Union Express

Union Express is the second largest package delivery company and a provider of supply chain management solutions within the Union that is not a subsidiary of one of the ten largest Mega Corporations. Many of the largest Mega Corps, including all of the top ten have a subsidiary specializing in package delivery. Typically between 10% and 75% of the packages handled by these subsidiaries are internal to the Mega Corp. In terms of capacity available to the general public Union Express is the fourth largest.

History
Like it's biggest independent rival it has origins on Terra. The first mention of the concept that later became Federal Express came in a paper it's founder Fred Smith wrote while attending Yale University.

In his paper, Smith proposed a new concept—have one carrier be responsible for a piece of cargo from local pick-up right through to ultimate delivery, operating its own aircraft, depots, posting stations and delivery vans. To ensure accurate sorting and dispatching of every item of freight, the carrier would fly it from all of its pickup stations to a central clearinghouse, from where the entire operation would be controlled. He submitted the paper to the professor teaching the course, who supposedly gave the paper the grade of "C". The actual grade has been debated. Despite the professor's opinion, Smith held on to the idea.

After graduation and a three year stint in the United States Marine Corps, Smith founded Federal Express in 1971. In the 21st century the company diversified some, changing it's name to Union Express after the Terran Ascent. The company "returned to it's roots" as a courier/package delivery company in the mid 22nd century. While according to company history this was done voluntarily, research has shown at at least some of the subsidiaries it sold or closed were as a result of a loss in profit or "to good to be true" offers.

Currently its headquarters are located near the Class A Space port in Thresh, the largest city on Thresh Base.