Vortis

This page chronicles stories involving the planet **Vortis** and associated species in the order in which they experienced them. Therefore the following timeline should not be seen as an accurate reading/listening order as some stories may have framing devices which take place later in the timeline of the species.

Most BBC licensed Doctor Who content is counted on this timeline, including but not limited to the TV series itself, Big Finish Productions, BBC Books and Virgin Books material. However intentionally parodic content such as the Dr Men books, various Titan Comics backups and Doctor Whoah! should not be added to this particular chronology. Likewise fanfiction and charity publications will also be avoided.

## Key

* **TV**: Television story
* **WC**: Online video story
* **AUDIO**: Audio drama, short story, or novel
* **COMIC**: Comic story
* **NOVEL**: Novel
* **NOVELLA**: Novella
* **SHORT**: Short written story
* **FEATURE**: A feature or featurette which doesn't explicitly tell a story

## Timeline

* SHORT: *The Lost Ones*

Set during the days of a great Atlantean Empire on Earth. The Zarbi and Menoptera are enemies and have often been at war in the recent past, setting this early in their timeline. The First Doctor visits the planet for the first time and saves the Menoptera from the Atlanteans, who had travelled to the planet. The Doctor quietly speculates as to what power must be controlling them, suggesting that the Animus may already be controlling them, or else some other entity.

* TV: *The Web Planet*

The Zarbi have been taken over by the Animus, but have been at peace with the Menoptera for a long time until this point. Most Menoptera had fled to the Moon Pictos to evade the threat. The Menoptera who remained evolved into the Optera. The Animus is eventually defeated by the Doctor and his companions Barbara, Ian and Vicki.

* COMIC: *Unnatural Selection*

Set in 1868. A tendril of the Animus is brought to Earth by Adam Mitchell and regains some of its strength trying to conquer Earth with an army of Zarbi, until Ian Chesterton crushes the Animus with a train and the Doctor returns the Zarbi to Vortis via a portal.

* COMIC: *On the Web Planet*

The First Doctor visits the planet with his grandchildren, John and Gillian. The planet has been invaded by the Skirkons, who control the Zarbi and have made flying Zarbi suits. They are defeated by the Doctor and co and the Zarbi and Menoptera pledge to work together in future.

* SHORT: *The Lair of the Zarbi Supremo*

Probably set in the latter half of the 20th century The Zarbi and Menoptera had long been at peace and even collaborating, complimenting each other's skills. Since then, however, the Zarbi had evolved and were now ruled by a more intelligent and power-lusting Zarbi Supremo and were at war with the Menoptera. It had also got the Zarbis constructing great engineering feats, including the ability to propel the planet from the Isop Galaxy to Earth's Solar System, which it intended to invade, before it was stopped by the First Doctor. The Menoptera talk of legends which refert to the Doctor and his ship.

## Footnotes

1. ↑ The things were space-ships of the archair torpedo shape.
2. ↑ He turned to the boy. "You said they were space-ships, my boy. How did you know that?"
"They couldn't very well be anything else, could they?" and the boy gave a youthful grin. "They're like the rockets they used on Earth in the first half of the century. They must travel by chemical explosions."