variation of the Comda more properly known as the Arena, since their sole purpose was to provide the spectators with a bloody spectacle usually, the combat was between an armed (though unshielded) man and some particularly dangerous example of the local fauna or else the combat was between two human participants, either because they were professionals, or because they had a grudge to settle The many variations and the incredible history of the Arena cannot be done justice in the short space available here Further references ATRLIDLS DUKE LETO i H M Vis kau Morituri Te Salutamus A History of the Arena through tour Empires (Caladan INS Books) CORRIM, THE BATTLE OF (88 B G ) The historical space battle which resulted in the ascendancy of House Cornno to the Imperial Throne, where it remained for some ten thousand years The battle was fought on day 97 standard of 88 B G in the Cornn quasi-nebula and lasted two hours Count Sheuset Ecevit (who would become Emperor Sheuset Comno I adopting as the family name a derivative of the site of his victory), looking for a decisive military victo ry to ensure the position of his liou>e, had planned on a surface battle against his foes- the other important houses of the Landsraad Sheuset's greatest military strength was his Sardaukar a peerless fighting force which had never been bested in a land battle He had assembled his fleet for the occupation of the rich agricultural planet Glarus But due to the treachery of, it is believed, Bashar Abulurd Harkonnen, the Landsraad High Council learned of Sheuset's plan and were waiting in ambush between the planets Salusa Secundus and Glarus, the Landsraad pre ferred to take their chances in a space battle against the Sardaukar then meet them on the ground However, Sheuset's intelligence was as good as the High Council's (likely his early dealings with drug traders paid off here in invaluable information) and he was pre pared for the Landsraad forces Having transferred his Sardaukar troops to combat ships, he surprised his ambushers by plunging directly into their hiding place The battle itself was the longest of all known space battles The chief reason for 169 CORRINO ANURIL this improbable duration was the nature of the battle region The Comn quasi nebula is a result of the collision of a very large planetoid with the substellar companion of Sigma Draconis, and was named for the nearby planet Comn The collision, which may have been caused by an illicit mining and smelting operation, occurred in histori cat tunes (circa 250 B G ) The resulting debns, comprising dust and hot gases as well as solid bodies, filled the Sigma Draconis system It was still in a highly agitated state at the time of the battle The engaged fleets, were restricted to low velocities, their maneuvers were often influenced more by the environment than by tactical considerations Torpedos were similarly affected Shields became unreliable, but lasguns did not therefore become more