Now I’m wondering how frequently someone would have a coadjutor without being a member of the Transcend. I could see that being an intermediary step for an immigrant who was quite happy with living in the Empire and becoming an Imperial, but still had some reservations about the whole ‘soul-shard’ bit.
Although I suspect that occurred far more often in the early days of the Transcend, where those with a lower risk appetite might have been happy to take their time and see how their neighbours adjusted before leaping in themselves.