Vortis

Vortis was a planet in the Isop Galaxy, which was home to various native insectoid species, including the Menoptera, the Optera, the Zarbi and the larvae guns.

History
Early in the history of Vortis, the Zarbi, led by a queen, fought a war against the Menoptera, forcing them to flee to the moons. An advance scouting party was sent to spy on the Zarbi, where they were attacked by a group of Atlanteans who had crash-landed there. Soon afterwards, the Menoptera discovered and captured the Doctor, who was making his first visit to Vortis. The Doctor escaped and encountered the Atlanteans, who took him to their ship, having assumed that he was one of them. The Atlanteans escorted the Doctor back to his TARDIS, where a battle between the Zarbi and the Menoptera was being waged nearby. From the TARDIS, the Doctor watched as the Atlanteans were cornered and killed by the natives of Vortis. (DWA: The Lost Ones)


 * Presumably, peace was eventually made between the Zarbi and the Menoptera.

A long time afterwards, the native species of Vortis lived in harmony in the flower forests that covered the world. When the malevolent Animus invaded, the planet changed into a world with a thin atmosphere, low oxygen, natural crag-like rock formations and pools of acid. Most of the Menoptera fled to Pictos, while the few that stayed behind evolved into Optera. It was in this situation that the Doctor returned, bringing with him Ian, Barbara and Vicki. After aiding the Menoptera in destroying the Animus, the Doctor hoped that Vortis could once more regain its verdant beauty. (DW: The Web Planet)

The next time Vortis was visited by the Doctor, he discovered that the planet had been engineered by the Zarbi Supremo to travel through space and was near the orbit of Jupiter. He confronted the Zarbi Supremo with the aid of Gordon Hamilton and returned control of the planet to the Menoptera. (DWA: The Lair of Zarbi Supremo)


 * This was actually, from the Doctor's perspective, his second visit to Vortis, which took place out of sequence with the planet's actual history.

Generations later, the Skirkons came to Vortis, took control of the Zarbi and forced captured Menoptera to mine for Galvinium X until they were once more saved by the Doctor, this time with assistance from his grandchildren, John and Gillian. (TVC: On the Web Planet)

Many years later, Vortis drifted into the neighboring Rhumos system and became disputed territory for the Rhumons, who were in the midst of a civil war. During this time the Animus returned, having not been completely destroyed, a seed of it surviving. With the help of the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria, the Animus was destroyed again and Vortis eventually was left to regain its beauty. The Rhumons declared Vortis neutral territory and hoped the other Rhumons would learn of this, ending the war and bringing the Rhumos system to peace. (MA: Twilight of the Gods)

The Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith visited Vortis, where he saved the Menoptera from Clynex (who was attracting them to their deaths) by shattering it with his sonic screwdriver. (DWM: The Naked Flame)

The Doctor and Nyssa visited Vortis, where he once again helped the Menoptera deal with the Zarbi. (BFA: Return to the Web Planet)