Yes, I was. I hadn't thought of the aliens actually been indigenous to Ceres. It's an interesting idea. They would most likely have evolved in the water/ice la

Yes, I was. I hadn't thought of the aliens actually been indigenous to Ceres. It's an interesting idea. They would most likely have evolved in the water/ice layer, and be based on weird and exotic ice chemistry. That would make the city their equivalent of a lunar outpost, and it's quite plausible that they simply may not have noticed electromagnetic waves. The chances of talking to them would probably be quite slim --- we would be appallingly alen to each other.