-"
Spock's gaze sharpened.
"-Elle was acting as a copilot for a shuttle loaded with hytritium. The shuttle, exploded, and was lost with all hands."
Spock stared at him. "Impossible."
Picard braced his hands on the table. "I'm sorry, ambassador. It was my responsibility-"
"No, it is literally impossible," Spock repeated. "Elle cannot be dead. We share a familial mental bond, I would know if she were dead."
Picard stared at the Vulcan on his screen, hope rising in his throat. "You would know? For sure?"
"Yes," Spock replied firmly. "Wherever she is, she is not dead. Neither is she in another universe. While she was gone the bond was dormant, not destroyed. I would know."
"Can you feel anything right now?" Picard asked.
Spock closed his eyes and steepled his fingers. He opened his eyes after a long moment. "She is alive. That is all I can tell from this distance."
"Understood," Picard said. "We'll find her. We'll find them and bring them home."
"Who else is missing?" Spock asked.
"Lt. Commander Data."
"Ah. A good man." Spock nodded. "Keep me updated, please, Captain Picard, and let me know as soon as she's safe."
"I will," Picard promised. "Picard out." He waited for the channel to close and sagged back into his seat. "Mon Dieu," he muttered, closing his eyes in relief. He massaged his temples for a moment, warding off the oncoming headache. He stood up and strode onto the bridge. "They're not dead," he announced.
Everyone whiplashed around to gape at him. "Sir?" Riker asked warily (oh no is this where my captain finally loses it-).
"I received information from Ambassador Spock," Picard said, forestalling Riker's concern. "Elle's not dead. He can feel her on the other side of their mental link. If she's alive, then Data is also."
"Does he know where they are?" Worf asked.
Picard shook his head. "We'll have to find them. Somehow."
"The Jovis," La Forge said. "Maybe they had something to do with it."
Picard nodded at La Forge and Worf. "Continue your investigation. Pull whoever you need. We still have to deal with the water contamination on Beta Agni, Commander La Forge, and I will need you rested and alert to deal with it as soon as possible. After that we will return and find Data and Elle."
"But sir," Wesley started.
Picard patted Wesley on the shoulder. "I know, Wes, but the Beta Agni colony is counting on us. Ambassador Spock assured me that Elle was not in immediate danger, so we have a little bit of time." He met the gaze of all his bridge crew, and was reassured to see the resolve in their gazes. "Carry on."