An
alien race from
David Brin's
Uplift sci-fi series of novels. The G'kek are, interestingly enough, a naturally wheeled race. They are composed of a small central, torso-like segment from which four prehensile eye-stalks emerge. Two large wheels also protrude from the sides of the torso/brain-case. The wheels are similar to the wheels of human civilisation, utilising the common design of axles. The wheels are magnetically driven, by magnets located inside the torso of the G'kek.
G'keks are capable of high speeds on flat surfaces, but on the uneven surface of a planet such as Jijo, the wheeled design is a major liability. For this reason, since their Uplift, G'keks have inhabited space habitats specifically designed for their species. These are often in the well-known 'ring' or 'O' shape, with flat inner surface on the edges, and a number of flexible threads criss-crossing the habitat. The G'keks use these thin threads for transport, wheeling rapidly along them in the comfort of zero-gravity to wherever their destination may be. The transit threads are 'intelligent'; that is, their path can be changed by the G'kek who is using them. By a system of automatic decoupling and recoupling from various anchor points on the surface of the habitat, a thread could be repositioned so that it runs in a straight line to the destination, making the shortest possible trip; or could bend and refract at many different tangents, so that the G'kek can take as outlandish (and dangerous) route as er wishes.
G'keks reproduce in a fashion similar to many oxygen-breathing animals, using a combination of male and female gametes. The G'kek young is released from the mother parent's body when it is extremely small, and both mother and father look after the child until well into its physical adulthood.
The G'kek were Uplifted by the Drooli. They have no clients of their own, and all starfaring G'keks are now extinct, thanks to the efforts of the fanatical Jophur. The only remnants of the G'kek race reside on Jijo, in isolated Galaxy Four.