[IC] 2025 General Assembly Contribution Awards [AWARD NIGHT]

[Pathonia]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Pathonia

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: The Byrdlands

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: General TN

Kenmoria Award: Bisofeyr

Contributor of the Year: Moduland

Wallenburg Award: Separatist People's removal from site staff

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Imperium Anglorum

Sanctaria Award: Choose one of: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[The Ice States]

WA/UN author/contributor nation: This one

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: General TN

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Excidium Planetis

Kenmoria Award: Heavens Reach

Hippopotamus Award: Convention on Artistic Usage

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"

Contributor of the Year: Cretox State

Wallenburg Award: Project 2026

Topic of the Year: Project 2026

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[Thordarhyrna Lyricalia]

WA/UN author/contributor nation: Sierra Lyricalia

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: General TN

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Peanut Gallery Award: Vara

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Excidium Planetis

Kenmoria Award: Heavens Reach

Hippopotamus Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters" RIP functional alcoholics, sex addicts, and military fruitcakes

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping". What did the bees ever do to you? You don't like honey? Do you also hate freedom, love, art, joy, gardens, and baby animals? Perfect mustache twirler move here. 10/10

Contributor of the Year: abstain

Wallenburg Award: Yes to all.

Topic of the Year: S6/7 is the least egregiously awful of the three, I guess.

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Imperium Anglorum

Sanctaria Award: GA 791 Regarding Recreational Drugs

Expert Community Builder, Empathetic Ear, and Good Boss of the Year: Sedgistan

edit: HR withdrawal from PG awd

[Haymarket Riot]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Haymarket Riot

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Voopmont

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Peanut Gallery Award: Rhaza

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Cessarea

Kenmoria Award: Heavens Reach

Hippopotamus Award: Feed the Wild Birds Bread

Gatesville Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Contributor of the Year: Excidium Planetis

Wallenburg Award: Abstain.

Topic of the Year: Abstain.

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 806 First Contact Protocols

[Atymnius]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Atymnius

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Mar Teret

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Peanut Gallery Award: Rhaza

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: General TN

Kenmoria Award: Voopmont

Hippopotamus Award: Feed the Wild Birds Bread

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"

Contributor of the Year: Moduland

Wallenburg Award: Separatist People's removal from site staff

Topic of the Year: The Sovereign Six/Seven

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: Choose one of: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[Cessarea]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Cessarea

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Mar Teret

Peanut Gallery Award: Varanius

Kenmoria Award: Heavens Reach

Hippopotamus Award: Feed the Wild Birds Bread

Gatesville Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Contributor of the Year: Heavens Reach

Wallenburg Award: Project 2026

Topic of the Year: The Sovereign Six/Seven

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 806 First Contact Protocols

[Stevist Guam]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Stevist Guam

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: The Byrdlands

Gnome's Choice Award: Cessarea

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Cessarea

Hippopotamus Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Gatesville Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Contributor of the Year: Excidium Planetis

Topic of the Year: The Sovereign Six/Seven

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: The Ice States

Sanctaria Award: GA 818 Removing Toxins from Infrastructure

[Veszcota]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Veszcota

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Voopmont

Gnome's Choice Award: Cessarea

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: General TN

Kenmoria Award: Bisofeyr

Hippopotamus Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"

Contributor of the Year: Cretox State

Wallenburg Award: Project 2026

Topic of the Year: GA Reset

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[Moduland]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Moduland

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: General TN

Gnome's Choice Award: Imperium Anglorum

Peanut Gallery Award: Heavens Reach

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Cessarea

Kenmoria Award: Bisofeyr

Hippopotamus Award: Convention on Artistic Usage

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"

Contributor of the Year: Excidium Planetis

Wallenburg Award: Dissolution of GenSec

Topic of the Year: Project 2026

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[Cessarea]

Important announcement:

At the request of the nominee, Heavens Reach will have their name removed from the Peanut Gallery category. There is no precedent for this, but I thought it was a sensible request, so I obliged.

Anyone who voted for this nominee is urged to pick a new one. Apologies for the inconvenience! The OP will be updated to reflect this.

[Excidium Planetis]

Ambassador Meritt, Cornelia Schultz, and Ambassador Ras Algethi enter the gallery and take their assigned seats for the awards ceremony. Adelia nervously adjusts the bolo tie on her dress blues, and looks down from the balcony seating. "Woah, we're, uh, r-r-really high up here, huh. Did you know the HQ building was this tall? It l-l-looks shorter on the outside." She looks over to Corporal Jeffers, who was trailing politely behind. "Jeffers, could you get us some champagne please? I guess it's actually just sparkling wine, ha ha..."

Adelia leans back into her seat and whispers to Schultz: "Are you sh-sh-sure they hold one of these every year? I don't remember there being an awards show, it seems r-r-really out of place for an international legislative body."

"Of course," Schultz replies, "I attend every year. Even the ones during the Three-Fold War, those goons from the Home Fleet were too dull to consider attending an awards show to look for a fugitive."

Scarlett Ras Algethi skims over the informational pamphlet she was handed at the entrance. "It would appear that your nation did secure the esteemed the World Space Award in the year thirty and twenty-three. Pray, did you not grace that particular annum with your presence, Adelia?"

"Huh?" Adelia replies.

"Nah, pretty sure we received that in absentia, Algethi." Schultz replies, taking a pro-offered champagne glass from Corporal Jeffers. "So you're really named after a constellation? Wait, didn't you say the Silent Fleet was trapped in a warp field for a thousand years and emerged in another galaxy? How's that work then, they named you after a constellation they can't see anymore?"

"Actually, it's an ananananagram." Adelia chimes in, waving her already empty champagne glass in a circle. "Allergist attachers!"

"Uh... yeah, sure kid." Schultz looks back at Ras Algethi with a bemused smirk, while the Silent Fleet representative shakes her head.

"I shall superintend the suffrages, I suspect our comrade has indulged in too much revelry for even such jocund affairs." Ras Algethi reaches over and takes the ballot from the tipsy ambassador and pulls out a pen. "Let's see..."

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Excidium Planetis

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Mar Teret

Gnome's Choice Award: Choose one of: Cessarea

Peanut Gallery Award: Rhaza

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Waldenes

Kenmoria Award: Voopmont

Hippopotamus Award: Feed the Wild Birds Bread

Gatesville Award: GA 781 Repeal: "Prevention of Torture"

Contributor of the Year: Cretox State

Wallenburg Award: Project 2026

Topic of the Year: The Sovereign Six/Seven

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: The Ice States

Sanctaria Award: GA 818 Removing Toxins from Infrastructure

[Astrobolt]

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Astrobolt

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: Mar Teret

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Peanut Gallery Award: Rhaza

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Cessarea

Kenmoria Award: Heavens Reach

Hippopotamus Award:

Gatesville Award: GA 785 Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"

Contributor of the Year: Heavens Reach

Wallenburg Award: Project 2026

Topic of the Year: The Sovereign Six/Seven

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 818 Removing Toxins from Infrastructure

[The Assorted]

Ambassador Meritt, Cornelia Schultz, and Ambassador Ras Algethi enter the gallery and take their assigned seats for the awards ceremony. Adelia nervously adjusts the bolo tie on her dress blues, and looks down from the balcony seating. "Woah, we're, uh, r-r-really high up here, huh. Did you know the HQ building was this tall? It l-l-looks shorter on the outside." She looks over to Corporal Jeffers, who was trailing politely behind. "Jeffers, could you get us some champagne please? I guess it's actually just sparkling wine, ha ha..."

Adelia leans back into her seat and whispers to Schultz: "Are you sh-sh-sure they hold one of these every year? I don't remember there being an awards show, it seems r-r-really out of place for an international legislative body."

"Of course," Schultz replies, "I attend every year. Even the ones during the Three-Fold War, those goons from the Home Fleet were too dull to consider attending an awards show to look for a fugitive."

Scarlett Ras Algethi skims over the informational pamphlet she was handed at the entrance. "It would appear that your nation did secure the esteemed the World Space Award in the year thirty and twenty-three. Pray, did you not grace that particular annum with your presence, Adelia?"

"Huh?" Adelia replies.

"Nah, pretty sure we received that in absentia, Algethi." Schultz replies, taking a pro-offered champagne glass from Corporal Jeffers. "So you're really named after a constellation? Wait, didn't you say the Silent Fleet was trapped in a warp field for a thousand years and emerged in another galaxy? How's that work then, they named you after a constellation they can't see anymore?"

"Actually, it's an ananananagram." Adelia chimes in, waving her already empty champagne glass in a circle. "Allergist attachers!"

"Uh... yeah, sure kid." Schultz looks back at Ras Algethi with a bemused smirk, while the Silent Fleet representative shakes her head.

"I shall superintend the suffrages, I suspect our comrade has indulged in too much revelry for even such jocund affairs." Ras Algethi reaches over and takes the ballot from the tipsy ambassador and pulls out a pen. "Let's see..."

The gently floating machine substituting Leaves-of-Blight, still present within the Main Hall and taking care of some minor affairs, spotted the diplomatic trio from the fleets of Excidium Planetis. Remembering instructions given to it by its Protocol, the Cessarean Monitor flied towards them at an impressive speed, getting into an uncomfortably close distance from them before announcing:

"Greetings! I am Hesitant Dispatch 440, Chargé d'Affaires for Cessarea, and one of this event's hosts. Minister Leaves-of-Blight would have been delighted to receive you, were she not undergoing major and potentially fatal surgery." It stopped for a moment, as if to let this grim information sink into the diplomat's minds - in reality, the Monitor was just painfully unaware of how others would receive such news. "Ah well. I am glad you could attend! Too many mail-in ballots have been received, frankly it seems that no one can be bothered to come to the Headquarters anymore. I can only imagine why that is the case." On cue, a large World Assembly emblem placed on the wall moved down, appearing to lose one a few of the components that kept it in place; a stiff wind would surely knock it loose.

Hesitant Dispatch shifted its large orb/eye towards Cornelia, whom it stared for a few silent moments. Abruptly, it chirped: "Ah, Cornelia Schultz." It analysed her entire body. "Yes. The Council has... Memories of you. Your history in the World Assembly is confounding-" Whoops. "Uhm. My regards."

[Simone Republic]

*A bear was specifically sent from Simone Republic using an ACME(TM) travel machine to eat the ballot.*

[Cessarea]

"Hello! Me again! Just thought it was important to say that the bears have not eaten all the ballots. Yet. We predict we have two more days of ballots for them to go through, so grab one while you still can!"

[Excidium Planetis]

The gently floating machine substituting Leaves-of-Blight, still present within the Main Hall and taking care of some minor affairs, spotted the diplomatic trio from the fleets of Excidium Planetis. Remembering instructions given to it by its Protocol, the Cessarean Monitor flied towards them at an impressive speed, getting into an uncomfortably close distance from them before announcing:

"Greetings! I am Hesitant Dispatch 440, Chargé d'Affaires for Cessarea, and one of this event's hosts. Minister Leaves-of-Blight would have been delighted to receive you, were she not undergoing major and potentially fatal surgery." It stopped for a moment, as if to let this grim information sink into the diplomat's minds - in reality, the Monitor was just painfully unaware of how others would receive such news. "Ah well. I am glad you could attend! Too many mail-in ballots have been received, frankly it seems that no one can be bothered to come to the Headquarters anymore. I can only imagine why that is the case."

"W-woah!" Adelia exclaims, shifting backwards in her seat before slumping forward towards the Cessarean. "You're really... shiny!" She lets out a drunken giggle before attempting to take another sip from her now empty champagne glass.

Hesitant Dispatch shifted its large orb/eye towards Cornelia, whom it stared for a few silent moments. Abruptly, it chirped: "Ah, Cornelia Schultz." It analysed her entire body.

Cornelia Schultz shudders as the machine scans her.

"Yes. The Council has... Memories of you. Your history in the World Assembly is confounding-" Whoops. "Uhm. My regards."

"Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean, you creepy clanker?" Cornelia Schultz replies.

Adelia gasps. "C-c-cornelia! You can't say that anymore." She whispers very loudly into the ex-ambassador's ear. "It's racist."

"Oh come on!" Schultz replies. "I wrote the resolutions giving this rust bucket rights twice! And I supported GA#354 too. Nobody here thinks I'm racist, right?" She looks around for support, but Ras Algethi is avoiding eye contact and Jeffers gives no indication of having heard her question at all.

Schultz turns back to Adelia and Hesitant Dispatch 440 and defensively retorts, "Hey, they started it! Come on, that was totally an insult. And it looked at me weird."

"Ahem," Ras Algethi begins, "It behooves you, Miss Schultz, to tender an apology to the representative for your rather imprudent rejoinder."

"F*ck." Schultz frowns. "Fine, my response was inappropriate. I let my emotions get the best of me. Humans, amiright?"

[Voopmont]

The ambassador sprints, out of breath, into the chamber for voting. "Waaaait!" he insists.

~Votes | WA/UN author/contributor nation: Voopmont

~Votes

Newcomer of the Year: General TN

Gnome's Choice Award: Cretox State

Peanut Gallery Award: Varanius

Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award: Excidium Planetis

Hippopotamus Award: GA 767 Repeal: "World Assembly Headquarters"

Gatesville Award: GA 783 Repeal: "Preventing Employment Discrimination”

Contributor of the Year: Cretox State

Wallenburg Award: Separatist People's removal from site staff

Topic of the Year: Project 2026

Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Award: Sierra Lyricalia

Sanctaria Award: GA 778 Virtual Mind Convention

[The Assorted]

Heheh. Whoops. Forgot about this.

Voting's officially closed. I'm going to tally the results so far and see if there's any runoff needed. So far it doesn't seem like it.

Results will be announced by the 22nd. Apologies for the delay, had a flight to take yesterday.

[Cessarea]

"Good heavens, my apologies! I have not been able to set aside sufficient time for this. It will be done by tomorrow, I assure you!" Hesitant Dispatch looked on helplessly at the destroyed ballot box, bitten and mauled by white bears, laying alongside a trail of torn papers. "I wonder if that explains the curt list of voters..."

[Cessarea]

The small floating machine-diplomat placed itself in front of a mirror in one of the WA Headquarter's immaculate restrooms, still elegantly refurbished and maintained, in stark contrast to the disrepair the rest of the facility had fallen into. "Alright. Hesitant Dispatch 440, you are one of finest creations of Cessarea. You can do this!" It paused, waiting for a response it seems. "Seriously, you can do it! Do not fret. You just have to get in there, announce the results, then leave!" Predictably, the restrooms of the very public WAHQ were not the best place for a peptalk. Passers-by occasionally eyed the Cessarean, some unable to contain their reactions, ranging from entertainment to mild concern. "Right!" It slammed itself against the mirror. A bit too strong. Crack. "Oh. Oh my. Uhm." It looked around to the horrified strangers and abruptly added: "I'll pay for the costs later! Goodbye!" And off it went, almost running someone over in its way out.

Now positioned behind the podium of the Main Hall, addressing a rather empty room, the Monitor excitedly hurried through the annotations written out in paper in front of it, manipulating the papers without any visible physical touch. "What...?" It mumbled, unaware that the sound system had been turned on. "No no no, I checked this- I checked it a week ago!" Realisation struck, and it jolted its attention to the crowd. "Uhm. Hello! Good evening! I think. I apologise for the tardiness, our Delegation was hoping that Leaves-of-Blight would be able to join us for the ceremony. Unfortunately, she was still undergoing intensive repairs, and we should be hearing from her manipulators soon enough." On cue, one of its staffers forwarded a communication to it wirelessly. "She's dead. Oh. Ah. Hm. Uhm."

An awkward and insufferably long moment passed before it carried on: "It seems we have had technical difficulties with the awards, but don't worry! We've come up with an ingenious solution, which will be presented to you all in due time." Behind Hesitant Dispatch, a few Artificial staffers could be seen running to and fro, carrying with them bits of machinery, tools, and other assorted components. "For now, let us carry on with proceedings: here are the winners of the 2025 General Assembly Contribution Awards! The winners are all invited to receive their prize by the podium."

"First, the Newcomer of the Year award, given to the most exciting novice Mission to the World Assembly! This time, the Delegation from Mar Teret won, deservedly so! They have been most cooperative in drafting stages, and have recently acquired their first General Assembly authorship; my belated congratulations to them! May they continue to perform as well in 2026."

"The Gnome's Choice Award is given to the most proficient author of resolutions past year, and unsurprisingly the Delegation from Cretox State won by a large margin! Frankly, Cessarea's WA office lost track of some of their proposals, I would not be honest if I said that they did not give us some headaches. Minister Leaves-of-Blight particularly liked to comment about certain... tendencies in the proposals from this Delegation. I prefer not to disclose her thoughts at this moment."

"Fittingly, the Peanut Gallery Award was a close contest between two of the most powerful figures in the world last year, Rhaza and Varanius, but ultimately Rhaza came out on top!" The Monitor shifted in place uncomfortably. "Well. I do not have a lot to say about this nominee. They don't really attend any events or any of the sort in the World Assembly Headquarters. I'm not even sure if they can be counted as a "Delegation". Uhm. It's- It's best not to dwell on it."

"To those with the most entertaining or otherwise notable participation within the daily affairs of the World Assembly Headquarters, we dedicate the Kennyite-Yeldan Roleplay Award. This year... Oh! Cessarea won the award, in a close call with... Oh. Excidium Planetis." The Monitor glared at the Delegation from Excidium Planetis, presumably still in the room. "Yes. A most deserved victory. The Council is pleased. I am sure that this trophy was partly achieved only by the recently-deceased Leaves-of-Blight's efforts within these halls, and for that we salute her. I think that's the appropriate procedure."

"The most helpful Delegation of the past year shall receive the Kenmoria Award, overwhelmingly awarded to the still-somewhat-scary-though-not-as-much-as-their-predecessors Delegation of Heaven's Reach! Congratulations, and please tell me the Overmind has already vacated the basement of the WAHQ. Cessarea can ill afford an expedition team to go down there these days, we've lost too many already."

"Honouring the tradition of funny legislation, the Hippopotamus Award is granted to Feed the Wild Birds Bread, an ill-fated but indeed entertaining proposal by the Delegation from New Bradfordsburg. A rather... interesting approach to making legislation. What surprises me most is how close this was to being passed. We invite the authoring Mission to receive the prize."

"For being recognised as the best repeal of the year, the Gatesville Award goes to GA#785 (Repeal: "Promotion of Bee-Keeping"), by Fachumonn! It seems that this year's General Assembly was rather excited at this prospect, for some reason. Perhaps the perceived overreach, or a latent hatred for bees. Ah well. Once again, the authoring Mission may come here to receive the prize, if they desire!"

"As the most prominent figure of this year in the drafting halls and the WAHQ, Cretox State won the Contributor of the Year award! Yet another influential Delegation I've yet to catch a glimpse of. Perhaps they are here to accept the honour, at least? You can make a speech if you want, I promise!" Hesitant Dispatch looked on at the quiet crowd and the many rows of empty chairs. "Uhm. We'll, uhm, allow anyone who wants to speak to do so later today, so be sure to ask your nearest gnome for a chance to voice your congratulations at the podium!"

"Our renamed Wallenburg Award goes for the most troublesome topic of this year..." The Monitor appears to have trouble with reading the papers in front of it. "Uhm. 'Project 2026'. I'm not aware of any such development..." A staffer rushed towards the podium and dragged the machine down towards themselves, appearing to whisper something. "Oh. Oh my. Right, Dimensional Integrity." It turned its attention back towards the room. "That is the winner. No questions are welcome. Cessarea will keep the award for security... and analysis."

"Very much in line with last year's winner of this category, the Topic of the Year award was snatched by the Sovereign Seven! A most strange and mysterious World Assembly voting bloc that seems to make a point of not sending any diplomatic staff to the WAHQ. Cessarea is one of the few Delegations in it that inhabit these halls, alongside Excidium Planetis, Mar Teret and a few, select group of others. I'm sure there are many that we have simply not had the pleasure of meeting, though." The Cessarean looked over to the side, muttering softly: "Well, certainly not any of the leaders of this benevolent organisation..."

"I acknowledge the Catherine Gratwick Lifetime Achievement award as the most prestigious award of the night, and indeed tonight's winner deserves to stand alongside their peers: Sierra Lyricalia, congratulations! A most ancient Delegation, unfortunately absent from the WAHQ, but nevertheless still participating in discussions elsewhere. Missions such as this one remind me of how little time I have spent within this institution."

"Finally, though not to be outdone, the Sanctaria Award was awarded to GA#778 (Virtual Mind Convention), authored by Moduland and co-authored by Cessarea and General TN. One of Leaves-of-Blight's last efforts in the WA, I'm afraid. Uhm. Looking it over, it seems to have a few flaws... I'm sure it's nothing."

The Cessarean, finally, folded the papers in half and set them aside atop the podium. It commented: "Thank you all for coming tonight, and congratulations to all the awarded Delegations. Cessarea is displeased to announce that this year's trophy is, in fact..." It paused, waiting for communications from its staff on the back. "A holographic statue of Cessarea's national logo. We apologise, that's all we could gather from our Mission's World Assembly merchandise store. As always, complaints are to be directed to our Office, which shall redirect them to our local Diplomatic Requisitions Office, which in turn will forward that to the General Requisitions Office, that will then confirm the request alongside the High Ministry of External Affairs... Well. Expect a return in two to three business decades." The Monitor begins to float off towards the exit of the Main Hall, accompanied by a wave of Artificial staffers, distributing the frankly pitiful "holographic statue" to the awarded Delegations.

Hesitant Dispatch 440 makes a point of staring the Delegation from Excidium Planetis directly on its way out, only breaking eye contact when it's at the cusp of the door.

[Heavens Reach]

"That's so strange..." begins the ambassador to Heavens Reach, "we came here to gratefully accept the Kenmoria Award on behalf of our mission, but something... elusive... buried... stirred when we heard the words The Overmind. What nature of entity is this, and why have the eyes of the audience gone wide with fear?"

[Excidium Planetis]

"RIGGED!" Schultz shouts from the gallery. "Next year I'll- mrhpsh!'

The ex-ambassador's remarks are cut short by a gagging from Ambassador Ras Algethi with a gloved hand. The Silent Fleet Ambassador speaks up to address the room. "Acclamations to our laureates hailing from the esteemed states of Mar Teret, Cretox, Cessarea, Heaven's Reach, Rhaza, Remior Kami, Sierra Lyricalia, Moduland and New Bradfordsburg, Alongside the peculiar entity known as WATN. The accomplishments of our illustrious alliance within the Sovereign Seven are indeed deserving of the highest commendation. Here's to an even more resplendent future for the Assembly of Worlds!"

"This calls for... uh... more wine, please..." a quiet voice calls from the floor of the balcony seating.

Afterwards, as Schultz drags a barely conscious Adelia Meritt back to the Excidian General Assembly Expeditionary Base, Ambassador Ras Algethi approaches Hesitant Dispatch. "Please accept my deepest condolences to you and the entire Cessarean delegation. The lamentable news of Leaves-of-Blight's sudden passing has profoundly shaken us all; her presence shall be keenly missed within these hallowed chambers."

[Cessarea]

Afterwards, as Schultz drags a barely conscious Adelia Meritt back to the Excidian General Assembly Expeditionary Base, Ambassador Ras Algethi approaches Hesitant Dispatch. "Please accept my deepest condolences to you and the entire Cessarean delegation. The lamentable news of Leaves-of-Blight's sudden passing has profoundly shaken us all; her presence shall be keenly missed within these hallowed chambers."

The rather distracted Monitor acknowledges the Ambassador with a curt "Huh?" before processing what they'd said. "Ah," it began, "of course, Leaves-of-Blight. Well, her name was rather prestigious. I'd hesitate in saying that she 'passed', however. A name such as hers is often picked by the Council to become a lineage, in which case it can never be associated with death. We'll see." It looked around, searching for... something. "If I may be so bold... Thank you for containing Ms. Schultz's earlier outburst. Most helpful."

"That's so strange..." begins the ambassador to Heavens Reach, "we came here to gratefully accept the Kenmoria Award on behalf of our mission, but something... elusive... buried... stirred when we heard the words The Overmind. What nature of entity is this, and why have the eyes of the audience gone wide with fear?"

The diplomats still within the Main Hall could observe hurried squads of Artificials with black metallic skin and dark red eyes running about in the halls and corners, all headed downwards into the nearest stairwells, presumably to reach the basement. A team of three Artificials stayed behind the nearest set of stairs, brandishing sleek weapons, ineffective as they may be inside the WAHQ, and keeping others away from it. To drive the point home, they mounted a holographic sign, simply displaying: "DANGER! HAZARDOUS ENTITIES!". It seems that the Cessareans took into upon themselves to delve inside the bowels of the Headquarters to ward off this threat.