Continuing the story of the first discovery of intelligent extra-terrestrials.

"How can we talk to a cow?"
Phil knew the script well enough, but he had expected the task to be more straightforward. He knew it was illogical, but he always imagined he would be meeting a being somewhat like himself - Something with eyes, legs, hands and some kind of external organ for making sound.
"I can't see how they can talk with one another, let alone with us. But they must be communicating. It's got to be telepathy."
Phil crouched to examine the creature.
"The distance between this animal and the one over there must be 200 metres and I can't hear a sound from either - but their movements are perfectly synchronised. It's got no arms to wave; I can't see any electronic equipment. The only thing near it is these wretched fire-flies."
He swiped at the lights dancing round his head.

"The scanners picked up ultrasounds as we approached orbit, remember?"
"But you don't think one of these jelly-barrels could produce those sounds, do you?"
"Perhaps it's the flies?"

They had paid little attention to the fireflies until now but, glancing around, they could see thousands of the microscopic lights. The biggest swarms hovered just above the slug-cows. The word 'flies' was a compromise description for a being that had no recognisable form. If they had shape it would need powerful magnification to observe it. They had light and they had movement; and they responded to the movements of the men, especially when one of them swatted at a swarm. "They are alive, but they must burn up a lot of energy to glow that brightly", Darren mused, "Have you noticed they're are the only thing flying on this planet?"

"What do you expect in this gravity? Anything bigger than them would need impossible resources to stay in flight."
"And, if they didn't glow, they'd be invisible."

"Look at that.