For those who've read the books: You're appointed a Wallfacer, at the start of the second book. What would your plan be?
(You have no special in-universe knowledge.)
For those who haven't read the books:
[SPOILERS for the "Three Body problem" and the first half of "The Dark Forest" follow!]
Background (for those who haven't read the books): Modern Day Earth. Aliens from Alpha Centauri discover the Earth. Their home system is highly unstable, and they decide on a mass exodus to Earth, with plans on wiping out humanity once they arrive. Their invasion fleet of 1,000 ships will take 400 years to arrive, with a number of automated probes arriving within 200 years.
They announce their plans to humanity, and the entire planet knows that this is happening and is not a hoax.
Their level of technology is not known beyond the following:
- * The speed of their fleet/invasion force is limited to a few percentage points of C.
* Their rate of technological development is slow and static, while humanity's accelerated. Given humanity's present rate of technological advancement, Humanity 4 centuries from now would be able to effortlessly crush the invading fleet.
* To prevent the above, they completely lock down humanity's ability to advance in fundamental physics and science using Sophons.
* Sophons are subatomic AI built using 1.5D photons. They can travel at the speed of light, allow instantaneous FTL transmission of information between Earth and the alien homeworld via entanglement, and can alter the effects of any reactions of experiment on the submolecular level. This can't be used for offensive purposes, but it does means that they can sabotage the result of any experiment on the submolecular/subatomic level. That means that humanity cannot advance in fundamental physics, quantum physics (that means no jump beyond Moore's law or quantum computing), no fundamental improvements in basic science, and puts a massive glass cieling on human technology.
An analogy for why this is so limiting: "You have the shinyest tanks, jet aircraft and brand new maxim machine guns. Good luck fighting an enemy with atomic bombs".
* The Sophons also allow for near perfect information gathering about humanity. They can cover the whole planet and can't be blocked, and transmit information back instantly (they can also read electronic media to some degree). They allow bidirectional communication. (The aliens understand English and can communicate with us).
* The Sophons serve to let humanity know about the aliens plan, once they're discovered, by inscribing a message on the retina of every human on earth "You're Bugs".
Due to the Sophon's spying on all military activity on Earth, a plan is devised to appoint a number of "Wallfacers". The Sophons cannot extract information from human brains or thoughts, so the idea behind the wallfacers is to create hidden long term 'alternative' plans to prepare for the invasion, in addition to conventional efforts. You have extreme freedom, and do not need to explain the reasons behind your activities and instructions to anyone, though you will need to face oversight by a UN committee. The idea is to use subterfuge and trickery, and to hide your real plan until it's in effect.
You are one of the Wallfacers. You must devise a long term strategem for ensuring the survival of humanity/defeat of the invasion force.
You have access to extreme resources (assume on the order of 1-2 % of global GDP in a fully militarized, integrated global economy, with a level of mobilization sufficient to push back global standards of living by 1-2 centuries). You have access to hibernation technology capable of putting you into stasis as many times as needed, and letting you manage your plan over the centuries.
Added complications:
- *The aliens have almost no concept of trickery, lying or deception. Thus, they are very bad at guessing tricks, schemes, lies and deception (They did not realize that there could be a difference between "knowing something" and "saying it" until Humans described it to them).
* The Aliens have a number of fanatical human sympathizers on Earth. These are a few thousand people drawn from the Intelligentsia, all fanatically devoted to the destruction of humanity and it's replacement by a superior species. These people also appoint a "WallBreaker" whose role is to constantly study you (with the aid of the Sophons), and to figure out your plan. Thus, your plan should be able to hold up to scrutiny by another human with access to your every activity.
* Humanity can be assumed to be slightly "Lawful Good" retarded in its adherence to moral rights. If your plan is discovered/guessed and obviously in violation of these rights, you will lose.