Here's my take one it:

AFAIK the Consulate existed in its current size and form for hundreds of
years. Apparently the Zhodani see their current size as perfect, even
having a round shape. It is very isolationist and thus rarely deals with
outsiders. It also means it was the big bully in the Spinward Marches
playground centuries before the Imperium got there. It took what it
wanted from smaller worlds when it wanted, no questions asked. I imagine
it as the one big school bully who could kick you around at his whim.
You never understood him or his decisions but every now and then the
bully did something that seemed irrational to you. He punched you and
took what he wanted and then things went quiet again. And there's
nothing you or anyone can do.
For the non-aligned worlds in the Marches it must have been like living
next to a non-expansionist Third Reich.

Then the Imperium grew closer. After all it is an empire and as such has
to grow to prevent collapse by internal power struggles. The Marches
must see the Imperium as the new guy who is finally able to confront the
bully. The Imperium is also a very open society, welcoming new worlds
and lifestyles, so hey, we can be friends, right?! Many people in the
Marches will see the Imperium as a good guy and the Zhodani as the bad guys.
If you look beyond the tabloid news though, the lines will begin to
blurr. After all, the Consulate existed for hundreds of years and it
never threatened the autonomy of the Marches. The Imperium is an empire
and needs to grow. It eventually will want to absorb all worlds in the
Marches, and if we go by Julius Cesar ("First in a village rather than
second in Rome.") this should at least bother many of the ruling classes
in the Marches.

As for Zhodani in the Marches outside the Consulate..
before the arrival of the Imperium, only few would venture outside. And
why should you leave paradise? After the Imperium's arrival a few more
will have the leave the Consulate and embark on missions. Why? Because
the Consulate knows the Imperium (still being an empire) is looking at
Zhodani worlds with hungry eyes. It's technologically more advanced, has
a higher population and gross domestic product. So, what do you do when
a bigger bully comes to your playground. You give him a bloody nose to
make sure he understands the concept of "no easy picking" and looks
somewhere else. Repeat as required lest he forgets (Frontier Wars). In
order to give the Imperium a bloody nose the Zhodani need to prepare
their strikes or they will get caught by surprise. Hence, more Zhodani
agents in the Marches.

Psi helmets are mostly a waste of money, even in the Marches. Only the
Zhodani ruling class (say, the top 10%) are psionics and they probably
leave Paradise (eh....the Consulate) even less often than the average
Zhodani. So yes, on rare occasions (maybe rich worlds) you will find a
few psi-helmets but they are just as rare as the hazards of you being
molested by a psion. Or in terms of demand and supply: If you are not
regularly subject to psionics powers, or don't remember, or live to
tell, then why bother buying a helmet?

Am 04.07.2014 20:33, schrieb Timothy Collinson:
> Hi there
>
> As it's quiet...
>
> I was wondering about these questions if anyone has a view:
>
> - how prevalent would Zhodanis be in non-Imperial parts of the
> Spinward Marches (I'm specifically thinking of District 268 and
> margins) (I'm also thinking of in the year or two before the Fifth
> Frontier War)
> - common, rare?
> - what would independent world attitude (in general) be to them?
> Fearful?  Curious?  Accepting?
> - if Zhos are not very very rare, would psi-helmets be easily available?
>
> I can't find a great deal written about this, so am happy to do my own
> thing, but I just thought I'd ask if either I'd missed something or
> whether there was a consensus on what the state of affairs might be.
>
> Cheers
> tc
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