Human Intelligence

Nova Refuge: Human Intelligence is a short vignette written by Maegan A. Stebbins featuring a male Wrognoth character named Jakûl and serves as the debut of the species. The story was posted online on the SSLF on January 22, 2017 and on Maegan's personal website MaverickWerewolf.com on the same day.

Maegan has said that "This is pretty much a little vignette I wrote in about 40 minutes on a whim, over my Christmas break. It features a Wrognoth character, though, so go check it out if you want a glimpse of the Wrognoth species in Nova Refuge."

Plot
In a shoddy corner of the space station Ymir VI, which orbits a planet in a fringe system still being mapped out by Xarkon, a poor bartender tends to seven patrons, all of them workers. The workers are bothered by the presence of a wolf-man alien sitting in the back of the bar and asks the bartender what it is. The bartender asks the patrons to just ignore.

The lead worker, who has seen the alien around the station talking to one of the Xarkon commanders, notes that he seems to be paid a lot more than him and his patrons and says that they should teach it a lesson. The bartender, both fearing the alien and fearing trouble, asks them not to, claiming that they wouldn't be able to do much to it anyway, judging by the alien's size. Ignoring the bartender's pleads, the lead worker approaches the wolf-man with the rest of his gang. The wolf-man them to back off, prompting them to laugh as the lead worker points out that they outnumber the wolf-man seven to one, however the wolf man he predicts two will run out of fear. The workers laugh again, however most of them forcibly.

The wolf-man rises to his feet, and the workers stop laughing. Swallowing his fear, the lead worker claims that the wolf-man can't touch his gang in the bar, and then dares him to pick up his rifle. When the wolf-man replies that he wont need to, the lead worker charges, fists swinging, and with a sudden motion, the wolf-man hit him so hard in the jaw that he flies across the room, slamming into a table.

Three more workers rush in at once, the wolf-man effortlessly slinging the first across the room. The second tries to attack the alien's groin, only to be caught by him at the leg and having it snapped at the knee with a simple twist. The last one goes for the alien's back and wraps his arms around his neck.

The bartender witness claws springing from the alien's fingertips like daggers, and the wolf-man sinking them into the attacker on his back and throwing him off. The remaining workers hesitate, standing their ground, and only then does the bartender realize that the wolf-man has barely moved for the entirety of the fight.

The wolf-man looks around at the other workers. His tail gives a single twitch, his fur bristles, and he raises his hackles as he peels back his lips, revealing huge, sharp teeth, designed to rend flesh. A guttural growl sounds low in the wolf-man's throat, so loud the bartender feels it vibrating in his own chest as it seems to shake the room, sending the last three workers running in fright.

The bartender looks around wide-eyed, at the four workers lying where they'd landed, stunned, some bleeding. Those still conscious are too scared to move with the alien present. Picking up his assault rifle and slinging it over his back, the wolf-man runs checks the pistol at his hip. He then approaches the bar, putting a crown chip on the counter in front of the bartender and comments that he underestimated Human intelligence, as three, rather than two, ran away. The bartender is unable to speak, and in response the wolf-man slides the crown chip closer to him and says to use the money to clean up the mess before turning to leave. Finally the bartender finds his voice and asks what he is. The wolf-man glances over his shoulder, but then gives a short chuckle and tells the bartender that his name is Jakûl and that he is a member of the Wrognoth species, before turning and striding out.

Characters

 * Bartender on Ymir VI
 * Jakûl