From memory, it is very nearly possible for J6 ships to cross the Rift directly from the Regency to very near Strephon's old territory. I think it only needs about one or two calibration points to fill the gaps.
Given that Regency Sourcebook suggests that the Regency was fighting Vampire fleets trying to cross the Rift that way, it is quite conceivable that the odd patrol might have been sent out to see if anything was coming.
When I was mucking about with RSB, I considered running a game based on a covert Regency expedition aimed at building a bridgehead on the other side of the Rift. One of the subordinate goals of this expedition would have been to see what had happened to Strephon.
What I am suggesting, then, is that it is at least conceivable that the Regency might have encountered whatever was left of Strephon's faction fairly early on. This contact might well have been initially covert, with only the expansion out into Corridor being publically admitted.
Just a thought.
But what I really want to know is: what happened to the Vargr? There is a hint in RSB that some Vargr societies may have been relatively successful in adapting to the presence of Virus. I think this could be quite interesting.
My personal take on this was that Virus would have infected at least some Utovogh entertainment systems. This could have resulted in AIs that looked like charismatic Vargr, sounded like charismatic Vargr, and smelt like charismatic Vargr. In time, some of them might have become socialised to act like charismatic Vargr.
This allows you to create AIs that do interesting things like thinking that they are well-known Vargr figures like Oekhsos, or Brzk. This adequately deals with the requirement that all Viruses are in some sense mad: after all, what do you call a computer that thinks it's a dead dog?
And of course, then you have AIs that start forming packs, and so on...
Oh yes, and then there is Sabmiqys!
What fun! I'm jealous that I'm not going to be writing all this wonderful silliness.
Alan Bradley