Twirler

"Twirlers" is the nickname given to a sapient, technologically advanced species from Epsilon Indi which must wear protective suits to survive in Earth's atmosphere. They are radially symmetrical beings resembling a short terrestrial starfish with twelve limbs: six arms alternating with six jointed arm-tentacles, each bifurcated at the tip. Each leg also has two eyes, one on the top of the other, with lids that blink vertically. They have access to hyperspace drive technology.

History
In the past, the Twirler homeworld has been brutally attacked by the Tosoks, who intended to exterminate all the other races in the galaxy. Two entire continents were destroyed but the Twirlers retaliated with full force, resulting in a long and bloody war between the two species. The Twirlers won, thanks to help from other allies whose worlds had also been attacked. Following the war, the three governments created an interplanetary organization akin to the United Nations of Earth, whose first act was to organize a trial for the remaining members of the Tosok species. The sentence hasn't been revealed yet.

Appearances

 * Illegal Alien, by Robert J. Sawyer (1997)