True.

Dyria watched from the bridge of the Outrider as the battle frigates Starstrider and Starfinder carved a path of destruction through the Shellian vessels. Her satisfaction was understandable.
The remaining Talios had been summoned to the bridge. Captain Lyan himself was there, his expression grave. Dyria steeled herself for the worse.
"Pilots, this is going to come as a bit of a shock to you, especially after the battle you've just been through. We don't have enough pilots to replace those lost today, and CASD Command has decided that Talio should be disbanded."
Dyria sighed. She'd almost expected it. Captain Lyan continued.
"Considering the incredible teamwork you demonstrated out there, I think it is likely that, should CASD form a new squadron, you will be their first choices. You don't have to stay with CASD, of course," he added. "You can go freelance, or you can leave for another system, or sign on with someone else. If you do decide to stay, you can request to join another squad. I doubt you'd be refused. Either way, your ships belong to you, to do with as you will." His disgruntled expression lightened a bit. "I don't think I was supposed to tell you that, so don't mention it to CASD Command."
Dyria smiled despite herself. The Captain sighed.
"That's all for now. Dismissed."

Jack Flash watched as Irinn's awesomely disciplined army advanced, an impenetrable wall of shockbots, Shellians, and Imbaras. The occasional gap in the ranks showed where Carrotan snipers had hit their marks.
With a target that big, you couldn't miss if you tried.
Abruptly the entire mervenary band of Bloodflames halted and then befan to retreat. Jack assumed that Jheran Rambarath was pulling out on Irinn. Maybe he'd come to his senses.
Jack turned away from the monitor in disgust. "Where are they?"
"Patience," Firefox counselled serenely, but he, too, was worried. If Irinn had escaped, Carrotus was virtually doomed.
Jack plopped himself down despondently. Firefox watched him, concerned. Jack wasn't normally a worrier - if a situation came up, he didn't waste time agonizing over it. He acted. Thus, to see him so pessimistic worried Firefox.
"Jack?"
"What?"
"We need a plan if they didn't make it."
"I know that," Jack said caustically.
"And?"
"I'm completely out of ideas."
"That makes two of us, then," Firefox said.
"Three," Wizard piped up reluctantly. Jack groaned.
"Perfect. We're doomed."
"Guys, look at this," Phish said, eyes glued to the monitor. Firefox glanced at it briefly, then did a double take. He stood, green eyes widening.
"Jack, I think you'd better see this."
"What?" Jack said, looking up. He joined Firefox after a moment, and they stood silently, savoring the moment.
The Shellian army was in complete disarray. The Imbaras stood placidly, the shockbots milled around confusedly, and the Shellians were stampeding. Gone was the intense discipline, the rigid training. It was every Shellian for himself.
"Incoming call, Jack, Captain," Wizard said, eyes the size of dinner plates.
"Acknowledge," Jack said absently. The face of a nervous-looking red-gold lizard filled the monitor a moment later. Jack instinctively reached for his blaster.
"Testing, testing ... is this thing even on on? ... uh ... oops." The lizard grinned sheepishly. In the background, Jack could hear Copper's voice.
"Nice, Justiar."
"Haha, sorry. Okay. Which one of you is Jack?"
Firefox pointed at Jack, who rolled his eyes. He left his blaster where it was.
"Okay. I'm Justiar, second in command to the late Irinn Hariam."
Jack reached for his blaster again.
"Wait, no, no! You don't understand! I'm a Carrotan agent! I helped Eva get out, and I nailed Irinn!"
Copper's voice, faint in the background: "'S the truth, Jack."
Jack relaxed again. "Where are you?"
"On our way back from Irinn's base. We'll be back in a few minutes."
The screen fuzzed and went back to the now-deserted could-have-been battlefield, where an army had tramped not five minutes ago. Jack sighed happily and fell backwards into his chir. He peered up genially at Firefox.
"Good thing we didn't need that backup plan after all, huh?"
"Jack," Firefox said dryly, "we didn't have a backup plan."
"I know. Like I said, good thing we didn't need it, hey?"
Firefox shook his head bemusedly. "Whatever you say, Jack, whatever you say."
True to her word, Copper and her strike team trooped in a few minutes later, minus one and supporting two. Jack sized up the situation quickly.
"What happened?"
"Shinyso got the flat of Jheran's sword imprinted on his forehead, Defalcon got bushwhacked from behind, and Kaz lost his few remaining tail feathers to a seeker missile when he detonated it."
Kaz grinned loftily. "I'm only a genius."
"Elexei?"
"Gone." She shrugged. "Dunno where. I'd assume with the Bloodflames."
"So, uh, I take it you got Irinn."
Defalcon groaned and staggered over to a chair, which he dropped unceremoniously into. "You tell him, Shinyso," he said. "I was unconscious on the ground."
"I wasn't much better off," Shinyso reminded him. "I was seeing two of everything, and my ears are still ringing."
And so Justiar, silent observer of the whole thing, was pressed into service to tell the tale. His rendition was short and to the point. Phish sighed and commented that he'd never be a favorite at the War Tavern.
Jack picked himself up. "Well, we'd better report to the Queen. Irinn is out of the way, even if we haven't found Jazz."
"Are you sure you want to brave that, Jack?" Kira asked. Tira nodded emphatically beside her twin. Jack grinned.
"With friends like you, I shouldn't be afraid of anything. Especially when you're coming along."
"Ouch," Electrik chortled. Kira winced.
"Ever have the feeling that you might have been better off keeping your mouth closed?"
"All the time," Kaz said sadly.
"'S okay," Firefox said brightly. "Lori can always calm the Queen down, can't you, Lori?"
No answer.
"Lori?"
No answer.
"Guys," Wizard said after a moment, "our problems have just tripled. Lori and Spaz aren't in the Castle."
There was a stunned silence. Firefox finally broke it.
"Much as I hate to admit it, it falls to us to break the news to the Queen. Let's get it over with."

Nearing the end here. *sighs*