Brackish Okun

Dr. **Brackish Okun** was the director of research at Area 51.

## Biography

### Background

The son of Saylene Okun, Brackish graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Ph.D. in astrophysics. In 1972, following his graduation, Okun was immediately recruited by the military, and due to the top-secret nature of his work, has been isolated at Area 51 for his entire life. However, Okun was devoted in learning about the alien technology from the captured spacecraft recovered from the Roswell incident. Okun also strikes up a relationship with his colleague and later life partner Dr. Milton Isaacs.

Within two years, Okun became the director of Area 51, succeeding Dr. Immanuel Wells. In 1994, he developed the LXR-73, a prototype laser weapon, which, however, caused a meltdown in a section of the facility.

### War of 1996

During the War of 1996, Okun was surprised and excited that the spacecraft reactivated due to the arrival of the aliens. He later greeted the arrival of President Thomas Whitmore and his entourage, and became their guide through Area 51, explaining to them of what he and his staff known so far about the aliens. Whitmore then assigned David Levinson to help Okun and his research team.

When an alien was captured and brought to Area 51, Okun volunteered to lead the autopsy on the prisoner. However, the alien regained consciousness and controlled Okun's mind before attacking the scientists attending the autopsy. The alien used Okun as its mouthpiece to communicate his human handlers including Whitmore until it was killed by the President's security detail. Because of the alien's mind control, Okun was rendered into a catatonic state. Okun would remain in a coma for twenty years following the incident in the Marilyn Whitmore Hospital inside Area 51. His partner Milton devotedly kept him company for all these years, and bringing flowers to his ward.

### War of 2016

In July 2016, Okun suddenly and inexplicably awakened from his coma. He later discovered that, having been telepathically linked to the aliens, he has now become part of the hive mind, and begins having visions of a second strike by the aliens. Much like how the spacecraft was reactivated upon the aliens' re-approach, the aliens' return has caused him to wake up from his coma with no apparent brain damage. He starts drawing out the visions he sees until his entire hospital room is covered in drawings. Thomas Whitmore, who also suffered a telepathic attack from the aliens, also has these visions due to the hive mind.

A spherical ship emerges from a wormhole near the ESD's Moon defense headquarters. Levinson was convinced that it belongs to a different extraterrestrial race that is benevolent and urges the world's governments not to attack, but they vote to shoot it down regardless. The container from the ship is analyzed and brought to Area 51. Okun uses some of his old experimental plasma technology to open the container and releases a giant white sphere of artificial intelligence, with which he is able to successfully communicate. The Sphere explains its mission: to evacuate survivors from worlds targeted by the aliens, dubbed the "harvesters," and build a resistance force, one already greatly feared by the aliens.

Upon learning this information, Okun and Levinson devised a plan to kill the Harvester Queen and ending the invasion by luring her into a trap by using the Sphere's frequency as a decoy. He and along with Dr. Isaacs stayed with guarding the Sphere. While the operation was underway, Okun continued his discussion with Sphere. The operation turned awry as the alien Queen survived the trap and directly attacked Area 51. Harvester soldiers broke into the Sphere's isolation chamber and killed Dr. Isaacs. Enraged by the loss of his lover, Okun fought alongside Dikembe Umbutu and Floyd Rosenberg in defending the Sphere until the Harvester Queen is successfully killed.

After the remaining alien forces retreated from Earth, Okun reveals to the ESD that the Sphere has asked humanity to lead its resistance, and offered them new technology in preparation for an assault on the Harvesters' home world.