question:  Why does it take the aliens so long to make a decision about what to do?
context: A gentle fancy for the Christmas Season—an oft-told tale with a wistful twistful of Something that left the Earth with a wing and a prayer. Earth was so far away that it wasn't visible. But this vast distance did not mean that isolation could endure forever. Instruments within the ship intercepted radio broadcasts and, within the hour, early TV signals. The history of the planet was tabulated as facts became available. The course of the ship changed slightly; it was not much out of the way to swing nearer Earth. "We've got to make or break," said the first alien. "It's not what they've done," said Bal, the second alien. "I may remind you that in two months twenty-nine days we're due in Willafours," said Bal. They've had two world wars in one generation and that the third and final one is coming up you can't help feeling in everything they do." "The wrong diplomatic move, or a trigger-happy soldier could set it off. A meteor shower could pass over and their clumsy instruments could interpret it as an all-out enemy attack." "There is. "In a week we can't negate their entire history. "And then what? "And when we get to Willafours we'll be busy. There's nothing in this region of space our people want," said Ethaniel. "And how long can Earth last? They went much closer to Earth, not intending to commit themselves. For a day they circled the planet, avoiding radar detection, which for them was not difficult, testing, and sampling. Atmospheric analysis showed that as far away as we were." "What's worse is that I now find they also have missiles, range one thousand miles and upward. They either have or are near a primitive form of space travel." "Sitting there, wondering when it's going to hit them. There's so little time," Ethaniel said.
output:  They cannot decide if they have time to make a difference before they have to be somewhere else.
options:  They do not know if it is worth the time to learn a human language to try to convince the humans to maintain peace.  They are cautious because they do not want to get hit by a missile or bomb.  The aliens do not actually want to help, but are required to, so they are hesitant to make a move.  They cannot decide if they have time to make a difference before they have to be somewhere else.