where is the proof of significant local interstellar polities in the area of the 2nd imperium before about -100?
Sadly, most of it's in T4, in M:0 specifically, but there's quite a bit scattered about in MT era publications like DGP's Traveller Digest and GDW's own Challenge. Some of the DGP stuff found it's way into various GDW's MT products naturally. IIRC, the snippet about Martin II building his palace with an eye towards defense against jump troops appears in both DGP and GDW products.
During the MT period GDW, DGP, and others added quite a bit to our knowledge of the "late" Long Night era. We know that the Sylean Federation and early 3I had two major enemies, the Chanestin (sp) Kingdom and another polity whose name escapes me at the moment. A few other examples include the Old Earth Union which appears as early as CT's Solomani AM, the Turin Confederation which appears in MT, a fanatically genocidal anti-Vargr HMR empire which appears in Challenge articles about the Julian Protectorate, and a successor state around Vland whose acceptance of his offer of Imperial membership gave Cleon a huge PR boost. All of these polities were larger than subsectors and, in the case of the Chanestins and Unknowns, had to be be quite sizeable indeed if they were serious opponents for the late Federation/early Imperium.
Some of this information has been recycled in post-T4 versions too. For example, GT:RoF repeats the earlier information regarding the Old Earth Union and Pulver's new Solomani book for MgT does the same regarding the Turin Confederation.
The Third Imperium didn't expand into a howling wilderness no matter what it's own hagiography might claim.
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