She opened her arms to the crowd. “Look, each of you, to the ones to your left and right, and to those in front and behind …” Plagueis did as instructed, meeting innocent gazes and angry ones, frightened looks and expressions of loss. “… and think of them as stepping-stones to your eventual escalation,” the Iktotchi said. She showed her hands. “The touch from my hands will set the current flowing through you; it will trip the switch that will start your journey to transformation. Come to me if you wish to be selected.”
