Imperial Mail (Makko Oko)
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Formerly | National Post Office (1991-2019) Emperor's Courier Service (2019-December 2023) |
|---|---|
| Crown corporation | |
| Industry | Postal services Courier |
| Founded | 1991 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Wallace Ferreira Postmaster General |
| Owners | Imperial Crown of Makko Oko (30%) Government of Makko Oko (70%) |
| Website | imperialmail.com.mk |
Imperial Mail, abbreviated IM, is a state-owned postal service and courier company in the Empire of Makko Oko. The company has existed in many forms since 1991, with Imperial Mail being the newest iteration of the government postal service, established on December 22nd, 2023 through the Postal Services Act as a government corporation as opposed to an agency. Prior to that, they were the Emperor's Courier Service, a government agency housed under the Ministry of Energy, Infrastructure & Environment, which replaced the National Post Office in December 2019. The National Post Office is the first and longest-lasting iteration of the government postal service.
The company provides mail collection and delivery services throughout the empire. Letters and parcels are deposited in post or parcel boxes, or are collected in bulk from businesses and transported to Imperial Mail sorting offices. Prior to December 22nd, 2023, Imperial Mail did not have a monopoly over letter delivery services and had fierce competition from private companies. Historically, service access has been difficult outside of a major city, with lacking digital technology to purchase stamps online or request a pickup and post offices only being in one out of every 13 cities, with that being exacerbated by the lack of a universal service mandate. That would be resolved with the enactment of the Postal Services Act on December 22nd, 2023.
History
Letter writing dates back to 1788 where the various tribal cities had written letters to each other. They would be delivered by "carriers" who at the time were dedicated persons within tribes that would make deliveries to other tribes, and in exchange they would be excluded from any physical labor. Carriers were mostly children and people that were deemed too weak to handle the heavy labor that the tribes required on a daily basis. Not every tribe had a carrier, as the concept was relatively new, even after years of use. Many tribes couldn't afford to lose one man to become a carrier that some thought would be "rather infrequent" and "dead as a goose by the next red moon". Others simply did not have anybody who knew how to write, some couldn't even read, and they did not have carriers due to that.
Carriers prior to the 19th century delivered letters within two days if weather permitted and would ride cows and sleep under trees to get where they needed to go. In 1793, the concept of "priority sending" came to be, and was a relatively silent affair that only the highest brass knew of to "keep the peace". "Priority letters" as they were called, were expected to be delivered within the next day, or two days irrespective of the weather conditions. Many at this time would find carriers becoming more essential to the defense of the tribe and to communicating with others without visitation.
No developments on mail would occur until 1866 when a civil war almost broke out after a local tribal worker overheard conversations on prioritizing specific people. This led to the first introduction of what would become the modern stamp system, where anybody could receive priority status on their letter if they paid 10 silver or 3 gold. In 1898, the first motorized transport vehicle would be built, accepting oil reserves found everywhere within the settlement of Ausiana and they would be exclusively reserved for carriers, with whom had now also become escorts.
In 1900, gold was becoming a scarce resource with mining coming up dry, and thus gold was eliminated as a method of payment. That same year, priority letters were increased in cost for the first time to 30 silver, and a charge on regular letters was instated of 15 silver. With the invention of motorized transportation, letters were being delivered quicker than ever and thus 1908 saw the introduction of "letters overnight" which had an initial cost of 70 silver per letter, and guaranteed overnight delivery of any letter, regardless of the weather conditions. That was the first recorded guarantee of a modern priority deliveries policy.
In 1925, carriers across the tribe had secretly sent each other letters and unionized successfully against abuse and underpayment. The union leader was appointed Letters Master by the carriers, and they covered every tribe in addition to having full control over prices and delivery routes. Many tribal leaders at the time dissented and almost banned carriers altogether however it was successfully averted. In 1931, carriers began actively taking in and sending letters, which ended over 143 years of carriers only working for their local tribe. Now all carriers delivered letters for every tribe and worked every day. A year later, a rise in apparent thefts and mailing them through the couriers led to a new policy of opening and inspecting all mail prior to delivery, prohibiting all mail that contained non-paper materials.
In 1947, the first telegraph was successfully sent between two tribes, and it subsequently launched the next year at a price of 5 silver per character on the telegram, with a maximum of 100 characters. This would be increased over the following years, with the price per character being decreased over time. The lowest price per character ever recorded for a telegram was 2 silver and 45 copper per character, the first time copper had been an accepted currency for the post.
Establishment of National Post Office
A year after the Republic Government was established, the Secretary of Transportation, with the approval of the carriers union, formed the National Post Office (NPO) in 1961 and shuffled all of the carriers as employees of the NPO, and consequently of the government. That put them on the government's payroll and also led to a title change from Letters Master to Postmaster, and the union leader was no longer entitled to that position, instead it went to a person nominated by Parliament and approved by the President. Silver was also made to become an invalid currency, and the Slotto was used instead.
In 1963, Postmaster Arnold Mueller launched the first-ever courier services and in 1964 would expand both courier and mail delivery internationally, in addition to beginning the production and mandate of the modern stamp. Competition would start to exist early 1965, and the NPO had to fight for dominance in an area that they had been in for over 200 years at that point. By 1967, the NPO had lowered prices on all services to try and undercut the competition, with rates never-before-seen in the history of mail delivery in the nation: Senior citizens received 100% free postage on all letters, disabled citizens received a permanent 50% off postage on 3 letters a month and government officials received 100% free 3rd-class deliveries.
The 2000's
As internet usage grew more in the nation, letter delivery became less frequent, and with that were concerns from the government on if the NPO "was merely an empty mouth to feed". Postmaster Arnold Mueller announced their resignation in June 2000, citing a "overworked and highly stressful environment". Their replacement, Postmaster Kirby Bautista, would suggest forbidding competition in the posts industry to "clamp down on those that we cannot be certain of" and to "assure the liquidity of our esteemed institution". Parliament would propose a law to do just that in March 2001 that would ultimately be signed by President Zenonis in July that same year. The effects were felt immediately, with job and economic losses exceeding SLO$100M, which at the time had a significant impact on the nation's GDP.
After the NPO became a monopoly, performance was much better, showing a five-fold increase in service usage between when the monopoly was established and 2002. 2002 would be the year of increases, as Postmaster Bautista cut back on discounts and reverted price cuts instituted by Postmaster Mueller. Senior citizens would now only receive free Sunday deliveries, government officials no longer received any benefits and disabled citizens now received free Sunday deliveries and 50% off postage and 30% off courier shipments. Service prices in 2002 exceeded those in place before the price cuts were instituted in 1967, with letter deliveries increasing by SLO$1, courier deliveries increasing by SLO$2.50 and international services increasing by SLO$6.75.
Products & Services
Domestic Services
M-Class Mail
M-Class Mail, referred to as Monarch Class Mail, is the highest speed and type of service that Imperial Mail offers for delivering parcels (or packages) and letters domestically. Imperial Mail guarantees same-day or overnight delivery by 11:00 for all M-Class deliveries. M-Class Mail starts at a minimum cost of SLO$29.95 with costs being variable on the weight, type, distance and packaging. The below are a list of prices added to the minimum cost:
- Distance: SLO$0.10 per mile, then SLO$2.50 per mile after 100 miles
- Weight: SLO$0.50/weight from >0.5 to 2 lbs, SLO$1/weight from 2.01 to 10 lbs, SLO$3.50/weight from 10.01 to 40 lbs, flat SLO$75 fee for anything above 40 lbs; Between 22 and 30 inches long: add SLO$4.00 More than 30 inches long: add SLO$15.00 More than 2 cubic feet (3,456 cubic inches): add SLO$25.00
- Packaging: Self-packaged fee is SLO$4.00
M-Class Mail is advertised as having the following benefits:
- All shipments insured at up to 50% of the price paid, with a minimum of 13%
- Free package pickup if prepaid
- Imperial Mail Confirmed Tracking services included at no additional charge
M-Class Mail was announced in mid-2025 and ultimately launched on January 1st, 2026 as the most expensive domestic mail product in the Empire.
Addons
Secured Delivery
Imperial Mail Secured Delivery is an addon service offered for most domestic services that provides extra security and law enforcement escorts for any shipment that has it attached. Secured Delivery launched on March 20th, 2024 to comply with a mandate of the Postal Services Act. Secured Delivery is offered at multiple tiers at flat rates:
- Standard Secured Delivery: SLO$250 for a private security escort while in transit excluding when it first leaves the post office, any distribution centers it shall enter and when it is dispatched for delivery. Includes track-masking services to make it harder to track.
- Secured Delivery Plus: SLO$360 for a private security escort from beginning to end including a security detail in all distribution centers it shall enter and a detail for when the delivery is dispatched. Tracking is forbidden with this service.
- Secured Delivery Express: SLO$120 for a private security escort only when it leaves the post office and only when out for delivery. Includes track-masking services to make it harder to track.
- Royal Secured Delivery: SLO$500 + a SLO$385 government fee for employing a law enforcement escort. Includes a full law enforcement detail from beginning to end, direct-to-courier delivery (skip all distribution centers) and GPS monitoring of all relevant vehicles and people. Tracking is forbidden with this service.
Confirmed Tracking
Recipient Verification
Postmaster General
The position of Postmaster General oversees the entirety of Imperial Mail and has the following powers:
- Hiring and firing of employees
- Managing internal regulations and policies on employees and service delivery
- Administrating the postcode system
- Managing mailbox provisioning and services
Appointed Postmaster Generals are typically current or former Imperial Mail employees and even current and former private postal employees. Economist majors have also been appointed. Appointments are for a maximum of five years with the ability to serve again after three years per the PSA.
History
| Name | Start year | End year | Term expires | Regime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallace Ferreira | January 1st, 2024 | Present | January 1st, 2029 | Conall Solis |
