The NovaBurst is awarded for actions essential to the success of a mission. It is one of the few military awards which can be awarded to non-combatants. The medal is of three classes: 1st class (gold), to officers; 2nd class (silver), to other ranks; 3rd class (bronze), to civilians.
Fluff change: I have removed 'unforseen' and 'beyond' as criteria. This allows the DMs a bit more flexibility in awarding the medal. Old citeria:
The NovaBurst is awarded for actions which produced unforseen good results beyond the expectations of the mission plan.
--StarWolf
