Asteroid Mine — Daniel Eness

A rover captain with job security receives an unusual message from his drone on a remote asteroid:So good to see you.Suddenly, his job seems somewhat less secure.So does his life.From the story:Although the distinct, familiar whirring noise of his drone Leia had long been silenced in the vacuum of space, everyone on the crew had a saying: Just Keep 'Em Whirring.It meant that, as long as the robotic equipment was operational, any screw-up could be overcome with persistence and a healthy dose of panic.About midnight, Leia stopped in her tracks, and Bruce instantly wished he could hear whether or not she continued to whir.