Montark Debris Fields
Once known as the massive rogue gas giant of Montark, a catastrophic collision in early M37 with the Starbone Spacehulk and subsequent warp tear of its translation both in and out of real space had resulted in its destruction. Now its remains and few surviving moons sit in a gravity well, drawing all manner of interstellar garbage and astral debris to the field.
Ecosystem
The two remaining moons and scattered debris remain constantly dimly lit by the surrounding stars, the visible Seelen Rift, and reflective qualities of the gasses surrounding the debris field or artificial light produced by residents. This has lead to little life outside of the orkoid ecosystem. Likewise it is due to the nature of the orkoid biological processes that through pollution and their own unique characteristics of self replicating ecosystems, both moons have been made breathable in the most technical of terms and global warming effect producing sustainable temperatures for habitation. It is also theorized that due to the nature of gravity fluctuations in the Montark Debris field and ork engineering that both moons have much heavier gravity than what would be typical of their size.
Outside of the two moons most debris is believed to hold self contained micro ecosystems but at much colder than what is found on the moons. If they are not inhabited by orks however, life tends to be significantly smaller and contained. However, xenos fauna that can appear in typical space hulks has been noted in several of the floating wrecks and derelicts. It should also be noted that there is evidence of some void borne megafauna that lurks in the outer edge of the debris field with destruction of at least two explorator probes and observed Ork behavior of avoiding the region.
History
Prior to the cataclysm that saw to the creation of the debris field, Montark was a gas giant of an estimated 126,000 kilometer diameter with approximately seven known moons. The site of several colonization efforts by the Imperium. Its distance from the sub-sectors more traveled trade lanes combined with the less stable warp currents due to its proximity with the Seelen Rift saw most of those attempts fail either due to civil unrest, natural disaster, or simply guttering out due to neglect.
The act of its destruction is not widely recorded as the sudden translation of the Starbone Spacehulk and near instantaneous rupturing of Montark lead to virtually no time to send out a distress call by the few remaining colonists that were present at M37. The only indication of the event came in the astropathic scream 50 years after the fact that ripped its way through the sub-sector. Most Mechanicus Explorators estimate that while the space hulk is notably smaller, its form had some ad-hoc void shield protection at the time and its translation into real space actually occured in Montark's atmosphere. such a sudden and violent entry caused the gas giant to destabilize and the planets gravity quickly tore itself apart. Due to the Starbone's proximity and violent death of Montark, the Seelen Battle Fleet imposed a moratorium and blockade of all travel to the area. Isolating the site until it had been confirmed that the Starbone had reentered the Immaterium.
After it was permitted to enter the site some 500 years later, Hephaestus Synod explorators noted that the only surviving astral bodies within the new debris field were two of the moons. It was further reported that both imperial and xenos wrecks had somehow begun to appear among the debris. It was hypothesized to be either blockade runners attempting to exploit the space hulk or parts of the Starbone that had dislodged from the main body. Later reports however found that new wrecks and material were indeed being drawn to the site and some postulate that the debris field is in fact the early stages of a newly forming spacehulk. This is corroborated with the gravity well seemingly created by the space hulks intrusion into and out of real space.
The site has become more difficult to travel too in recent times with an Ork fleet accidentally translating there in the late M39s and establishing a sizable presence in the area. It is widely assumed now that to go to the debris field is to court disaster and a quick, bloody death at the hands of savage Orks.
(Ork produced map recovered and archived in 938.M41. Produced by a "Mek Dagguz" It is the latest mapping of the debris field and the first reference to "Bad Mek Stank Eye" as he is listed in controlling the whole debris field as indicated in the glyphs in the upper left.)
