Jaq

The Jaq are a species encountered on the planet Adobe.

Biology
The Jaq are a ray-like series with muscles that three inches thick at the center. They scrabble on the ground with prehensile fringe-tentacles though are capable of lifting themselves upright.

Keith Laumer. Envoy to New Worlds (Kindle Locations 446-448). Kindle Edition.

History
When humans began settling on Adobe after erroneously categorizing it world 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 for exacerbating the situation, the Corps Diplomatique Terra (CDT) dispatched James Retief to negotiate a treaty. If sailing that then James was authorized to evict the human trespassers.

James 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. James 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, James 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, James learned that the Jaq had arrived on the planet and originally assumed the humans were a native lifeform, but after seeing that they were sentient 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. James though 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 James 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.

James 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.

Culture
The Jaq while not necessarily hostile are a very competitive species who consider themselves to be sportsmen. Their forms of sport being war which they consider as an entertaining game and engage with any species that they respect. Jaq wage ware strictly through artillery and aerial combat, but refrain from atomic weapons as the latter proves to be quite boring. Jaq prefer to inhabit deserts where they can till and raise lichen for their food and wine.