Salusa Secundus/DE

Salusa Secundus is a planet of grim ecological and social conditions mostly famous for being the originator of House Corrino and for serving as the imperial prison.

The planet suffers from both a rigorous climate and marginal natural resources. The temperature ranges between -45° and 60°C.

Its planetary name clearly implies that, like Giedi Prime and Arrakis, Salusa Secundus was named after a star. Secundus (Latin for "second") is a term sometimes used with the lesser of the two components of a binary star. One would expect a "Salusa Prime" somewhere.

Flora
This combined with the infertility of the soil favor a jungle ecology. Gigantic plant growth make efficient use of what nutrients are available, returning little to the soil as waste.

After clearing the ground, the soil was poor and soon depleted. Only the hardiest crops survived the scorching summers.

Fauna
The ganja, a partially domesticated form of buffalo, supplied meat and skins.

Resources
The chief ore was iron, in limited quantities. Iron lodes were one of the reasons of the warring tribes. Smelters and foundries were special prizes because they provided the weapons needed for war. A tribe that controlled enough pasture for its herds and a reliable source of iron was self-sufficient.

Population
The population of the planet was always small. The native population were the Sardau until they left the planet and expanded. At the time of the Battle of Corrin, the population probably did not exceed 5 million.

It was divided in tribes who waged perpetual war over iron lodes and the scanty pasture land. Smelters and foundries were special prizes because they provided the weapons needed for war. A tribe that controlled enough pasture for its herds and a reliable source of iron was self-sufficient.

While the Zensunni dwelt there, a language spoken on the planet was Tamashek which could have been the original language of the Sardau.

History
The ruthless natural selection of Salusa Secundus bred the Sardau tribe who came to dominate first their planet and later the inhabited worlds of the Imperium. The grim conditions forged their military prowess; the Sardaukar were master swordsmen and deadly unarmed combatants, comparable respectively to Ginaz tenth-level fencers and Bene Gesserit adepts.

In 388 AG usurper Saudir III designated the planet as a prison colony in order to deal with the captives of the recent Lishash Confederation. In 390 AG Wallach I decided to use it as an experimental laboratory.

Knowing that the prisoners would not survive if exposed to the depredations of the native tribes, he provided them with training in the most ruthless fighting techniques and weapons while shielded by Sardaukar troops (who were later withdrawn). This technique begun the use of the planet as the training center of the Sardaukar.

The descendants of the prisoners admired rather than hated the Sardaukar who had protected them. And when the colonists were given the opportunity to join them and thus leave Salusa Secundus forever, the choice was easily made.

In 4495 AG Hanin Dart Famun became siridar of the planet.

Half the Zensunni of Poritrin were forced to migrate to Salusa Secundus in 4492 AG They were to be slaves on this planet for nine generations until 5295 AG, when they went to Ishia.

Salusa Secundus and Dune were in fact analogous: as Salusa Secundus was to the Saudaukar and House Corrino; so Dune, to the Fremen of the Jihad and House Atreides.

In 5295 AG, Ezhar VII released them, and the Zensunni were allowed to emigrate to Ishia.

Thufir Hawat asked the question, "Were there people on Salusa Secundus before the Emperor sent his first contingent of prisoners there? Even the Leto I Atreides, a cousin on the distaff side, never knew for sure." He was but trying to lead the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen into drawing the proper conclusions about the role this planet had played in Galactic history and understanding how badly the baron had erred in his interview with Hasimir Fenring two years before.

Under Shaddam IV
In 10193 AG, Paul Atreides wrested the Imperial Throne from House Corrino. Before taking the throne, Paul promised Shaddam IV that he would keep a throne on Salusa Secundus, and that the planet would be transformed into a pleasant and beautiful world. This move was outwardly to show that he maintained respect for Shaddam, but in truth the move was to rob the deposed Emperor of the training grounds for his Sardaukar.

Shaddam IV then went into retirement, ruling over Salusa Secundus with the majority of his Household in accompaniment. From his deposed home, Shaddam witnessed the birth of his grandchild, Farad'n Corrino; sired by Dalak Fenring, whose mother was Wensicia Corrino. It was also from the planet that Shaddam continually tried to encourage Count Hasimir Fenring to re-join him, so that together they could wrest the Imperium back to House Corrino.

After the aborted attempt on Paul's life on Arrakis, by Hasimir's daughter, Marie Fenring, who was killed by Alia Atreides; and the subsequent second attempt on his life by the Count himself; Hasimir and his wife, Margot Fenring, were exiled permanently to Salusa Secundus.

Name
Salusa appears to be a Latin noun. There is a Latin noun salus, meaning "healthful"-but is a feminine noun of another declension.

The constellation Aries was known among the Jews as Shalish (variant Shalisha), the name of some sort of musical instrument. Herbert was aware of this, for the planet Chusuk is said to circle Theta Shalish.

Gamma Arietis is a binary star. If this can be taken to be (Gamma) Shalisha Secundus, then we possibly have our namesake for Salusa Secundus.

One may also note that Herbert makes reference to the "golden light" of Salusa Secundus. This is, at least, not in contradiction to the spectral type of Gamma Piscium.

Contradictions
Salusa secundus is sometimes described as a Jungle Planet, at last once as a desert planet and a third time as cold and covered by great steppes.While a Planet may have extreme conditions and various climate zones which can include jungles as well as steppes and deserts,extreme hot and cold zones designations such as "Jungle Planet" or "Desert world" are at best misleading and inaccurate.