Jaq

The Jaq, better known to Human settlers as Flap-jacks, are a sapient spacefaring species from the desert planet Jaq.

Biology
Like the nickname "Flap-jack" indicates, the Jaq are flattened ray-like creatures which glide swiftly over the desert sands and have a number of grasping fringe-tentacles to manipulate objects. Despite the absence of a rigid endoskeleton, they are surprisingly strong.

Jaq come in a variety of castes. The ones known as rangerforms are bred as trackers with limited intelligence. They are about a yard in diameter, 3 inches (7.62 cm) thick at the center, and weigh over 100 pounds (~ 45.3 kg). The members of the ruling caste are twice as large and far more intelligent. Another caste is known as skirmishforms, regarded as expendable war troops by their leaders.

Jaq feed on lichens which grow on desert sand, and drink a type of wine that is also made from lichens. Their biochemistry is sufficiently Human-like to allow Humans to enjoy their cuisine. They have a pair of sensitive orifices on the underside of their bodies which constitute a weak spot.

Culture and society
The Jaq view themselves as "sportsmen" and have a high regard for combat. Even war is viewed as nothing more than a sport to them. This results in a strange situation in which Jaq leaders can be very amicable towards their opponents while still waging war against them.

Jaq wage ware strictly through artillery and aerial combat, but refrain from atomic weapons as the latter has proven to be quite "boring". Jaq prefer to inhabit deserts where they can till and raise lichen for their food and wine.

History
When Humans began settling on the planet Adobe after erroneously categorizing it as uninhabited, they soon found the Jaq, who began fighting the Human settlers over the oases of the expansive desert world. To prevent the settlers from exacerbating the situation, the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne (CDT) dispatched Jame Retief to negotiate a treaty. If failing that then Retief was authorized to evict the Human trespassers.

Retief took a ship to Adobe though the pilot was unwilling to land on the surface under the threat of getting caught up in a potential war situation, so he was forced to take a dropship to land on the planet. While descending the dropship was hit by missiles. Retief survived the crash and met up with the colonists who informed the agent that the Jaq or "flap-jacks" were not native to the planet but just a species that arrived from another world seeking to push humanity off Adobe.

This new information on hand, Retief sought to negotiate with the Jaq after capturing a scout and forcing it to take him to their leader. At the Jaq base camp he met the commander, 'Hoshick of the Mosaic of the Two Dawns. The commander welcomed the Human and offered him to dine with him. There at the dinner table, Retief learned that the Jaq had arrived on the planet and originally assumed the Humans were a native lifeform, but after seeing that they were sapient decided that they would make worthy adversaries and so pursued to challenge the colonists. Said challenge was to engage in warfare, which to their culture was seen as a form of friendly sportsmanship. Retief proposed to 'Hoshick that their competition should do away with weapons but instead engage in physical skirmishes as he reasoned using weapons on each other would be akin to dealing with vermin. 'Hoshick was convinced to settle ownership of the planet by having him wrestle Retief for it. 'Hoshick later lost the tussle against the Human and would agree to pull his forces, disappointed that he would not be able to found his own Mosaic in the sand of Adobe.

Retief, now understanding that all the Jaq wanted were the deserts and not the oases, then offered the Jaq to share the colony and even proposed a new form of sport, competitive farming between the Jaq and the colonists.

Appearances

 * "Retief of the Red-Tape Mountain", by Keith Laumer (1962)
 * "Dam Nuisance", by Keith Laumer (1966)
 * Retief (1987) Issue 002