Liam Devlin[i said:
"]Keeping the savages beyond the border at bay"[/i]... Question for you then, Mssr Gypsy Comet--The difference betwen "allies" & "allied Client States" is what?
Allies are more likely to be ideologically distinct and have existed before a relationship was undertaken with either the Imperium or the Consulate.
Client States are more likely to have been started with the aid, or at least the blessing, of the larger Patron State, are morely likely to share a good chunk of the ideology of the Patron State, and probably depend, to some extent, on that relationship for some element of defence.
The Darrians are Imperial allies, as the Sword Worlds usually fall out as Consulate allies. Both are quite distinct, existed before the relationship, and need no help for security of their borders unless the opposing empire is involved. I would not class either as "Client States".
The Avelar Consulate in Foreven, as well as a number of individual worlds in Foreven, District 268, and nearby space, are more correctly Client States of either the Imperium or the Consulate. While most existed in some form prior to forming that relationship, most are also ideologically close to their patron state and are, with the likely exception of the Avelar, dependent on the Patron State for border maintenance.
Supposing there is an anti-Imperial bunch of aliens who have their own agenda in expansionistic ideas, and advance these through warfare & such (your 'savages' per se). Now as a Psionic using race, with the ability to manipulate minds with ideas and such, and the good sense of long-term policy looking at thwarting Imperial foreign policy & expansion out of the Marches, would you think the Zhodani clever enough to manipulate affairs to their advantage, and allow said 'savages' to knock off several wishy-washy troublesome Non-aligned worlds to establish them as a veritable "allied state"--not a true Cs in order to have their assets available to block Imperial aligned commerce raiders/ and remove worlds from possible Imperial Client Status achievement--Especially if there were also diplomatic and trade gains to be made by inviting said savages into position there?
metaphorically speaking, if your enemy has invited wolves in to his far pasture, but domesticates them to attack you; and another pack of wolves shows up on your doorstep, do you as a Zhodani manipulate the wolves to eat the sheep between your enemy and yourself, knowing at any time you can crush them yourself with ease?
Your thoughts sir?
This will vary with the specific border, politics at home, among the enemy, and amongst the "wolves". Obviously it will vary over time as well. The Imperium is content to establish its borders through direct conflict, and rarely indulges in the establishment or engagement of buffer states unless they are already present and initiate the relationship.
The Consulate, on the other hand, is done expanding and knows it. As such, the desire to pacify the areas beyond their borders are not "until we get around to conquering it" but a longer term desire to stabilize their own border issues. As such, if someone else wants to "own" a few systems beyond the Consulate, be good neighbors, and provide stability to that piece of the Consulate border just by proximity, so much the better. This is most obvious along the Consulate's Trailing and Rimward borders, as the Zhodani create and/or support buffer states between themselves and the howling wilderness of the Beyond (to rimward) and the teeming chaos of Vargr space to trailing. That the scattered states of Far Frontiers and Yiklerzdanzh are NOT quiet and secure is annoying to them, but both sectors have established balances of power that keep most open hostility from the Consulate border.
