Tressa Crystal Smith isn’t everyone’s cup of tea - an elegant, standoffish woman, she likes crystals more than she likes most people. She grew up on Boreas, a faltering planet with a deteriorating moon. Conformity and efficiency were necessities there, but that never suited Tressa. Instead, she was more at home with fellow misfits who spent their time on crystal readings, moon rituals and personal witchery–they supported her through her self-discovery and transition, making her turbulent teenage years easier and less lonely. But when her closest friend went to extreme lengths to save their moon from corporate encroachment, Tressa was caught in the middle. Ultimately, she ran away from home, finding solace in the one place her friend cared about most: their moon, Cleo.

There she joined the terraforming crews hired to repair and rejuvenate the celestial body. She learned to work with ferrofluid, and use it with a certain witchy flair. She grew attached to her new community and, when the heat on Boreas died down, brought some of her old friends back into the fold. She found a place to call her own–just in time for the Apex Games to arrive and sweep it out from under her new family. But Catalyst won’t disappear so easily. If the Games are going to get in her way, she’s going to turn them to her advantage, putting the prize money to use supporting her family. She sees a win in her future, and she’ll rise to the occasion.

Meli Grant