We're waiting to go

Malika jumped up as her superior entered the laboratory. It looked like bad news so it was diplomatic to wait for Hafsa to speak; he did not like having his thoughts interrupted. Hafsa strutted about despondently for some minutes.

“More forms,” Hafsa eventually said. “More wretched forms.”

“What do they want this time?” Malika asked quietly. She returned to her terminal and retrieved the official communication. “It doesn't look too bad, really not that complicated. We can do that. It's doable. Six time units, tops.”

“But these trials are essential,” groaned Hafsa. “This is our final disease. Hundreds of our species are dying. Cure this and we could live forever – baring accidents obviously.”

Malika grunted, everyone understood this.

“Is there anyway we can produce this antidote without those horrid creatures?”

“You know the answer to that,” said Malika. “Look we're ready to go. We could start the Earth journey tomorrow. We just have to placate those over cautious bureaucrats.”

“All this fuss,” intoned Hafsa, “just because of a few billion miserable humans. And, anyway, humans have such short lives.”