Read the following passage and questions, then choose the right answer from options, the answer should be one of A, B, C, D.

<passage>:
vast distance did not mean that isolation could endure forever. The history of the planet was For days the two within the ship listened and watched with little comment. They had to decide soon. "We've got to make or break," said the first alien. "You know what I'm in favor "I can guess," said Ethaniel, who had spoken first. "The place is a complete mess. They've never done anything except fight each other—and invent better weapons." "It's not what they've done," said Bal, the second alien. "It's what they're going to do, with that big bomb." "The more reason for stopping," said Ethaniel. "The big bomb can destroy them. Without our help they may do just that." "I may remind you that in two months twenty-nine days we're due in Willafours," said Bal. "Without looking at the charts go." "A week," said Ethaniel. "We can spare a week and still get there on time." "A week?" said Bal. "To settle their problems? They've had two and that the third and final one is coming up you can't help feeling in everything they do." "It won't take much," said Ethaniel. "The wrong diplomatic move, or a trigger-happy soldier have to be deliberate. A meteor shower could pass over and their "Too bad," said Bal. "We'll just have to forget there ever "Could you? Forget so many people?" "I'm doing it," said Bal. "Just give them a little time and they won't be here to remind me that I have a conscience." "My memory isn't convenient," we can do about it." "There is. We can give them a week." "In a week we can't negate their entire history. We can't begin to undo the effect of the big bomb." "We can look things over." "And then what? How much "Very little," conceded Ethaniel. "Two minor officials on the way to Willafours—and we run directly into a problem no one knew existed." "And when we get to Willafours we'll be busy. It will be a long time before anyone comes this way again." "A very long time. There's nothing in this region of space our people want," said Ethaniel. "And how long can Earth last? Ten years? Even ten months? The tension is building by the hour." "What can I say?" said Bal. "I suppose we can stop and look them over. We're not committing ourselves by looking." themselves. For a day they circled the planet, avoiding radar detection, which for them was not difficult, testing, and sampling. "What's there to think? It's "That was almost a certainty. They'd have no use for the big travel." "Bad," said Ethaniel. "Sitting there, wondering when it's going to hit them. Nervousness could set it off." did you find out at your end?" "You must think something." "I wish I knew what to think. There's so little time," Ethaniel said. "Language isn't the difficulty. listening to advertisements, music, and news bulletins. I should go down and live among them, "You could do that and you'd really get to know them. But that takes time—and we don't have it." "I realize that." "A flat yes or no," said Bal. "No. We can't help them," said Ethaniel. "There is nothing we can do for them—but we have to try." "Sure, I knew it before we started," said Bal. "It's happened before. We take the trouble to find out what a people are like and when we can't help them we feel bad. It's going to be that way again." He rose and stretched. "Well, give me an hour to think of some way of going at it." It was longer than that before Earth. They no longer needed instruments the north. "I haven't thought of anything "Nor I," said Bal. "We're going to have to go down there cold. And it will be cold." "Yes. It's their winter." "I did have an idea," said Bal. worked. Today they have satellites. "I suppose you're right," said Bal. "I did think we ought to differences." "If we could I'd be all for it. But these people are rough and desperate. They wouldn't be "You take one side and I the other. We'll tell them bluntly what they'll have to do if they're going to survive, how they can keep their planet in one piece so they can live on it." "That'll go over big. Advice is always popular." "Can't help it. That's all we have time for." "Special instructions?" "None. We leave the ship here and go down in separate landing craft. You can talk with me any time you want to through our communications, but don't unless you have to." "They can't intercept the "They can't, and even if they did they wouldn't know what to them to think that we don't need to talk things over." "I get it. Makes us seem better than we are. They think we know exactly what we're doing even though we don't." "If we're lucky they'll think that." do the job." "Yeah, but I was thinking of that holiday you mentioned. We'll be running straight into it. That won't help us any." "I know, they don't like their holidays interrupted. It can't be helped. We can't wait until it's over." "I'm aware of that," said Bal. "Fill me in on that holiday, anything I ought to know. Probably learn anything exact from radio and TV. Now it seems to be chiefly a time for eating, office parties, and selling merchandise." to pin down." Make it work for us." "If there is I haven't thought of it." "You ought to know. You're and leave the ship up here with no one in it." "They can't touch it. No matter how they develop in the next hundred years they still won't be any way." "It's myself I'm thinking about. Down there, alone." "I'll be with you. On the other side of the Earth." "That's not very close. I'd like in the ship to bring it down in a hurry if things get rough. They don't think much of each other. I don't imagine they'll like aliens any better." "They may be unfriendly," "If it saves my neck I'm for it." "I don't guarantee anything," should occur to them they'll have no way of checking it. Also, they "Don't spare power." "Don't worry about that. They'll see it. Everybody on Earth. As soon as it was safe to do so, Bal left in another craft, heading for the other side of the planet. And the spaceship circled In five days the two small landing one and doors closed behind them. In a short time the aliens minute they came through." Ethaniel smiled. "I'm tired," went. Miserable climate. And yet you had me go out walking after that first day." "From my own experience it seemed to be a good idea," said Ethaniel. "If I went out walking one day I noticed that the next day the officials were much more cooperative. If it worked for me agreement they made isn't the best but I think it will keep them from destroying themselves." "It's as much as we can expect," said Ethaniel. "They may have small wars after this, but never the big one. In fifty or a hundred years we can come back and see how much they've learned." "I'm not sure I want to," said "Why?" "When I went out walking people stopped to look. Some He shivered again. "It was always cold. I walked out, but sometimes I flew back. I hope that was all right."

<question>:
Why does it take the aliens so long to make a decision about what to do?

<options>:
A They do not know if it is worth the time to learn a human language to try to convince the humans to maintain peace.
B They are cautious because they do not want to get hit by a missile or bomb.
C The aliens do not actually want to help, but are required to, so they are hesitant to make a move.
D They cannot decide if they have time to make a difference before they have to be somewhere else.

<answer>:

D