Scorched Detection System

The Scorched Detection System, SDS, or "Operation Cooldown" is an incomplete early warning system developed by the Free States against the Scorched using detectors placed all over Appalachia to pick up their radiation signature.

Background
Although the Free States had heard stories about the Scorched threat, they did not know what to make of it. When a Scorched horde attacked Harpers Ferry they initially held out. Not long afterward, the wounded from the attack succumbed to the Scorched Plague, which caused the Free States to retreat to their bunkers until they could learn more about the threat. To that end, they began working on the Scorched Detection System.

It was Ella Ames who discovered that the Scorched have a unique, albeit weak, radiation signature. With this development, Niraj Singh began to develop the idea of an early warning system. After some initial discussion about adding detectors to the surrounding regions (so that they would have advanced warnings for an upcoming attack), they reasoned that it would require a greater communications network than they could rig together. Instead, they surmised that they may have to use the existing relay towers in Appalachia for proper coordination. However, this would require construction of a communications uplink to pick up and send their own signals. While Niraj drew up plans, Edward Hayes put together a team to investigate the relay tower theory, which later turned out to be correct.

Eventually, Niraj created a working prototype, with his daughter Abigayle Singh helping figure out the final problems. With this success, Raleigh Clay began work on the networking programming. While Abbie was going over what had to be done with the communication, and began discussing a topic that was beyond what Raleigh could comprehend, she unintentionally got Raleigh to realize that he would need to get in contact with Sam Blackwell again, so they could get his access codes for a satellite connection, as Abigail lacked the ability to hack into the government satellite systems. Unbeknownst to them, the Senator was already deceased, as an Enclave assassin had murdered him in his office.

With a goal in mind, Niraj and Abbie began their work on the System. Although Abbie did not believe it would work right away, she grew to believe in it, and almost finished it. It was during this time that she showed her intelligence and competence to other Free States members.

Now that the plan was in place, they sent out scavengers to gather supplies and construct the large amount of detectors needed, among them Edward Hayes. With the data being run through their old headquarters at Harpers Ferry Armory, these supply, construction and maintenance missions would continue for him for some time. Due to the uplink's continual damage from the local wildlife, however, it required constant repair. It was after the death of Terry Lee that Niraj took a drastic step. He took an eyebot he found and modified it for automated maintenance purposes. Rover would continue its tasks.

It was around this time that the development of the system was delayed with their work on the Scorchbeast lures. After the fall of the Brotherhood of Steel on August 18, 2095, and their warning broadcast, Raleigh gathered Free States members to see what they could salvage from their old stomping ground, Camp Venture.

Around the same time, before March 6, 2096, a team was sent into the now former Brotherhood territory to gather intelligence. Over at least a ten-day period, the party went out and met a farmer hiding in a cave, who gave them the information on what "Defiance" was and the warning the message was transmitting. They gave him some rations and left, before eventually reaching Watoga. There, they decided to turn around and report back. On the way back, they were spotted by the Scorched. Knowing that they would soon would be overrun, the group decided to split up so that at least one would make it back with the information. Attempts were made by independent farmers to contact the Responders for help and information. With the reports and warnings coming in, Maria Chavez decided to send a runner to try to contact the Free States, specifically Abbie Singh for any information. No messages ever reached her.

Hank Madigan, a member of the Fire Breathers assisting the Free States with the scorchbeast lures, eventually earned the Free States' trust and helped them with the construction of the Scorched Detection System. He was given the only uplink they could make and made his way to the Top of the World to complete the network. There, he tried to connect the device to their system without them knowing. He also hoped he could negotiate with the raiders. He was captured and tortured for information, eventually dying in the cage they kept him in. They were planning to ransom the uplink technology back to them, only for them to learn soon afterward that most of the members of the Free States were dead.

They would only learn of Abigayle's abilities and possibility survival from the two defectors that managed to join their ranks. Eventually, Abbie made a program for Rose, whom she learned of from a garbled radio broadcast. Abbie was eager to help someone in the wasteland, but was initially apprehensive about crossing into raider territory to do so.

A year after the loss of Abbie's father (Niraj), she picked back up on his work to finish the Scorched Detection System, out of sadness and resolve. After some time, she realized that the chances of her completing the system alone were too low. As such, she spent much time on potential walkthoughs for anyone else to finish her work. She wrote code with multiple scenarios being recorded for almost every possibility.

Upon entering the bunker, the systems were programmed to recognize anyone as friendly and give them full access, with its entries and programs unlocking as needed. With Madigan still missing, she recorded a simple to do list to finish the system: one, to find, repair, and set up Madigan's uplink; two, to recover routing schematics; three, to gain security access codes; four, to upload all this data via a relay tower; and finally, five, to reboot the system. One program described how to repair detectors in the Mire should they malfunction, sweetening the chore with a location of free wood armor, specifically, Raleigh Clay's bunker, complete with his password. With this contingency plan complete, she packed her bags to go to the Top of the World in search of Madigan's uplink. Although her eventual fate is unknown, her plans succeeded in the end, as the residents of Vault 76 would complete the hard work.

Operation
The Scorched Detection System was composed of several security and surveillance systems networked together. The physical components comprised several detectors placed all over Appalachia triggered by motion. Once activated, Geiger counters would verify the radiation specific to the Scorched. That information would then be transmission to the closest relay tower. Each relay tower in the region was programmed to accept the system. The communications uplinks were key components of the SDS, as these detectors sent their signals to the relay towers, and the uplink picked up on them and transmitted the data to a satellite, that then relayed it back down to Abbie Singh's computer setup inside her bunker, and any Pip-Boys the Free States were commonly using.