The Object Of Desire

Commander Matheson, leader of the Planet Eris Expedition,  took off the alien headset and put it down upon a golden table covered in strange brightly coloured symbols.
"Any idea what happened to the people here?", asked one of his crew members, Lieutenant Thomas looking out of the octagonal window of the alien dwelling they had entered at the deserted and ruined alien city in which their spaceship had landed earlier that day and the ringed setting sun behind it.
"Well that headset was a big help", said the commander, "It works just like a kind of psychic video recorder, playing recorded information and even experiences right into your brain. I saw the whole history of this planet".
"So what did it tell you?", asked Thomas.
"That the people who lived here were incredibly technolgically advanced; that they possessed a culture not unsimilar to our own, with art and music and philosophy but that they were destroyed by an obsession with strange box shaped objects called Xobs", said Matheson.
"By what?", asked Thomas
"Apparently the objects were intended to boost their economy by creating artificial demand; they transmitted a hypnotic signal right into the brain that made people want to buy them even though they were of no material or practical value", said Matheson, "Unfortunately the desire for these objects was so intense that it drove people insane; caused people to commit terrible acts of violence just to possess them. In the end civil war broke out; nuclear war that ended in the destruction of an entire civilisation. Very sad really".
But then Thomas turned towards him and Matheson saw that he was holding something in his hand, a small gold coloured box.
"What have you got there, Lieutenant?", asked Matheson.
"Oh this", said Thomas, looking at the object in his hand, "I just found it lying about near the landing sight. I thought it looked interesting".
"Thats one of those things", said Matheson, pointing at the box fearfully.
"What? The boxes?", asked Thomas.
"Yes. Thats what they looked like in the visions I saw with the headset", said Matheson, "Small ordinary boxes and yet they were irresistable to the people of this planet".
"They do have something about them", said Thomas holding up the box, turning it round and admiring it, "I don't know what it is though".
"Its the hypnotic signal", said Matheson, starting to grow concerned, "I think you should get rid of that box".
"No", said Thompson, cradling it in his arms, "Why? Its just a harmless little box".
"Its that harmless little box that destroyed the entire population of this planet", said Matheson.
"But I'm human", said Thomas, "The box is designed to hypnotise aliens. Surely it wouldn't work on me".
"And yet you seem remarkably attached to it all of a sudden, don't you think?", said Matheson, sceptically.
Thomas laughed.
"Attached?", said Thomas, "I'm not attached to it".
"Then throw it away", said Matheson.
"But it might be important; scientifically I mean", argued Thomas.
Matheson reached into the holster at his side and pulled out his Maser gun.
"Throw it away, now", said Matheson, "Thats an order from your commanding officer".
"Why? So you can have it?", asked Thomas, pulling out his own gun and pointing it at the commander.
"Me? I don't want it", said Matheson.
"I can see it in your eyes, Commander", said Thomas, "You want me to throw this away so that you can get your hands on it. You put that headset on, you must have seen something about this box that your not telling me; some power it possesses or some other property"
"The only power it possesses is to make people desire it, I told you", said Matheson, "Its worthless junk".
"If its so worthless then why do you want it?", asked Thomas.
"I don't want it. I swear", said Matheson sitting down upon the golden table and placing his gun in his holster, "But you have to understand that that thing is controlling your mind. Its dangerous. Look how its already turned you against me".
"It was you who pointed a gun at me", said Thomas, "Anyway say what you want. I know you're only after this. Well your not going to get it".
The door of the alien dwelling opened and the third member of their crew, an 8 foot tall robot called Andro entered.
"I have finished scanning the landing site area, commander", said the Robot.
"Thank goodness you're here, Andro", said Matheson, "Lieutenant Thomas has taken leave of his senses; his mind has been effected by one of the alien artifacts".
"Oh I see", said Thomas pointing his gun at the robot, "Bring the Robot in so that its two against one. Well perhaps Andro should know that the commander has also gone mad with desire for this box although he pretends he doesn't want it".
Andro looked back and forth between the two of them, thinking.
"Perhaps I can suggest a solution to the problem, gentlemen", said the Robot, "Since I am a Robot I am not effected by the object. Perhaps I can keep hold of it so that neither of you has it".
Thomas appeared to calm down at this suggestion.
"Fine", he said, handing the box to the robot, "As long as you don't give it to the Commander, I will agree to that".
"Andro, as your commanding officer", said Matheson, "I order you to give me that box".
"Under normal circumstances, commander", said the Robot, "I would be only too happy to obey your order but spacecorps regulations state that if senior officers are not of sound mind then leadership passes down the chain of command and since neither you nor Lieutenant Thomas appear to be of sound mind at this moment and since I am a rank below Lieutenant Thomas so I believe I am the one who is rightfully in command".
Thomas sat down and holstered his Maser gun, laughing.
"You tell him, Andro", he said.
Matheson turned towards Thomas.
"I'll tell you something, Lieuenant", said the Commander, "Whoever gets that box. You're going to face a court martial when we get back to starbase. What you've done is nothing less than mutiny".
"Oh that doesn't frighten me", said Thomas, "Any military court is going to ask the Robot what happened and he'll tell them that you were just as crazy for that box as I am".
"Perhaps you would both feel better, gentlemen", said Andro, "If I took the box and locked it up in the ships strongroom".
The two men nodded.
"Very well", said the robot carrying the box out of the strange alien dwelling and into the deserted city street.
But then, suddenly, just as the Robot was half way between the dwelling and the ship it turned round and, the cylopean eye at the the centre of its forehead lighting up, it fired a disintegrator beam at the dwelling, reducing it and the two men inside to a heap of smouldering ash.
"Now no one else shall have you", said the Robot admiring the box as it glittered in the light of an alien sun, "You're all mine".