Even if it's been a while since you've
tried to purchase new computer software, it's difficult not to notice
the business model that has been spreading across most software
companies. No longer can you go online and purchase a program,
download it to your PC, and own it. Instead, you must pay monthly
fees to use the software, or a yearly license fee to have it
installed. Companies control this through various methods, such as
the entry of a user key (which changes or expires after a certain
date) or simply through an internet connection—they check your
software use and monitor if your term of usage has elapsed; then they
shut it down. As an example, years ago I purchased a version of
Photoshop from Adobe that allows me to keep the program on my hard
drive and use it without monthly fees. However, if you go to Adobe's
website, you'll find no such option for any version of their
software—everything is pay-to-use. When setting up my new PC, I had
to dig up my old email with a link to an Adobe page that allowed me
to access previous downloads, and I was thankfully able to download
my old purchase. Finding this page without that link in the email,
though, would have been utterly impossible with their new webpage
design. I expect that by the next time I purchase a new PC, I may not
have this option any longer.
As seven alien races struggle to co-exist in an uneasy alliance, the Inter-Stellar Union sends Union Guard agents on missions to preserve the crucial balance. These specialized operatives must do what regional security cannot, dealing with smugglers, pirates, terrorists, and even greater challenges in order to bring stability to a universe that needs it desperately. Without the Union Guard, the races will not be prepared to face a looming alien threat they can only hope to defeat together.
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