Safety In Numbers

"And just how well did The Alliance manage to protect this missing woman in her own ship?" I asked, and I saw Pippa look up at the corner of the screen. I would bet money that, like with Jun Li, there was a camera up there, too.

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" demanded Pippa as she stomped her feet. "There is safety in numbers."

I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts. "Do you know where that idea came from? Safety in numbers?" I asked, unsurprised when she shook her head no. "It is based on the idea that a predator can't eat all of us. That if we were attacked, we might lose some of us, but the others would stay alive. That is the concept of safety in numbers."

"No, it's not. The 'concept', as you say, is that when you are in a big group, people become scared of you and will leave you alone," she said, and I could see her swaying back and forth as if her legs were getting tired of standing for so long.