"Fermi&apos;s Slime," by Tom Jolly [bio] (edited by Trevor Quachri), appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact issue 11-12|17, published on October 19, 2017 by Penny Publications.
Pro: The humans figure out that the slime really is intelligent, and even though the slime is a bit confused, there’s at least some hope for communication. The hint that the slime may soon send out its own rockets makes the ending at least a little uncomfortable.
Con: It’s very short, so there’s no character development and no plot to speak of.