Vesta class

The Vesta-class was type of Federation Starfleet starship in service from 2380. The class was designated a multi-mission explorer and was test-bed for a number of experimental technologies, including quantum slipstream drive. As of February 2381 there were seven vessels of the class in service. 

Specification
The Vesta-class starship USS Aventine served as a test-bed for a number of new Starfleet technologies, including quantum slipstream drive. Systems installed as part of the slipstream drive included a quantum field focus controller at the front of the ship's main deflector, and a chroniton integrator; the latter of which could be used to take sensor readings several seconds into the future when the ship was using its slipstream drive. 

Other experimental systems aboard the Aventine included mark XII phaser cannons, a multidimensional wave-function analysis module, and a sympathetic fermion transceiver. Some of the systems being tested were deemed top secret. 

In addition to the experimental systems the class was otherwise top of the line, able to achieve at least Warp nine-point-nine-nine. The Vesta-class held a crew of seven-hundred-and-fifty, with an emergency capacity of three-and-a-half-thousand. The class could also hold up to twenty-four-thousand metric tons of cargo. 

The ships' main shuttlebay was located on deck twelve. Behind the main was a large flight deck, allowing small craft too large for the shuttle bay to land; this area included a large deck lift which lowered into a runabout bay. 

History
Vessels of the class had entered service by at least September 2380, at which time Ezri Dax was serving on the USS Aventine. With the launch of a Borg invasion in January 2381 the Vesta-class, with its state of the art weaponry, was found to be one of the few Starfleet classes able to mount an effective defense against the massive Borg assault. Ships of the class were assigned to defend the Federation's core systems, including Sol, Vulcan, Andor and Tellar. 

Despite the class' resilience, it still took a beating against the Borg. During an attack by the Borg on Acamar, more than two-hundred-and-fifty of the USS Aventine's crew were killed. The Aventine, under it's new commander, Captain Dax, went on to play a major role in stopping the Borg invasion after the ship's crew discovered a subspace tunnel leading across the galaxy. This eventually resulted in the discovery of a network of such tunnels, which the Borg had been using to infiltrate Federation space. Unfortunately exploration of the tunnels was not completed in time to prevent the full force of the Borg Collective, when an armada of more than seven-thousand Borg ships entered the Beta Quadrant. 

Against immeasurable odds Captain Dax of the Aventine initially planned to bring the ship's experimental slipstream drive online ahead of the test schedule to allow the ship to get to Earth ahead of the Borg and mount a desperate last defense. Dax was eventually dissuaded from this plan by Captain Picard of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E). 

Dax later did use the Aventine's slipstream drive in an ambitious plan to ambush a Borg vessel and plant a fake Borg Queen to take control of the Borg armada. The slipstream drive allowed the ambush to go ahead successfully, and the plan prevented the annihilation of several Federation worlds.

The Aventine, along with the Enterprise and Titan were later present in the Azure Nebula to witness the end of the Borg invasion, and the entire Borg Collective at the hands of the Caeliar. 

Following the invasion the Aventine made occasional use of their slipstream drive to expedite journey times between destinations in their efforts to assist in the rebuilding of the Federation and its infrastructure. Meanwhile the USS Esquiline had her drive fitted, and during a test run of drive Admiral Akaar took the opportunity to visit Jean-Luc Picard on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E), which was at the time in orbit of Ingraham B. 

In May of that year the Esquiline and USS Quirinal were assigned to Project Full Circle, as part of a fleet of nine starships led by the USS Voyager to return to Delta Quadrant to investigate the state of the affairs in the region in the fallout of the dissolution of the Borg Collective. The Esquiline was among the first three ships in that fleet to be fitted with the slipstream drive required to make the journey. 

Known vessels

 * USS Aventine (NCC-82602)
 * USS Esquiline
 * USS Quirinal

Background

 * According to authors David Mack and Keith R.A. DeCandido, the class is named after the Roman goddess of hearth and home, while ships of the class will be named after the seven hills of Rome (Aventine, Caelian, Capitoline, Esquiline, Palatine, Quirinal and Viminal). So far only three ships of the class have been established in stories.
 * The design of the Vesta-class is by Mark Rademaker, who drew influence from several ships while developing the design; taking a lead from the and USS Dauntless (NX-01-A), as both had previously used slipstream, and therefore had features applicable to the use of that technology. The design also incorporates elements from Rademaker's own USS Spirit (NX-79995) (a slipstream enabled starship seen in the Ships of the Line 2009 calendar), and takes aesthetic cues from the  and.
 * Rademaker's design was first previewed in a TrekMovie.com article, and the finalized model was first published in the 2010 Ships of the Line calendar. The design also appears on the cover of Zero Sum Game, and the German edition of Gods of Night.
 * In October 2010, Star Trek Magazine #156 included an extensive feature of the Vesta-class design. "Building the Aventine" includes an interview with Mark Rademaker, numerous images showing the development of the design, and technical specifications for the ship. Additionally the magazine featured a new image of the class as one of its centerfold pictures.