The Belisarius Group is a conspiracy within the Confederation’s military with two goals:

• Military coup to take over the government
• Use the Genetic Enhancement Program to prepare humanity for its next war.

The first goal is known to all of the conspirators, whereas the second goal is kept a secret to all but the highest level of the conspiracy.

At first, Admiral Whittaker leads the genetic enhancement project. After his death, Rear Admiral Tolwyn assumes command.

Miruts Bikina joins the Free Republic of the Landreich Navy. He racks up a series of impressive victories and rises quickly through the ranks. [FC]

The Belisarius Group, including highly placed officers like DuVall and Murasaki, is formed. Their goal is to stage a military coup, replacing the post-Battle of Earth civilian government which they view as ineffective. They form a special security department, designated Y-12. In truth, the group is only a distraction, created as a cover for an even more sinister conspiracy seeking to use the Genetic Enhancement Program to forcibly prepare humanity for the next war. Adm. Whittaker is one of the few officers who understands this level of the project. [FC]

Adm. Whittaker visits his old friend RAdm. Tolwyn, informing him of the existence of the Belisarius Group and The Project. Whittaker asks Tolwyn to read Nietzsche to understand the truth of the program. Tolwyn, aware that mankind is not ready to fight the Nephilim [sic, I’m positive the author meant Mantu], agrees to participate in the plan. He begins a rushed deployment of the Behemoth weapons platform, seeking to end the current war as quickly as possible to bring an end to Belisarius – and to initiate The Project. [FC]

He told David Whittaker he wouldn’t have anything to do with the Belisarius, and Whittaker then said it was just some vague idea and not an actual plan. Tolwyn pretended he believed him but his paranoia was piqued. The Group could have had him killed, but it was probably Whittaker who held them back. Not knowing whom he could trust, Tolwyn didn’t alert ConFleet Security. The Belisarius Group has a secret agency within ConFleet Security, Y-12. He couldn’t contact anyone who he thought he could trust either, because the group would have them killed. He decided he had to finish the war as soon as possible, so the Group no longer had an excuse to stage a coup. That’s why he pressed Behemoth into service. He later told Jason he didn’t know Paladin was developing the Temblor Bomb, or he’d have assisted him instead. Still, he was somewhat tempted to go along with it the Belisarius plan. The civilian government was messing up the war effort, and he thought that a military government, if led by the right people, would have a better chance of winning. However, he would want to give control back to the civilians after the war, and he didn’t think there were enough people who thought the same way; they’d keep the military government in place indefinitely.

From the CIC Encyclopaedia - Geoffrey Tolwyn:

After the war The Belisarius wanted to trigger war on the frontier so they could once again find justification to stage a coup. Tolwyn wanted to avoid this by stopping rogue Kilrathi Ragark in his tracks; he figured if his Project Goliath was a success they had a chance at stopping the Kilrathi and Belisarius would not have had the excuse they needed to seize power. Fearing the Group wanted to use his nephew to get at him, he sent Kevin Tolwyn out to the Landreich and accompanied him there soon with a crack team of allies. All the secretive conspiracies playing out within the Confederation began to make Tolwyn paranoid. This combined with the bitter feelings he felt over the civilian government’s mismanagement of the false peace armistice and other events. Jason Bondarevsky felt that Tolwyn had changed since the old days. There was now a chasm between them. He was like a gambler who’d lost everything but kept playing, hoping for a big break, but not thinking about the consequences. Tolwyn executed Project Goliath in 2670 to head off a Belisarius provoked war between the Kilrathi, Landreich and Confederation, but began to think about his own machinations to keep the Confederation fit.

RAdm. Tolwyn returns from his final court martial appearance. He finds a voice message from agents of the Belisarius Group, claiming that they are responsible for his acquittal. This is Tolwyn’s signal that he must strengthen the Free Republic of the Landreich position in order to ensure the success of The Project. Tolwyn contacts his nephew, Maj. Tolwyn, and asks him to resign his commission to serve with the Free Republic of the Landreich Navy. [FC]

The Belisarius Group plans to support an invasion of the Free Republic of the Landreich by Kal Shintahr Ukar dai Ragark lak Haka. The move will make martyrs of the human colonies, leading to a renewed war with the Kilrathi and another chance for a military takeover of the government. [FC]

[Balthazar System] The Belisarius Group has The Guild launch a raid on the Free Republic of the Landreich Outpost. President Kruger insists that the attack must have been launched by the Kilrathi, though evidence to the contrary is ultimately discovered. [FC]

Adm. Richards contacts RAdm. Tolwyn to ask if he would be interested in serving with the Free Republic of the Landreich Navy. Tolwyn rebuffs Richards, believing he will receive a more important assignment in the near future. The two continue to discuss the plan in the ensuing months. Tolwyn recommends that Richards contact Jason Bondarevsky as a candidate for his operation. [FC]

David Whittaker is killed by Y-12 agents. His death makes RAdm. Geoffrey Tolwyn head of The Project. [FC]

[VIP Lounge, Moonbase Tycho, Luna, Sol System] Adm. Richards and Jason Bondarevsky meet with RAdm. Tolwyn. They discuss the situation between the Free Republic of the Landreich and Kal Shintahr Ukar dai Ragark lak Haka. Tolwyn, aware that he must strengthen the Landreich’s military pursuant to his plans for The Project, agrees to take a leave of absence and sign on with the Landreich. [Detailed: FC, pp.43-56]

[Presidential Palace, Newburg, Landreich, Landreich System] President Kruger meets with Commissioner Williams. The meeting ends with Williams angrily storming out of Kruger’s office, threatening that the Terran Confederation is willing to deploy forces to the Landreich Sector in order to prevent a conflict with Kal Shintahr Ukar dai Ragark lak Haka. Afterwards, Kruger meets with RAdm. Tolwyn, Adm. Richards and Jason Bondarevsky, who have just arrived from the FRLS Thermistocles. He briefs Tolwyn and Bondarevsky on the existence of the crippled KIS Karga, and his plan for Goliath Project. Tolwyn and Bondarevsky are given Free Republic of the Landreich Naval commissions. [Detailed: FC, pp.73-82]

Capt. Jason Bondarevsky requests that Lt. Harper be assigned as his aide. The request is granted. [FC]

[Operations Planning Center, FRLS Independence, Vaku VII Orbit, Vaku System] RAdm. Tolwyn confides in Adm. Richards about the Belisarius Group. Richards reluctantly agrees to go forward with Goliath Project. Tolwyn, Richards and Capt. Bondarevsky meet with Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak, who agrees to help them retrieve his uncles command codes from the derelict KIS Karga. [Detailed: FC, pp.207-212]

• TCN R&D Starbase, in Vega sector
• Bartok Enterprises is the company responsible for the design and production of Confederation military technology, include the Hades class Quick Strike Assault Cruisers. Executives from the company were present at the Midway’s reception on Venus to discuss the launch of the TCS Cerberus on 2681.055.
• Remin-Krug was a weapons consortium. Most of their facilities were destroyed in the Battle of Earth.